One SEC team is getting majorly disrespected in the CFP rankings

The Georgia Bulldogs got hosed in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.

Georgia was No. 3 in the nation the last time the CFP Top 25 was released. This week, they've dropped to No. 12, which puts them as the first team out of the inaugural 12-team bracket. No. 13 Boise State gets in over them with an automatic bid as the presumptive Mountain West champion.

From a ground-level perspective, Georgia's roster should be enough to punch their ticket to the CFP. But if you dig deeper, the stats validate they deserve to be in the postseason, specifically their sixth-best 22.2 Football Power Index (FPI) rating.

No SEC team is getting more disrespected in the CFP rankings than the Georgia Bulldogs

FPI is a metric developed by ESPN, intended to be "the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season." Furthermore, it "represents how many points above or below average a team is." With that in mind, Georgia's grade is notably higher than several CFP squads, including the top-seeded Oregon Ducks. Yet, the Bulldogs are on the outside looking in? Make it make sense!

Despite having two losses, Georgia has a better case for CFP eligibility than the Notre Dames, Tennessees, Penn States and Indianas of the world. Both their defeats came on the road in hostile environments against SEC rivals — Alabama and Ole Miss — who are jostling for playoff positioning.

Conversely, Georgia marched into DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium to dominate the then-No. 1 Longhorns virtually out of the gates. Meanwhile, the latter is third in the updated CFP hierarchy.

What more must Kirby Smart's Bulldogs do to prove they're CFP-worthy? They've handled having the seventh-hardest schedule in the country rather well. Georgia's 17.24 Simple Rating System (SRS), good for 10th out of 134, speaks volumes.

Defeating Tennessee in Week 12 will bolster Georgia's prospects since they ostensibly have some work to do. Regardless, there's plenty of supporting evidence for the Bulldogs being a legitimate CFP snub here and now.

As an SEC powerhouse and perennial title contender, Georgia also has earned the benefit of the doubt. However, for whatever reason(s), the Selection Committee isn't giving them any leeway or margin for error.