The Georgia Bulldogs are SEC champions for the third time in the last four seasons and head coach Kirby Smart is looking to return to the mountaintop of college football for the first time since 2022.
Entering this year's College Football Playoff as the No. 3 seed has the Bulldogs positioned nicely to run the table. Most eyes are on the teams coming out of the Big Ten which has let Georgia sort of operate under the radar, especially with three-loss Alabama's inclusion sparking controversy.
THE 12-TEAM CFP BRACKET IS SET‼️
— ESPN (@espn) December 7, 2025
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Georgia arguably has been placed in the lighter side of the bracket and has a clear path to the national championship game with some rather favorable matchups no matter how you cut it. Let's evaluate their most desirable scenario.
What Georgia needs to happen to win the CFP
As the No. 3 seed, Georgia earned a first-round bye and will await the winner of No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane down in Oxford, Mississippi. Once their challenger arrives in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl, the Bulldogs can get to work.
Quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 11 Tulane
Georgia is perfectly capable of beating Ole Miss and probably would emerge victorious if they face off but, naturally, the Dawgs would rather face Tulane after it pulled off an improbable upset. The Green Wave is vastly inexperienced compared to the program that has appeared in half of the total CFPs held since 2015.
Smart's defense smothers opposing quarterbacks and when the offense has the ball, it doesn't give it back. Georgia is third in the nation in time of possession which has afforded the Dawgs ample opportunities to score and give opposition little runway to work with a newly inherited deficit.
Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Sure, Georgia could torch No. 10 Miami and probably handle No. 7 Texas A&M but looking at the more realistic side of things, it's going to be the defending national champs it runs into. But that's actually a good thing for the Dawgs.
The only meeting between the two programs in the postseason came in the 2023 Peach Bowl where Georgia stormed back from down 41-24 in the fourth quarter to stun the Buckeyes and survive a last-second missed field goal. While both programs have vastly improved from that edition, Georgia has the edge considering how anemic the Ohio State offense looked against Indiana.
National championship: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
This is where the football gods need to be on the Dawgs' side. In all likelihood, No. 1 Indiana has a manageable path to the natty but where Georgia needs things to fall into place is actually in the quarterfinal prior. If No. 5 Oregon catches fire and makes it through the bracket, Smart and Co. are in trouble. That's the one opponent they'll probably not want to encounter.
So, if No. 4 Texas Tech is able to hold off Dan Lanning's charge and upset Indiana in the semifinal, Georgia is in position to stifle the Big 12 offense and take advantage of the defense-optional tradition that conference typically offers. Smart's tactics would thrive in a game of that nature and a national championship would certainly be coming back to Athens.