ATLANTA — The SEC championship game was college football's featured attraction when it debuted in 1992. It's merely a sideshow tonight.

Georgia vs. LSU will draw a sellout crowd to the Georgia Dome. It will showcase the passion fans have for SEC football. And it might provide the best game of the day on the last Saturday of the season.

But it doesn't matter nationally.

No. 1 USC is playing UCLA. No. 2 Texas is playing Colorado. Never mind that the top two teams are heavy favorites. In a sport that produces as many upsets as this one, there's enough doubt to attract a national audience.

USC and Texas don't just have the top two teams. They have the top three players — Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart of the Trojans, and Vince Young of the Longhorns.

The Georgia-LSU game reflects the SEC regular season. There was no dominant team or player. There was balance at the top and there was more defense than offense.

Georgia and LSU came close to being undefeated. Georgia lost by one point to Auburn in the last minute and by four points to Florida without starting quarterback D.J. Shockley. LSU blew a 21-0 lead in losing to Tennessee in overtime.

But look at it another way: Georgia won three games by a total of 12 points; LSU won five by a total of 16 points.

All those close games bode well for tonight's matchup. Not since 1997, when Tennessee beat Auburn 30-29, has the SEC championship game been decided by fewer than 10 points. The average margin of victory in the last seven games has been 18 points.

Georgia 23, LSU 20: The Tigers repeatedly have overcome careless and sloppy play with sheer talent. Georgia, which ranks ninth in the country in turnover margin, will make them pay.

USC 48, UCLA 34: The Bruins have an offense almost as explosive as USC's. They don't have Reggie Bush.

Texas 48, Colorado 24: The Longhorns can call themselves Big 12 champions after this. And the Buffaloes can call themselves "improved." They lost to Texas by 25 points in October.

Virginia Tech 38, Florida State 13: The Hokies lost to Miami and beat North Carolina State by four points. Their next closest game was 19 points.

Remember when Florida State was known for offense and quarterbacks? It has scored 36 points in the last three games and ranks 65th nationally in pass efficiency.

West Virginia 34, South Florida 23: The Mountaineers have been on a roll since losing to Virginia Tech in their fifth game. They have averaged 40 points in the last five games and have outscored their last three opponents by an average of 34 points.

Other Games: Louisville 38, Connecticut 17; Army 27, Navy 24; Tulsa 31, Central Florida 27.

Record: 187-56 (.769) overall, 125-109 (.534) against the spread.