There was a simple way for the Georgia Bulldogs to go to the College Football Playoff: Beat Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
Kirby Smart's team didn't get the job done though. They fell to Nick Saban and company, 27-24, to completely muddy the waters for the CFP selection committee.
Smart was asked about Georgia's argument for staying in the Top 4 despite the loss, and as you can imagine, he's campaigning hard.
"Bill Hancock said, it's not the most deserving. He said, simply, it's the best four teams," Smart said. "So you're going to tell me somebody's sitting in that committee room and doesn't think that Georgia is not one of the four best teams? I don't know if they're in the right profession because it's a really good football team, it's a really talented football team and it's a really balanced football team. So they have to make that decision but it's the best four teams and that's critical."
Should Georgia be in the College Football Playoff despite losing to Alabama?
Georgia went into championship weekend at No. 1 in the CFP rankings, but that was before they suffered their first loss of the season. Now they're in the mix with the rest of the one-loss teams vying for a place in the Top 4. Those include No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Alabama.
The Buckeyes didn't make it into the Big Ten title game but the Longhorns blasted Oklahoma State to win the Big 12 while the Crimson Tide obviously took down the Bulldogs.
Georgia's argument over Ohio State is strong enough to stay in front of them. But it's harder to argue the Bulldogs should get in over a one-loss Texas team that beat Alabama and won it's conference. And it's even harder to get in over a one-loss Alabama team that beat them for the SEC title.
The Bulldogs probably have an argument over Florida State, even if the Seminoles are undefeated considering their quarterback situation. But would the committee really leave out an unblemished ACC champions who beat SEC teams like LSU and Florida along the way?
Smart is going to make his argument, but it may take more than that to sway the committee.
