Should the Georgia Bulldogs Claim the 2023 College Football National Championship?

Should the Bulldogs stake their claim to the 2023 national championship and recognize their fifth national title?

Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins (94) picks up the trophy to celebrate the Wolverines' 34-13 win over Washington at the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Should the Bulldogs stake their claim to the 2023 national championship and recognize their fifth national title?

The college football national championship has been a topic of controversy as of late, with the Auburn Tigers officially claiming four additional titles. In addition to the Tigers' declaration, the Michigan Wolverines also recently received their punishment for their sign stealing scandal during the 2023 season.

Given that an SEC team is currently claiming titles, and the 2023 national championship has reportedly been "tainted", a new question has begun to emerge in Athens, Georgia. Should the Georgia Bulldogs claim the 2023 national championship?

During the 2023 season, the Bulldogs were defending back-to-back national titles and had not lost a game since December of 2021. The Dawgs once again marched through their regular season and were consistently ranked inside the top-3 for the majority of the season.

In addition to an impressive record, the Bulldogs dominated numerous statistical categories. They ranked inside the top five in yards per game, yards per play, scoring offense, scoring defense, team efficiency, passing efficiency, passing completion percentage, third down conversion percentage, third down defense, and total time of possession.

Despite being one of the best teams in the country, the Dawgs were controversially omitted from the College Football Playoff after suffering a three-point loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship. The team would then be scheduled to face fifth-ranked Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Georgia went on to destroy Florida State by a score of 63-3, which to this day, remains the largest margin of victory in a bowl game by any team. The Dawgs' bludgeoning of a top-five opponent only further fueled the fire of belief that the team was deserving of a College Football Playoff bid.

So, with all statistical evidence suggesting Georgia was more than capable of winning the title and the growing controversy around Michigan's season, can the Dawgs lay their claim to the 2023 national championship? Well, not exactly.

While Georgia was certainly one of the best teams in college football in 2023, there is no way to prove the Bulldogs would have run the table in the College Football Playoff. In addition, Alabama, which defeated Georgia in the SEC Championship, lost to Michigan in its very next game. This makes it extremely hard to prove the Dawgs would have defeated the Wolverines in the Rose Bowl.

While the Georgia Bulldogs' omission from the 2023 College Football Playoff is a great shame, and the thought of how the team would perform in the playoff is one of the bigger "what ifs" in college football. There is not enough evidence to suggest the Dawgs have the right to claim the 2023 national championship as their own.

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