Georgia is sitting pretty for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff following Saturday night’s 31-17 win over No. 7 Tennessee.

With the victory, the Bulldogs and Volunteers now have identical 8-2 records, with Georgia holding a head-to-head win over Josh Heupel’s team.

When the new CFP rankings and playoff projections are released on Tuesday night, the Bulldogs will be expected to be included in the potential field.

At least that’s what Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is hoping for.

Despite playing a schedule ranked the toughest in college football, the Bulldogs found themselves outside the top 12 due to the playoff requirement that the highest-ranked Group of Five team make the field.

"Like I said after the game, I don't know what they're looking for. I really don't. I wish they could really define the criteria,” Smart said after the game. “I wish they could do the eyeball test and come down here and look at the people we're playing against and look at them, and you can't see that stuff on TV, and so I don't know what they look for, but that's for somebody else to decide. I'm worried about our team.”

While the Bulldogs are still alive for a spot in the SEC Championship, a 10-2 record playing the nation’s top schedule should put the program in the 12-team field if they don't reach the conference title game.

When asked about the Bulldogs’ season, CFP Director Warde Manuel questioned Georgia’s offense and some of the recent issues the team has struggled with lately.

After putting up 453 yards of offense against Tennessee, Smart doesn’t think that should be a question any longer.

“That’s what I said about the eyeball test, but they're not in that environment. They're not at Ole Miss in that environment playing against that defense, which is top five in the country with one of the best pass rushers in the country, and they're fired up. They got a two-score lead, and they're coming every play,” Smart said. “They don't know. They don't understand that, so they'll probably look at this week and say, ‘Well, they just played against one of the best defenses in the country, and we went 453 on them, and it could have been more.’

"So, it's just the tale of each week, and we're trying to be an accumulative, whole, really good-quality team and not be on this emotional roller coaster that's controlled by people in a room somewhere that may not understand football like we do as coaches. We as coaches look at people and say, what can we do better? How do we get better? But I respect their decision.”

The Bulldogs lost wide receiver Dillon Bell in the second quarter when he injured his ankle.

Trainers attended to the junior, who limped off the field under his own power and eventually went to the locker room. He did not return.

Smart said after the game he did not know if Bell’s injury had a “high ankle component” to it.

...Anthony Evans III (hamstring) returned after missing the past two games. Evans did not catch a pass, but returned punts.

…The Bulldogs had a scare when Mykel Williams went down on the first play of the third quarter. Trainers attended to the junior, but fortunately, he walked off the field under his own power and returned later during Tennessee’s offensive possession.

Sophomore Monroe Freeling made his first career start on Saturday, opening in place of Earnest Greene III at left tackle.

Greene – who has been battling injuries for much of the year – had started the previous 23 games at the position.

The rest of the offensive line remained the same, with Dylan Fairchild at left guard, Jared Wilson at center, Tate Ratledge at right guard and Xavier Truss at right tackle.

Freeling wasn’t the only Bulldog making his first start.

Freshman running back Nate Frazier opened in place of the injured Trevor Etienne and led the Bulldogs with 19 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown to ice the game with 2:26 to play.

…With the 31-17 victory over No. 7 Tennessee, 12th-ranked Georgia (8-2, 6-2 SEC) has won 29 consecutive home games dating to 2019, which leads in FBS and improves on its school record. In the Smart era, the Bulldogs are 48-4 at home including 13-0 in home night games. Georgia extended its current Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium winning streak in night games to 21 games.

…With the victory, the 2024 senior class is an FBS-leading 50-4 which ties the school mark set by the 2023 Bulldog seniors who finished with a 50-4 mark.

…The Bulldogs have won eight straight over Tennessee, all by double digits, which is the longest winning streak for the Bulldogs in the series which dates to 1899. The Bulldogs are 8-1 against the Vols in the Smart era. Following last week’s contest, Georgia rebounded once again following a loss during a season. The Bulldogs are now 15-3 after a loss in the Smart era including winning nine straight after a loss.

…Georgia became the first team to score more than 19 points on the Volunteers this season as they were holding opponents to just 12.6 points per game, which was fifth nationally. Tennessee had allowed just three touchdowns in the first half all year. The Bulldogs posted a pair of touchdowns in the first half. Overall Saturday night, Georgia tallied 453 yards of offense on 71 plays.

…In the red zone, Georgia finished 5-for-5 with four touchdowns and one field goal. The touchdown drives covered 75, 84, 87, and a season-long 92 yards.

…With the game tied at 17, Georgia’s first possession of the second half began at the UGA 13. The Bulldogs went 87 yards on 12 plays in 7:27 as Carson Beck finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown scamper on a third-and-7 as Georgia went up 24-17 with 5:32 left in the third quarter.

….Georgia drove a season-long 92 yards on 12 plays in 6:21 for a touchdown capped Frazier's 2-yard score for a 31-17 with 2:26 left in the game.

…Beck finished 25-for-40 for 347 yards and two touchdowns as he improved to 21-3 as a starter and 8-3 against top 20 teams. He directed a 75-yard touchdown drive on seven plays in 2:13 to make it a 10-7 contest with 13:30 left in the 2nd quarter. On the next possession, he led an 84-yard drive on 10 plays in 4:26 to take a 14-10 lead with 6:36 left. The touchdown drives also featured a season-long 92-yarder on the final score of the night.

Ten different Bulldogs caught a pass against Tennessee. Senior Dominic Lovett’s lone catch in the first half was the longest by a Bulldog, covering 38 yards on third-and-8. Freshman Nitro Tuggle had two catches for 25 yards. Entering the game, Tuggle had one catch for 9 yards against Tennessee Tech and had appeared in three games.

…Tennessee came in averaging 37.6 points a game and finished with 17, including getting shut out in the second half for the second straight year.

...The Volunteers had 313 yards of offense on 72 plays. At the half, Tennessee had 17 points on 189 yards of total offense on 41 plays.

…The Vols took a 7-0 lead on its first possession, driving 78 yards on 12 plays in 3:47. The drive followed a three-and-out to start the game by the Bulldogs.

…Georgia’s top tacklers were Smael Mondon, who had eight tackles and a sack, KJ Bolden, who had career-high eight tackles, and Jalon Walker with eight tackles. and a sack.

...Georgia finished with five sacks. Senior Chaz Chambliss notched two sacks to give him a team-leading 5.5 for the year. Mondon had his first sack of the year and Damon Wilson II picked up his second on the year.

…Junior punter Brett Thorson averaged 44.3 yards on four punts. Also, he made a tackle after a 26-yard return.

…Sophomore kicker Peyton Woodring tallied seven points on a 36-yard field goal and four PATs plus handled kickoffs. He is now 16-for-17 this year on field goals.

...Cash Jones and Michael Jackson III served as the kickoff returners Evans returned at punt returner after missing the past two games due to injury.