Georgia's national title run in 2021 was in no way a plucky underdog story. There were no upstarts here, no blessed run of close wins. It was, first and foremost, simple regression to the mean. The universe had proven incredibly effective at coming up with creative new ways to keep a ring off of Georgia's proverbial finger, and it finally ran out of ideas.
From 1981-2020, this was one of the most steadily successful programs in the country. The Dawgs' average percentile rating in SP+ in those 40 years was 84.8%, ninth best in FBS. Each of the eight teams above them -- Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma -- won national titles.