Media members on Wednesday’s Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference were anything but single-minded.
There were two topics that dominated the discussion – Georgia at Kentucky this Saturday afternoon and Alabama at LSU on Saturday night. All four teams are among the top 10 in the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings, with Alabama No. 1, LSU No. 3, Georgia No. 6 and Kentucky No. 9
Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason has an open date Saturday and quickly admitted his eagerness in being a spectator for both games. Mason’s Commodores already have played Georgia and Kentucky, coming up short last month by 41-13 and 14-7 scores.
“You see two teams who know exactly who they are,” Mason said. “There’s a reason why Kentucky is 7-1, and what you saw from (quarterback Terry) Wilson the other day versus Missouri speaks to his growth and maturity nine weeks in. He had to put the game on his shoulders to win it, and he did. We know how they’re built around the run, and we know that Georgia will play stingy defense and could make it extremely tough because they can control the clock with their run and their controlled passing game with (Jake) Fromm, who is outstanding.
“It’s going to be a better matchup than people expect. Whoever wins this game is going to win by a possession. It’s going to be a three- or seven-point ballgame.”