I have an alternative explanation for West Virginia's late season surge. They appeared to get better as the year went on because they played in a pathetic conference and thus faced pathetic opposition. The Georgia victory is also less than it seems.
Georgia beat LSU but let's not forget that LSU played a very irregular season due to the hurricane. Six of their games were determined by less than 4 points. They had just come off a two-point win over Arkansas! And a three-point win over Alabama. LSU were ripe for a letdown and didn't exactly have any stability in practice facilities, home life, etc.
Nothing I see convinces me that Virginia should be ranked in the pre-season Top 5 next year. It isn't about a winning record, it's about beating quality teams for that record. They need more quality opposition before they can claim to be considered for a national championship.
From Greenfield
http://teamrankings.com/ncf/ugapower.php3?q=Georgia+Football
<TABLE width="95%" bgColor=#d8e9fd><TBODY><TR><TD>Date </TD><TD>Site </TD><TD>Score </TD><TD>Opponent </TD>
WEST VIRGINIA
<TR><TD>Week 1</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 15-7 </TD><TD></B>vs. #103
Syracuse</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 3</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 31-19 </TD><TD></B>vs. #38
Maryland</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 4</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>W 20-15 </TD><TD></B>vs. #83
East Carolina</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 5</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>L 17-34 </TD><TD></B>vs. #5
Virginia Tech</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 6</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 27-14 </TD><TD></B>vs. #59
Rutgers</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 7</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>W 46-44 </TD><TD></B>vs. #28
Louisville</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 10</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>W 45-13 </TD><TD></B>vs. #77
Connecticut</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 11</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 38-0 </TD><TD></B>vs. #94
Cincinnati</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 13</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>W 45-13 </TD><TD></B>vs. #63
Pittsburgh</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 14</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 28-13 </TD><TD></B>vs. #51
South Florida</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 15</TD><TD>Neut</TD><TD>W 38-35 </TD><TD></B>vs. #13
Georgia</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
GEORGIA
<TABLE width="95%" bgColor=#d8e9fd><TBODY><TR><TD>Date </TD><TD>Site </TD><TD>Score </TD><TD>Opponent </TD>
<TR><TD>Week 1</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>W 48-13 </TD><TD></B>vs. #48
Boise State</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 2</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>W 17-15 </TD><TD></B>vs. #39
South Caroli</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 3</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>W 44-7 </TD><TD></B>vs. #105
Louisiana-</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 4</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 23-10 </TD><TD></B>vs. #97
Mississip</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 6</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 27-14 </TD><TD></B>vs. #46
Tennessee</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 7</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 34-17 </TD><TD></B>vs. #66
Vanderbilt</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 8</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>W 23-20 </TD><TD></B>vs. #62
Arkansas</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 9</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>L 10-14 </TD><TD></B>vs. #19
Florida</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 11</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>L 30-31 </TD><TD></B>vs. #17
Auburn</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 12</TD><TD>Home</TD><TD>W 45-13 </TD><TD></B>vs. #93
Kentucky</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 13</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 14-7 </TD><TD></B>vs. #33
Georgia Tech</< B></TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 14</TD><TD>Away</TD><TD>W 34-14 </TD><TD></B>vs. #9
LSU</TD></TR><TR><TD>Week 15</TD><TD>Neut</TD><TD>L 35-38 </TD><TD></B>vs. #6
West Virginia</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>