Georgia vs. LSU: Off-Field Distractions Will Doom Tigers in SEC Championship

Of all the things that could have happened to LSU leading up to the SEC Championship game, having off-the-field controversy involving the eligibility of a few players is probably the worst. These kinds of distractions often have a ripple effect that hinders a team’s performance in a big game.

For those that haven’t heard, there was a report on CBSSports.com that quarterback Jarrett Lee and other players could be ruled academically ineligible for Saturday’s game against Georgia.

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QB Jarrett Lee and other players may be ruled academically ineligible for postseason. That is a yearly issue at all schools, Les Miles said Monday. "This time of year everybody responds and comes back," he said. "It's time to pick it up. There's no difference with our football team. Academic issues are private in my mind."

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The Tigers are one win away from playing for a national championship, though there is a strong belief that even if they lose this game that they will still get in. Any potential distraction could be crippling to what Les Miles has built this year.

College players aren’t always able to separate the off-field distractions from on-field performance. It lingers in their minds and destroys their morale.

Granted, that did not happen at the start of the season when LSU’s other quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, was arrested for his role in a bar fight.

Even so, we don’t know which players are going to be suspended. All the report says is “other players,” which is vague and could mean anyone. If they lose a key contributor or two from either side of the ball, Georgia can easily win this game.

Don’t forget, the Bulldogs have won 10 straight games and boast a defense that is good enough to keep up with LSU.

Since allowing 80 points in their first two games, the Bulldogs have given up just 20 or more points in a game twice.

LSU is not perfect despite that 12-0 record. Their passing offense is non-existent, and if Georgia can contain the run, there is no reason to think that they can’t pull off the upset.

These academic issues that are hovering over certain LSU players will take a toll on their psyche. It will become the story leading up to the game, and the players are going to be forced to answer questions about it.

And when players are forced to answer the same thing over and over again, it becomes a distraction and causes them to lose focus on the task at hand.

Perhaps the story will turn out to be nothing, as Miles said, but right now it is a bigger deal than he is making it out to be.