The Georgia Bulldogs won't be 3-peating as national champions. In fact, Kirby Smart's team won't be in the College Football Playoff at all.
Despite it being unprecedented that the No. 1 team in the penultimate CFP rankings would not make the final Top 4, this was an unprecedented season with eight contenders still alive for the Playoff coming into conference championship weekend. So with Georgia falling short in Atlanta in the SEC Championship Game against rival Alabama, there wasn't enough chaos elsewhere to save the Dawgs.
One could argue that, if the Selection Committee is truly ranking the four best teams, that Georgia should be in the CFP field. However, there is an element of most deserving inherent in the rankings, which will likely leave the Dawgs playing in another bowl game that isn't a College Football Playoff semifinal.
What bowl game will Georgia be playing in? Let's take a look at the latest bowl game projections to try and figure it out.
Georgia bowl projections: Bulldogs expected to play in Peach Bowl
After Saturday's loss and finishing the year 12-1, Georgia appears most likely to play in the Peach Bowl for another game at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Projections from Jerry Palm of CBS Sports and Brad Crawford of 247Sports have the Bulldogs in that game, matched up against the third-best team from the Big Ten this season, the Penn State Nittany Lions.
However, that's not necessarily a formality. While the Peach Bowl should be considered the most likely option based on multiple projections, Stewart Mandel and Scott Dochterman of The Athletic ($) have Georgia playing in the Orange Bowl against the top-ranked ACC team not in the CFP. That could be Louisville, who lost in the ACC Championship Game, NC State if the Cardinals fall behind them, or Florida State if the Selection Committee snubs the Seminoles.
Peach Bowl recent history
- 2022/23 (CFP Semifinal): Georgia 42, Ohio State 41
- 2021/22: Michigan State 31, Pittsburgh 21
- 2020/21: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21
- 2019/20 (CFP Semifinal): LSU 63, Oklahoma 28
- 2018/19: Floirda 41, Michigan 15
Georgia is obviously quite familiar with the Peach Bowl in recent history, having played in this game in two of the last three years, including last year's thrilling win over Ohio State to pave the way to the CFP National Championship Game. And the good news for Bulldogs fans is that they've also been quite successful in this game historically, appearing seven total times and posting a 5-2 record.
Georgia bowl game recent history
- 2022/23, CFP National Championship: Georgia 65, TCU 7
- 2022/23, Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal): Georgia 42, Ohio State 41
- 2021/22, CFP National Championship: Georgia 33, Alabama 18
- 2021/22, Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal): Georgia 34, Michigan 11
- 2020/21, Peach Bowl: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21
- 2019/20, Sugar Bowl: Georgia 26, Baylor 14
- 2018/19, Sugar Bowl: Texas 28, Georgia 21
Including capturing back-to-back national championships in the past two years, Georgia is on a six-game winning streak in bowl games with the last loss coming in the 2019 Sugar Bowl to Texas. It will be strange to not see the Dawgs in the College Football Playoff, but Kirby Smart will have a postseason winning streak to keep alive.
When is the Peach Bowl? Date, time, location, TV info
The 2023 Peach Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 30 at Noon ET at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. The game will be broadcast on ESPN with streaming available through the ESPN App and ESPN+. The Peach Bowl will also be sponsoered by Chick-fil-A, as it has been for several years now.