University of Georgia

What to know for SEC Championship weekend in Atlanta

By Chip Towers
By Chip Towers

Some things to know heading into Saturday’s SEC Championship matchup between No. 2 LSU (12-0) and No. 4 Georgia (11-1):

  • The SEC Western Division is the home team this year, which means the Tigers get to choose what color of jersey they wear. They went with their home white.
  • This means, per SEC rule, that the Bulldogs have to wear a "dark" jersey. Don't get your hopes up, black-jersey enthusiasts. They're going with the traditional red.
  • The SEC's clear-bag policy is in effect for Mercedes-Benz Stadium. So, ladies, make sure your purses are see-through.
  • Almost lost in the hoopla of the competition is the fact that former Georgia football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley is being honored as an SEC legend this year. To which most Bulldogs' fans might reply, "how was he not already?" So how does this land on the 88-year-old Athenian, who had the field at Sanford Stadium named after him earlier this year? "I was involved in the start of (recognizing legends), and the idea was that it was supposed to be for the players," Dooley told GeorgiaDogs.com. "I think our first one might have been Billy Payne or Fran Tarkenton, and that was the idea, to recognize those type people. That's what we did for a long time, and all of a sudden they started recognizing coaches. So, I think because somebody else was recognizing coaches they thought they ought to recognize me. "It's a nice honor and it'll be good."
  • Both ESPN's College Football GameDay and SEC Nation's Saturday broadcast team are here for the SEC Championship. GameDay is set up outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while the SEC Nation folks are inside the World Congress Center, where SEC Fanfare also is being conducted.
  • The head coaches, Georgia's Kirby Smart and LSU's Ed Orgeron, were the guests of honor at an SEC Championship luncheon at the Hyatt Downtown Atlanta hotel at noon. SEC Nation's Laura Rutledge is master of ceremonies.
  • LSU (11-0) is a 7-point favorite as of Friday and 4-1 in SEC Championship games. The Tigers last played in the title game in 2011, defeating Georgia 42-10. The Bulldogs are 1-2 vs. LSU in SEC championship games, winning in 2005 34-14 and losing in 2003 34-13.
  • Georgia has played in the SEC Championship more than any other Eastern Division team this century. This is the Bulldogs' eighth appearance since 2002. They're 3-5 in those games, winning in 2002, '05 and '17.
  • The coaches will conduct press conferences at The Benz Friday afternoon. Smart is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and Orgeron at 2:05. At 2 p.m. they will pose for the traditional picture with the SEC Championship trophy.
  • The teams will conduct "walk-through" practices at The Benz Friday afternoon. Georgia will have the field from 3 to 4:30 p.m., while the Tigers will get it from 4:30 p.m. to 6. The first 15 minutes are open to media.
  • Saturday's game will kickoff around 4:15 p.m. It will be televised by CBS.
  • With the win over Texas A&M in Athens two weeks ago, Kirby Smart is now 6-5 against the SEC West. He is 0-1 against LSU after last year's 36-16 loss in Baton Rouge.
  • As is tradition, the roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be lit up with the school colors of the winning team, red for Georgia or purple for LSU.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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