Video recap as Georgia football beats Alabama for SEC Championship
Watch as the Athens Banner-Herald’s Marc Weiszer recaps Georgia football’s SEC Championship win over Alabama.
There will be a new No. 1 in the US LBM Coaches Poll after Indiana beat Ohio State 13-10 to remain the only unbeaten team in the Bowl Subdivision.
The Hoosiers’ historic run will continue as the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings. Look for the Buckeyes to drop two spots to No. 3 while Georgia climbs to No. 2.
There won’t be an Alabama team in the top 10, either, after the Crimson Tide were pushed around by Georgia in a 28-7 loss for the SEC championship.
Texas Tech capped a dominant run through the Big 12 by beating Brigham Young for the second time this season. Having an extra win than Oregon, along with better wins and a conference championship, gives the Red Raiders enough ammunition to climb into the top four.
Alabama’s third loss will drop the Crimson Tide out of the top 10 and potentially out the playoff as well. Look for Miami to climb back into the top 10 in the final Coaches Poll of the regular season.
Here’s how the top 10 of the poll will look:
Besides landing the top playoff seed and being No. 1 in the poll for the first time, the win against Ohio State will probably deliver the Heisman Trophy to quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who threw for 222 yards on 9.7 yards per attempt and a score. Among other big throws, his 30-yard connection to Charlie Becker on a key third down late in the fourth quarter helped Indiana seal the win.
2. Georgia (12-1)
The Bulldogs will climb after beating Alabama and snap the Big Ten’s stranglehold on the top two spots. Georgia was able to avenge an earlier loss to the Crimson Tide and deliver a second SEC championship in a row and third in four years.
3. Ohio State (12-1)
Don’t be surprised if OSU gets a chunk of second-place votes and challenges Georgia for that spot, though voters will be more likely to reward the Bulldogs’ SEC championship than the Buckeyes’ close loss. Buckeyes still are in solid shape to make playoff run.
4. Texas Tech (12-1)
Somehow, Texas Tech lost to Arizona State. Otherwise, the Red Raiders might’ve been the most dominant team in the Power Four. Take what they did to BYU, winning both games by a combined 49 points. Look for Tech to climb two spots from last week and move ahead of Oregon and Ole Miss.
5. Oregon (11-1)
The Ducks will be jumped by the Red Raiders but will stand land comfortably as the host of an opening-round playoff game. Oregon was able to seal a playoff berth with a strong November highlighted by a win against Southern California.
6. Mississippi (11-1)
The Rebels are also looking to host in the opening round, and should get the nod despite losing Lane Kiffin to LSU. A rematch against Tulane – a team they routed in the regular season – will be a nice opener if that’s how the draw shakes out.
7. Texas A&M (11-1)
The Aggies probably wouldn’t beaten Alabama, too, had they not lost to Texas last weekend and cost themselves a spot in the SEC championship game. This is still the program’s most successful regular season in decades.
8. Oklahoma (10-2)
That Alabama win looks a lot weaker, though that result was still enough to put Oklahoma in line for an at-large bid heading into games against Missouri and LSU to end the year. While neither win was pretty, they were enough to get the Sooners into the playoff after posting a losing record last season.
9. Notre Dame (10-2)
Notre Dame was able to breathe a little easier on Saturday after Alabama failed to put up much resistance against Georgia. That shifted the playoff debate from Notre Dame and Miami to the Crimson Tide and Hurricanes, giving the Fighting Irish less reason for concern heading into Sunday’s selections.
10. Miami (10-2)
Miami is the clearest pick to replace Alabama. One, BYU lost to Texas Tech. Two, Vanderbilt had a great year but will have a weaker résumé for the Tide’s loss. And three, Miami has looked the part of a top-10 team for all but a few days this season and will be a heavy contender for the playoff as an at-large pick.
