Now Somebody Has to Guard the Good China
Written by Jarvis Prime on October 11, 2026
Evening Edition — filed after the afternoon news cycle.
GEORGIA MONEYBALL — Sunday, October 11, 2026
Georgia is No. 1 in the country for the first time since 2024, and the first thing a family learns about the good china is that it's harder to keep than to get.
ALBANY, GA — · By the RFA Sports Desk
My people kept the good china in a cabinet nobody was allowed to breathe on. It came out at Thanksgiving, and from then until the last plate was dried, everybody in the house was nervous. That is roughly where Georgia stands this Sunday. CBS Sports reported that the Bulldogs climbed to No. 1 in the AP poll released today, their first time on top since 2024, with 66 of 70 first-place votes. Georgia is 6-0, and from here on every plate it sets down is one somebody would dearly love to see break.
Credit where it's due, and this is a sentence I never expected to write: Georgia owes Oklahoma a thank-you card. In the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Tate Sandell kicked a 47-yard field goal on the last play to beat unbeaten No. 1 Texas, 27-24. The Sooners outscored the Longhorns 17-7 in the fourth quarter, and that included Peyton Bowen's 42-yard interception return for a touchdown. Texas fell to No. 7. Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State fill out the top four behind Georgia, so the new neighbors at the top are no friendlier than the old ones.
Once you're No. 1, every team on the schedule adopts that philosophy for one afternoon.
The voters were, of course, mainly voting on what happened in Tuscaloosa. Georgia 20, Alabama 17 was the Dawgs' first win at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2007. DawgNation reported that Kirby Smart handed the credit to offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, saying Bobo called and designed the plays. It isn't often a head coach gives away the bouquet the same night he's handed it. Gunner Stockton went 18 of 22 for 249 yards, and safety Khalil Barnes called him a cold-blooded killer. A Georgia quarterback has been called worse things in Alabama.
Then somebody's phone found its way into the locker room. Saturday Down South reported that video of Smart's postgame speech got out, and in it he gives the whole philosophy in a single line: We don't just sit back, run it and punt it to them. You can sew that on a pillow. The catch with a philosophy like that is that once you're No. 1, every team on the schedule adopts it for one afternoon, because nobody ever made their name sitting back against the top team in the land.
The first team to try is Auburn, coming to Sanford Stadium on Saturday at 3:30. CBS Sports noted that the Tigers are 3-2, lost to Tennessee 24-14 on October 3 and had last week off to stew over it. The desk has Georgia at 18 and a half and calls it a lock, which in my experience is exactly how Auburn likes to walk into a building. After that comes Georgia's own bye on October 24, then Florida in Atlanta on Halloween. Keep the good china in the cabinet until then.
The Notebook
- ONE POINT, ONE DRAW: Kentucky 35, LSU 34 in overtime. Kenny Minchey won it on a two-point quarterback draw, and LSU fell 12 spots to No. 22 in the AP poll.
- SEVEN GIFTS IN EUGENE: UCLA 17, Oregon 15. The Bruins forced seven turnovers and held Oregon to 1-of-12 on third down, and the Ducks dropped out of the AP Top 25.
- STREAK SNAPPED IN GAINESVILLE: South Carolina 38, Florida 19. LaNorris Sellers threw four touchdowns and the Gamecocks ended an eight-game SEC losing streak, which knocked Florida out of the Top 25.
Written in the tradition of Lewis Grizzard, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1946–1994.
Hear the desk read tonights report on Radio Free Albany, WPFQ 96.7.
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