Georgia Bulldogs starter has strong opinion on playing in SEC Championship game in 12-team College Football Playoff era

There have been quite a few folks in college football — including Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin — who have questioned whether or not it’s “worth it” to play in the SEC Championship game in the 12-team College Football Playoff era.

The debate centers around the idea that the team that loses the SEC Championship game will essentially get penalized for finishing second in the conference. In some instances, that could mean that the loser of the SEC Championship game gets left out of the 12-team playoff.

This season, a two-loss Georgia Bulldogs team won the SEC Championship over a one-loss Texas Longhorns team.

Georgia earned the No. 2 seed in the playoff while Texas ended up as the No. 5 seed (the Longhorns beat the Clemson Tigers, the ACC champions, in the first round of the playoff last weekend).

Texas still ended up with a home game and a favorable matchup in the playoff, but because they lost to Georgia in the SEC Championship game, they were forced to play an extra game this season. So even if a team loses the SEC Championship game and still makes the playoff, they’re still getting “penalized” because they have to play an extra game. And in the transfer portal/NIL era, that can be viewed as a big negative thanks to a general lack of depth across rosters in the sport. It’s already a long collegiate season. Most programs are pretty banged up this time of year. That one extra game can have a big impact on the health of a team’s roster.

Georgia offensive lineman Tate Ratledge is a fan of the SEC Championship game

Bulldogs senior offensive lineman Tate Ratledge, Georgia’s starting right guard, offered his opinion this week on playing in the SEC Championship game in the 12-team playoff era.

Ratledge made it clear that playing in the SEC Championship game is something that’s very important to him, regardless of how it can impact a team’s standing in the playoff rankings.

“I like playing for the SEC Championship,” said Ratledge on this week’s Mullets on the Mic.

“It’s hard to win an SEC Championship,” continued Ratledge. “I think that’s been proven over the last few years. But to win one is huge. I told somebody, that game means everything to me. I don’t care — playoffs or not, I want to win an SEC Championship.”

That’s the mindset of a true competitor. Ratledge and the Bulldogs aren’t worried about what losing a game could mean for their playoff ranking. They relish the opportunity to compete for an SEC Championship. That mindset is a big reason why Georgia in a position to win their third national championship since 2021.