Georgia’s margin on Michigan shrinks
The margin between No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Michigan in The Associated Press college football poll is the smallest it has been all season.
Can the Wolverines break the Southeastern Conference’s three-year stranglehold on No. 1 — all Georgia and Alabama — and become the first team from outside the Deep South to hold the top spot in the rankings since Ohio State in 2015?
Sure, if Georgia loses and Michigan keeps rolling along — obviously — but the window of opportunity for the Wolverines to snatch No. 1 away from the Bulldogs while they are winning has probably closed.
Georgia ran its streak of appearances at No. 1 to 19 straight polls Sunday, third-longest in the history of the AP poll, which dates back to 1936.
A nice milestone for a week off, though while out of sight the Bulldogs’ lead over Michigan shrank to a season-low 32 points.
Neither of the teams that have held the top two spots in the AP Top 25 since the preseason have faced daunting schedules so far.
Georgia’s only opponent with a winning record has been Kentucky (5-2). Michigan’s eight opponents include four winning teams in Rutgers (6-2), UNLV (6-1), Minnesota (4-3) and Nebraska (4-3), but none that have spent any time ranked.
The competition picks up for both down the stretch, starting next week for Georgia when it faces Florida (5-2). Then comes No. 16 Missouri, No. 12 Mississippi and No. 21 Tennessee.
After Michigan takes next weekend off, the Wolverines’ closing stretch includes No. 10 Penn State, Maryland (5-2) and No. 3 Ohio State.
When the competition is good, voters tend to throw style points out the window.
If Georgia stays unbeaten, it is more likely to build its dwindling lead — or at least stabilize it — than relinquish the top spot.
The Bulldogs need three more weeks at No. 1 to have the second-longest streak of all-time, passing Miami’s streak of 21 weeks from 2001-02. Southern California’s 33 in a row from 2003-05 is safe this season.
Reality Check realizes that finishing No. 1 is what matters most and there is still a chance Georgia and Michigan will settle it on the field.
No. 1 Georgia (7-0)
Next: vs. Florida, Saturday.
Reality check: With star tight end Brock Bowers out for a while, Oscar Delp, a four-star recruit from the 2022 class who has 13 catches and two
touchdowns, should get increased opportunities. Also, look out for freshman Luckie Lawson, whose development was slowed by preseason ankle injury.
Ranked: Just right.
No. 2 Michigan (8-0)
Next: vs. Purdue,
Nov. 4.
Reality check: The Wolverines believe the world is against them. The way they are playing they’d probably be favored by two touchdowns against the world.
Ranked: Just right.
No. 3 Ohio State (7-0)
Next: at Rutgers, Saturday.
Reality check: When
Alabama’s DeVonta Smith won the Heisman in 2020, he had 65 catches for 903 yards and 10 touchdowns after seven games. Marvin Harrison Jr. (42 for 766 and six) is behind that pace, but his last three games have been his best.
Ranked: Just right.
No. 4 Florida State (7-0)
Next: at Wake Forest, Saturday.
Reality check: Run defense is an underlying issue. Take away the sack yardage that gets counted toward running stats and the Seminoles are allowing 5.1 yards per carry.
Ranked: Could there be
a three-way tie for fourth?
No. 5 Washington (7-0)
Next: at Stanford, Saturday.
Reality check: The Huskies’ potent offense threw out a dud against Arizona State and maybe raised some questions about how well QB Michael Penix Jr. and company will react going forward to teams committed to taking away the deep shots.
Ranked: About right.
No. 9 Alabama (7-1)
Next: vs. No. 15 LSU, Nov. 3.
Reality check: Crimson Tide head into the last month of the season as a playoff contender again, which seemed like a long shot after a shaky September.
Ranked: Maybe a touch low.
No. 10 Penn State (6-1)
Next: vs. Indiana, Saturday.
Reality check: Concerns about the lack of top-tier receivers have been hanging over this team since the summer and they finally undid the Nittany Lions against Ohio State.
Ranked: Little high.
No. 12 Mississippi (6-1)
Next: at Vanderbilt, Saturday.
Reality check: Rebels are the sneaky SEC West contender having already split with Alabama and LSU, though drawing Georgia on the schedule for the first time since 2016 is either bad luck or a great opportunity.
Ranked: Little high.
No. 16 Missouri (7-1)
Next: at No. 1 Georgia, Reality check: Tigers are second in the SEC at turning red-zone trips into touchdowns, converting on almost 69%.
Ranked: Just right.
No. 21 Tennessee (5-2)
Next: at Kentucky, Saturday.
Reality check: Georgia and Missouri still to come, slipping back to 8-4 is very real possibility after last season’s 11-win breakthrough. This team still feels like a tough out.
Ranked: About right.