ESPN FPI Predicts SEC Championship Game Winner

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Dec 1, 2024 9:39 AM ET

With the 2024 college football regular season now in the books for most teams, the focus shifts to the upcoming conference championship games.

The slate is as good as it gets, starting Friday with No. 22 UNLV vs. No. 11 Boise State and No. 17 Tulane vs. No. 25 Army. Then, on Saturday, fans can tune into No. 18 Iowa State vs. No. 16 Arizona State, No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon and No. 12 Clemson vs. No. 9 SMU.

With all the excitement building, ESPN released its updated Football Power Index (FPI) on Sunday morning. The computer model considers different factors, including strength of schedule, strength of record, offensive and defensive efficiency, on-field performance, and more, to generate rankings, predict outcomes and provide insights.

The model updates every week, but this time, it predicted the winner of the SEC Championship Game now that the matchup between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns is officially set.

ESPN’s FPI predicts Texas will take down Georgia in Atlanta, giving it a 61.0% chance to do so.

The two teams previously met in Week 8, when the Dawgs traveled to Austin and handed the Longhorns their lone loss of the season, a 30-15 defeat.

Since then, a lot has changed. Georgia lost to Ole Miss (28-10) and nearly dropped another game against its in-state rival, Georgia Tech (44-42 after eight overtimes). Meanwhile, Texas has won five straight, including a signature win over its own in-state rival, Texas A&M (17-7).

This will mark Texas' first-ever appearance in the SEC Championship Game, while Georgia will make its 12th trip.

Kickoff on Saturday between the Longhorns and Bulldogs is set for 4 p.m. ET on ABC.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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