A look at UGA vs Georgia Tech ticket prices compared to the rest of college football this rivalry week. Plus looking the SEC Championship.
It’s the final weekend of the college football regular season. Wow…how sad is that?
Very sad is the answer to that question, but on the bright side we are in for a good day of college football.
Alabama vs Auburn and Ohio State vs Michigan headline what will be an exciting Saturday. Additionally, fans will also be able to enjoy a ranked matchup between Wisconsin and Minnesota plus Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
With the Dawgs playing LSU in the SEC Championship the following weekend, I’m looking forward to watching how the Tigers handle Texas A&M, which Georgia struggled against last weekend.
Speaking of the SEC Championship, currently, the get-in price for the conference title game is $341 and the average is now $995. The get-in price has only dropped just over 2% in the last week, but the average list price has gone down 23% over that same time frame. I’d be curious to see what would happen to those prices if LSU were to lose this weekend seeing as how it would then be a win-or-go-home battle for both teams.
As for this weekend, Georgia fans’ wallets will get a bit of a break if they want to see the Dawgs take on Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Currently, Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate is the weekend’s ninth most expensive game, with a get-in price of $98. For Georgia fans, that’s not too bad; for Tech fans, this is the Yellow Jackets’s most expensive game of the season.
From the top-3 teams to Baylor and Utah, here’s a guide to the CFP scenarios.
Although the College Football Playoff race this season seems a bit less complicated than previous seasons, it’s still challenging to keep track of which teams need to win or lose and when if your team is on the bubble.
Generally, regardless of which team you root for, you want the top-3 teams, Ohio State, LSU and Clemson, to win out because if they lose, depending on which team it’s to, they could still make the playoff and take the fourth spot. For example, if LSU loses to Georgia in the SEC championship game, both teams could get in, which is not ideal for everyone else. Though unlikely, the same could be true if Ohio State’s only loss is, say, to 12-1 Minnesota.
So ahead of the final regular-season games for the playoff hopefuls with conference championship matchups looming, here’s a guide to help you keep track of which teams to root for and against in the next couple weeks.
If you cheer for Ohio State, LSU or Clemson…
Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Obviously, this one is pretty simple. The top-3 teams are in total control, on 11-game win streaks going into Week 14 and have at least an 86 percent chance to make the playoff. All they have to do is keep winning, and they’re in the College Football Playoff. And realistically, Ohio State could lose to Michigan and LSU could lose to Texas A&M, and they likely would both still make it as one-loss conference champions.
With its strength of schedule, Clemson is probably the only team that cannot afford to lose either this weekend against South Carolina or in the ACC title game to have a shot at defending its national championship.
However, for these three fan bases, you also want to probably want to root for Auburn to beat Alabama this weekend, which would hand the Crimson Tide their second loss and probably keep them out of the playoff for the first time. An Alabama loss wouldn’t help ensure Ohio State, LSU or Clemson contend for a title, but come on: Do you really want to have to deal with Alabama in the playoff?
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If you cheer for Georgia…
You want everyone else to lose and lose multiple times. The Bulldogs are 28.5-point favorites against Georgia Tech on Saturday, so that game really shouldn’t be an issue. But to make the playoff, they will likely have to upset LSU in the SEC championship game, which college football math suggests isn’t actually that outrageous of a goal. The Tigers currently have a 52.4 percent chance to beat Georgia, according to ESPN’s FPI, which makes this game basically a coin toss and probably a big reason why the Bulldogs currently have a 50 percent chance to make the playoff.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
But Georgia will also want a backup plan, however unlikely it may be. If it loses a close SEC championship game and finishes 11-2, it could possibly still make the playoff if the selection committee views it relatively favorably compared with potential two-loss conference champions around the country.
Bulldogs fans should root for Alabama to lose to Auburn and Minnesota to lose to Wisconsin, in addition to two-loss Big 12 and Pac-12 winners. Since it seems unlikely that Baylor will fall to Kansas this week, the best bet is for Oklahoma to lose to Oklahoma State for its second defeat of the season but then win the Big 12 championship game. And then in the Pac-12, you want two-loss Oregon to beat likely Utah in the title game. (If Utah loses to Colorado this weekend, USC will represent the Pac-12 South, which means the conference will have a two-loss champ either way.)
If you cheer for Alabama…
You want to beat Auburn, obviously, and then sit back and watch the college football world burn so your team’s 47 percent chance to make the playoff gets a boost. You need the top-3 teams to win out and maintain their positions, but you especially want LSU to beat Georgia in the SEC championship game.
From there, you’re cheering for Georgia’s backup plan. You want as many playoff contenders as possible, particularly the conference champions, to have a less favorable resume than the Crimson Tide. And, if the top-3 teams win out, Alabama probably will be up against Georgia, Oklahoma, Baylor and Utah for that final playoff spot. So two losses for everyone!
If you cheer for Utah…
And your team doesn’t beat Colorado, none of this matters. Utah lost to USC, currently second in the Pac-12 South, back in September. So another loss would put it in a tie with the Trojans, who would then win the tiebreaker. But Utah is a 28.5-point favorite over the Buffaloes, and if it does, it will advance to the Pac-12 championship game. Beat Oregon and win the conference, and it will look pretty good to the selection committee as a one-loss champ.
But for good measure, Utah fans should also root for Alabama to lose to Auburn and for a two-loss Big 12 winner, which would certainly help it in the eyes of the committee.
If you cheer for Oklahoma or Baylor…
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
You’ve got a one-loss team with a shot at the conference title. But first, Oklahoma needs to beat Oklahoma State, and Baylor needs to beat Kansas in Week 14. They could both lose and still play in the conference championship game, but they’d probably be eliminated from the playoff picture.
Both fan bases want their team to emerge as a one-loss Big 12 champion, and the best-case scenario would also include a decisive victory. But to all but ensure a playoff berth, fans should also root for Auburn over Alabama and a two-loss Pac-12 winner, which would likely Oregon.
If you cheer for Minnesota or Wisconsin…
You’re probably excited/very nervous about their Big Ten West matchup Saturday because the winner will play Ohio State in the conference title game. Wisconsin is a slim 3-point favorite in Minneapolis.
Now, both teams have ridiculously low chances to make the playoff with Wisconsin at just two percent and Minnesota at one percent. However, if the winner of Saturday’s game can ultimately upset Ohio State, it might be hard for the selection committee to deny it a playoff spot — especially if we’re talking about a one-loss Minnesota team. In that scenario, it seems like the Buckeyes would still get in if that’s their only loss, so the committee really couldn’t justify putting the Big Ten runner-up in without the champion.
Winning the conference is really the only hope here. A loss at any point would be Minnesota’s second and Wisconsin’s third, and that won’t earn a playoff spot without some colossal chaos around the country — and even then, it might not be enough.
If you cheer for Penn State, Florida, Michigan or Oregon…
Former Georgia football wide receiver Mecole Hardman gave his thoughts on the newest CFP rankings and added an interesting twist.
Former Georgia wide receiver Mecole Hardman, now having a sensational rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs, gave his thoughts on the most recent College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday.
After beating Penn State, the Buckeyes jumped LSU and claimed the No. 1 spot in the rankings. College football fans are split on the committee’s decision, and Hardman is one who disagrees with the order.
Yeah, the OSU win was nice, but LSU has been doing that all season.
Here are Hardman’s thoughts on the rankings.
Let’s be realistic now, LSU definitely should be #1, but if any other team was to be ahead of them it should be Clemson because they haven’t been dethroned yet so 🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/rcuI2xZDGC
College football fans react to Georgia’s No. 4 ranking on November 26th, 2019
Hello and welcome back, folks!
We now have a new set of College Football Playoff rankings to discuss and debate, though the Bulldogs remained No. 4 entering rivalry week.
On Saturday, a number of Alabama fans expressed their displeasure with Georgia and how the Bulldogs handled business at home against Texas A&M.
You would think that after an undefeated November and quality wins against the Aggies and Auburn, that these Tide fans would quiet down. However, this is Alabama we are speaking of.
The land of Gump has spoken again and you better believe it’s about the Bulldogs.
(Of course, not all of these tweets are from Tide fans)
Take a look:
I’m not just commenting here, would like to know from you…
Can someone please explain why Georgia is no. 4 when they lost to SOUTH CAROLINA?! at least Bama lost to the #1 team at the time 🤯 https://t.co/QGtz7L63eC
Such crap. So hypicitical. This is such a fraud system. Why dont they just come our and say that this is all about money! Georgia is a joke at 4. Total BS!!!!
Right now it should be 4 OU, 5 Alabama, 6 Utah. Alabama has the best loss, OU has the best win, Utahs best win is an 18 win over ASU and has a bad loss. Utah has the best D, Bama has the worst D, OU had the best O (post Tua), Utah had the worst O.
Where is Georgia football in the latest College Football Playoff ranking?
The Georgia Bulldogs held on to defeat the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday, by a score of 19-13 in Athens. Though often ugly in a rain-soaked cross-division battle, the Bulldogs found a way to get the victory and advance to Atlanta (x2) for two more games.
Georgia finds itself going back into the capital of the Peach State in back-to-back weeks, for games against rival Georgia Tech and top-ranked LSU.
With just two weeks remaining, here’s how the Top 10 shaped out on Tuesday night.
7:11 PM: No. 10-7 are revealed (10 Penn State, 9 Baylor, 8 Minnesota, 7 Oklahoma)
7:13 PM: The Top 4 are revealed (4 Georgia, 3 Clemson, 2 LSU, 1 Ohio State)
7:14 PM: No. 5 and 6 are revealed (6 Utah, 5 Alabama)
Well, that’s all of them… let’s break it down for everyone real quick.
From the top:
Ohio State moving to No. 1 over LSU, which is due in large part to PSU remaining in the Top 10. The Buckeyes are the best football team in America in my opinion so I don’t have a problem with it. LSU might be more deserving of the top spot, but Ohio State is the more complete team and now has a top win on its resume.
Clemson remained at No. 3 on its bye-week, which is perfectly fine.
Georgia is still at No. 4 over Alabama, despite a close win over Texas A&M. Committee backing itself up from previous statements on conference calls that it does not watch margin of victory too closely.
Alabama in at No. 5 before a crucial matchup with No. 15 Auburn. That’s still a quality win in the eyes of the committee if the Tide get it done on Saturday. Will it be enough to fend off a 1-loss Utah or Oklahoma conference champion?
Personally, I think Utah hops Alabama with a conference championship IF it wins by a touchdown or more. The Utes must also thrash Colorado this weekend, however.
Outside of the Top 6, I like Oklahoma at 7 and Minnesota at 8, that’s fair. I even get Baylor at 9 for only having 1-loss, but why move them now? Why were they so low last week? Can they now get in over Alabama with a conference championship too?
I think it’s fair to have Penn State at 10 after a respectable loss to Ohio State, but you could also argue that Wisconsin or Florida should be above the Nittany Lions, who are trending in the wrong direction.
I like the general consensus on teams 7 through 16, but I would move a couple of them around myself.
Committee still showing it’s not too high on Memphis or Cincinnati, despite only having 1 loss each. They are valuing 3-loss teams with tougher strength of schedules, which makes sense.
Not much movement behind them, but I am glad Virginia Tech is now ranked and I’m sure the Orange Bowl Committee is too.
I would even be ok if the committee snuck Texas A&M in at No. 25, but I understand it’s hard with 4 losses and the committee wasn’t high on them before the loss to Georgia. They are a team on the rise, folks.
That just about covers it, so let’s dive into some quick picks for this weekend. I won’t reveal my game picks, but I’ll hand out some potential upsets to keep an eye on.
Teams that could be on upset alert Saturday:
Alabama- The Tide will face their first true test without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Auburn and I really don’t think they’ll be in the playoff conversation once this game concludes. I am heavily leaning towards picking Auburn and I like the Tigers to pull off the upset in this one, ending an ugly debate on college football talk shows across the nation.
Oklahoma- The Sooners have been able to escape defeat three weeks in a row by 4 points or less against Iowa State, Baylor and TCU. I really am not convinced this is a playoff team in 2019 and I’m just waiting for someone to deal the final blow to the Sooners. Oklahoma State might just be that team in a primetime rivalry game on Saturday night in Stillwater. If the Sooners are lucky enough to survive, I also think Baylor could get its revenge a week later in Dallas.
Minnesota- The Golden Gophers have been a Cinderella story for the past month and a half or so, but unfortunately, dropped a game to Iowa just one week ago. Though its playoff hopes are still alive, I really don’t think Minnesota is a Top 4 team and there’s not much out there that convinces me it can beat Wisconsin and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks. The Badgers will have revenge on their minds in Minneapolis this weekend and I expect them to get a win over arch-rival Minnesota. This game determines who goes to Indy for the Big Ten West and is severely underrated on a national scale. I like Wisconsin to spoil Minnesota’s unforgettable run and advance to Indy for the third time in four years.
LSU- Before we draw some criticism here, let’s get the record set straight. I don’t think Texas A&M beats LSU. But… that doesn’t mean the Aggies can’t give the Tigers fits in Baton Rouge and cause problems ahead of the SEC Championship. I really liked what I saw from Texas A&M in Athens and believe this team is on the rise. At the same time, LSU’s atrocious defense has given up a plethora of points to sub-par opponents this season and could find itself in some trouble Saturday if it’s not careful. This one being a rivalry game before a massive matchup with Georgia makes it that much more interesting. Keep an eye on this one folks.
Ohio State- Ok, I may have my Buckeye bias, but Ohio State is not losing this game. That being said, I’ll throw THE GAME on here because objectively speaking, I like how Michigan is finishing this season. The Wolverines are peaking at the right time to play spoiler and this one can always be unexpectedly close. Ohio State puts too much focus into Michigan to get tripped up, but this one could always get interesting, so keep an eye on it while watching Georgia demolish the Joke by Coke Saturday.
Thanks for tuning in everybody! We hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Jackson Fryburger of the UGA Wire breaks down how he thinks the selection committee will rank the Top 25 on Tuesday night
Guess who’s back, back again. Jax is back, tell a friend.
It’s rivalry-week folks and boy, do we have a treat for you. Due to the Georgia basketball game going on in Maui earlier today, we weren’t able to put together a full playoff rankings preview like last week, but we’ll go ahead and give you our expected Top 25 list before the committee reveals theirs.
Remember, just like last week, this method of ranking is based on how we think the committee will evaluate teams and not just our own personal opinion on the nation’s best.
For record’s sake, we’ll try to be as objective as possible, but this is how we see the committee ranking the Top 25 in just under an hour.
PETA called for Georgia football to retire its live mascot Uga.
Controversial ‘animal rights’ organization PETA recently caused a stir within the UGA community when it called on the school to retire its long-tenured live mascot: Uga the dog.
The current instillment of the beloved canine, Uga X, was featured prominently throughout CBS’ broadcast of the Dawgs’ win over Texas A&M, evading the rain from the comfort of his quite luxurious doghouse.
However, this didn’t stop the activist group from calling out the team on Twitter.
HE LOOKS MISERABLE!
No dog deserves to be packed up, carted from state to state, and paraded in front of a stadium full of screaming fans.
Could Georgia upset LSU in the SEC title game in a couple weeks?
Ohio State, Clemson and LSU have the top-3 spots in the College Football Playoff locked up — at least, according to ESPN’s Playoff Predictor. A couple weeks ago, their chances to make the playoff were comfortably in the 80 percent range, and now, the Buckeyes are nearly at 100 percent while the two Tigers teams are in the high 80s.
The obvious takeaway here with such absurdly high percentages is that the Playoff Predictor — an algorithm based on a variety of factors the selection committee considers when ranking teams — expects those three teams to win their final regular-season games and, ultimately, their respective conference championships, which would basically guarantee their playoff berths.
None of this is new. The only undefeated teams left, these three programs have dominated their schedules, and even when they’ve been challenged, they survived. Here are their chances to make the playoff and win the national championship, according to the Playoff Predictor.
1. Ohio State (11-0)
Playoff: 95 percent Win championship: 37 percent
2. Clemson (11-0)
Playoff: 87 percent Win championship: 27 percent
3. LSU (11-0)
Playoff: 86 percent Win championship: 15 percent
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
So let’s assume Ohio State, Clemson and LSU perform exactly the way they’re expected to, and look at the teams fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot.
4. Georgia (10-1)
Playoff: 50 percent Win championship: 7 percent
5. Alabama (10-1)
Playoff: 47 percent Win championship: 12 percent
Georgia has the fourth-best chance to make the playoff after beating Texas A&M, 19-13, in Week 13. But if our above scenario plays out, it means the Bulldogs will lose to LSU in the SEC championship game, which would effectively end their playoff hopes. However, should Georgia win the conference title game, both it and LSU could get in.
And with the Playoff Predictor giving the Bulldogs a 50 percent chance to make it, perhaps an upset in the SEC championship game is more likely than everyone thinks.
Going into the final week of the regular season — Georgia plays Georgia Tech on Saturday — the Bulldogs have a 46.5 percent chance to win out, which includes the conference title game, according to ESPN’s FPI. To compare, LSU, which plays Texas A&M on Saturday, only has a 44.2 percent chance to win out, and, at this point, is only slightly favored to win the SEC championship game. Georgia eventually beating LSU is the conference’s best-case scenario but the worst for just about everyone else.
(Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
After losing to LSU earlier this month, Alabama has no room for error, which means beating Auburn in Week 14 and then sitting back and watching the conference championship game play out.
The best-case scenario for the Crimson Tide making their sixth straight playoff appearance is for LSU to beat Georgia, so then their only loss is to arguably the best team in the nation. But should that happen, they also need to hope the selection committee views it more favorably than a potential one-loss Big 12 champ in Oklahoma or Baylor or a one-loss Pac-12 champ in Utah. How much do conference championships really mean?
6. Oklahoma (10-1)
Playoff: 12 percent Win championship: 1 percent
7. Utah (10-1)
Playoff: 9 percent Win championship: Less than 1 percent
Oklahoma has won its last three since being upset by Kansas State, but the wins haven’t been pretty. In Week 13 against unranked TCU, the Sooners had a 21-0 lead at one point before letting the Horned Frogs come back. They held on for a 28-24 win after beating Baylor by three and Iowa State by one the previous two weeks. That, combined with their loss to unranked Kansas State, is likely why both the Playoff Predictor and selection committee don’t have Oklahoma higher. Its best-case scenario is an Alabama loss this weekend and LSU winning the SEC — plus winning the Big 12, obviously.
Although its playoff chances are in the single digits, Utah is still very much in the mix, assuming it can win the Pac-12. Oregon losing in Week 13 to Arizona State hurts Utah a little because they both arguably needed each other ranked highly to bolster their playoff arguments. But Utah could still make it, especially if the Big 12 has a two-loss champ and Alabama falls to Auburn.
8. Michigan (9-2)
Playoff: 3 percent Win championship: Less than 1 percent
9. Baylor (10-1)
Playoff: 3 percent Win championship: Less than 1 percent
10. Florida (8-2)
Playoff: 2 percent Win championship: Less than 1 percent
Take a look at Georgia footballs injury status prior to UGA’s final game of their regular season before LSU at Georgia Tech.
Georgia defeated the Texas A&M Aggies this Saturday in a cold and rainy matchup by a final score of 19-13. A win is a win, but man wouldn’t it be nice to close some teams out strong?
The Dawgs didn’t look bad in the first half, nearly covering the 13-point spread they were given prior to the game. It was the 2nd half that made Bulldog fans scratch their heads.
The Aggies outscored Georgia 10-6 in the 2nd half. That is a pretty bad look for a No. 4 team, but give credit to a hard-fought, Jimbo Fisher coached team.
Now the Dawgs have just one more opponent left before facing LSU in the SEC Championship game, and that is Georgia Tech.
With LSU looming, the Dawgs will look to be as healthy as possible for that game.
Here is a look at the injured Bulldogs heading into week 14 at Tech.
Full injury report:
Probable: DB Eric Stokes
Stokes left the Texas A&M game just before halftime after he got a little dinged up on a hit. Kirby Smart did not seem concerned about the matter. Expect Stokes to be ready to go.
Probable: DB Tyson Campbell
Campbell has been playing through a toe injury for the past couple of weeks but is cleared to play against Tech.
Probable: OL Cade Mays
Mays has been nursing an ankle injury since the Missouri game. He dressed against A&M but was very limited, as is expected next week in order to save him for LSU.
Questionable: WR Trey Blount
Blount is listed as questionable with an undisclosed injury.
Questionable: WR Lawrence Cager
Cager has been battling a left shoulder injury nearly the entire season. Even missing a number of games, Cager is still the Dawgs leader in receptions and receiving yards. Expect Cager to get minimal time if any to rest him up for the SEC Championship game vs LSU.
OUT: WR Tommy Bush
Bush has been recovering from a sports hernia and will likely be out for the year.
OUT: DT Tramel Walthour
Walthour is battling a lower-body injury and has no timetable for his return.
OUT: OL Owen Condon
Condon has been battling a lower-body injury all year and Saturday was seen in a sling. Should likely be out for season.
OUT: OL Justin Shaffer
Shaffer was in a neck brace for the A&M game and has no timetable for his return.
OUT: QB D’Wan Mathis
Freshman quarterback D’wan Mathis is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from his brain this offseason. There is no current timetable for Mathis’ return.
