3 biggest 2023 SEC games that could impact the College Football Playoff

ATHENS, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 05: Ladd McConkey #84 of the Georgia Bulldogs carries the ball past Tamarion McDonald #12 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the third quarter at Sanford Stadium on November 05, 2022 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

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Georgia Bulldogs running back James Cook (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Georgia vs Tennessee

This game is an impactful game featuring the SEC’s number one and number four best-odds’ teams to win it all this year. Tennessee is coming off of a season where they exceeded all expectations, but fell short of their goals when taking a loss to Georgia and South Carolina.

Both teams in this game will have high-powered offenses being captained by new signal callers. Georgia returns 50% of its offensive production from last year and 70% on defense, and Tennessee returns 57% on offense and 69% on defense.

Traditional recruiting is where some of the gaps arise between these teams. Since Kirby Smart took over at UGA, they have finished outside of the top 5 once in 2016 when they finished sixth. Josh Heupel has been gaining momentum starting the day he walked into Knoxville. Tennessee finished 22nd in recruiting in Heupels first season, followed by a 17th finish, and a top-10 finish this year.

By nature, Tennessee has dipped into the portal quite a bit more than Georgia, but they haven’t necessarily relied on the portal. Over the past two seasons, Georgia has taken five players from the transfer portal while Tennessee has taken sixteen.

Georgia had the benefit of playing the top-ranked Volunteers in Athens last year, but have to make the dreaded trip to a raucous Neyland Stadium at the end of the season before rivalry week on November 18.

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