Forget about horrific weekly officiating, crazy upsets and three-loss teams filling out a 12-team College Football Playoff.
I have one question for the 2026 season: How in the world did Auburn beat Georgia?
How did Auburn run on that defense, and protect the quarterback long enough to put the game in the hands of fluky fate — then watch uber-protective Georgia
quarterback Gunner Stockton fumble it all away?Nobody wants a piece of Georgia, the new No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Playoff Predictor. Not now, not in the CFP.
Not Miami with Malachi Toney, not Indiana with Josh Hoover playing his
best.
Not Tennessee and its nasty defense, not Notre Dame and near-flawless quarterback CJ Carr. Not Utah and Devon Dampier, not Bear or Bama or anyone else.
Take a look at what Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss — the most dynamic quarterback in college football — did Saturday in a 42-7 home loss to Georgia:
- Completed 18 of 34 passes (52%), for 170 yards and an interception. Averaged 5 yards per attempt. Five.
- Rushed for negative-12 yards on nine carries.
- Sacked five times, and pressured on 33 percent of his drops.
You’re going to hear the typical narratives over the next couple of weeks, but don’t buy it. Like Missouri can beat Georgia after a natural letdown from the Ole Miss game, or if Byrum Brown can do it to Georgia, surely LaNorris Sellers can.
No, they can’t.
Georgia can lose, but it won’t be in the regular season. And it more than likely won’t be in the CFP.
Now on with this week’s Playoff Predictor — or how the CFP selection committee should vote, but won’t.
- Georgia: Someone wake me when the defense doesn’t hammer a quarterback and force a turnover (fumble or interception), and take it for six. I’ll wait. Next: vs. Missouri.
- Utah: Can Utes line up and trade blows with Georgia? Probably not — but it doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be fun watching Georgia try to corral Dampier. Next: at Arizona.
- Tennessee: If Georgia can win with a nasty defense and a smart quarterback, so can Tennessee. George MacIntyre is getting better with every rep. Next: at Texas A&M.
- Alabama: Tide is likely the second-best team in the field, but there’s no getting around the 16-point loss to Tennessee and the identical records. Next: at Vanderbilt.
- Notre Dame: Carr is the most undervalued quarterback in the game. Makes the right decisions, makes the easy and difficult throws, manages the game without a hitch. Next: vs. Boston College.
- Miami: Just how atrocious was the no-catch call? It eliminates CFP wiggle room for Canes without Toney. Next: vs. Duke.
- UCLA: Don’t overlook what the Bruins just did: beat same Minnesota team that a week earlier, had defending national champion Indiana on the ropes. Next: vs. Illinois.
- Indiana: Best guess: IU coach Curt Cignetti sticks with injured/struggling QB Hoover — but any potential hook will be much quicker. Next: vs. USC.
- Texas: Even with the botched fumble call, Arch Manning played his best game of the season. A positive sign moving forward. Next: at LSU.
- BYU: Hard to watch Bear Bachmeier make the difficult throws look easy, and easy throws interceptions. For one game, anyway. Next: vs. Baylor.
- Wake Forest: If you’re giving me Wake Forest and Kentucky on a neutral field in a bowl game, I’m taking the Deacs. Next: at SMU.
- Boise State: The easiest pick of the field. They’re in, and they’re the 12-seed. Next: vs. Oregon State.
First round byes
- Georgia
- Utah
- Tennessee
- Alabama
First round
- Boise State (12) at Notre Dame (5)
- Wake Forest (11) at Miami (6)
- BYU (10) at UCLA (7)
- Texas (9) at Indiana (8)
Quarterfinals
- Georgia vs. Texas-Indiana winner
- Utah vs. BYU-UCLA winner
- Tennessee vs. Wake Forest-Miami winner
- Alabama vs. Notre Dame-Boise State winner
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College Football Playoff Predictor: Georgia looks downright unbeatable
