Saturday’s rematch between No. 3 Georgia (11-1) and No. 9 Alabama (10-2) will decide the SEC champion. Many have questioned the meaning of the conference championship game in the 12-team College Football Playoff era. Beyond the title chase, both teams enter Saturday with postseason implications at stake.
Going into the SEC Championship Game at 4 p.m. ET, Georgia’s playoff berth is all but locked in. The ESPN playoff predictor currently gives the defending SEC champions, Georgia, a >99% chance of making the CFP. On top of the conference championship, which Kirby Smart has made very clear still means something to his program, UGA will be playing Saturday for a first-round bye. If the Dawgs were to fall short, they would likely be hosting a first-round game at Sanford Stadium.
“Around our place, they put numbers up and banners in the hallways when you win an SEC Championship and that’s significant to me,” Kirby Smart said of the importance of the SEC Championship Game.
Alabama does not have such solid footing and is playing for its invitation to the postseason.
The Crimson Tide already have two losses this season. A third could knock them out of the playoff. Many believe Bama will not be left out, no matter Saturday’s outcome. Teams are not supposed to be punished for playing in a conference title game. Several two-loss teams remain on the postseason bubble, including Miami, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.
If UGA wins, Alabama would compete against these teams with an extra loss for a postseason spot. Even with that challenge, the ESPN playoff predictor gives Alabama a 97% chance to make the College Football Playoff. The algorithm either expects a Roll Tide win or believes Alabama has already secured its postseason ticket. If that is true, the Tide would be deciding between hosting a playoff game or going on the road
The two titans of the Southeastern Conference may have different stakes at hand, but the only thing that really matters to either is beating the team in the opposite uniform.
Another classic incoming Saturday in Atlanta.
