What No. 4 Georgia football needs to make the SEC championship game
ATHENS — Georgia gained some clarity as far as what needs to happen to reach the SEC championship game.
Unfortunately, it did not get any help, with Kentucky and Florida both losing this weekend. Because of those results, there is no path to where Georgia can finish with a higher conference opponent win percentage than Alabama.
For Georgia to make it to a fifth consecutive SEC championship game, which would tie Florida’s record for consecutive appearances, it needs either Texas A&M or Alabama to lose this weekend.
Both teams are on the road against long-standing rivals. The Aggies travel to Austin to face the No. 17 Texas Longhorns on Friday.
Texas A&M is a 2½-point favorite. The Aggies are the only SEC team without a loss at this point in the season. Georgia beat Texas 35-10 in its final conference game Nov. 15.
Alabama, with one loss in the SEC, travels to Auburn on Saturday. The Crimson Tide holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Georgia and are set to finish with a superior conference opponent winning percentage.
Alabama lost in its most recent conference outing, falling to Oklahoma 23-21. Georgia beat Auburn in Auburn 20-10 earlier this season.
In the event Texas A&M wins and Alabama falters, Georgia would play Texas A&M in the SEC championship game Dec. 6. Were the opposite scenario to occur, Georgia would get a rematch.
If Texas A&M and Alabama both lose and Ole Miss beats Mississippi State on Friday, Georgia would face Ole Miss in the SEC championship game.
If Texas A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss all lose this weekend, Georgia would face Texas A&M in the SEC championship game.
A berth in the SEC championship game could help clear the way for Georgia to potentially earn a first-round bye and an automatic berth into the College Football Playoff. Georgia would earn the automatic berth as a conference champion and the bye because of being a top-four seed. Georgia is currently No. 4 in the CFP rankings, just ahead of potential Big 12 champion Texas Tech.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart and his players made it clear last week that if Georgia were to find itself in the SEC championship game, they would want to win it.
“The SEC championship (game) is one of the, I think, the most impressive games to play in the country,” tight end Oscar Delp said. “I mean, I think the SEC is the best conference in the country, and to be able to play in that game is super special. I mean, I think it’s one of the most-watched games across the country, as well. It’s a special thing to be able to go there and play that really physical game every year, and it’s just exciting.”
Georgia plays out-of-conference, in-state rival Georgia Tech on Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the SEC championship game also will take place.
SEC championship game tiebreakers
- Head-to-head competition among the tied teams
- Record vs. all common conference opponents among the tied teams
- Record against highest (best) placed common conference opponent in the conference standings, and proceeding through the conference standings among the tied teams
- Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among the tied teams
- Capped relative total scoring margin versus all conference opponents among the tied teams
- Random draw of the tied teams
SEC standings
- Texas A&M 7-0
- Georgia 7-1
- Ole Miss 6-1
- Alabama 6-1
- Oklahoma 5-2
- Vanderbilt 5-2
- Texas 5-2
- Tennessee 4-3
- LSU 3-4
- Missouri 3-4
- Kentucky 2-6
- Florida 2-6
- Auburn 1-6
- Mississippi State 1-6
- South Carolina 1-7
- Arkansas 0-7
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
