Kirby Smart makes the case for Georgia to enter the CFP if it loses to Texas

Georgia football has officially completed its regular season at 10-2 after defeating Georgia Tech on Friday night. That record was good enough for the AP poll to move Georgia back into the top five in Sunday’s updated poll rankings.

And while it’s nice to be recognized by the AP poll, the only rankings that matter now are the College Football Playoff rankings. The updated CFP rankings will be released on Tuesday, so we’ll see where Georgia stands then, but the consensus is that Georgia has done enough this season to secure its spot in the 12-team playoffs.

On Sunday, Kirby Smart was asked if he agreed with that statement, and his answer wasn’t at all surprising.

“It’s a tough question because it depends on who the best teams are,” Smart shared via 247sports.com. “And I don’t know, you know, I’ve said repeatedly, I don’t know what the committee’s goals are… So I don’t think you can measure things just by how many losses you have, but by the quality.” The schedule, that you play must mean something.

Smart made it pretty clear that he believes Georgia has done enough to be considered a top 12 team. While he didn’t say it directly, this quote, as well as his previous statements, shows that he thinks Georgia’s 10-2 record is very impressive considering the extremely tough schedule they’ve faced this year.

But at the same time, Smart knows how inconsistent the committee has been with its rankings this season. Therefore, there is no guarantee that Georgia will make it to the CFP if it loses to Texas, even though experts across the country believe Georgia is safe.

The best thing Georgia can do now is beat Texas in the SEC championship game. If they can do that, it will be impossible for Georgia to be eliminated from the playoffs this season, and they will also have about a month off before having to play again. That extra break might be more important than the SEC Championship right now, so a win against Texas is a must if Georgia wants to be a serious threat to win a national championship this season.