Georgia very much alive for SEC championship, College Football Playoff despite South Carolina loss

It started out with a field goal miss. How did it end up like this? It was only a miss, it was only a miss.

Georgia is no longer undefeated after losing in double overtime to South Carolina 20-17 in one of the worst-coached games you’ll see on any level in any year. The loss stings today for Bulldogs fans who had dreams of an SEC championship and finally getting over the proverbial hump to win the national championship that has eluded the program since 1980.

But I’m here to play “Mr. Brightside” and provide a silver lining for Dawgs fans who are going through a rough time today but when they shake this one off, they’ll see they still have everything to play for.

First, going undefeated in college football is tough. It’s even tougher when you play in the SEC. Georgia is still a good team that gave South Carolina about 37 chances to win before they took advantage of the 37th opportunity. This is a loss they’ll look back on wonder what may have been different if they did this or did that, but it shouldn’t haunt them.

Georgia is still very much alive for the SEC championship. Georgia was going to have to beat Florida to get to the SEC Championship Game, right? That remains the same today as it did before the game vs. the Gamecocks. Regardless of what happens to the Gators today at LSU, Georgia has to beat Florida. If that happens, they’ll be in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.

Provided Georgia gets that far, they will have every opportunity to beat Alabama or LSU. Losing to South Carolina won’t hurt them if they get to this game. And if they get to this game, they are still alive for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Yes, they’ll need to win the SEC to get in, but the only thing this loss prevents Georgia from doing is getting in the playoff without an SEC championship.

And that was always going to be a long-shot proposition, to begin with. Yes, I know it stinks to lose to South Carolina, especially in the fashion in which they lost with Jake Fromm looking really bad. That said, Georgia is still alive for an SEC championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff. The margin for error is just as thin as a blade of grass in Sanford Stadium.

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