Georgia blows shot at another national championship vs. familiar foe in latest 2024 playoff predictions

The College Football Playoff committee approved a new 5+7 model this week, which means the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large bids will qualify for the 12-team playoff field in 2024.   In honor of the change, A to Z Sports' Travis May had some fun predicting what the playoffs might look like next season.  […]

Kelsey Kramer College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
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Georgia head coach Kirby Smart talks with Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) during a football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
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The College Football Playoff committee approved a new 5+7 model this week, which means the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large bids will qualify for the 12-team playoff field in 2024.  

In honor of the change, A to Z Sports' Travis May had some fun predicting what the playoffs might look like next season. 

Below we're going to take a look at how May draws up the Georgia Bulldogs' fate in 2024. 


Round 1 – Championship Bye

In Round 1, May generously has the Bulldogs going undefeated to seal the No. 1 spot in the playoffs, giving them a conference championship bye.  

The other top three teams that May has earning bye weeks are No. 2 Ohio State (12-1 Big Ten Champion), No. 3 Florida State (12-1 ACC Champion) and No. 4 Kansas State (11-2 Big 12 Champion)

Fair enough.  

Round 2 – Georgia Scores Easy Win over the Lions in the Quarterfinals

For their first playoff game, May has Georgia facing No. 9 Penn State in the quarterfinals. 

In his prediction, Carson Beck rolls past the Nittany Lions as the Bulldogs have by then well-established their Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey replacements: 

"Carson Beck doesn't miss a beat as he moves on from Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. Incoming transfers TE Ben Yurosek, WR London Humphreys, and returning slot receiver Dominic Lovett prove to be great. Florida transfer Trevor Etienne becomes one of the top running backs in the nation. And as always, Georgia's top tier defense is stacked with early NFL Draft picks like safety Malaki Starks, LB Smael Mondon Jr., LB Jalon Walker, and EDGE Mykell Williams. The talent gap and depth proves too much for Penn State," – A to Z Sports' Travis May

May forgot to mention that this victory is bigger than usual because it shuts up annoying Penn State fans across America —  at least for a beautiful brief moment. 

Round 3 – Carson Beck 'Proves it" in Semifinals

Georgia takes on No. 5 Oregon in the semifinals. 

In May's prediction for this matchup, Beck proves himself to doubters and the Bulldogs' defense shuts down Ducks' star running back Jordan James: 

"Georgia's physicality and depth are just enough to bully their way to victory as Carson Beck also uses this as his "prove-it" game to rise into early round NFL Draft consideration for 2025. Oregon tries to control the game on the ground with star running back Jordan James after an early touchdown to transfer wide receiver Evan Stewart, but ultimately it's not enough," – A to Z Sports' Travis May

All hail Carson Beck. 

Round 4 – Bulldogs Blow Championship Momentum

The Bulldogs appear to have the perfect momentum leading up to the CFB championship game, but then things took a turn for the worse. 

Kirby Smart can't rally the Dawgs against No. 2 Ohio State like he did in 2022 in the semifinals, and Georgia drops the championship in a nail-biter: 

"In a rematch of the semifinals from two years ago Georgia faces off with Ohio State. This time it's Georgia that misses the potential game-winning field goal at the last second as Ryan Day is vindicated, winning his first Championship with the Buckeyes," A to Z Sports' Travis May

Good thing that this is all just a fun prediction and Georgia fans are months away from having to actually feel this kind of devastating anxiety.