Kirbs is in lobbying mode.
And Nick is there as his wing man.
“Based on the teams that we’ve played this year, I think this team deserves to be in the playoff as well,” Saban said. “I sure as hell don’t want to play them again, but that’s the best compliment I can give you or give them.”
Sagarin rates Georgia third in his rankings (with the number six SOS!). Bill Connelly is right there with Sagarin.
And, in the end, none of it matters. You can say it’s for any or all of the reasons Bill elucidates here, but I think the reality is simply that the selection committee isn’t ready to open up the can of worms that would inevitably and vehemently follow if it allowed a two-loss, non-conference champ team in ahead of (take your pick) one-loss conference champs Ohio State and Oklahoma or undefeated Notre Dame.
It’s not about the best. It’s never been about the best. The selection committee isn’t even wired for it to be about the best.
https://twitter.com/BudElliott3/status/1069242304471490560
You’ll see a thousand different takes on which teams should be in the semis and a thousand impassioned reasons why. None of them matter. (Neither does the hot take that this season proves the format needs to grow to eight teams.) The selection committee’s gonna selection committee.
I’m at peace either way it goes, personally speaking. I am convinced after watching the SECCG that Georgia merits consideration as one of the four best, but you lose control of the debate when you drop two games in a year when there are alternatives. C’est la guerre.
Get The Picture 
Meh we had our chance. We blew it.
I don’t think my heart can take another close loss to Bama in 30 days.
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I fully believe UGA could beat any of the teams in the discussion, but the reality is that last night was our playoff game and we lost. When I was leaving the Benz I was very bitter at the officiating and the fact that we were the better team for three quarters, but the reality is that we simply did not execute in the 4th quarter when it mattered and that’s the difference in being considered a champion. Overall, we finished the season very strong with a young team and this is probably the worst team we will field for the foreseeable future, which is exciting. There is no taking the sting out of last night…a W would have made today and beyond so freaking sweet, but thems the breaks, I guess.
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We dont deserve it as a two loss team. Period. Bama, as an undefeated team with the greatest regular season in history earned the right to NOT have to play us again, and unfortunately many aren’t considering that point.
For those who disagree, if we were undefeated and just handed Bama their second loss in the SEC, would you be ok with the committee putting Bama in anyway, and essentially punishing us by making us beat them yet again? Hell, a week ago most of us wanted Bama left out if we beat them because of this, even though that would have been their lone loss of the season.
We simply need to learn how to finish games. Being tied or beating Bama in 119 of the last 120 in football and losing both games is just cruel.
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It’s more nuanced than that. Auburn would have gotten in last year as a two-loss team had it won the SECCG.
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Well that because they actually would have won the SECC, and the other resumes weren’t nearly as respectable as they are this year. You had no undefeated ND team last year, and the #5 team +who was the first team out) was a two loss Ohio State team that recently lost to Iowa by 30.
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All true. That’s why I said it’s more nuanced than your “Period”. 😉
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119 of 120 minutes, that is, and 267 of the 270 total plays in the two games combined.
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You’re right about having to play Bama again if we’d won. That’s a really terrible part of the setup, IMO. Bama could have gotten in no matter how badly they lost, I’m sure, unless perhaps we win 45-14 or something and Oklahoma had beaten Texas even worse. But even then I doubt Bama would have been left out.
I’ve had it with having to go through them, I’ll tell you. I’m convinced we will beat anyone else in the country on any given day– the only other team that’s close is Clemson.
The fires will be hotter than ever next year, so there’s that. I look forward to the day we finish them off. It will be surely as cathartic as that whipping we put on Florida last year.
One more thing: I suspected that we were not blitzing all year so as to save a little sumthin’ for Bama. We sure as hayul dialed up a game plan for Tua, eh? Next to last in sacks, who cares. LOL.
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when we had the ball and were moving deep into their territory with a 14 pt lead, i was convinced we were about to turn the lights out on the legendary crimson tide. If we had put 7 on them there (instead of 0), they would’ve folded IMO.
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“I’m at peace either way it goes…”
I guess. I really don’t give a rat’s ass about the committee, so I can be at peace about that choice whichever way it goes.
But I also fret that we played so well, and coulda shoulda won it, but didn’t. I almost think I would be less frustrated if we had just been crushed. I hope that the taste in the team’s mouth means bad things for whoever we play next.
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Lot’s of love for the Dawgs on the set.
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“Georgia looked like one of the four best teams in the country based on that performance” . Palmer
It’s not going to matter but it’s nice to see these dudes like Georgia better than many Georgia fans here.
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Herbie convinced Finebaum we should be in!
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I said it once and I’ll say it again how many times can our players get beat by Bama like they have in one year and not get crushed mentally. I would just as soon end the year against somebody other than Bama for a change.
Oh by the way Kirby running that fake just told the players we had to get a first down or we were toast. He did not trust the defense to stop them or he would have punted. When he did that I knew we were done. You can BS about risk/reward the smart thing was to punt and stop them, not give them a short field and hope to stop them. How many failed fakes will it take for Kirby to stop trying to be Bobby Bowdin.
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I got into a long exchange with Bud on this.
I stand by my position: either conference championship games mean something, or they don’t. If they do, then Bama last year and OSU in 2016 didn’t deserve to be in. If they don’t, then UGA and TCU in 2014 should be in.
I don’t care either way, I just want consistency.
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It’s Notre Dame getting in that chaps my backside.
Where’s their W in a playoff game?
While everyone is discussing OSU, OK, and UGA…nobody is even questioning their gift wrapped entry.
If it’s not an isssue, then getting a L to ‘Bama shouldn’t be either. it’s bullcrap and two of the four teams playing in the finals are not top four teams.
Stick it up your arsses, committee.
I hope ND gets beat by ten touchdowns and five safeties bu Clemmons or whoever it is they play.
And I hope Georgia beats them so bad in Athens next year that they go back to Indiana on a medivac flight.
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Ug, We are in the position that we must hope Bama beats bloody piss out of any and everyone they face down the stretch ’cause it makes us look better. Best thing is for us to head to Austin and put the stones to UT just because we can. Fuck the committee.
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