LSU (8-2, 6-1 SEC) clinched the SEC West while Georgia (10-0, 7-0) clinched the SEC East on Saturday. The two teams will play in the conference championship game on Dec. 3 in Atlanta. Here’s what you need to know:
- The Tigers beat Arkansas 13-10 and later clinched the division when Alabama beat Ole Miss 30-24.
- In the last four years that Brian Kelly has coached in a conference, he has either won the conference title or played in the conference title game (2022 LSU, 2020 Notre Dame, 2009 Cincinnati, 2008 Cincinnati).
- Georgia won the SEC East by beating Mississippi State 45-19.
- The Bulldogs rose to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings after beating Tennessee 27-13 last week.
Backstory
Brian Kelly is in his first season as LSU head coach. The Tigers beat Alabama last week in overtime 32-31 and followed up that performance with their win against Arkansas.
QB Jayden Daniels was 8-for-15 for 86 yards against the Razorbacks, but it was Harold Perkins Jr. who had the standout game with eight tackles, four sacks, one pass breakup and two forced fumbles.
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This is Kirby Smart’s fifth Georgia team to make the championship game in his seven years as head coach.
The last time LSU and Georgia played in the SEC Championship was in 2019 when Joe Burrow-led LSU won 37-10.
What this means for the Tigers
LSU has been the SEC’s most improved team this season and in Year 1 under Brian Kelly, has the SEC West title to show for it. The defense has gelled and found a superstar in Harold Perkins, and after a disastrous debut against Florida State, Jayden Daniels found his place in the Tigers’ offense. — Ubben
Daniels’ key play
He leads the nation in rush yards among quarterbacks but his confidence in the passing game and ability to distribute the ball to Kayshon Boutte and Malik Nabers has been the biggest reason why LSU rebounded from the Week 1 loss to win eight of their last nine games. That included last week’s upset of Alabama as a two-touchdown underdog that gave them the inside track to winning the West. They took care of business on the road at Arkansas in an ugly game on Saturday, but no one will be thinking about that when the Tigers are preparing to play for the SEC title in Atlanta. — Ubben
Required reading:
- How LSU’s Harold Perkins Jr. took over vs. Arkansas as the Tigers won the SEC West
- LSU recruiting update: Post-Alabama momentum, a clear future at QB and more
- Takeaways of Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Latest Results of SEC matchup
(Photo: Nelson Chenault / USA Today)