CBS Sports analyst Brian Kelly believes that if there's a dominant team in college football this season, it's the Georgia Bulldogs. Still, it's tough to sell UGA's dominance after a 27-24 home loss to the Auburn Tigers.
Kelly gave the Dawgs grace by saying there were "mitigating circumstances" during the Tigers' upset. Of course, that's making excuses for why Auburn beat the supposed most dominant team in the sport.
"My standards have nothing to do with the committee. And so I'll just use that as the preface. I'm looking for what I would consider who truly is the number one team in the country," Kelly said on College Sports Radio on Sirius XM this week.
"And to me, it's Georgia. They had a loss against Auburn. There were mitigating circumstances. When I watch games, that's the best team. So, first criteria for me is get the first team right. And then after that, reward those teams that are undefeated and have been consistent through the entire year."
College football doesn't have any dominant teams, because of Auburn
Kirby Smart wouldn't sit here and make the same excuses for his team that Kelly's making. That's not to say that there weren't injuries either. Safeties KJ Bolden and Tyriq Green, receiver Isiah Canion, and running back Chauncey Bowens being out for the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry game definitely hurt Georgia's cause.
Still, Auburn had just lost its defensive anchor, linebacker Xavier Atkins, right before the game as well. Sure, addition by subtraction, as we've learned. We can't ignore the adjustment it took for the Tigers on the road, though.
Kelly wasn't meaning to take a shot at Auburn here, truth be told. His job is to try and pick a frontrunner in a field that is seeing more parity than most years.
"Mitigating circumstances" is just a lame way to describe the biggest win of the season is all.
Should Tiger fans be Dawg fans the rest of the way, since Auburn can be the ultimate asterisk? No, but Georgia running the table the rest of the way would sure make the Tigers look pretty good.
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