SEC Power Rankings following Week Five of 2019: Bye didn’t help Vols

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 07: An 'SEC' logo is seen on an end zone pylon before the Missouri Tigers take on the Auburn Tigers during the SEC Championship Game at Georgia Dome on December 7, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 07: An 'SEC' logo is seen on an end zone pylon before the Missouri Tigers take on the Auburn Tigers during the SEC Championship Game at Georgia Dome on December 7, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
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Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Similar to the LSU Tigers, the Georgia Bulldogs were on a bye this past week and began the year with a heck of a resume. But for some reason, Kirby Smart’s team wasn’t getting the same love for how it looked in a 23-17 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at home. Why should their be any shame in a close win over a top 10 team, regardless of where they play?

It was enough for us to move them up in our SEC Power Rankings, and Notre Dame’s blowout win over the Virginia Cavaliers this past weekend even further proved that we were right to put them there. After all, clearly they are a quality win for Georgia, and whether or not they are at home or on the road, that’s a tough game. A win is a win.

Georgia’s defense is elite, they have a complete offense loaded with balance, and they are almost unstoppable given all their talent. So the bye did nothing for us to drop them, and Notre Dame’s play could have encouraged us to move them to No. 1.

This week, though, UGA gets another easy outing with the Tennessee Vols on the road Saturday night. Then they host the South Carolina Gamecocks and Kentucky Wildcats. So 7-0 is pretty much already here before their next bye week, just ahead of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party against the Florida Gators, the Missouri Tigers at home and the top team on here on the road.