The latest College Football Playoff rankings were released by the selection committee last evening. Georgia, who came into last week ranked 8th and was idle due to Vanderbilt’s postponement of their contest in Athens, was ranked as 9th in this round of rakings. Seems to be a, very much so, ‘what have you done for me lately’ type of criteria, as Iowa State jumped up to 7th from 9th after defeating an unranked West Virginia (5 – 4) team 42 to 6 at home. Cincinatti was also idle and was punished by dropping from 7th to 8th.

Having said that, despite Georgia not being able to compete for a spot in the SEC Championship game any longer this season, the new CFP rankings give the Dawgs motivation and add significance to this contest. In the rankings, Missouri is number 25. The CFP is rewarding there performance in 5 of their last 6 contests, including 3 victories in a row in which redshirt freshman quarterback Connor Bazelak has looked confident and proven very effective.

Should Georgia come out focused and sharp on Saturday morning, a big if granted the circumstances surrounding the game and the short layoff from game action, then this could be their 3rd Top 25 victory this season. With the added significance that the committee sees to be placing on the fact that JT Daniels has made the Dawgs a different team than before he took over the reins, a third victory over a top 25 team at the time, especially a resounding one, could only help the Dawgs case to move up toward the 6 to 7 range. On top of that, having that number beside the name of Missouri gives the Georgia coaching staff one more indicator to point to for the UGA players that the Tigers are not a team to be taken likely and that a solid effort and high level of execution will be required to walk out of Columbia on Saturday with a victory.

Also, Georgia is currently projected to play in a New Year’s 6 Bowl game, namely the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, an opportunity that many upperclassmen on their last run would cherish. Needless to say, there is more than just an inconsequential outcome riding on this contest versus Missouri. Georgia’s offensive explosion in their past 2 games has helped boost recruiting across the board and again, in a a COVID altered recruiting world, the product on the field is the best selling point. It would be huge for the Dawgs momentum wise on the trail if JT Daniels, Todd Monken, and company could continue the hot streak on the offensive side of the ball.