It’s conference championship week in college football. In the SEC and Big Ten, both participants in their conference title games are a shoo-in for a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff, win or lose. In the ACC, Big 12 and Mountain West, those teams will have to win Saturday to ensure a spot in the playoffs.
As for ESPN’s “College GameDay,” the crew of Nick Saban, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the rematch between the Texas Longhorns (11-1) and Georgia Bulldogs (10-2) in the SEC Championship Game. ESPN made the announcement Sunday, Dec. 1.
It’s the second time this season that GameDay will be on site for Georgia vs. Texas. GameDay was in Austin on Oct. 19 when Kirby Smart’s team beat Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns, 30-15.
Moreover, Saturday will mark the ninth time that GameDay has visited an SEC location. The Big Ten is second, having hosted GameDay five times — one of which involved an SEC team when Texas visited the Michigan Wolverines in Week 2.
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SEC Championship Game rematches have been pretty rare, especially in recent years. Texas vs. Georgia will mark the first time since 2017 that the SEC title game has featured a rematch from the regular season. That year, Georgia beat the Auburn Tigers 28-7 in Atlanta, less than a month after Guz Malzahn’s team had trounced the Bulldogs 40-17 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
After beating Auburn in the 2017 SEC title game, Georgia would go on to lose 26-23 to Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Tua Tagovailoa’s epic 41-yard touchdown strike to DeVonta Smith in overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Texas-Georgia is just the second SEC Championship Game rematch since 2010 when Auburn defeated South Carolina in the Georgia Dome after doing so earlier in the year at Jordan-Hare.
The winner of Georgia vs. Texas will receive a first-round bye in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Kickoff for the SEC title game is set for 3 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC, with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit calling the action from Atlanta.
“College GameDay” begins broadcasting live at 8 a.m. CT on ESPN.
Alabama football awaits final CFP fate
Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide closed out the regular season with a 28-14 win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl last Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama finished the regular season 9-3 in Kalen DeBoer’s first year in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide were No. 11 in the updated CFP rankings, released Tuesday night. If the current projected playoff bracket holds, Alabama would be the No. 11 seed and travel to South Bend to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a first-round game.
Conference title games offer lots of intrigue
In the Big Ten, the Oregon Ducks (12-0) take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1) Saturday at 7 p.m. CT at Indianapolis. The game will be televised on CBS.
In the ACC, the Clemson Tigers (9-3) can seal a berth in the College Football Playoff with a win over the SMU Mustangs (11-1) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Kickoff for Clemson vs. SMU is set for 7 p.m. CT Saturday. The game can be seen on ESPN.
The Big 12 title game features a pair of 10-2 teams: the Arizona State Sun Devils and Iowa State Cyclones. Kickoff for Arizona State-Iowa State is at 11 a.m. CT Saturday. The game will be televised on ABC.
In the Mountain West, the Boise State Broncos (11-1) will try to wrap up a playoff berth with a win over the UNLV Rebels (10-2, No. 20 CFP) at Albertsons Stadium in Boise. The Broncos rallied for a 29-24 win at UNLV back on Oct. 26. Kickoff for the Mountain West title game is at 7 p.m. CT Friday. The game can be seen on Fox.
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