Georgia QB Stetson Bennett is CFP’s most important player
ATLANTA (BVM) – There might not be another quarterback in college football who can be trusted more in big moments than Stetson Bennett. The former University of Georgia walk-on is already among the best QBs in program history and now has the opportunity to elevate his legacy even further.
The No. 1-ranked Bulldogs begin their national championship defense on Saturday and arguably no one is more important in that pursuit than Bennett. The Heisman Trophy finalist led Georgia to its second consecutive undefeated regular season while throwing for a career-high 3,425 to go along with 27 total touchdowns.
“Stetson Bennett, I could argue, is the most important player in the College Football Playoff not because his team needs him to be able to win, but because if he plays well, I don’t think anyone has a chance against Georgia,” BVM Sports College Football Analyst Brad Edwards said. “He is that x-factor.”
Look no further than last season’s national title run for evidence of Bennett’s impact in big moments.
After a 42-24 loss to No. 3 Alabama in the 2021 SEC Championship Game – in which he threw for 340 yards, three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions – Bennett was nearly flawless in the College Football Playoff. He completed 64.5% of his passes and threw five touchdowns to zero interceptions across back-to-back wins as the Bulldogs won their first national championship in 40 years.
Bennett’s penchant for showing up in big games continued into the 2022 campaign when he avenged last year’s SEC Championship Game loss by throwing for 274 yards, four touchdowns (zero interceptions) and posting his best passer rating (204.2) of the season in a 50-30 win over LSU.
Stetson Bennett vs. LSU:
🏈 274 Pass Yds
🏈 4 Pass TD
🏈 Champ Game MVPSEC Inside: Football Championship | 9 PM ET pic.twitter.com/WbYOCx9aLI
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 6, 2022
The SEC champions earned a CFP date with No. 4 Ohio State and with it comes another opportunity for Bennett to prove his worth on a loaded Georgia roster. He’ll go head-to-head with another Heisman Trophy finalist (C.J. Stroud) for what could be a CFP instant classic, and another piece of evidence of why Bennett is seen by many as the best QB in program history.
“They (Georgia) can win without him (Bennett) playing his best, but if he is, I think the rest of that roster is so good that Georgia is unbeatable within this College Football Playoff,” Edwards said. “If he plays two good games in a row, this thing is over.”
