Georgia Took No. 1 in the AP Poll: Who will be Number One Tonight?

Georgia did almost everything a team can do to make voters forget it has a loss. The Bulldogs went to Oxford, ran for 295 yards, and led Ole Miss 35–0 through three quarters before winning 42–7. The AP moved them to No. 1 on Sunday. When the College Football Playoff committee releases its second rankings around 9 p.m. ET Tuesday on ESPN, I would put somebody else first.

Utah should be No. 1. The Utes are 9–0 and just beat the team the committee ranked ninth. They took BYU’s best shot in the second quarter, went to halftime down six, and held the Cougars scoreless the rest of the way. Georgia had the most impressive performance of the weekend. Utah has the better case for the top spot when you factor in what it has done over the entire season.

1. Utah earned the benefit of an unbeaten record

There’s a difference between protecting a perfect record against teams you’re expected to handle and doing it when a ranked rival has you trailing at halftime. BYU led 20–14, and Utah won 28–20. Devon Dampier accounted for all four Utah touchdowns, and the Utes intercepted Bear Bachmeier four times. The defense gave the offense a way back, and Dampier finished the job.

The most persuasive argument for Georgia is that its best game came on the road and was over long before the final whistle. That carries weight. So does beating a top-10 opponent while answering a question about how you respond when the game gets away from you. Utah entered the first CFP rankings just one spot behind Georgia. Its latest win gives the committee enough reason to reverse those two teams.

2. Georgia has the strongest case among the one-loss teams

Ole Miss had won 16 straight at home. Georgia ended that streak with a five-touchdown margin. Gunner Stockton threw four touchdown passes on 15 attempts and ran for another. The Bulldogs could move the chains on the ground and threaten a touchdown over the top without having to throw often. An opponent that can only stop one of those things is going to have a long afternoon.

If the committee puts Georgia first, the reasoning is easy to follow. The Bulldogs were already second, and their road win was emphatic enough to keep them above a team that won by eight at home. I would give Utah the edge for nine wins in nine tries, but these two belong close enough that another weekend of results could change the order.

3. Notre Dame belongs ahead of Miami

The Irish were No. 11 in the first CFP rankings. They beat No. 1 Miami 31–24, and both teams are now 8–1. Notre Dame led 17–3 at halftime, and CJ Carr finished with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns. When Miami got back within one score, Notre Dame still had a touchdown drive in it.

A move from No. 11 to No. 3 would be substantial. So was the evidence the Irish added. Their loss to BYU still counts, and Miami played without Malachi Toney. The committee can account for both and still decide that Notre Dame earned the higher spot. At equal records, the team that just won the matchup should have the edge unless the rest of the résumé makes a clear case the other way.

4. UCLA should move into the bye conversation

The Bruins were eighth in the initial rankings and are now 9–0 after beating Minnesota 34–20 on the road. Indiana was fourth in the committee’s first ranking and had the weekend off. I would put UCLA fourth and Indiana fifth, then let the next round of Big Ten games test that order. UCLA gets Illinois on Friday and Indiana hosts USC on Saturday.

Fourth matters because the top four teams in the final rankings earn first-round byes. The second ranking only tells us where the committee stands today, but it will show how much work the teams below that line still have to do. For Utah, it will answer the biggest question of the night. Does winning every game, including one against a top-10 rival, get you past a Georgia team that just played its best football of the year?