It’s here, and it’s weird.

Georgia taking on LSU in an SEC Championship isn’t weird in itself. This will be the 5th time that those teams have met in Atlanta. But for the first time since 2002, a 3-loss team will represent the SEC West. LSU doesn’t have a Playoff path while UGA might already have a Playoff berth already clinched.

You could make the case that it’s the least significant SEC Championship since … 2000 Auburn vs. Florida? Neither team had a shot at a national title. Georgia this year at least is vying for a national championship, and I suppose the desire to clinch the No. 1 overall seed and get a shot to play a semifinal game in Atlanta is pivotal.

Still, though. LSU losing to A&M for loss No. 3 makes this a bit … weird.

Let’s dig into some early thoughts on that.

1. Is Jayden Daniels gonna play, and if he does, how mobile will he be?

Daniels’ ankle injury on the 2-point conversion was salt poured into the wound of Saturday night’s defeat. The LSU starting quarterback will have his SEC Championship status updated later in the week, according to Brian Kelly.

Daniels’ legs are a vital part of LSU’s offense. His ability to extend drives and wear down an opposition defense feels like an important piece to the “hang around with the nation’s top defense” puzzle. He racked up 824 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games as LSU’s starter. Garrett Nussmeier has some mobility, but that’s not a strength like it is for Daniels. If the latter can’t go or if he’s limited, obviously that takes something away from an LSU backfield that’s already dealing with injury issues.

I’d imagine Georgia is preparing to face the most mobile version of Daniels. We saw how well Georgia contained Hendon Hooker, who also is more of a runner out of necessity than a runner out of designed looks.

If Daniels is limited in any way, the LSU offense could be in for a long day.

2. Georgia’s passing game has oddly lacked that explosiveness

I sound like a hater because UGA is about to have its first top-40 passing offense of the post-Aaron Murray era. That’s a positive.

However, a skeptic would point out that if you took away the 78-yard catch to Kenny McIntosh, Georgia’s passing game attempted 17 passes for 57 yards against Georgia Tech. That’s it. That play was Bennett’s 5th pass of 40 yards all season. Just for a little perspective, that’s fewer than 9 SEC quarterbacks, including Brady Cook, Robby Ashford and Tennessee backup Joe Milton.

Here’s the crazier thing. Georgia has just 1 passing play of 40 yards to a wide receiver all year (I realize that Brock Bowers should count as a receiver but stick with me). It was the 52-yarder to Arian Smith on the second series against Tennessee.

Other than that, we’ve really seen Georgia struggle to attack downfield, which is why that efficiency hasn’t always been there. Bennett is at 8.6 yards per attempt, which is down from 10.0 last year. With the Dawgs’ struggles to score touchdowns in the red zone — they rank No. 1 in FBS in red-zone scoring percentage but No. 48 in touchdown percentage — it makes sense why those offensive droughts have been there.

LSU can be had on the back end a bit if BJ Ojulari and/or Harold Perkins don’t get home. Will we see Todd Monken put some increased emphasis on the deep shots? Maybe that would be a different story if we knew that AD Mitchell would be a go. He played in his first game since Vanderbilt, but he only saw 1 snap against Georgia Tech. Clearly, he’s being eased back into things after dealing with multiple nagging injuries.

If all else fails for Georgia with the receivers in the downfield passing attack, well, I suppose there’s always Bowers.

3. The 2019 SEC Championship was a pivotal day for Georgia

I remember thinking at the time that it was important for Kirby Smart to make changes based on how helpless his team was against that LSU squad. To be fair, most were. But somewhere between watching Joe Burrow carve up Georgia’s loaded defense and realizing that LSU fans took over Mercedes-Benz Stadium by halftime, Smart got the best first-hand example of what happens when you properly tweak your offense like LSU did.

That day helped put the wheels in motion for Smart to hire Todd Monken, who for my money, is the most unsung hero of this remarkable 2-year stretch. Monken’s offense allowed Georgia to modernize and establish that much-needed balance. He had the vision that allowed UGA to maximize its all-world tight end room. They catch passes, they block, they disguise looks … they do it all.

It’ll be interesting to see Georgia, 3 years removed from the last time it played LSU. That UGA team was clearly limited offensively, and it was much too predictable for an LSU defense who was loaded with NFL players, including a certain Derek Stingley Jr., who had 2 interceptions that day.

Stingley and the vast majority of the players in that game are gone, but the impact of UGA getting run off the field will be felt in the Dawgs’ more diverse offensive game plan on Saturday.

4. The East is a Georgia win away from finally being better than the West

Did you know — the East only has 1 SEC title in the post-Tim Tebow era? And it was a 2017 Georgia team … who lost to Alabama in the national championship.

It’s been a minute since the East had true bragging rights against the loaded West, but this year, that’s been a different story. The East went 8-6 against the West, and it clearly has the best team. The East’s second best team (Tennessee) beat LSU and Alabama and the East’s No. 3 team (South Carolina) just went into Clemson and knocked off the likely ACC champ.

Does that mean we’re in for a changing of the guard? No, but it’s interesting that the stage is set for the East to close that 2022 argument in pretty decisive fashion as long as Georgia doesn’t stub its toe as a 17-point favorite.

Speaking of the possibility of a UGA loss …

5. Georgia’s Playoff ticket? It’s already punched … but the No. 1 seed is on the line

Don’t debate it. It’s not worth it. Just like last year, a 12-0 UGA team has its Playoff ticket punched before arriving in Atlanta.

“But what if they get blown out by LSU?!?”

OK, then UGA will have 1 loss to a respected LSU team to go along with 2 decisive wins against top-15 teams. The defending champs aren’t getting left out in that scenario. Personally, I don’t think Michigan or TCU are getting left out, either. All 3 teams should get the benefit of 1 loss based on what they did to get to 12-0.

Where it gets interesting for UGA is trying to make a legitimate bid for the No. 1 overall seed. That title belonged to the Dawgs entering Rivalry Week, but that was obviously before Michigan clubbed Ohio State in Columbus. It feels like the selection committee will tip its hand on Tuesday night as to whether UGA will be the front-runner for the No. 1 spot.

But even if UGA gets put at No. 2, don’t dismiss the possibility of rewarding UGA if it blows out LSU and Michigan struggles with 4-loss Purdue.

6. Even without a potential Playoff berth, there are a few things on the line for LSU

Inheriting a roster with 39 active scholarship players in the bowl game and leading LSU to a West title is one of the top accomplishments of Brian Kelly’s prolific career. Beating this UGA team on a neutral field would certainly be the cherry on top of a remarkable Year 1. It’s also the difference between LSU playing in a non-Playoff New Year’s 6 Bowl (the Sugar Bowl is on the table) and playing in the Citrus Bowl.

Given how disappointing LSU’s last 2 post-title seasons were, that’d obviously be a major lift to upset Georgia and play a top-10 team in a meaningful bowl game. There are plenty of key returning players who’ll have a shot to build on that momentum next year. Who knows? LSU could respond to the A&M loss by beating consecutive top-10 teams on neutral sights and starting off 2023 as a top-4 team. I wouldn’t rule that out.

Also of note? Kelly has 1 career win against an AP top-5 team. It was when Notre Dame beat a Trevor Lawrence-less Clemson team in overtime during the COVID season in 2020. Alabama was technically at No. 6 when Kelly took down the Tide earlier in the month, so that doesn’t count, but think about this. What a statement it would be to the college football world if Kelly took down Saban AND Smart en route to an SEC title in Year 1.

So yes, A&M loss aside, plenty is on the line for the Bayou Bengals in Atlanta.