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The third batch of College Football Playoff rankings were unveiled on Tuesday night, and they've created quite a stir in the sport as fans and media members about the placement of the Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, BYU Cougars, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Tennessee Volunteers, among many other schools. While many people are arguing about who should get into the playoff when all is said and done, some have spent time looking at which team that gets in will have the hardest path. For Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, that team has been identified.
This might be a good time to look away, Georgia Bulldogs fans. © Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK Based on where the Bulldogs project to land in the playoff — at the No. 9 seed — Klatt doesn't like the path they have to face.
Why? Because the first-round will feature a game on the road vs. the No. 8 seed — likely either Notre Dame, Alabama, Tennessee, or Indiana.
After that, things won't get any easier. “Then you have to play the No. 1 seed,” Klatt said.
“So you’re going to play the winner of either the Big Ten or the SEC. It could be Oregon, it could be Ohio State, it could be Texas. That’s going to be a very difficult game.
” While Georgia already beat Texas earlier this year, the proposition of playing either the Ducks or the Buckeyes — widely regarded as the two best teams in the nation this year — is not great. But wait, it gets more difficult. The 9-seed in the CFP has the toughest path 😅 .
..and @joelklatt says it may be Georgia's battle to fight 👀 pic.
twitter.com/Eu5m44QqFr “And then, you’re going to have to play in the semifinals likely the No. 5 seed,” Klatt said.
“The 5 seed is likely to be a really, really strong team. Probably the loser of the Big Ten Championship Game, which would be Ohio State or Oregon at this point.” Though there are still a couple of weeks before conference championships take place, the overwhelming expectation is that No.
1 Oregon and No. 2 Ohio State play in the Big Ten title game, which would likely make the loser the No. 5 seed.
It's safe to say that will not be an easy game for the No. 9 seed in the playoff. There are a lot of things that can change between now and when the final rankings are released, but all signs currently point towards that 9 seed being the toughest path to the championship, and there's a good chance that Georgia ends up in that 9 seed.
“The hardest road of the playoff is the No. 9 seed, and that’s kind of where Georgia is pointed,” Klatt said. “I see a path where Georgia ends up in the 9 seed, and that’s going to be really tough.
” Related: Colin Cowherd Thinks SEC Teams Could Be in Trouble After Bracket Reveal.
