For the second time in three years, the SEC has a legitimate chance to get two teams in the college football playoff.
Alabama and Georgia both made the playoff in 2017, and ultimately met in the national championship game. The SEC will also get two teams in the playoff this year if Georgia beats LSU in the SEC championship game Saturday. But, can the Bulldogs pull it off? (RELATED: SEC Week 12 Preview And Predictions: The End Of An Era)
Now, I haven’t been high on Georgia this year. I’ve picked against them three times in our weekly picks, and have been wrong all three times. The Bulldogs are admittedly tough to watch. They don’t score a lot, and quarterback Jake Fromm has struggled to find a rhythm with his young receivers. However, Georgia still finished the regular season 11-1 thanks to a dynamic running game and a suffocating defense.
That defense is about to face its toughest test of the season when presumptive Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow leads his dynamic LSU offense into Atlanta. But, LSU doesn’t have as much on the line as Georgia does. The 12-0 Tigers will almost certainly make the playoff, even with a loss. Still, it’s hard to believe Burrow and Coach O are taking this one lightly.
LSU has been a team on a mission all year, and they will not let up at all with a conference championship on the line. The Tigers’ defense has been porous all year, and Fromm will have to take advantage of that and put up some points to keep up with Burrow and company.
The other scenario that would lead to a Georgia win would be for the Bulldogs’ defense to play the game of their lives and shut down Burrow and the Tigers’ offense. So, will either of these things happen?
The Bulldogs have proven me wrong on several occasions this year, but they still have not inspired confidence. LSU’s dream season will continue with a conference crown, and the SEC will have to settle for just one very good team in the college football playoff.
Prediction: LSU 34 Georgia 17