How Georgia Football Could Miss the SEC Championship Game

For nearly a decade, the Georgia Bulldogs have been a mainstay in the SEC Championship, appearing in six of the last seven conference title games and winning two of them. But as week 10 of the 2024 college football season approaches, the Bulldogs’ chances of reaching this year’s SEC Championship no longer remains in their control.

With the College Football Playoff expanding from four teams to 12 this season, multiple conferences (including the SEC) have eliminated divisions. This means the two teams with the best record will appear in the conference title game rather than the two best teams from each division. Sadly for the Bulldogs, this means they could win all their remaining games and still miss the SEC Championship.

The Bulldogs’ regular season win streak came to a dramatic close in Tuscaloosa as the Dawgs suffered another heartbreaking loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Georgia’s loss to Alabama now means that should the one-loss LSU Tigers defeat Alabama and win out, they will surpass Georgia in conference title rankings given that they have the better record against common opponents. Texas A&M will also reach they title game if they win out since they are undefeated in conference play.

While not reaching the conference championship and having a chance to play for a first-round bye in the inaugural 12-team playoff could be a devastating blow to Georgia fans, it would likely mean that the Bulldogs would receive a home playoff game against a lesser-seeded team.

SEC Championship Tiebreaker Rule:

“In the event of a tie between teams competing for a place in the Conference championship game, the following procedures will be used in descending order until the tie is broken”.

1. Head-to-head competition among the tied teams.
2. Record versus all common Conference opponents among the tied teams.
3. Record against the highest (best) placed common Conference opponent in the Conference. standings, and proceeding through the Conference standings among the tied teams.
4. Cumulative Conference winning percentage of all Conference opponents among the tied teams.
5. Capped relative total scoring margin versus all Conference opponents among the tied teams.
6. A random draw of the tied teams.

7. Georgia Bulldogs 2024 TV Broadcast Schedule

   • Aug. 31 – vs Clemson (Atlanta, Ga.) Noon – ABC
   • Sept. 7 – vs Tennessee Tech, 2 p.m. – ESPN+/SEC Network+
   • Sept. 14 – @ Kentucky, 7:30 p.m. – ABC
   • Sept. 21 – BYE
   • Sept. 28 @ Alabama, 7:30 p.m. – ABC
   • Oct. 5 – vs Auburn, FLEX (Afternoon or night)
   • Oct. 12 – vs Mississippi State, FLEX (Afternoon or night)
   • Oct. 19 – @ Texas, FLEX (Afternoon or night)
   • Oct. 26 – BYE
   • Nov. 2 – vs Florida (Jacksonville, Fl.) 3:30 p.m. – ABC
   • Nov. 9 – @ Ole Miss, FLEX (Afternoon or night)
   • Nov. 16 – vs Tennessee, FLEX (Afternoon or night)
   • Nov. 23 vs UMass, 12:45 p.m. – SEC Network+
   • Nov. 29 vs Georgia Tech, 7:30 p.m. – ABC