Georgia deserves to be No. 1 over Alabama in initial CFP rankings
The third and fourth spots in the initial College Football Playoff rankings are anyone's guess after losses by Penn State and TCU, but No. 1 and 2 are locks.
Alabama and Georgia will fill those slots, and though many people might believe the Crimson Tide will be an easy No. 1, it's actually the Bulldogs who deserve the distinction.
Strength of schedule
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A glance at the two teams' schedules reveals that Georgia's traveled the tougher road so far. The Bulldogs own a road victory over Notre Dame and it's very possible the Irish could find themselves in the top five of the first CFP rankings. Georgia is also coming off a dominant 42-7 win over Florida, having put up more points on the Gators than anybody has all year.
There's no disputing that Alabama is a juggernaut, but Nick Saban and Co. simply haven't played anyone that good yet. Though they own a victory over Florida State in Week 1, that win looks worse and worse every week as the Seminoles keep struggling. Alabama still has LSU and Auburn to come, but right now, its strength of schedule isn't as impressive as Georgia's.
Defense
Alabama's defense has been the most vaunted in the country for what seems like forever, but Georgia could be giving it a run for its money. Kirby Smart's crew isn't far behind the Crimson Tide by giving up under 12 points per game, and actually ranks ahead of Bama in some areas. Georgia is third in the nation in passing yards conceded per game with only 157.5, ranking seven spots above Alabama.
With a tougher schedule thus far, Smart's unit is still challenging his former team for the best defense in the nation - and isn't getting nearly enough attention for it.
Jake Fromm
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Most teams would watch their seasons crumble after losing their starting quarterback in Week 1, but Georgia has rallied around Jake Fromm to remain undefeated. Since Jacob Eason's injury, Fromm has thrown 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions, and Georgia's aforementioned elite defense has picked up the slack.
Eason is once again healthy but hasn't been able to regain his job, proving Georgia was prepared to handle the massive loss. It's even more impressive considering how difficult it's been for other teams around the country to overcome such a blow. Florida State, for example, hasn't been able to slow its downhill slide after losing Deondre Francois in the opening week.
Georgia and Alabama haven't played each other this season and won't until potentially the SEC title game. None of this is to suggest the Bulldogs are a better team than the Crimson Tide. Tuesday's CFP rankings, though, are all about who has the most impressive resume so far, and right now, that's Georgia.