The SEC East Division Champions Georgia Bulldogs completed the 2017 regular season with a convincing 38-7 win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta last Saturday afternoon. The win gives Georgia an 11-1 season record, which ties the 2002 team for most regular season wins in school history. Georgia’s 31-member senior class has a record 39-12 in their career.
Next up, Georgia will travel back to Atlanta to face off against the Western Division Champions Auburn Tigers this Saturday in the SEC Championship game in the newly built Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Saturday’s game will be the first SEC Championship game in the newly built Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Previous stadiums to host the SEC Championship were Legion Field (1992-1993) and the Georgia Dome (1994-2016).
Georgia beat all SEC East teams for the first time since SEC divisions were introduced in 1992. The Bulldogs outscored their SEC Eastern Division opponents 247-72 or by an average 41-12 this season. Georgia went 1-1 against Western Division opponents, beating No. 17 Mississippi State 31-3 in Athens and falling 40-17 at No. 10 Auburn.
Georgia is making its sixth appearance in the SEC Championship game and first since 2012. The Bulldogs have won 12 SEC Championships in football with the most recent one coming in 2005. Georgia’s 12 Championships ranks third in league history behind only Alabama (26) and Tennessee (13). This will be the second time in school history that Georgia will have a rematch in an SEC Championship against a regular season opponent. In 2003, Georgia lost to LSU in Baton Rouge and then the teams squared off at the Georgia Dome for the SEC title.
Auburn has won 8 SEC Championships in football with the most recent one coming in 2013 (59-42 victory over Missouri). This is Auburn’s sixth appearance in the SEC Championship game; the Tigers are 3-2 in previous contests, all played in the Georgia Dome.
The Bulldogs hold a slim 57-56-8 edge over Auburn in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. This will be the fifth time that Georgia and Auburn meet where both teams are ranked in the top 10 (1971, 1983, 2004, 2017). Saturday will mark the 122nd meeting between Georgia and Auburn, making it the fourth most played active series in NCAA FBS.
Currently, Vegas has the Tigers as a 2.5 point favorite with a total of 48 for the game. Kickoff time is scheduled for 4:10 PM EST from Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the game can be seen CBS.
