Georgia enters the College Football Playoff as the No. 3 seed following a dominant regular season marked by defensive excellence. The Bulldogs opened with a statement 10-3 win over Clemson and continued their impressive run, allowing just 7 points per game through their first 12 contests.

Their defense was historically good, recording three shutouts including a 37-0 win over #8 Arkansas. The closest margin of victory during their 12-0 regular season was 17 points against Kentucky (30-13).

However, Georgia's perfect run came to an end in the SEC Championship game, where Alabama exposed some vulnerabilities. The Crimson Tide accumulated 536 yards of offense against a defense that had been allowing just 231 yards per game, resulting in a 41-24 defeat that dropped Georgia to the third seed.

Despite this setback, Georgia's defense remains elite:

• #1 in scoring defense (9.5 points allowed per game)
• #2 in total defense (254 yards allowed per game)
• #3 in both passing and rushing defense

For their Orange Bowl matchup with #2 Michigan, head coach Kirby Smart likely won't make major changes to the defensive scheme that proved so successful all season. The key will be whether Michigan's quarterback Cade McNamara can find similar success to Alabama's Bryce Young, who managed to exploit Georgia's secondary with adequate protection and time to throw.

Michigan will likely need to establish their running game to support McNamara, unlike Alabama who could rely primarily on their passing attack. How Georgia's defense responds to their first real adversity of the season will be crucial to their national championship hopes.

Related Articles

Previous Articles