ATLANTA – After defeating Texas 22-19 in overtime to win the SEC Championship, Georgia can sit back and relax as the College Football Playoff Committee announces the 12 participating teams.

The Bulldogs know that their SEC championship will earn them a bye and a spot in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs are expected to advance to the Sugar Bowl, but that won’t be final until the playoffs are announced on Sunday.

ESPN will broadcast the announcement on Sunday starting at 12 p.m.

In front of the head coach Kirby Smart If he’s worried about that, he’ll be happy about Saturday’s SEC crown, Georgia’s third under its nine-year head coach.

“They’re really hard to get. I don’t know. I think it’s going to be interesting, the direction of college football because I hate to say it, but I didn’t think going into the game that the game had the same appeal, not that it had the same atmosphere as I. “I’ve seen it before,” Smart said. “After the game started, I don’t know if it’s because more Georgia fans know where to stop. They stay out because they’ve been here for seven years in a row, so the atmosphere has improved, but that wasn’t the case as electric early. I think it made the game more exciting because it was a great game.”

Earning a bye is huge for Georgia.

When asked about the benefit of earning the bye, Smart had a simple answer: peace of mind.

It’s been a difficult year for the Bulldogs following the injury, and things got a little worse just before halftime on Saturday Carson Beck suffered what Smart described as an upper arm injury.

Smart said Beck will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage.

Beck wasn’t the only Bulldog to suffer an injury.

player Brett Thorson injured his knee during a tackle in the third quarter. Smart had no update on his injury.

…defensive tackle Christians Millerrun back Roderick Robinson and run back Branson Robinson not played.

…The No. 5 Bulldogs (11-2) captured their 15th SEC title with a 22-19 overtime victory over No. 2 Texas (11-2). The Bulldogs improved to 5-7 in the SEC Championships, including 3-4 under Smart. On Saturday, the Bulldogs played for their fourth straight SEC Championship. Junior cornerback Daylen Everette earned MVP honors and joins a list of Bulldog SECCG MVPs including quarterback David Greene (2002), quarterback DJ Shockley (2005), linebacker Roquan Smith (2017) and quarterback Stetson Bennett (2022).

…With Saturday’s win, the 2024 senior class leads the FBS at 53-4, extending its school record. Also notable is that Georgia recorded two wins against the same team in the same season for the first time since 1943. The last time was in 1943, when Georgia defeated the Presbyterians twice in Athens.

…Georgia finished 22-19 with 277 yards of total offense in 67 plays to claim the 15th SEC title in school history.

…Trailing 19-16 in the first overtime, the Bulldogs stormed into the end zone in six plays and gained 25 yards with a four-yard touchdown Trevor Etienne for the 22:19 victory. On the last play, Beck handed the game over to Etienne, as he missed the entire second half except for the last play due to injury.

…Georgia played its second straight overtime game of the season, and it was the first in SECCG history. Georgia won the toss and elected to start on defense.

…Georgia is now 10-7 in overtime, including 3-2 in the Smart era. Last week in Athens, Georgia beat Georgia Tech 44-42 in an SEC record eight overtimes.

…Etienne and placekicker Peyton Woodring scored all of Georgia’s points in the two wins against Texas this season. In the first meeting, Etienne had three touchdowns while Woodring made three field goals and three PATs. Today Etienne had two touchdowns while Woodring made three field goals.

…Etienne’s season-high 48 yards dash and four-yard rush on a fourth-and-3 at the Texas 8 helped set off another scoring drive, a 24-yard field goal Peyton Woodring for a 13-6 lead with six seconds left in the third quarter.

…Senior Chaz Chambliss posted a team-leading 6.5 sacks, giving him nine points for his career. Junior in the second half Jalon Walker Chambliss equals his 6.5 sack on the season. He has 12.5 for his career. Second semester Damon Wilson had a sack that tied for third on the year as it led to a 51-yard missed field goal.

…Senior Warren Brinson picked up his second sack of the season and the sixth of his career. Junior Mykel Williams He collected two sacks, giving him five on the year and 14 for his career.