Georgia climbs to No. 1 in ESPN’s power rankings after upsetting Alabama in Week 6
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Georgia put an end to Alabama‘s dominance over the Bulldogs on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, turning away the Crimson Tide, 20-17, after Bama had beaten the Dawgs during the previous 2 regular-season meetings.
Not this time.
The Bulldogs smothered the high-scoring Crimson Tide on their home field, making the plays necessary on defense and getting just enough offense to come away with the upset, as Georgia was a slight underdog in Tuscaloosa. Georgia, which improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the SEC, was rewarded on Sunday by being bumped up to No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches’ polls.
And on Monday morning, the Dawgs got another reward for their big Week 6 win, moving up 1 spot into the No. 1 slot in ESPN’s updated college football power rankings.
Georgia was No. 2 in the power rankings coming into the mega matchup with Bama, but its win combined with Texas‘s shocking loss to Oklahoma on Saturday moved the Longhorns all the way down from No. 1 to No. 10 in the new rankings and bumped the Bulldogs up to the top spot.
This is some of what ESPN analyst Mark Schlabach wrote about Georgia in his synopsis of the Dawgs being the new No. 1 in the power rankings:
Despite popular belief, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton is talented enough to carry the offense when needed. Two of the Bulldogs’ top tailbacks (Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens) and a red zone target (Isiah Canion) missed Saturday’s 20-17 win at Alabama because of injuries, and Stockton stepped up when needed most.
The Bulldogs’ next challenge in Week 7 comes against the state of Alabama’s other SEC program, with Auburn heading to Athens for a clash with Georgia on Saturday, with the teams kicking it off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
With Georgia still undefeated and having beaten Alabama already, it’s path to a third straight SEC title is that much more clear. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the Bulldogs’ chances to do the unthinkable and pull off an SEC title 3-peat come December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
