One of the bigger surprises last college football season was Kirby Smart and the Georgia football team not making the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs came into the season as the favorite to win it all as they were coming off of two straight national titles. They coasted through their regular season schedule and came into the SEC championship game with a 12-0 record and they were ranked #1 in the country. Then, they suffered their first loss of the year against Alabama.
The College Football Playoff committee was faced with a difficult dilemma last year and one that made a good case for the expansion to 12 teams. There were simply too many deserving teams in college football last season, and Georgia football was one of them. They were 12-1 and their only loss was a close one against one of the best teams in the country. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were left out.
Now, Georgia is getting ready for the 2024 season, and they are once again the favorite to win the national championship, and they have the second best odds to make the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs are expected to do big things, but head coach Kirby Smart is not using last year's shortcoming as motivation for this season.
“We don't have a chip on our shoulder (not making playoff),” Kirby Smart said at SEC media days, according to a tweet from Brett McMurphy. “I've never used a failure from previous year as motivation or a success from previous year as motivation.”
That is a common source of motivation for a lot of teams, but Georgia isn't one of them. With the talent that they have on this football need, they likely won't need a lot of extra motivation. They should be able to out-talent most of the teams that they will play in 2024.
Georgia missing the 2024 CFP would be shocking
Qualifying for the four-team College Football Playoff was a tall task, and last year's Georgia football team was the perfect example. One little slip up cost them everything. Florida State didn't have a slip up and they still missed out on the CFP despite a 13-0 record. It wasn't easy to get in, but now that 12 teams make it, it will be much easier. Because of that, Georgia missing the playoff this year would be a shock.
One thing that will be difficult for the Bulldogs is their schedule. They obviously will face a ton of tough teams in SEC play (Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and more), but they also have to play Clemson during non-conference play. That schedule is tough, but Kirby Smart is excited about it, and that is what really motivates his team.
“We embrace that,” Smart said, according to a tweet from Brett McMurphy. “We're really excited about that. It motivates our offseason. As coaches you want to play the best.”
Georgia is the favorite to win it all this season as they are +300. Ohio State is the favorite to make the CFP at -650, and the Bulldogs are right behind them with -600 odds. It would take something shocking for Georgia to miss the 12-team playoff, and it would be pretty surprising to not see them make a deep run in it, too. This should be another good year for the Georgia football team, and they are looking to reclaim their spot on the mountaintop of college football.
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