The College Football Playoff committee is still a few weeks away from releasing its first rankings for the season, but analysts are already trying to predict which teams will make up the final four. Halfway through the season, with so many undefeated teams remaining, that means some unexpected projections.
On ESPN’s Get Up Wednesday, Heather Dinich gave her predictions for the Playoff, and she did not include any SEC teams. Instead, Dinich has Washington, Florida State, Oklahoma and Michigan in the field, notably omitting the No. 1 team in the country, Georgia.
“I hope everyone is sitting down because Georgia is not in my top four right now,” Dinich said. “I changed it after Brock Bowers’s injury.”
Last weekend, Bowers injured his ankle against Vanderbilt, and the star tight end had surgery to stabilize it. While it is unclear when Bowers would be able to return, he will not be on the field in the foreseeable future.
Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports
Along with the Bowers injury, Dinich also criticized Georgia’s schedule as a reason why the team isn’t in her top four.
“They only have one win against a Power 5 team with a winning record, no wins against ranked teams, and everybody else is a combined 10–24 in the FBS,” she said. “Why in the world does Georgia deserve to be No. 1 right now?”
Dinich further defended her take on social media, repeating the same points.
UGA has no T25 wins. KY is the ONLY FBS opp. over .500. Other FBS are 10-24. https://t.co/kARe0a6HaN
— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) October 18, 2023
What makes Dinich’s take even bolder is that Georgia has not lost a game since the 2021 SEC championship game, a streak of 24 straight wins that includes two national titles.
On the same show, Paul Finebaum put Georgia in his projected playoff field, along with Ohio State, Michigan and Washington.
