ATHENS, Ga. – Beasts of the East at last.
Georgia won its first Southeastern Conference Eastern Division championship since 2012 on Saturday afternoon, clinching the prize with a 24-10 win over South Carolina at Sanford Stadium coupled with Kentucky’s 37-34 home loss to Ole Miss. The Bulldogs improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in SEC play, while every other East member has at least three league losses.
There was no celebrating for Georgia, which also was playing for the first time as the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings.
“What’s there to celebrate?” second-year Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. “We’re going to play Auburn next week, and that’s where our focus is. We control our destiny, so we’re a lot more worried about us.”
Auburn, No. 14 in the playoff rankings, improved to 7-2 Saturday with a 42-27 win at Texas A&M.