Georgia making the top-10 (No. 9) of the College Football Playoff selection committee’s first poll of the 2020 season surprised a lot of people, especially on social media.

On a media conference call after the rankings reveal, selection committee chair Gary Barta was asked why the 5-2 Bulldogs are ranked ahead of numerous teams with either one or zero losses.

Here’s what Barta said, per the teleconference transcript:

What was it specifically that you guys liked about Georgia on film?

GARY BARTA: Well, to begin with, one of the things, we liked their win over Auburn. Their only losses were against Alabama and Florida, so they clearly had come up against a very tough schedule, and so we took that in mind.

We did note early on and throughout the season maybe some of the inconsistencies on both sides of the ball, including the quarterback position. But the quality win over Auburn, the fact that they’ve played – they’re 5-2 and their only two losses were Alabama and Florida. They landed in that ninth spot based on those things, and watching the games, as I mentioned.

Georgia will look to boost its resume on Saturday against South Carolina, a revenge game for Kirby Smart’s Dawgs.