Kirk Herbstreit's Immediate Reaction to Georgia-Alabama Game

With the College Football Playoff expanding from four teams to 12 this season, a mindset that is becoming more popular is that the regular season doesn't mean as much.

This, of course, stems from the fact that teams can drop more games than ever before and still make the College Football Playoff. However, ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit made it clear after the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide beat No. 2 Georgia 41-34 in an instant classic that came down to the final drive, that he doesn't think that's the case at all.

Herbstreit highlighted just how special the game was between the two teams, which saw Alabama score the game-winning touchdown with 2:18 remaining after Georgia had taken the lead just seconds before. He expressed that at this time, the focus isn't on the playoff but is instead on enjoying these games in the moment.

“This is a different era in terms of a 12-team Playoff,” Herbstreit said in the final moments of the broadcast per On3 . “I’m not focusing on the Playoff, I’m focusing on who should win tonight. But both of these teams, I think, are going to be in great position.

“If Georgia would have gotten blown out, the way it felt in the first half, who knows what happens," Herbstreit said. "They’re reeling a bit but man, they showed a lot of character in the way they came back. Excited to see where they go from here.”

The Bulldogs certainly did show a ton of character in the loss, as they found themselves trailing 30-7 at halftime before storming back in the second half. They outscored Alabama 27-11 in the final two quarters, but it simply wasn't enough.

However, now that the playoff is expanded to 12, there's a possibility that college football fans could see this matchup one or even two more times. It's hard to imagine that college football fans would be opposed to watching these two heavyweights go at it again.

Each team will have chances the rest of the year to make statements, but Kalen DeBoer and Alabama certainly have the case for making the biggest statement early this college football season. The win was DeBoer's first SEC win as Alabama's head coach, and also ended Georgia's 42-game win streak in regular season games.

The Bulldogs are back in action next week against Auburn, while Alabama has a bye before they play Vanderbilt on October 15.

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