Georgia is college football's fourth-quarter king
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- Georgia went 53-0 when leading by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter over the past five seasons — the largest sample size of any Power Four program to record a perfect record in that spot
- Georgia also owns the best winning percentage (.444, 4-9) when trailing by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter across the Power Four, with three of its five losses in that scenario coming against Alabama — including two SEC Championship Game defeats
- Indiana posted a plus-81 fourth-quarter scoring margin last season under Curt Cignetti, leading the FBS with 14 games in which it entered the fourth quarter up by at least a touchdown and pulled away
- Stanford entered the fourth quarter with at least a seven-point lead just 11 times in five seasons but blew three of those games — the lowest win percentage of any FBS team in that scenario
- Oklahoma State leads all Power Four teams with six comeback wins after trailing by at least a touchdown entering the fourth quarter, including three during its 12-2 2021 season, though it has also trailed by 7+ entering the fourth 32 times over the five-year window
- Nebraska owns the most losses (18) in games that entered the fourth quarter within six points over the past five seasons — the most of any FBS program — including a 1-5 mark in Matt Rhule's first season
- Vanderbilt went 0-32 when trailing by at least seven points entering the fourth quarter — the most losses without a win of any Power Four program in the study
- Across the 68 programs studied, teams were 1,810-102 (.947) when leading by 7+ entering the fourth quarter but just 110-947 (.104) when trailing by 7+ — underscoring how rare comebacks are
Why it matters: Georgia's unmatched four-quarter résumé — 53-0 protecting leads and the best Power Four comeback rate at .444 — contradicts the narrative that consecutive CFP quarterfinal exits have eroded the Bulldogs' edge. Programs like Nebraska (18 close-game losses) and Vanderbilt (0-32 trailing by 7+) illustrate how much the gap between elite and middling teams widens specifically in the final 15 minutes.
