Why Georgia is among best of the best in College Football Playoff history

ATHENS — Georgia football hasn’t made the most College Football Playoff appearances or won the most CFP games, but the Bulldogs have played in and won some of the best.

This, according to a recent ESPN story that ranks the top 20 College Football Playoff games.

Author Bill Connelly puts the 2018 Rose Bowl semifinal between Georgia and Oklahoma at the top of the list, timing his article in conjunction with the Sooners’ trip to Athens for a 3:30 p.m. game against the Bulldogs on Saturday.

Connelly’s article points out Oklahoma had a 92.6% win probability after jumping out to a 31-14 lead in the second quarter before a Rodrigo Blankenship 55-yard field goal closed the gap to 31-17 at the half.

Georgia stormed back in the second half and won in the second overtime as Sony Michel burst free for 27 of his 181 yards with his third touchdown, this one the game-winner.

UGA fans will want to close their eyes when seeing the No. 2 game on ESPN’s list — the so-called “second-and-26” Alabama win in the 2017 season’s CFP championship game, won by the Tide 26-23 in overtime.

Georgia’s next appearance was lower than some UGA fans likely feel it should rank, as the 42-41 2022 Peach Bowl semifinal was essentially the default national title game with TCU awaiting the winner.

UGA was a 5-point underdog to the CJ Stroud-led Buckeyes and trailed by 14 points entering the fourth quarter before Stetson Bennett IV got the offense going in earnest. Ohio State missed a 50-yard field goal as the clock struck midnight, dramatically enough, signaling a new year in Atlanta.

The Bulldogs’ most recent CFP game — a 39-34 Sugar Bowl quarterfinal loss to Ole Miss in 2025 — also made the list at No. 12.

The fifth and final mention for Georgia football among the top 20 CFP games of all time was 16th — the Bulldogs’ 33-18 win over Alabama in the CFP championship game in Indianapolis following the 2021 season.

Ohio State also had five games on ESPN’s list, while Alabama was the only program to have six, going 2-4 in those classics.

Elite eight programs

27 teams have made College Football Playoff appearances dating back to its inception in 2014-15. Here are the eight that have made the most appearances and how they’ve fared:

Most CFP appearances

• Alabama, 9
• Ohio State, 7
• Clemson, 7
• Georgia, 5
• Oklahoma, 5
• Notre Dame, 3
• Oregon, 3
• Michigan, 3

Most CFP games played

• Alabama, 16
• Ohio State, 12
• Clemson, 11
• Georgia, 8
• Notre Dame, 6
• Oregon, 6
• Oklahoma, 5
• Michigan, 4