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The sports landscape in Georgia is buzzing with activity, from the high school gridiron to the professional ranks. The regular season for high school football has concluded, and the top teams in the AJC Varsity rankings are poised for playoff runs. In Class 7A, Buford leads the way, followed by Thomas County Central in 6A, Cartersville in 5A, Sandy Creek in 4A, Appling County in 3A, Heard County in 2A, Johnson County in A, and Prince Avenue Christian in the private classification. Notably, all eight top-ranked teams finished the regular season undefeated, a feat not achieved since 2015.
Historically, top-ranked teams have captured state championships 37.3% of the time since 1982. However, this year's playoffs come with some controversy. Class 4A opening games were moved to Saturday due to a shortage of officials, which is not uncommon. More peculiar is Buford's placement as the No. 9 seed in the 7A bracket despite being the top-ranked team, a result of the new playoff formula. Undefeated Cartersville, Sandy Creek, and Johnson County also failed to secure their classifications' top seeds. Additionally, Chamblee (6A) and Coosa (2A) were initially informed they had made the playoffs, only to receive an email about three hours later retracting that due to late score submissions. Updated calculations replaced them with Veterans and Utopian Academy, respectively. Coosa's coach expressed his disappointment, stating, 'If they did not know that it was finalized at that moment, they shouldn't have released it.'
Key Analysis
The AJC Varsity Playoff Challenge offers readers a chance to showcase their predictive skills. Starting at noon, fans can submit brackets for any classification for a shot at a $200 Visa gift card. The deadline is noon Friday, with one bracket allowed per classification and prizes awarded to the top finisher in each class.
In college football, ESPN and the College Football Playoff have agreed to a five-year deal that will expand the CFP field to 24 teams next season and eliminate Power 4 conference championship games. Meanwhile, Georgia football fans are riding high after the Bulldogs' 42-7 road victory over Ole Miss, combined with Miami's loss to Notre Dame, propelled them to No. 1 in the AP poll. The Bulldogs' defense has been dominant, reminiscent of the early 2020s. Kirby Smart commented, 'We're trying to physically stomp people out, and the score has nothing to do with that.' KJ Bolden added, 'No, we could've put up 60, I feel like... Could've got a shutout. Our standards high at Georgia.' Upcoming games against Missouri, South Carolina, and Georgia Tech will test their mettle.
On the professional front, the Atlanta Falcons have reportedly agreed to trade veteran safety Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2027 draft and a fifth-rounder in 2028. The move comes as the Falcons sit at 3-6 and appear to be prioritizing long-term building over a playoff push. AJC columnist Michael Cunningham declared the Falcons bound for another losing season, and the trade seems to support that notion. The team will need to win six of its last eight games to avoid a ninth consecutive losing season. The Braves' general manager Alex Anthopoulos is in Las Vegas for the MLB GM meetings, where he noted, 'We can improve all over the place – the rotation, the offense and, certainly, in the bullpen. You just don't know what opportunities are gonna present themselves.' The Atlanta Dream have a big offseason ahead, and the Hawks have won four in a row, sitting at 7-4.
Originally reported by ajc.