Georgia eyes College Football Playoff first-round bye after dominating Alabama in SEC Championship

Georgia backmost Gunner Stockton got disconnected to a overmuch quicker commencement against Alabama successful Saturday’s SEC Championship than helium did past week against in-state rival Georgia Tech. 

Stockton finished the Bulldogs’ ascendant 28-7 triumph implicit the Crimson Tide astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium successful Atlanta with 3 touchdowns to unafraid Georgia’s spot successful the College Football Playoff (CFP).

While winning the SEC rubric enactment Georgia successful presumption for a first-round playoff spot, Alabama suffered its 3rd nonaccomplishment of the year. The Tide are present successful jeopardy of missing 1 of the coveted 12 CFB postseason spots.

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Parker Brailsford of the Alabama Crimson Tide prepares to drawback the shot against the Georgia Bulldogs during the archetypal 4th successful the 2025 SEC Championship astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Saturday, successful Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Head manager Kirby Smart and Georgia’s triumph besides enactment an extremity to Alabama’s dominance successful the schools’ caller head-to-head matchups. 

The Tide had won each of the past 4 meetings successful the SEC Championship Game, and Smart was a specified 1-7 wide against Alabama. Prior to Saturday, the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship marked Smart’s lone triumph against the neighboring authorities school.

Smart has present coached Georgia to 4 league titles.

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The Crimson Tide were believed to beryllium successful bully presumption erstwhile they moved up to the ninth spot successful past week’s CFP rankings, but the lopsided nonaccomplishment to the Bulldogs renewed concerns that Alabama could miss the playoff for the 2nd consecutive play nether caput manager Kalen DeBoer.

After the loss, DeBoer made his lawsuit for the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide not falling retired of contention for the CFP.

Alabama Crimson Tide caput manager Kalen Deboer looks connected during Saturday's crippled against Georgia successful the SEC Championship astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium successful Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

"I deliberation you look astatine the games that we played passim the season, but if you’re truly looking astatine this game, I mean, it was a 14-point crippled with 7 and a fractional minutes to go, and we had the ball," DeBoer said. "You look astatine things that didn’t spell good – we gave them 4 abbreviated fields. And again, I don’t privation to instrumentality thing distant from what Georgia did. 

"The tract presumption conflict is portion of it. But we gave them 4 abbreviated fields. I mean, that’s a testament to our defence being resilient."

Late successful the archetypal quarter, Daylen Everette's interception of Alabama backmost Ty Simpson’s walk deflected by KJ Bolden gave the Bulldogs the shot adjacent midfield. Stockton’s 1-yard scoring walk to Dillon Bell gave Georgia a 14-0 lead.

Alabama Crimson Tide backmost Ty Simpson throws against the Georgia Bulldogs connected Saturday successful Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

A artifact by London Humphreys helped Nate Frazier people easy connected a 9-yard tally to headdress Georgia’s archetypal possession of the 2nd half, extending the pb to 3 touchdowns.

Alabama posted the biggest comeback successful SEC Championship Game past erstwhile it bushed Georgia 35-28 successful 2018 aft trailing by 14 points.

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The latest CFP rankings and first-round pairings volition beryllium released connected Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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