ATLANTA–As expected, the UGA football team took a considerable tumble in the nation's two biggest polls on Sunday.
The lone upside to that: One fall had a cushier landing than the other.
For the USATODAY/Amway Coaches Poll, the Bulldogs hold a respectable No. 6 ranking in the country–trailing only top-ranked Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Notre Dame and LSU, which roughed up UGA in Baton Rouge on Saturday.
The Associated Press folks, however, weren't as kind, pushing Georgia down the No. 8 spot, slightly above Oklahoma and still-undefeated UCF ... but below Michigan (No. 6) and Texas (No. 7)–the same Longhorns who lost to lightly regarded Maryland last month.
There are two ways to view UGA's ranking, regardless of which poll subjectively holds greater meaning:
a) If Georgia runs the table from this point forward, knocking off the likes of Florida (No. 11 in AP), Kentucky (No. 14 in AP), Auburn (no longer ranked) and Alabama/LSU in the SEC championship game, then Sunday's status will represent the absolute low point of the season–even though 180-plus schools would kill to be in a similar funk.
b) If UGA loses once more, the AP or Coaches Poll rankings would be moot–in terms of garnering a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff. After that, it's all about finding a good bowl game around the New Year's holiday.
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Notre Dame
5. LSU
6. Michigan
7. Texas
8. UGA
9. Oklahoma
10. UCF
11. Florida
12. Oregon
13. West Virginia
14. Kentucky
15. Washington
16. North Carolina State
17. Texas A&M
18. Penn State
19. Iowa
20. Cincinnati
21. South Florida
22. Mississippi State
23. Wisconsin
24. Michigan State
25. Washington State
1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Notre Dame
5. LSU
6. Georgia
7. Michigan
8. Texas
9. UCF
10. Oklahoma
11. Oregon
12. Florida
13. West Virginia
14. Washington
15. NC State
16. Penn State
17. Kentucky
18. Texas A&M
19. Wisconsin
20. South Florida
21. Cincinnati
22. Iowa
23. Washington State
24. Stanford
25. Colorado