A big win for Georgia over Auburn means more than just bragging rights for the SEC East over the possibly overhyped West. It’s also an opening for the Bulldogs to still win their division and go to the conference championship game, although that will only happen if Missouri lose on of their two remaining games.
The fact that Missouri are unranked up to this point and are leading the SEC East with just one conference loss might speak volume for the quality of the division. In that one conference loss (also have one out of conference loss to Indiana), they were shut out by Georgia. They produce less than 360 yards of offense per game and have a quarterback, Maty Mauk, who it’s better if all he does is hand the ball off to his running backs.
Georgia crushed Auburn to end the chances for the number nine ranked Tigers to do anything meaningful this season. All that’s left for them is win in the Iron Bowl against an Alabama team that flipped the script in the division, knocking off Mississippi State, previously undefeated. The problem is that Auburn are in something of a free fall, playing bad offense against an opportunistic Georgia defense and doing terribly against the run.
Todd Gurley is back from his suspension and went for 138 yards on 29 carries. He was bested by his own teammate, Nick Chubb, who ran for 144 yards on 19 carries. Huston Mason didn’t do too well but he didn’t make any mistakes or turnovers. Nick Marshall, as usual when playing from behind, failed to deliver the goods with his arm, throwing an interception and completing less than 50% of his 23 throws for just 112 yards.
Georgia are done with their conference schedule – it’s only an FCS game (Charleston Southern) and then their rivalry game against Georgia Tech, a ranked team. Can a two-loss Georgia team make the playoff if they win the SEC? For that to happen they need Missouri to slip up, not to mention win out from now until whenever they’re slowed down by outside circumstances.
Missouri have to play in Tennessee, not the most difficult of locations in recent years, and then at home against Arkansas. This Razorbacks team has been difficult to handle all season, and their 17-0 win over LSU this week tells everyone that even though it’s just their first conference win this season, they’re to be taken seriously as an upset waiting to happen for another ranked team.