Why is Georgia not in the College Football Playoff?

Seeking a historic national championship three-peat, the Georgia Bulldogs were left reeling as the College Football Playoff committee excluded them from the postseason slots after their SEC championship game defeat to Alabama.

The committee's choices on Sunday, crowning No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama, left ACC champions Florida State at No. 5 and Georgia at No. 6.

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Why is Georgia not in the College Football Playoff?

Even though the Bulldogs lost only one game the whole season - their three-point 27-24 loss to Alabama in the conference title game, they missed out on a College Football Playoff after not coming in the top 4 of the final CFP rankings. Many believed the Dawgs remain among the top four teams in the nation.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart expressed his disbelief, saying:

"If you're going to tell me somebody sitting in that committee room and doesn't think that that Georgia team is not one of the best four teams, I don't know if they're in the right profession.

"You know, go ask NFL talent evaluators, go ask NFL scouts. It's about the best teams, and I have no question that it's one of the best four teams. One hundred percent."

While the Bulldogs missed the playoffs, they are set to face unbeaten Florida State in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30. Florida State ended its regular season with a 13-0 record. However, the Seminoles were snubbed by the selection committee, too.

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College Football Playoff selection criteria

How does the College Football Playoff committee decide who's in and out? Turns out, it's a meticulous process. The committee scrutinizes conference championships, the strength of the schedule, head-to-head results and more.

Each committee member initially lists 30 top teams, and it's considered if three or more members agree on a team. The next phase involves selecting the six best teams without order. The top six are determined by votes.

This top-six group forms a pool for the next step, where each member ranks them. The three lowest-point teams become the top three seeds. In the following step, committee members list the best six remaining teams. They add the top three vote-getters to the initial three seeds for this.

This process repeats until all 25 teams are ranked. The top four teams head to the playoffs with matchups like No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3. The Rose Bowl and Allstate Sugar Bowl host these clashes on Jan. 1. The victorious teams progress to the title game on Jan. 8 at NRG Stadium in Houston.