That was ugly.
There's no denying it. Auburn put on a show against the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Everyone may not agree on whether the Tigers exposed Georgia or if the Dawgs simply didn't show up to play. But the Tigers shutdown the Bulldogs where they shine, the running game, and by evading a defense made up of future NFL talent.
The Playoff Committee will punish the Bulldogs for such a lopsided loss, but they shouldn't fall out of the top 10. In the Amway Coaches Poll, the Bulldogs are at No. 7. Alabama will slide up to No. 1, and the Crimson Tide face the Auburn Tigers in the always much anticipated Iron Bowl in two weeks.
The winner of that game will play the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship in December, and if the Bulldogs can beat Kentucky and Georgia Tech, that game will be a play-in game for the College Football Playoff.
It would either be against Alabama or Auburn, and fans are already talking about a possible rematch.
Linebacker Roquan Smith isn't talking about a rematch yet, but said they'll bounce back from their terrible performance.
"It is what it is. Whoever we face, we'll be ready I can tell you that," Smith said.
"Whatever's destined to happen is going to happen," running back Sony Michel said. "The next opponent, we're going to prepare for and play them again and give them our all."
There are only three undefeated teams left who are serious contenders for the playoff: Alabama, Miami and Wisconsin.
If Alabama loses, it's because they either lost to Auburn or Georgia. If that happens and Georgia wins out, Georgia's in.
If Miami goes undefeated, it's because they beat Clemson in the ACC Championship, and that could allow Georgia to move in. Wisconsin has a challenging road with Michigan and likely Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.
A one-loss team is getting into the playoff, and there's a slight chance a two-loss team gets in, but the stars would have to align for Ohio State and Auburn.
If Georgia can bounce back and go back to how they play, they should be in the playoff. But there's no room for error.
