Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference.
Game of the week
No. 6 Tennessee at No. 11 Georgia, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
This one is the latest in what seems like a weekly potential elimination game for the SEC championship game and a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff.
Should the Vols (8-1, 5-1 SEC; No. 7 CFP ) win at Georgia, it would be the Bulldogs’ third loss this year, which last happened in 2018 in Kirby Smart’s third season. Maybe a great team with three losses can still into the national championship bracket, but the Bulldogs would be much better off not testing that notion and they are currently not in the CFP bracket as it is.
Georgia (7-2, 5-2; No. 12 CFP) has had its way with Tennessee the past seven years, winning every matchup by 14 points or more. The Vols last won Between The Hedges in 2016, 34-31.
Tennessee has won its past four games, including a 24-17 win over Alabama three weeks ago. Georgia returns home after more than a month away, a stretch that included a 28-10 loss at Ole Miss a week ago. The Bulldogs are 14-3 under Smart after a loss and the last time they lost two straight came in 2016.
The undercard
No. 24 Missouri (7-2, 3-2) at No. 23 South Carolina (6-3, 4-3), Saturday, 4:15 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
The Gamecocks, who’ve won three in a row including the past two over ranked opponents, are the current SEC team no one in the league wants to face. South Carolina’s dominating defense and revived run game have sparked the recent surge with convincing wins against Oklahoma (35-9), then-No. 10 Texas A&M (44-20) and then-No. 24 Vanderbilt (28-7).
A win over Missouri, a top 10 team earlier this season, would be the first time South Carolina had beaten three straight ranked teams after losing their past eight vs. Top 25 opponents.
The Tigers have won three of their past four, including a wild finish where Zion Young returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown with 22 seconds left for their 30-23 win over Oklahoma.
Impact player
South Carolina RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders has fueled the Gamecocks in recent weeks. The Arkansas transfer, who ran for more than 1,443 yards for the Razorbacks two years ago, finally looks fully healthy after a knee injury limited him to six games last year. Sanders has run for 381 yards and had six of his 10 TDs this season in the past four games.
Inside the numbers
South Carolina is seeking a winning SEC season for the first time since 2017. … Georgia has a 28-game home win streak that dates to 2019 and is the longest in the FBS. … Tennessee center Cooper Mays, a fourth-year starter, has gone 23 straight games without allowing a sack. … Florida has rushed for 100 or more yards in eight straight games against this week’s opponent in No. 21 LSU. … Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has led his team to seven wins over Top 25 opponents, including last week’s 42-13 win at LSU. … No. 3 Texas is looking for its 10th straight road win when it plays at Arkansas. That’s the Longhorns longest such run since winning 15 in a row from 2003-06.
Cupcake time?
Four SEC teams will host games against non-conference opponents they are favored to beat handily this week. Those include Auburn against Louisiana-Monroe, Kentucky against Murray State, No. 9 Alabama against Mercer and Texas A&M against New Mexico State. There will be four more such games on Nov. 23, the next-to-last week of the regular season.
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