We are inching closer to the 2024 college football national title, with the hearts of every football fan beating faster. The hype is built; the toasts are burnt, and now the only suspense left in the lore is who will hit the bullseye among the top traditional contenders in the next few days. Rolling on the fiery week 8 of the season, there have been a lot of additions and alterations in the calculation triggered by the tottering performance evaluation of each team. The two early favorites of the odds, Ohio State and Georgia Bulldogs, lost their stacks to Texas. But Kirby Smart still has some gas left in the tank.

While Ohio State sits second with a shattering 32-31 loss against Oregon, the Bulldogs lowered their soar with a smothering defeat over Alabama. The added bad break? The sudden de-commitment of the top quarterback in the Class of 2026, Jared Curtis.

Amidst all the darkness, Georgia will still be in the mix for Curtis and will be in the championship race as well. Notable college football analyst, Steve Wiltfong elucidated, ”Georgia, is still a favorite. I think that he’s got an interest in South Carolina D Logan Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator has been in great touch with the family for the entire process. Again, he took a visit to USC.

Reflecting more on Curtis’ decision making, the 2026-recruiting shallow for the Bulldogs, Wiltfong continued, ”It is interesting to see what happens with the Trojans quarterback recruiting in 2026 obviously. You have Ryder Lions out there who we have projected to end up at USC, but he may ultimately be 2027, depending on if he takes a mission or not so that you know. But, Jared Curtis has an interest in USC. And then Alabama again is a program that was always in the Forefront of this recruitment.”

The excitement for the Bulldogs’ high-stakes Texas trip continued to spread wings unless and until Curtis came up with a shocker. In the core mid-season, the impact QB of the team’s decision to back out came off as a foil to Kirby Smart’s championship hope. According to On3’s Steve Wiltfong, Jared Curtis announced his walkout from the Bulldogs on Thursday. It marked the official end of his 7 months tenure with the Bulldogs. But why doesn’t it wear thin with Smart’s seasoned troops? What’s the cover-up here?

Why Georgia Bulldogs’s third place is a relief in disguise? 

You might scratch your head thinking Smart is walking on the verge of a fall against Texas this week, but he’s not. Sitting with the third-best college football betting odds to win the title at +500, a loss in Austin this Saturday might not be the end of the world for the Georgia men in boots. The team has already suffered a setback with their loss against Alabama, and another defeat from the Longhorns will definitely bring them down a notch.

However, it will naturally place them in a similar position as the losing team from the other exciting game between Alabama and Tennessee. This leaves the team with enough opportunity to bounce back from this setback, as they still have upcoming matches against Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Also, during their first season loss, Bama prepared him to tackle the pressure of being cornered through some unfathomable mistakes. They are highly unlikely to repeat those, while the underdog status keeps the rat-poison syndrome away from them, possibly triggering a better game.

What’s your take on Kirby Smart’s position in the mid-season race after losing the top quarterback? Let us know in the comments.