We're No. 3!

To almost no one's surprise, the NCAA Selection Committee ranked the 11-1 University of Georgia Bulldogs No. 3 in the penultimate season rankings, behind Ohio State and Indiana. 

Of course, there's still one more week before the final seeding, and Georgia still has one more game to play - the SEC Championship Game against our kryptonite team, No. 9 Alabama (10-2). The Dawgs are favored by 2½ points in the game, despite Kirby Smart's 1-7 career record against the Tide.

It's difficult for any team, even Alabama, to beat another team twice in a season, and Smart is 3-0 in season rematches, including his one win against the Tide. If Georgia were to lose the game (perish the thought!), we'd still make the playoffs, although at a lower seed, but if Alabama loses, they're likely out of the playoffs altogether, so they have more to lose and therefore more motivation to win.

It will be an interesting game.

However, the season will not end with the rankings the way they are now. Not only is there the Georgia-Alabama matter to consider, but No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana, both undefeated,  have to play one another. If Ohio State and Georgia both win, the Dawgs will move up to No. 2. If Indiana and Georgia win, the NCAA may move Georgia up to No. 2, or simply swap first and second place between the Buckeyes and the Hoosiers and keep them both above the Dawgs. Anything can happen. 

But for whatever it's worth, if this penultimate poll were the final rankings, Georgia would get a first-round bye and then play the winner of Ole Miss-Virginia in the quarterfinals. Since Ole Miss would almost definitely win, the game will be the Bulldogs' second rematch game of the year (we beat Ole Miss, 43-35, on Oct. 18). We'd then have to play Indiana, unless Texas A&M or Notre Dame pull off an upset, before facing Ohio State in the Championship Game. 

Friendly reminder that Notre Dame will be bringing the lineal championship belt and Georgia's 2021 and 2022 national championship rings to the playoffs, so Georgia will be playing for the prizes whoever we face in the semifinal game. 

However, we'll soon have different rankings, different seeds, and a different bracket, we'll have a new and different story to tell next week.