Georgia is in hot pursuit of a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff after Saturday night’s 31-17 win over No. 7 Tennessee.

With the win, the Bulldogs and Volunteers now have identical 8-2 records, with Georgia earning a head-to-head win over Josh Heupel’s team.

When the new CFP rankings and playoff projections are released Tuesday evening, the Bulldogs are expected to be included in the potential field.

At least that’s what Georgia’s head coach says Kirby Smart hopes.

Despite playing a schedule considered the toughest in college football, the Bulldogs found themselves outside the top 12 due to the playoff requirement that the highest-ranked team from the Group of Five make the field.

“Like I said after the game, I don’t know what they’re looking for. I really don’t. I wish they could really define the criteria,” Smart said after the game. “I wish they could do the eyeball Test it and come out here and look at the people we’re playing against and look at them, and you can’t see stuff like that on TV, and so I don’t know what they’re looking for, but that’s for someone else to decide. I’m worried about our team.”

While the Bulldogs are still fighting for a spot in the SEC Championship, a 10-2 record among the nation’s top program should put the program in the 12-team field if they don’t reach the conference title game.

Asked about the Bulldogs’ season, CFP director Warde Manuel questioned Georgia’s offense and some of the recent issues the team has struggled with as of late.

After racking up 453 yards of offense against Tennessee, Smart doesn’t think that should be a question anymore.

“I also said that about the eyeball test, but they are not in that area. They’re not in that environment at Ole Miss, playing against that defense, which is in the top five in the country with one of the best pass rushers in the country, and they’re excited. They have a two-goal lead and they are making every play,” Smart said. ‘They don’t know. They don’t understand that, so they’ll probably look at this week and say, ‘Well, they just played one of the best defenses in the country, and we went 453 on them, and it could have been more.’

“So it’s just the story of every week, and we’re trying to be an accumulating, really good quality whole team and not be on this emotional roller coaster that’s driven by people in a room somewhere who maybe don’t understand football the way they do we as coaches. We as coaches look at people and say: what can we do better? But I respect their decision.’

The Bulldogs lost wide receiver Dillon Bell in the second quarter when he injured his ankle.

Trainers took care of the junior, who staggered off the field under his own power and eventually went to the locker room. He did not return.

Smart said after the game that he didn’t know if Bell’s injury had a “high ankle component.”

…Anthony Evans III (hamstring) returned after missing the past two games. Evans didn’t catch a pass, but returned kicks.

…The Bulldogs were scared then Mykel Williams went down on the first play of the third quarter. Trainers tended to the junior, but luckily he walked off the field under his own power and later returned during Tennessee’s offensive possession.

Sophomore Monroe Freeling made his first career start on Saturday, opening at left tackle in place of Earnest Greene III.

Greene – who has been dealing with injuries for much of the year – had started the previous 23 games at the position.

The rest of the offensive line remained the same, with Dylan Fairchild at the left guard, Jared Wilson in the middle, Tate Ratledge right guard and Xavier Truss at the right tackle.

Freeling wasn’t the only Bulldog making his first start.

Freshman running back Nate Frazier opened in place of the wounded Trevor Etienne and led the Bulldogs with 19 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown to ice the game with 2:26 to play.

…With the 31-17 win over No. 7 Tennessee, 12th-ranked Georgia (8-2, 6-2 SEC) has won 29 straight home games dating to 2019, leading in FBS and breaking its school record. In the Smart era, the Bulldogs are 48-4 at home, including 13-0 in home night games. Georgia extended its current winning streak from Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium to 21 games in night games.

…With the win, the 2024 senior class is an FBS-leading 50-4 to match the school mark of the 2023 Bulldog seniors, who finished with a 50-4 mark.

…The Bulldogs have won eight in a row against Tennessee, all by double digits, which is the longest winning streak for the Bulldogs in the series dating back to 1899. The Bulldogs are 8-1 against the Vols in the Smart era. After last week’s game, Georgia once again bounced back from losing for a season. The Bulldogs are now 15-3 after defeat in the Smart era, including winning nine straight games after defeat.

…Georgia became the first team to score more than 19 points on the Volunteers this season as they held their opponents to just 12.6 points per game, which was fifth nationally. Tennessee had allowed just three touchdowns through the first half of the year. The Bulldogs posted a pair of touchdowns in the first half. In total, Georgia racked up 453 yards of offense on 71 plays Saturday night.

…In the red zone, Georgia finished 5-for-5 with four touchdowns and one field goal. The touchdown drives covered 75, 84, 87 and a season-long 92 yards.

…With the score tied at 17, Georgia’s first possession of the second half began at the UGA 13. The Bulldogs went 87 yards on 12 plays in 7:27 as Carson Beck ended the drive with a 10-yard touchdown scamper on a third-and-7 as Georgia went up 24-17 with 5:32 left in the third quarter.

….Georgia drove a season-high 92 yards on 12 plays in 6:21 for a touchdown that capped Frazier’s 2-yard score for a 31-17 with 2:26 left in the game.

…Beck finished 25-for-40 for 347 yards and two touchdowns while improving to 21-3 as a starter and 8-3 against top 20 teams. He orchestrated a 75-yard touchdown drive on seven plays in 2:13 to make it a 10-7 game with 13:30 left in the second quarter. On the next possession, he led an 84-yard drive after 10 plays in 4:26 to take a 14–10 lead with 6:36 remaining. The touchdown drives also included a season-long 92-yarder on the final score of the night.

Ten different Bulldogs caught a pass against Tennessee. Senior Dominic Lovetts the lone catch in the first half was the longest by a Bulldog, covering 38 yards on third-and-8. Freshman Nitro Tuggle had two catches for 25 yards. Entering the game, Tuggle had one catch for 9 yards against Tennessee Tech and had appeared in three games.

…Tennessee averaged 37.6 points per game and finished with 17, including a second-half shutout for the second straight year.

…The Volunteers had 313 yards of offense in 72 plays. At halftime, Tennessee had 17 points on 189 yards of total offense on 41 plays.

…The Vols took a 7-0 lead on their first possession, driving 78 yards on 12 plays in 3:47. The drive followed a three-and-out to start the Bulldogs’ game.

…Georgia’s best tacklers were Smael Mondonwho had eight tackles and a sack, KJ Boldenwho had eight career tackles, and Jalon Walker with eight tackles. and a bag.

…Georgia finished with five sacks. Senior Chaz Chambliss scored two sacks, giving him a team-leading 5.5 for the year. Mondon had his first sack of the year and Damon Wilson II picked up his second of the year.

…Junior gambler Brett Thorson averaged 44.3 yards on four punts. He also made a tackle after a 26-metre return.

…Sophomore kicker Peyton Woodring scored seven points on a 36-yard field goal and four PATs plus fielded kickoffs. He is now 16-for-17 on field goals this year.

…Cash Jones And Michael Jackson III served as the kickoff returners. Evans returned as a punt returner after missing the past two games due to injury.