For the last three weeks, the No. 1 ranked team in the AP Top 25 has been Georgia.
It makes perfect sense. UGA is the reigning national champion, hasn’t lost a game in 2022 and, despite a couple of hiccups (Kent State and Missouri), has won every game in blowout fashion. In fact, in their other five games, the Bulldogs have outscored opponents 227–20. And yet, here they are as the No. 5 seed in the latest edition of our mock expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Let us explain …
1) We are using the exact expansion model that CFP executives adopted in August, whereby the four highest-ranked conference champions are the only teams that can earn top-four seeds and a first-round bye. It bears repeating: If you are not a conference champion, you cannot earn a first-round bye or a top-four seed.
