What is at Stake for Georgia against Clemson?
The college football season is officially underway and week one is filled with big matchups, but there isn't a bigger game out there than Georgia versus Clemson. Both teams enter the season ranked in the top five, so what would it mean for Georgia if they win or lose this game?
In the last ten years, fans have watched the rekindling of an old rivalry between Georgia and Clemson. In 2013 and 2014 the two teams faced off in a home and home series in which they split and oddly enough those were also the last season-opening losses for both teams. Now they are set to face off against each other for the first time since 2014 and it is setting up to be one for the ages.
With their only being four spots in the college football playoff it leaves very little room for error during the regular season. Every game matters and one slip-up could ruin a team's chances at making the playoff. When it comes to a matchup like Georgia versus Clemson, whoever comes out victorious is awarded that "big win" in the first week of the season, and those ranked matchups wins are crucial to be stamped by the college football playoff committee.
However, a loss in week one for Georgia affects nothing in regards to their aspirations this season. Although a win against Clemson would without a doubt make Georgia's road to the college football playoff a lot easier it also would not change much. As long as Georgia takes care of business against their SEC opponents they will still find themselves in the conference championship game and the opportunity to still make the playoff. In other words, even with a loss to Clemson, the Bulldogs would still control their own destiny.
So what does it mean for Georgia though if they do win Saturday? Well, it definitely makes their path to the playoff a bit easier and provides them a few scenarios that could land them in the playoff. If Georgia were to beat Clemson and then also go undefeated in the remainder of their games and be crowned conference champions then it would be a no-brainer to put them in the playoff.
The scenario in which a win against Clemson holds merit though is if they go into the SEC Championship game and lose it would still leave the door open for the Bulldogs to be claimed as a top-four team and awarded a playoff spot. Whereas a loss to Clemson and in the conference championship with a 10-2 record probably isn't enough.
Week one doesn't get much bigger than this in college football and a win against Clemson would go a long way for Georgia down the road, but a loss would not be the end of the world for them either.
In layman’s terms, Saturday’s game isn’t a must-win, but a loss turns every other game into a must-win.
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