Georgia's loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl has led to some of the strongest overreactions the college football world has seen in a long time: many believe the SEC is no longer the conference to beat after a poor showing from UGA and Tennessee in the CFP.
USA Today's Matt Hayes went as far as saying the SEC "boogeyman" is now dead and buried.
"The signs are everywhere, the undeniable has arrived. The boogeyman is dead," Hayes wrote.
"Georgia, the SEC, and everything that goes with it.
"After Georgia’s final and inevitable unraveling Thursday in a 23-10 wipeout loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl quarterfinal, the SEC’s last national title hope is a newbie.
"Who just arrived from a conference it once scoffed at.
"Well, look who’s laughing now: all of college football. Once Ohio State eliminates Texas next week in the Cotton Bowl semifinal, there will be no doubt.
"Rejoice, everyone. The SEC finally received its comeuppance.
Of course, that's a major assumption from Hayes there. Ohio State has been rolling through the playoff, but they haven't faced a defense like Texas's. Will Howard hasn't been tested yet like the Longhorns can test them. Neither has that Buckeyes OL.
Even if Ohio State wins, though, that'd simply keep an SEC school out of the national championship game. Michigan did that last year by knocking off Alabama in the Rose Bowl/CFP semifinal game. That wouldn't be a new development.
But making massive assumptions about college football based on one College Football Playoff field is a fool's errand. TCU was in the championship game two seasons ago and has not had any notoriety boost since, even losing to the 2023 Colorado Buffaloes, a program that finished 4-8 that year.
Sure, schools like Georgia and Alabama may be down for now, but that may not last long. Well, the Bulldogs will probably bounce back. TBD on Kalen DeBoer's Crimson Tide.