All-Time Georgia vs All-Time LSU
We've all thought about it: What would happen if some sort of time machine allowed us to see the legends of college football's past take on other greats from different eras?
Georgia Football and LSU Football, two of the sport's most storied programs will meet again this Saturday in the SEC Championship. Let's take a dive into what an all-timers matchup between the two schools would look like.
Quarterbacks:
- Georgia - Aaron Murray
- LSU - Joe Burrow
- No, Aaron Murray wasn’t a No. 1 Draft pick, but he was inarguably a much better college quarterback than Matthew Stafford. Murray still holds the SEC record for career passing yards (13,166). Burrow of course has maybe the most impressive seasons throwing the football in the history of the sport. In his Heisman-season at LSU, Burrow threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns on his way to a national championship.
- Edge: LSU
Running Backs:
- Georgia - Herschel Walker, Nick Chubb, Todd Gurley
- LSU - Kevin Faulk, Leonard Fournette, Charles Alexander
- Charles Alexander was a baller in his time in the SEC, Kevin Faulk is one of the more underrated players in the history of the sport, and we’ve all seen Leonard Fournette’s highlights, but c’mon. That Georgia backfield is ridiculous. You could stop at Walker, who is maybe the greatest college running back ever, but Georgia also adds Chubb - who is second to Walker in SEC history in rushing - and Todd Gurley - who, at 220+ lbs, ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.13 seconds.
- Edge: Georgia
Wide Receivers:
- Georgia - AJ Green, Hines Ward, Terrence Edwards, George Pickens
- LSU - Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Josh Reed, Dwayne Bowe
- Georgia has had some great receivers - Green, Ward, and Pickens all turned into outstanding pros, and Ward and Edwards were all-timers in college - but LSU takes this one by a mile. The fact that you can go 8 or 9 deep in their history and not mention Odell Beckham Jr. or Jarvis Landry just shows how amazing they’ve been at that position. Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson eviscerated defenses in college and are now maybe the two best receivers in the NFL. Reed and Bowe are both SEC legends.
- Edge: LSU
Tight Ends:
- Georgia: Brock Bowers, Randy McMichael
- LSU: David LaFluer, Richard Dickson
- With all due respect to LaFluer and Dickson, Georgia runs away with this one. When it’s all said and done, Bowers may be the best tight end in SEC history. You could swap guys like Leonard Pope or Ben Watson in for Randy McMichael, but Randy Mac was a dude in college and in the NFL.
- Edge: Georgia
Offensive Line:
- Georgia - Andrew Thomas, Max Jean-Gilles, Ben Jones, Royce Smith, Matt Stinchcomb
- LSU - Andrew Whitworth, Alan Faneca, Ben Wilkerson, Herman Johnson, Sid Fournet
- Read the above as T|G|C|G|T. This one is close. Like, real close. Both schools have produced excellent talent across the line. There are multiple big time NFL players (Kevin Mawae, Isaiah Wynn, Jon Stinchcomb) who didn’t make the list.
- Edge: Push
Defensive line:
- Georgia - David Pollack, Jordan Davis, Richard Seymour, Geno Atkins
- LSU - Marcus Spears, Glenn Dorsey, Michael Brockers, Bennie Logan
- Both of these schools are NFL factories at the defensive line position. Just this past year, Georgia’s Travon Walker was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and their current DT Jalen Carter will be a top-5 pick. As for the players above, David Pollack and Marcus Spears are college football royalty. Glenn Dorsey and Jordan Davis ate offensive lines alive. Georgia is just a little bit more explosive across the board.
- Edge: Georgia
Linebackers:
- Georgia - Jarvis Jones, Roquan Smith, Odell Thurman, Nakobe Dean
- LSU - Mike Anderson, Devin White, Kelvin Sheppard, Bradie James
- Honestly, you could go about 4-deep at linebacker for each of these schools and have nothing but hammers. LSU has many guys that were studs in their day, but the four Georgia players mentioned above have a combined four First-Team All-American honors between them.
- Edge: Georgia
Secondary:
- Georgia: Deandre Baker, Thomas Davis, Greg Blue, Champ Bailey
- LSU: Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu, Grant Delpit, Morris Claiborne
- Look, when it comes to incredible defensive backs, Georgia is better than 99% of teams in the country. LSU just happens to be that 1%. LSU is DBU for a reason.
- Edge: LSU
Special Teams:
- Georgia: Kevin Butler (K), Drew Butler (P)
- LSU: Cade York (K), Brad Wing (P)
- Cade York will forever be a legend for nailing a 57-yard field goal in the fog to take down Florida in the Swamp back in 2020, but we have to give it to the father-son duo of Kevin and Drew Butler. Drew was an All-American during his time at Georgia. Kevin, a two-time All-American, has one of the most famous plays in college football history, when he drilled a 60-yard field goal to beat Clemson in 1984. That kick, combined with Larry Munson’s call of it, gives this one to the Dawgs.
- Edge: Georgia
This would be just a mind-bending game to see. Burrow slinging it to Chase and Jefferson, while Jarvis Jones and David Pollack bend the edge, and Champ Bailey and Deandre Baker try to put the clamps on. Marcus Spears meeting Herschel Walker in the hole. Tyrann Mathieu probably taking a Drew Butler punt to the house.
We’ll get a chance to see more future legends on the field this Saturday when Georgia takes on LSU for the SEC Championship. Jalen Carter’s name will probably be on this list at some point, as will Harold Perkins’. We can’t wait to watch.