College Football

Kentucky tries to upset No. 7 Georgia in Week 12 SEC matchup

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:24 a.m. ET

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AP

Here are some things to watch in Week 12 of the Southeastern Conference football season:

GAME OF THE WEEK: Kentucky at No. 7 Georgia (No. 7 College Football Playoff): This is the best game on the schedule in a lackluster SEC lineup, but it could have been a much more meaningful matchup if Kentucky hadn't blown double-digit leads against Florida and Mississippi . Georgia already has clinched the division title. Had Kentucky hung on against either Florida or Ole Miss, a trip to Atlanta would have been up for grabs Saturday.

MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: Ole Miss QB Jordan Ta'amu vs. Texas A&M's defense: It's been a remarkable stretch for Ta'amu, who has a 2-1 record as a starter after taking over for the injured Shea Patterson. Ta'amu has completed 73.5 percent of his passes. He'll have arguably his toughest challenge when the Rebels host Texas A&M on Saturday - the Aggies lead the SEC with 33 sacks.

NUMBERS GAME: The senior class at No. 1 Alabama (No. 1 CFP) owns a 50-4 record. Those 50 wins put this class one shy of the NCAA record held by Alabama's 2016 senior class, which went 51-6. ... No. 6 Auburn (No. 6 CFP) has scored 301 points in seven SEC games. The only other time Auburn scored over 300 points in SEC competition was during its 2010 national championship season. ... No. 17 Mississippi State (No. 16 CFP) has lost zero fumbles on offense this season. The Bulldogs' lone lost fumble came on special teams. ... Kentucky sophomore Benny Snell Jr. already has a school-record 28 career touchdown runs. He's also the first Kentucky player to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. ... South Carolina is seeking its 600th win in program history Saturday against Wofford. The Gamecocks have are 599-572-44. ... A victory over Tennessee this week would guarantee No. 21 LSU (No. 20 CFP) its 18th straight season with at least eight wins, a streak that leads all Power Five programs. ... Missouri has gained a total of 1,399 yards over its last two games with Tennessee. The Tigers had 659 yards of total offense in their 50-17 blowout of the Volunteers last week.

UPSET WATCH: Ole Miss is a 2+-point favorite over Texas A&M. The Rebels are at home, but have an inferior overall and conference record. Florida is a 10+-point favorite at home against UAB, but the Gators have lost five straight while UAB has won three straight.

IMPACT PERFORMER: Auburn's Jeff Holland recorded his ninth sack of the season in the Tigers' 40-17 victory over Georgia last week. He leads the SEC in both sacks and tackles for loss (12). Holland is approaching the Auburn single-season sack record held by Nick Fairley, who recorded 11 + sacks in 2010. The only Power Five players with more sacks this season are North Carolina State's Bradley Chubb (10) and Washington State's Hercules Mata'afa (9 +).

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AP Sports Writers Steve Megargee in Knoxville, Tennessee, and David Brandt in Jackson, Mississippi, contributed to this story.

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More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 .

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