Georgia's (Still) No. 1 (Of Course)

After yesterday's dominating, 51-13 win over formerly undefeated Kentucky, Georgia continues to hold the No. 1 spot in today's AP Coach's Poll. With yesterday's loss by Missouri to LSU, there's now only one undefeated team left in the SEC and it's Georgia.  

The repeat National Champion Georgia Bulldogs have held the No. 1 spot in the poll since October 19, 2022. This is Georgia's 23nd consecutive win and Kirby Smart's 87th win as Georgia's Head Coach (87-15).

But what fun is winning if you can't gloat over the misfortunes of others? Texas lost to Oklahoma yesterday, 34-30, and dropped 6 spots in the poll, from No. 3 down to No. 9. The Sooners moved up 7 spots with the win, from No. 12 to No. 5. 

Setting aside their upset win over Alabama earlier this season, Texas is following their usual pattern: beating a few other insignificant Texas teams (Rice, Baylor), daydreaming about national championships and trash-talking the rest of the NCAA, and then promptly losing as soon as they cross the Red River and play an Oklahoma team (OSU or Okie State). It happens every year and it's as predictable as Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football, and yet every year Longhorn fans start the Oklahoma game all looking like Matthew McConaughey and finish the game all looking like Willie Nelson. 

Also, and this can't be overstated enough, NOTRE DAME LOST! They were blown out, 33-20, by No. 25 Louisville in a surprise upset (the Irish were 6.5-point favorites). Notre Dame dropped 11 spots in the poll to an insignificant No. 21, and Louisville moved up 11 to No. 14.

Georgia will remain No. 1 for at least a while.  We have an easy road game next week against unranked Vanderbilt (2-5), then a bye week, and then our annual grudge match against Florida, only Florida is unranked and 4-2 this year.  After that, it's a home game against Missouri (5-1), who dropped out of the Top 25 after yesterday's loss to LSU.

The test will come in mid-November, when Georgia has back-to-back games against No. 13 Ole Miss and then No. 19 Tennessee. Our final regular season game is the annual match with unranked Georgia Tech, but unlike Miami yesterday, Georgia won't fumble the ball away in the last 30 seconds when we should just take a knee and end the game.    

Despite their loss to Texas earlier this year, Alabama is undefeated in SEC West play and will most likely play Georgia in the SEC title game. Alabama's always a tough match for the Bulldogs, but this year the Tide doesn't look quite like the powerhouse they've been in the past, although only a fool would underestimate them.  

Just remember the 2021 SEC title game against Alabama, the last time Georgia took a loss (673 days ago, but who's counting?).