There was potential for chaos in the SEC Eastern Division race on Saturday, but it ended with a familiar result.
Tennessee, which could have kept its own division hopes alive against Missouri, fell 36-7 in Columbia while No. 2 Georgia hosted No. 10 Ole Miss in a highly anticipated primetime bout at Sanford Stadium in Athens one week before playing the Vols.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION
With lesser stakes, Vanderbilt looked to end its losing streak at South Carolina as its opportunities for its first win in two months become more limited with just one game left on its schedule.
Here is what we learned about both of Tennessee's upcoming conference foes after a deciding weekend in the league.
Georgia rolls past Ole Miss, clinches East
It's becoming routine.
Georgia is heading to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta in the final season of east and west divisions. The Bulldogs ran into little resistance getting there.
In what was billed the game of the day in the SEC, there wasn't much drama outside of the first quarter vs. Ole Miss. The Rebels withstood a couple of early blows but Georgia ran away with it quickly, 52-17.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Josh Heupel, Joe Milton III diagnose poor offensive showing against Missouri
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns and running back Kendall Milton gashed the Ole Miss defense for 127 yards and two scores on nine carries.
Star tight end Brock Bowers made his first appearance since suffering an ankle injury that required surgery four weeks ago, catching three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Bulldogs held Rebels' quarterback Jaxson Dart to just 173 passing yards and intercepted him once.
Georgia (10-0, 8-0 SEC) continues to play its best football at the right time and now it will play in its sixth conference title game in seven years against No. 8 Alabama on Dec. 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Bulldogs have two regular season games before they get there, though, beginning with Tennessee next Saturday at Neyland Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
The Vols (7-3, 3-3) needed to beat Missouri and two Georgia losses over the next two weeks to reach Atlanta. Instead, Tennessee will look to play the role of spoiler as the Bulldogs head to Knoxville on a 27-game winning streak.
Vanderbilt losing skid extended
Speaking of routines, Vanderbilt has created its own.
After finishing on the cusp of bowl eligibility a year ago, the Commodores have been abysmal in head coach Clark Lea's third season since starting the season 2-0.
Vanderbilt's losing skid swelled to nine games in its most recent outing, a 47-6 drubbing at the hands of South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: In clash with SEC's top rusher, Vols had no answers
Vanderbilt allowed 351 passing yards and another 136 yards on the ground while its offense struggled behind quarterback Ken Seals' 104 pass yards.
The Commodores (2-9, 0-8) have a week off before play at Tennessee in the final game of the regular season on Nov. 25 at Neyland Stadium.
–––––
– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.
– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.
– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @TMansfieldMedia, @ByNoahTaylor, @RealTBannerman, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media, @TylerIvens, @Hunter_DeNote.
–––––
