Last Week’s Record: 8-1 (88.9%)
Season Record: 89-23 (79.5%)
The Predictions Dept. closed out the 2019 regular season with a pretty solid Week 14. Only the Alabama-Auburn game proved to be a thorn in its side, but what a thorn it was.
Week 15, of course, is a one-game affair. LSU faces off against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. If LSU wins, either Oklahoma or Utah seems likely to claim the fourth playoff spot. If Georgia should pull the upset, the SEC very well might get two teams into the playoffs, as LSU would seem unlikely to fall completely out of the rankings. It depends heavily on what the score of such an upset would be, as the playoff committee has seemed to grow weary of LSU’s continued defensive struggles.
For those Alabama fans who believe football games can still be won with a stifling defense and a boring, ball-control offense, this game will be the perfect opportunity to test that theory. Georgia’s offense has become plodding, at best, even with a quarterback at the helm whose abilities would seem to warrant a more dynamic attack.
LSU, meanwhile, has that “new money” look – all the focus is on the offense and what it is capable of doing, while the defense becomes somewhat of an afterthought. If the Tigers get out to a big lead in this game, it would seem unlikely the Bulldogs could keep pace for a full 60 minutes.
On the other hand, Alabama fans keenly remember the run-up to the 1993 Sugar Bowl. No one believed the Crimson Tide could keep pace with the mighty offensive juggernaut put onto the field by the University of Miami. The Hurricanes were supposed to dominate, if not also humiliate their backward, boring opponent. In the end, though, Alabama’s defense ruled the day, choking the life out of Miami, which didn’t score an offensive touchdown all game.
We don’t look for the same outcome here, but we wouldn’t be all that surprised by an upset, either.
LSU 35
Georgia 23
Follow Jess Nicholas on Twitter at @TideFansJessN