Will Georgia football win the SEC? I’m taking my cues from Tiger Woods | Toppmeyer

No. 1 Georgia’s positioning within the SEC this season reminds me of Tiger Woods in his heyday.

Tiger went on such a dominant run of winning golf majors in the late 1990s and early 2000s that you could summarize major-tournament odds like this: Tiger vs. the Field.

Often, Tiger still was the better choice.

The SEC runs deep — deeper than those golf fields Tiger crushed. Nine SEC teams enter the season with playoff hopes.

But Georgia remains the SEC’s brute force, armed with the most talented roster and a quarterback with pinpoint accuracy who’s among the Heisman Trophy front-runners.

The biggest threat to Georgia’s national championship aspirations lurks in the Big Ten, where Ryan Day has assembled an Ohio State depth chart that looks like it’s ripped out of the Nick Saban or Kirby Smart blueprint.

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So even within a loaded SEC, do you take the favorite or the field? Fear the competitor in red, whether that’s Georgia or Tiger.

Here’s how I consider that question — favorite or field? — for each of the nation’s six best conferences.

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AAC

Favorite: Memphis

My verdict: Take Memphis.

Not only is Memphis the AAC’s favorite, it’s also a strong contender to earn the Group of Five playoff bid. Veteran quarterback Seth Henigan is a luxury most Group of Five teams can’t match and running back Mario Anderson brings SEC experience.

ACC

Betting favorite: Florida State

My verdict: Take the field.

Preseason polls anointed FSU and Clemson from the ACC, but I like Miami and SMU better. The Hurricanes added star quarterback Cam Ward, a transfer from Washington State. SMU, an ACC…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/georgia-football-win-sec-im-100406136.html

Author : Athens Banner-Herald

Publish date : 2024-08-18 10:04:06

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