Around the Dawg House will bring you daily updates from what people and publications are saying about Georgia,  from inside and outside of Athens.

What the national media had to say about Georgia clinching the SEC East

For the second year in a row, Georgia locked up the SEC East with a win over Kentucky, as the Bulldogs punched their ticket to Atlanta with a 34-17 win on Saturday. Coupled with Alabama’s 29-0 win over LSU, the SEC Championship game is now set, as the Bulldogs will face the Crimson Tide on Dec. 1.

And with many in the national media already looking ahead to that tilt in Atlanta, many seem to be doubting Georgia’s chances of winning the SEC for a second year in a row.

“The Bulldogs can get in by winning their next four games,” Sports Illustrated‘s Andy Staples wrote of Georgia’s College Football Playoff chances. “But this team is not as good as the team that came within a play of winning the national title last year. Georgia will have to grow up a lot in the next few weeks if the Bulldogs hope to hang with Alabama in Atlanta.”

Yahoo’s Pete Thamel echoed what Staples wrote, placing an emphasis on Georgia’s 20-point loss to LSU on Oct. 13.

“It’s hard to envision Alabama not being a double-digit favorite in that game, as Georgia got blown off the field at LSU, 36-16, on Oct. 13,” Thamel wrote. “The place where LSU exposed the Bulldogs was the interior, and that’s where Alabama seemed to have the most distinct advantage on Saturday night in winning 29-0.”

It’s worth noting that last season Georgia lost 40-17 at Auburn before then beating that same Auburn team in the SEC Championship game, 28-7. Georgia is still going to have a chance to play its way into the College Football Playoff, much like it did a season ago.

As for some more positive thoughts on Georgia football, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit had the Bulldogs as his No. 5 team in the country, sitting just outside his hypothetical playoff. ESPN’s Power Rankings also had the Bulldogs at No. 5. Georgia will get a chance to climb in the rankings this week as the Bulldogs host Auburn. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN.

D’Andre Swift, Andrew Thomas named Players of the Week

Following Saturday’s huge win over Kentucky, two Georgia players were honored by the SEC as Players of the Week.

Sophomore running back D’Andre Swift was named Co-Offensive Player of the week after rushing for a career-best 156 yards and two rushing touchdowns. This is the second week in a row that Swift has put up a 100-yard rushing effort.

Sophomore left tackle Andrew Thomas was also honored by the conference, as he was named the Co-Offensive lineman of the week. Thomas was in on 70 snaps and graded out at an 87. Thomas also played a key role in stabilizing the Georgia offensive line as starters Lamont Gaillard and Cade Mays both left the game with injury.

Georgia was able to rush for a season-best 331 yards against a previously top-20 rushing defense in the country. Junior running back Elijah Holyfield also rushed for a career-best 115 yards on Saturday.

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