2. Georgia Bulldogs
11-2 (6-2 SEC regular season)
What’s next: First-round bye; No. 2 Georgia awaits the winner of the Indiana championship, No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, in the quarterfinals
Head coach: Kirby Smart (ninth season, 105-18 overall)
About Smart: Perhaps the best head coach in the sport after the retirement of Nick Saban, Smart is 53-4 over the past four seasons. Getting him to smile might be hard but it’s not as difficult as trying to solve one of his defenses. He had 13 career interceptions as a defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1995-98.
Resume
Georgia battered Texas 30-15 in the regular-season meeting, hopping out to a 23-0 halftime lead while administering the beating, and claimed an OT win in the rematch for the SEC Championship. The low moment was getting easily handed 28-10 by Ole Miss in the second week of November.
Postseason history
Georgia won national championships in 2021 and 2022 under the four-team playoff format and lost in 2017. The Bulldogs also won the 1980 national crown with legendary running back Herschel Walker leading the way.
The road to Atlanta
No. 2 Georgia has three weeks to prepare for its first playoff game, a matchup with either No. 10 Indiana or No. 7 Notre Dame. The winner of that game has a semifinals contest with the winner of Boise State and either Penn State or SMU, who must fight it out in the first round to advance.
Names to Know
QB Carson Beck
His health is a major storyline and chief concern for the Bulldogs.
Beck was unable to throw or grip the ball in a strength test at halftime of the SEC Championship game and required an MRI on Sunday.
When Beck was forced out of the game, Gunner Stockton had a few deer-in-headlights moments including an interception in the final minutes of regulation.
CB Malaki Starks
He’s a finalist for the Thorpe Award (top defensive back) and is a top-notch cover corner who regularly shuts down his side of the field.
LB Jalon Walker
Solid blitzer entered the SEC title game with 5.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries while being one of the leaders of the defense.
RB Trevor Etienne
He missed the final three regular-season games due to a rib injury before returning against Texas and the Bulldogs need him healthy to make a deep playoff run.
LB Chaz Chambliss
He joins Walker as a threat to notch a sack and is tied for the team lead with 5.5. Inconsistency is a challenge as he had two sacks against both Florida and Tennessee to go with some underwhelming games.
–Field Level Media