Can Dogs get from No. 9 to top four of playoff rankings?

With Georgia No. 9 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings, the Bulldogs would have to move up five spots in the next two weeks to make the four-team playoff field.

Could it happen?

For starters, three things would have to fall into place: Arkansas would have to beat Missouri on Friday to put Georgia in the SEC Championship game. Georgia would have to beat Georgia Tech on Saturday. And Georgia would have to beat Alabama or Mississippi State in the SEC title game on Dec. 6.

Even all of that might not be enough to get two-loss Georgia into the four-team playoff, as three one-loss teams loom just outside this week’s top four. On the other hand, it might be enough, because the selection committee has said conference championships will weigh heavily in its final decisions.

Bottom line: Even at this late date, there’s a lot of football yet to be played.

But Georgia lost control of its destiny – in both the SEC East and nationally – by losing to South Carolina and Florida.

“It is our fault,” wide receiver Chris Conley said Tuesday. “We put ourselves in this situation. Now we have to deal with it. … All we can control at this point is what we do this week.”

This week’s rankings by the playoff selection committee:

1. Alabama (10-1)

2. Oregon (10-1)

3. Florida State (11-0)

4. Mississippi State (10-1)

5. TCU (9-1)

6. Ohio State (10-1)

7. Baylor (9-1)

8. UCLA (9-2)

9. Georgia (9-2)

10. Michigan State (9-2)

11. Arizona (9-2)

12. Kansas State (8-2)

13. Arizona State (9-2)

14. Wisconsin (9-2)

15. Auburn (8-3)

16. Georgia Tech (9-2)

17. Missouri (9-2)

18. Minnesota (8-3)

19. Ole Miss (8-3)

20. Oklahoma (8-3)

21. Clemson (8-3)

22. Louisville (8-3)

23. Boise State (9-2)

24. Marshall (11-0)