Good morning. This is LEADOFF, today’s early buzz in Atlanta sports.
Last week, five of six computer models ranked Georgia Tech above Georgia in football. This week, four of the same six computer models rank the Bulldogs above the Yellow Jackets.
Not that either team impressed the computers much with their performance last Saturday (or this season in general).
Five of the six computers dropped Tech in the rankings after its 48-20 loss at North Carolina, while two dropped Georgia despite its last-second 27-24 win at Kentucky.
The six computer rankings used to be part of the now-defunct Bowl Championship Series standings. Here’s how they rate the Bulldogs (5-4) and Yellow Jackets (5-4) this week:
The Anderson & Hester rankings have Georgia No. 39 in the nation and Tech No. 45, the highest rating for both teams by any of the computers.
The Wolfe ratings have Georgia No. 40 and Tech No. 49.
The Billingsley Report has Georgia No. 41 and Tech No. 59.
The Colley Matrix has Tech No. 47 and Georgia No. 48.
The Massey ratings have Georgia No. 55 and Tech No. 58.
And the Sagarin ratings have Tech No. 56 and Georgia No. 58.
Last week, all six computer rankings had Alabama No. 1. This week, five still do. Wolfe dropped the Crimson Tide to No. 2 and elevated Clemson to No. 1.
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If the College Football Playoff started today, the semifinals would be …
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Washington in Atlanta’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
That's based on the playoff selection committee's second set of rankings, released Tuesday night. Click here for more on that.
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On Liberty Media's quarterly earnings conference call with Wall Street analysts Tuesday, Brian Snitker got a mention.
Liberty CEO Greg Maffei praised the hiring of Snitker as the Braves’ manager for next season.
“We’re excited to have him back,” Maffei said, “based on his performance in the back half of this year.”
Snitker served as interim manager for much of the season after replacing the fired Fredi Gonzalez in May.
Maffei said the Braves“finished the second half of the season with a very strong performance after a very slow start.”
He mentioned that the team had a 37-35 record after the All-Star break and won 20 of its final 30 games.
For details on the Braves' financial results released Tuesday, click here.
LEADOFF appears Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
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