ATLANTA — Georgia football put stubborn Georgia Tech rival behind it with a 16-9 win and now waits to learn its postseason path.

“Get some recovery, do some recruiting” UGA coach Kirby Smart said on Friday, asked about his weekend plans, “see what happens.”

The No. 4-ranked Bulldogs (11-1) need for Texas to beat Texas A&M in the teams’ 7:30 p.m. game in Austin or for Auburn to upset Alabama at 7:30 p.m. on at Jordan-Hare Stadium to play in the SEC championship next Saturday.

Smart, who has led UGA teams to appearances in seven of the past eight SEC title games — winning three of them, including last year’s — has made it clear he wants to hang another league banner

This, even though ESPN projected UGA to have a 77 percent chance of keeping a top-four seed even without playing in the SEC title game — which would mean a first-round bye.

“I’m an SEC enthusiast, (and) I look at it as what do you do to win the SEC,” Smart said on 92.9 The Game last week. “It’s one of the top moments of your career, of your year.”

Georgia earned a first-round bye last season after winning the league title game before losing to Notre Dame, 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

The difference this year would be one less game and an extra week of rest, but Smart shrugged off that concept.

“I’d never agree it’s better (not to play in the SEC title game),” Smart said. “What about the experience you get from playing in that game? The pressure, the anxiety, yeah, banged up, sure, but there’s recovery time in there.”

Texas A&M is a 2.5-point favorite over Texas, and Alabama is a 5.5-point favorite over Auburn.

Here are Georgia’s CFP scenarios as of the end of UGA’s game on Friday evening:

Georgia CFP Scenario One

Georgia doesn’t play in SEC title game

Georgia could get a bye or host a first-round CFP game on Dec. 19 or Dec. 20 if it doesn’t play in the SEC title game, depending on if it finishes ranked in the top four of the final CFP rankings, which will be released on Dec. 7.

The most likely team to jump Georgia would be current No. 5-ranked and projected Big 12 champion Texas Tech (10-1).

The Red Raiders, with the benefit of a championship game against current projected Big 12 title game opponent BYU (ranked No. 11, and 10-1), could get a favorable bump from the committee.

The committee would note Texas Tech’s only defeat came to current No. 20 Arizona State in one of the two games the Red Raiders’ starting quarterback missed with injury.

There is a possibility in this scenario, however, that Georgia could remain ranked in the top four — and receive a bye, thus not hosting a first-round CFP game.

This would occur if the committee kept the Bulldogs ranked ahead of projected Big 12-winner Texas Tech — largely on the strength of UGA’s schedule and quality wins — even if the Red Raiders were to win out.

Of course, if Texas Tech lost at West Virginia, as a 23.5-point favorite on Saturday, that would derail the Red Raiders’ chances of passing UGA in the rankings, as would a Texas Tech loss in the Big 12 championship game to projected opponent BYU, a team it defeated earlier this season in Lubbock, 29-7.

Georgia CFP Scenario Two

Georgia plays in, and wins, SEC title game

If the Bulldogs win the SEC championship game, they would earn a top-four seed and get a first-round bye.

In this scenario, Georgia would most likely play in the Sugar Bowl at 8 p.m. on New Year’s Day in a CFP quarterfinal against a first-round winner. The Sugar Bowl gets the higher-ranked conference championship game winner from the SEC and Big 12.

Georgia CFP Scenario Three

Georgia plays in, loses in the SEC championship game

If UGA plays in and loses the SEC championship game, it’s more likely than not the Bulldogs would fall between No. 5 and No. 8 in the rankings and host a first-round CFP game.

This is especially true because the CFP selection committee has set a precedent that, barring an impactful injury to a key player or lopsided defeat, it will not drop a team playing in a conference championship game beneath a team that is not playing in its conference title game.

It seems unlikely an 11-2 Georgia would fall beneath the current one-loss teams ranked No. 6 and No. 7, neither of which is currently projected to play in their respective conference championship games

• No. 6 Oregon (10-1)

• No. 7 Ole Miss (10-1)

The Bulldogs’ head-to-head win over Ole Miss would likely limit UGA’s fall to No. 7.

Further, Georgia’s wins over Ole Miss and Texas would be transitive properties likely to keep it ahead of No. 8 Oklahoma (9-2), which lost to both of those teams this season.