Georgia Teams That Would've Benefitted Most From the 12-Team Playoff
The 2024 college football season will mark the first season of the updated playoff format which will see the College Football Playoff format expand from four teams to 12.
With the updated format all but guaranteeing a playoff birth for the Bulldogs moving forward, here is a list of Bulldog teams that would have benefitted most from a 12-team playoff format.
2005 Georgia Bulldogs (10-2)
Led by star quarterback DJ Shockley, the Bulldogs lost their only two regular-season games by a combined score of five total points and were champions of the SEC as they trounced LSU 34-14 in Atlanta. With a dominating win in a conference championship and just two losses before the Sugar Bowl, this Bulldogs team would have almost undoubtedly been one of the 12 teams to make the playoff had the system been in place.
2007 Georgia Bulldogs (10-2)
After an embarrassing loss on the road in Knoxville, the Bulldogs rattled off six straight regular season wins and followed that streak up with a dominating preformance over Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. Combined with the fact that the two eventual teams that competed in this year's national championship also had two losses, many wonder just how deep of a run the 2007 Bulldogs team could have made had they just been given a chance.
2012 Georgia Bulldogs (11-1)
Perhaps one of the more heartbreaking seasons in Bulldog history, the Bulldogs' national title hopes faded away as they came just short of defeating Alabama in an instant classic during the SEC Championship. The Tide's destruction of Notre Dame in the national championship the following game made the loss that much more painful, as the Bulldogs were clearly one of the best teams in the country.
Dec 1, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray is sacked by Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Adrian Hubbard during the fourth quarter in the 2012 SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome.
2018 & 2019 Georgia Bulldogs (11-1)
These two seasons are combined because they are eerily similar to one another. Both teams had a chance to make the four-team playoff but would fall short with losses in the SEC Championship game (both to teams that would eventually play in the title game). Nevertheless, these Bulldogs squads would have certainly been given a chance at redemption had the 12-team format been in place.
2020 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2)*
Dealing with a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bulldogs stumbled through the regular season twice before naming JT Daniels the starting quarterback. Behind Daniels, the Dawgs won three straight regular season games and closed out the 2020 season with a massive victory over undefeated Cincinnati in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. With the revitalized offense under their new quarterback, who knows what the Bulldogs could've done had there been a 12-team playoff?
2023 Georgia Bulldogs (12-0)
Easily the most deserving team on this list. The 2023 Georgia Bulldogs made history as they broke the SEC record for consecutive wins and finished with a 12-0 regular season record for the third straight time. Despite the team's dominance, a three-point loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game would lead to the team's controversial exclusion from the playoff. The Bulldogs would go on to defeat 5th-ranked Florida State 63-3 in the Orange Bowl, cementing the fact that this team was more than deserving of a chance to make the playoff.
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