Meet the 12 CFP Title Contenders: No. 2 Georgia

2. Georgia Bulldogs11-2 (6-2 SEC regular season)What’s next: First-round bye; No. 2 Georgia awaits the winner of the Indiana championship, No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, in the quarterfinalsHead coach: Kirby Smart (ninth season, 105-18 overall)About Smart: Perhaps the best head coach in the sport after the retirement of Nick Saban, Smart is 53-4 over the past four seasons. Getting him to smile might be hard but it’s not as difficult as trying to solve one of his defenses. He had 13 career interceptions as a defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1995-98.ResumeGeorgia battered Texas 30-15 in the regular-season meeting, hopping out to a 23-0 halftime lead while administering the beating, and claimed an OT win in the rematch for the SEC Championship. The low moment was getting easily handed 28-10 by Ole Miss in the second week of November.Postseason historyGeorgia won national championships in 2021 and 2022 under the four-team playoff format and lost in 2017. The Bulldogs also won the 1980 national crown with legendary running back Herschel Walker leading the way.The road to AtlantaNo. 2 Georgia has three weeks to prepare for its first playoff game, a matchup with either No. 10 Indiana or No. 7 Notre Dame. The winner of that game has a semifinals contest with the winner of Boise State and either Penn State or SMU, who must fight it out in the first round to advance.Names to KnowQB Carson BeckHis health is a major storyline and chief concern for the Bulldogs.Beck was unable to throw or grip the ball in a strength test at halftime of the SEC Championship game and required an MRI on Sunday.

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