Georgia is slated for the College Football Playoff. But are they No. 2 seeds?

Georgia often didn’t live up to what we’d expect from the No. 2 team in the country, but that number will almost certainly be the Bulldogs’ prize.
Georgia needed every ounce of conservativeness to beat Texas.
The Longhorns dominated the first half but only held a three-point lead. Hello, danger zone.

ATLANTA – It’s hard to believe we saw the second-best team in the playoffs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, but this No. 2 seed will almost certainly be Georgia’s price for putting up a chaotic Rocks 22-point battle in overtime :19 against No. 2 seed Texas in the SEC championship game.

The Bulldogs won with their backup quarterback fueling the rally.

They survived an interception and four fumbles and prevailed despite gaining 112 yards.

They needed a false punt to allow an escape. The Bulldogs needed each of their six sacks from quarterback Quinn Ewers. They needed Texas to commit ten penalties, miss two field goals and drop too many passes for a hand to count.

Survive and advance, Bulldogs.

“This team never says never,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said afterward.

At least this team can do it.

Only once since the calendar turned to November have the Bulldogs (11-2) looked particularly dominant – against Tennessee – but now they have three wins against playoff teams.

Based on this metric alone, Georgia secured second place.

“No matter what people say about us, we just keep going,” Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith said. “I’m proud of us.”

Georgia needed all the fortitude it had previously shown in close wins against Kentucky and Georgia Tech.

We applaud Georgia’s persistence in rallying behind its defense and ground game after quarterback Carson Beck left with an injury on the final play before halftime. Credit to Gunner Stockton for his 8-yard run in overtime that gave Georgia the winning score.

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Also, discredit the Longhorns for refusing to take a win that was about three inches in front of them most of the game and turned out to be an inch too far.

The winners get the valuable bye into the quarter-finals. This is an important time for Georgia to rest and figure out what to do at quarterback after Beck spent the second half with an ice pack on his elbow.

And how about the price of Texas?

The Longhorns (11-2), a favorite of the committee in recent weeks, could still be a high enough seed to host a first-round game despite losing twice to Georgia and not defeating any playoff teams.

At halftime, Texas had a 260-54 yards advantage in total offense, but only a three-point lead thanks to a slew of mistakes.

Hello, danger zone.

They just knew Texas would regret not giving up on Georgia when it had the chance.

Give the Bulldogs an escape hatch and they will find it and weave their way through.

Beck had to come back into play to complete the escape.

Stockton’s helmet flew off after he absorbed a hard hit on the second-to-last play of the game. That usually meant Stockton had to sit out the next snap because Georgia didn’t have a timeout available.

Instead of turning to his third quarterback, Smart reinstated Beck.

Texas had to know what was coming. Everyone in the building could appreciate that Beck would pay it forward.

He did, and Trevor Etienne blasted through the heart of Texas’ vaunted defense and secured a spot in the top two playoff spots.

Is Georgia really a top 2 team?

I have my doubts about a team that offers a roller coaster ride almost every week, but the playoffs will have to decide that.

Georgia made fewer mistakes than its opponent, and that was certainly enough for the day.

Heading into the playoffs with a bye and an enviable seed under our belt.

Blake Toppmeyer is the national college football columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read his entire columnS.

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