Georgia leads SEC in ESPN playoff projections

Georgia appears in every one of ESPN’s 12 projected College Football Playoff fields published Nov. 8, while Alabama and Tennessee also earned unanimous inclusion. Texas made 11 ballots, giving the SEC four projected teams on 11 of 12 lists.

Georgia received the No. 1 spot from 10 experts and landed third on the other two ballots. The Bulldogs were identified as the likely new No. 1 after a decisive win over Ole Miss, powered by five scores from Gunner Stockton.

Alabama’s projected position ranged from sixth to eighth, making the Crimson Tide the panel’s most tightly grouped SEC team behind Georgia. Tennessee ranged from sixth to 11th, while Texas also ranged from sixth to 11th on the ballots that included the Longhorns.

No other SEC program appeared in any of the 12 projected fields. Ole Miss was left out across the panel after its loss to Georgia.

The projections followed a Week 10 schedule that included seven ranked-against-ranked matchups. An AP top-two team lost for the fifth consecutive week, tying the 2007 season for the longest such streak of the AP poll era, which began in 1936.

These lists are expert projections rather than the selection committee’s rankings. Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee appeared on all 12 ballots, Kyle Bonagura was the only expert to leave out Texas.

Why it matters

ESPN’s panel unanimously projected Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee into the playoff field. Texas would give the SEC a fourth team on 11 of 12 ballots, while no other conference program was selected.