AUBURN, Ala. — No. 10 Auburn (No. 10 CFP rankings) handled No. 2 Georgia (No. 1 CFP rankings) in all three phases to secure a 40-17 win and keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ victory:
1. Georgia was revealed
The Bulldogs were No. 1 in the Playoff rankings thanks to an unbeaten record and September’s road win against one-loss Notre Dame. Auburn revealed Georgia as undeserving of a spot atop the Football Bowl Subdivision. In all three areas — offense, defense and special teams — the Tigers owned the advantage. This wasn’t some fluke: Auburn dominated. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs melted in the face of some adversity.
Don’t forget that Georgia hadn’t trailed in a game since the fourth quarter against the Irish on Sept. 10. For two months, this team sailed past one inferior opponent after another. How do you know how to respond to a challenge when you haven’t been challenged? The Bulldogs clearly didn’t have the answer.
2. Auburn and the Playoff
Tenth in this past week’s Playoff poll, Auburn knew it could still find a way into the four-team field despite holding two losses: beat Georgia once, beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl and then beat Georgia again in the SEC championship game. Step one is complete. The win should move Auburn up at least two spots in the next Playoff rankings and maybe even more, depending on the rest of Saturday’s results.
Now the Tigers turn to Alabama. It won’t be an easy test; we now know that Alabama’s a better team than Georgia. But a win to end November will hand the Tigers the West Division and clinch a spot in the title game, played in Atlanta, and it’s very likely — based on what happened here today — that they’d be a nice favorite in the rematch with the Bulldogs.
3. Georgia and the Playoff
OK, so it was a bad loss. An ugly loss. An embarrassing loss. One you’d like to forget. But it doesn’t really change anything for Georgia. One loss is no longer an eliminator in the Playoff era, as we’ve seen in each season of the format’s existence. Georgia is still in control of its postseason home and can still earn a spot in a semifinal by sweeping through the final two games of November and beating one of Auburn or Alabama to claim the SEC crown.
Of course, the nature of Saturday’s loss raises the big question: Can Georgia beat either one of those teams? It doesn’t look promising. But let’s revisit come the first Saturday of December.
Read Again https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2017/11/11/takeaways-auburn-upset-of-georgia-top-team-cfp-rankings-tumbles/855433001/
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