The best college football games of Week 12 starts with Georgia-Tennessee showdown


The best college football games of Week 12 starts with Georgia-Tennessee showdown

Published 15 November 2024 Ordinarily by the time the college football season reaches the third week of November, we have a pretty good idea which teams are the true contenders and which are the pretenders. This year, of course, is not ordinary, as the expanded playoff format has introduced a whole new element. As regular readers of this feature well know, we always present our games-of-interest selections with the caveat that invariably there will be contests not on the list that wind up occupying our attention. That will almost certainly be the case this week with jockeying for conference position in full swing. With all that in mind then, here are our seven choices for appointment viewing in Week 12. No. 4 Tennessee at No. 10 Georgia Why watch: Until last week, this shaped up as a de facto SEC semifinal. But Georgia’s loss at Ole Miss brought a lot more variables into play. For the Volunteers, however, the mission hasn’t changed as they can still win their way to the conference finale without help. Georgia QB Carson Beck’s uneven play remains a huge concern, especially with DB Will Brooks and the Vols’ active secondary ready to pounce on any more errant throws. The good news for the Bulldogs is DB Malaki Starks and the defense have done well in the red zone to limit opponents to field-goal attempts, but Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson has found paydirt 20 times this season. Vols QB Nico Iamaleava sat out the second half of last week’s win against Mississippi State after absorbing a hard hit. He is listed as questionable, but Tennessee coach Josh Heupel expressed optimism he would play. Why it could disappoint: One team could be in for a long night, and which one that is seems to hinge on Georgia. If the focused version that executed its game plan at Texas shows up, it could be the Vols on the short end of a blowout. But if the Bulldogs’ offensive woes continue, Tennessee might be able to seize control with a ground-and-pound approach.