Georgia’s SEC title game clinching scenarios

Georgia can secure a place in the SEC championship game this weekend by beating Missouri and getting losses from three of these four teams: Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The Bulldogs enter the weekend as the SEC’s only team with one conference loss. Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee each have two, leaving Georgia in control of its path to Atlanta.

Wins over Missouri and No. 17 South Carolina during the next two weeks would send Georgia to its sixth consecutive SEC championship game, a conference record since the event began in 1992. Safety Khalil Barnes said the Bulldogs cannot afford to look beyond Missouri because of the SEC’s week-to-week demands.

Georgia has won the last two conference title games. Another championship would place the Bulldogs alongside Florida and Alabama as the only programs to win three consecutive SEC championship games.

The race behind Georgia contains several head-to-head wrinkles. Georgia beat Alabama 20-17, while Tennessee also defeated the Crimson Tide. Tennessee holds the tiebreaker over Alabama. If Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama all finish with two conference losses, Georgia and Tennessee would meet in Atlanta.

Texas beat Tennessee and remains involved with SEC games against LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M. Kentucky plays Florida this week before traveling to Missouri for its final conference game.

If Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Texas all finish with two SEC losses, the deciding tiebreaker would be conference opponents’ winning percentage. The current figures are Alabama at .500, Kentucky at .473, Tennessee at .466, Georgia at .458 and Texas at .421, though those percentages will change as conference games are completed.

The SEC championship game also carries a College Football Playoff tradeoff. The winner earned a bye in each of the previous two seasons, while the loser had to play a first-round game. Georgia coach Kirby Smart described the championship game as historic for players, programs and fans, while acknowledging that teams must adapt as the sport changes.

Why it matters

Georgia controls its path and can reach a sixth consecutive SEC championship game by winning its remaining conference games. Another appearance would set an SEC record, while another title would give the Bulldogs three consecutive conference championships.

What to watch next

Georgia plays Missouri this weekend, followed by No. 17 South Carolina the next week. Results involving Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee could allow the Bulldogs to clinch earlier.