Rece Davis answers if a three-loss Georgia can make the College Football Playoff

With No. 7 Tennessee awaiting them on Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs will look to avoid picking up their third loss of the season. On Friday, ESPN’s Rece Davis weighed in on Georgia’s hope of reaching the College Football Playoff if it fell to Tennessee this weekend.

“There is a world in which they could [still make the playoffs],” Davis said. “It would probably take some help around them. That’s why I think I’m not so caught up on the three losses. How do they play? Now, if they play Tennessee and they lose on a 62-yard field goal, they still played the toughest schedule in the country.

“So now you evaluate. How did they play the rest of the season? Did anyone else face the same type of challenges that they did, in terms of schedule? I still think there is a way. I would this is a near-elimination game because they will need some help if they lose the third game. You can argue all day — and it’s not a bad argument — about whether that should be the case, given the teams that they’ve played, but I think it will be a near-elimination situation.”

Georgia’s two losses this season are nothing to scoff at. In Week 5, the Bulldogs suffered a 41-34 loss to Alabama on the road. It was a tale of two halves, with Georgia outscoring the Crimson Tide 27-11 in the second half but unable to complete the comeback.

Georgia’s second loss of the season came this past weekend against Ole Miss, who downed the Bulldogs in stunning 28-10 fashion. It was an off-day for Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, who completed 20-of-his-31 pass attempts for 186 yards and an interception without throwing a touchdown.

Despite the loss, Georgia still landed at No. 12 in the CFP selection committee’s latest rankings. Alas, with the top Group of Five program owning a guaranteed spot in the 12-team bracket, Georgia’s place in the CFP is far from secure.

Of course, the CFP selection committee must not only consider Georgia’s losses but its wins too. The team has played one of the toughest schedules in the country this season and has dominant wins over Clemson and Texas.

Are three losses enough for the CFP selection committee to overlook these massive wins? Davis isn’t certain.

“I won’t say that they’re out of it for sure [if they lose], simply because their schedule is so much more than what anybody else has played,” Davis said.

On Saturday, Georgia and Tennessee will square off at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ABC.