Georgia's momentum and its return to No. 1 in AP Top 25 are making loss to Auburn a fading memory

Georgia coach Kirby Smart has been around long enough to know one midseason loss is no cause for panic and that redemption is as near as the next game.

He said as much after Auburn's 27-24 upset three weeks ago ended the Bulldogs' one-week stay at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25.

“Everything we want to do is in front of us,” Smart said then. “I know it’s a big deal to everyone else, but to me it’s another game and we have to turn around and get ready to go play again.”

Three weeks later, the Bulldogs are back as the No. 1 team in the AP poll and likely will be at the top of the second set of College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night.

Georgia's return to No. 1 was made possible by Notre Dame's win over Miami, which had been atop the AP poll for three weeks, and the utter domination the Bulldogs showed in a 42-7 victory at Mississippi.

The performance followed a 27-8 win over rival Florida and has made Georgia the team no one wants to face right now. The Bulldogs built a 24-0 halftime lead over Florida and then let up in the second half. Against the Rebels, they led 28-0 at half and punted on two straight second-half possessions — a lull, Smart called it — before tacking on a couple more touchdowns.

“We’re trying to physically stomp people out,” Smart said.

The loss to Auburn was not nearly as devastating as originally feared and will go down as a lesson learned if the Bulldogs run the table.

According to online sportsbooks Sunday, Georgia is now the 5-to-2 favorite to win the national championship.

A season-low eight Southeastern Conference teams are in this week's Top 25, and four are in the top 10 for a second straight week.

No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Texas and No. 9 Tennessee joined Georgia in posting impressive victories. The CFP committee had the Volunteers just outside the 12-team bracket at No. 13 in its initial rankings. That raised eyebrows because the committee ranked a team they beat, Alabama, at No. 5. It would be a big surprise if the Vols aren't safely on this week's 12-team bracket along with those other three SEC teams.

Kentucky, which went into this past weekend tied with Georgia for the SEC lead, is another matter. Tennessee put a thorough beating on the Wildcats and they dropped from No. 8 to No. 13 in the AP poll. They were No. 6 by the CFP committee last week and safely on the bracket. They may or may not be this week.

Move over, Oregon. It looks like Ohio State will go down as the biggest disappointment of the season.

The Buckeyes, the preseason No. 1 in the AP preseason poll, have dropped from No. 2 two weeks ago all the way to No. 21 following their embarrassing home loss to Oregon, the AP preseason No. 2. The Buckeyes haven’t been ranked so low since 2014

CFP selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek got it right when he said last week that Ohio State's biggest problem isn't the loss of quarterback Julian Sayin to injury as much as a defense that has taken a big step back.

Ohio State allowed a combined 71 points in losses to Southern California (30-18) and Oregon (41-28). That's the most points the Buckeyes have given up in consecutive regular-season games since Maryland and Michigan totaled 90 in 2018 in what, amazingly, were Ohio State wins.

The three-loss Buckeyes finish with unranked opponents in Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan. A third straight playoff appearance, and sixth in eight years, is off the table unless they do the improbable and win the Big Ten.

Wake Forest is off to its best start since 2006 and on the cusp of its first top-10 ranking in four years. It's not because of its 77-0 plastering of Merrimack of the Football Championship Subdivision but because of losses by BYU, Kentucky and Ohio State. Those allowed the Demon Deacons to move up three spots to No. 11.

Wake Forest travels to No. 25 SMU this week for a game that will have major ramifications in the race for a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, likely against Miami. There are six ACC teams with two or fewer conference losses.

A frustrated Joey McGuire said after a loss at Cincinnati two weeks ago that defending Big 12 champion Texas Tech would have to win out to make it back to the conference title game. It's two down and three to go after a wild 53-48 win over West Virginia.

The Red Raiders are No. 10 after Thomas Castellanos threw for 362 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 102 yards against the Mountaineers' porous defense.

Up next is a trip to Oklahoma State for a meeting of the Big 12's highest-scoring teams in conference play. Tech visits Baylor and hosts TCU to finish. Win out and the Red Raiders probably meet No. 2 Utah for the conference title.

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