SEC Week 12: Georgia topples Tennessee, Gamecocks Streak

The college football season continued over the weekend with four SEC matchups. With the end of the season only a few weeks away and the expanded college football playoff bracket, many SEC teams are fighting for a spot. The tough competition in the conference leaves little room for error.

Georgia knocks off another top-10 opponent

The No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs beat the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers 31-17 Saturday night to keep their playoff hopes alive. Georgia came off a loss to Ole Miss dropping out of the most recent college football playoff picture. Quarterback Carson Beck had a bounce back game after struggling with protecting the football in recent games.

Beck threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown. He also had zero turnovers. With the win, the Bulldogs surpass the Vols in the SEC standings jumping into third . Now, they have a good shot at making both the SEC championship game and the college football playoff. Their remaining games are nonconference matchups against UMass and Georgia Tech that see Georgia as heavy favorites.

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Tennessee will have a tougher time making up the ground from their second loss of the season. It comes in an untimely manner against a team that was on the decline coming into the game. The Vols have had some shaky games against unranked teams this season, but have a marquee win against Alabama that has kept them in the playoff picture. Against their second ranked opponent of the season, Tennessee needed to prove themselves one more time. After failing to get it done, the Vols drop to fourth in the SEC and are up in the air for the CFP.

South Carolina stays hot

No. 21 South Carolina beat No. 23 Missouri 34-30 Saturday in a back-and-forth game. Gamecocks’ quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw for 353 yards and five touchdowns in the matchup, including a 15-yard touchdown to take the lead with 15 seconds to play. South Carolina has now won four straight games and is one of the hottest teams in college football. Looking at their season, two of their three losses were by a single possession to SEC opponents. With slightly different circumstances, the team could be at the top of the SEC standings.

With three losses in the SEC, it’s very unlikely South Carolina will be able to make it to the CFP. One can only wonder how the Gamecocks’ season may have gone differently if they were able to pull out even one of those close games against LSU and Alabama.

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Highlights

The No. 22 LSU Tigers dropped their third straight game, losing 27-16 against the Florida Gators. The Tigers also lost to Texas A&M and Alabama in that stretch thus being eliminated from playoff contention. The Gators sacked quarterback Garrett Nussmeier seven times in the game. LSU had only been sacked six times in the season up until that point. They were among the favorites to win the SEC when they were 6-1, including a win against Ole Miss.

Texas A&M and Texas both picked up wins as they sit atop the SEC standings with 5-1 conference records. They will face off with the top seed in the SEC on the line on November 30. The game could have major considerations for both the CFP and the SEC championship.

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