What's at stake for the College Football Playoff in the SEC championship game?
For the second time this season, Georgia and Texas are set to square off on Saturday. This time, the game will be in Atlanta with an SEC title and College Football Playoff first-round bye on the line.
The Bulldogs won the first matchup in Austin 30-15, and the Longhorns look for revenge as they seek an SEC championship in their first season as a member of the conference.
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The stakes aren’t quite as high in this game as they are in others this weekend. As Joe Tessitore so kindly and repeatedly reminded us, Georgia is likely a CFP lock regardless of the outcome after a 10-2 regular season. The same is also certainly true for Texas, which is 11-1.
This one is all about seeding.
The winner is almost certainly locked into the No. 2 seed as a first-round bye team in the CFP. The loser will be in the field, and if it’s Texas, could snag the No. 5 seed. If Georgia loses, the Bulldogs will likely be ranked a bit lower.
Texas probably can’t secure the top seed in the CFP, as that spot will definitely go to Oregon with a win in the Big Ten championship and will likely go to Penn State, instead, with a loss. Georgia would almost certainly still be fine sitting at 10-3, though it’s not unthinkable the Bulldogs — currently the projected No. 7 seed — could drop a seed line behind Ohio State.
No. 8 is probably the floor for Georgia, though, as it’s hard to imagine the committee would drop it below a Tennessee team it beat by two scores.
If the Bulldogs win, they are practically a lock to receive the No. 2 seed as well given that they rank above SMU as things currently stand. Texas could earn the No. 5 seed with a loss, but it’s not unthinkable that an 11-2 Longhorns team would fall behind the Big Ten runner-up, especially if it’s Oregon.
Texas could also fall behind an 11-1 Notre Dame team that currently sits fourth in the rankings but isn’t eligible to receive a first-round bye.