ATLANTA – Saturday’s SEC championship game in Atlanta serves as a de facto play-in for the College Football Playoff, matching one of the most consistent teams in the nation with the hottest team in the land.
Georgia has spent all season at or near the top of the rankings, its only misstep through 12 games coming against an Auburn team that it will face again for the conference title, after the Tigers overcame two losses to knock off the top-ranked Bulldogs and No. 1 Alabama in a two-week span.
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TV: 4 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Auburn -2.5
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There certainly is plenty of focus on the fourth-ranked Tigers’ 40-17 dismantling of the Bulldogs in Auburn on Nov. 11, and Auburn’s key Saturday will be to frustrate Georgia’s vaunted rushing attack one again, after holding the No. 6 Bulldogs to 46 yards on the ground in the first meeting.
“I like where we are at and how we have gotten here,” Auburn coach Gene Malzahn told reporters on Tuesday, referencing the Tigers five-game winning streak after a 5-2 start. “A lot of times, it is how you get to where you are at that can help you move forward.”
Georgia rebounded from the loss to dominate Kentucky and Georgia Tech, sparked by a defense that is fifth nationally with 13.8 points per game allowed but surrendered 488 yards to the Tigers in its lone defeat.
“I think you should prepare the same, regardless of your record, regardless of a revenge factor, and be real consistent in your approach,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart told the media on Monday.
ABOUT GEORGIA (11-1)
The Bulldogs’ dynamic duo of running backs Nick Chubb (1,098 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns) and Sony Michel (903, 13) fuels a ground attack ranked first in the SEC at 265.7 yards per game. Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm was sacked four times at Auburn, but has completed 21-of-30 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns in two games since the loss to the Tigers. Georgia’s defense allows 271.9 yards per game, fourth in the nation, and ranks 12th nationally in rushing defense (112.5 yards per contest).
ABOUT AUBURN (10-2)
A critical key for the Tigers is the health of running back Kerryon Johnson, as the SEC’s leader in rushing yards per game (127.6) - who is tied for sixth nationally with 17 rushing scores - is listed as day-to-day with a shoulder injury. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who transferred from Baylor, is fourth nationally in completion percentage (68.5 percent) while passing for 2,682 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Tigers defense is ninth in the country in scoring defense (16.4 points per game) and 11th in total defense (303.3 yards per contest).
EXTRA POINTS
1. Auburn K Daniel Carlson holds 13 school records and is second all-time in NCAA history with 90 made field goals.
2. Georgia P Cameron Nizialek averages 44.5 yards per punt, and the Bulldogs are third in the nation in net punting (42.6 yards).
3. The Bulldogs hold a 57-56-8 edge in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, and Saturday’s game will mark the seventh time two teams have played during the regular season and again in the SEC title game (the winning team in the regular season has won five of six).
PREDICTION: Georgia 31, Auburn 27