Georgia is a 16.5-17.5-point favorite over LSU in Saturday’s SEC Championship. But that certainly does not mean the Bulldogs can simply roll their hats onto the field and expect to win.

Under first-year head coach Brian Kelly, the Tigers have truly had a remarkable year considering the debacle they endured last year under former head coach Ed Orgeron.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels, who tweaked his ankle in the loss to Texas A&M, has had a huge year and is one of the league’s more dynamic players. He’ll be just one of the areas of focus for the Bulldogs, who will be looking to win their first SEC Championship since beating Auburn back in 2017.

Here are five critical keys to bringing home a championship.

Fix the redzone issues: Throw back a shot if you’ve seen me mention this before. But it bears repeating, and nobody knows it more than Kirby Smart. You can get away with falling back on field goals in the regular season, but this is playoff time. You cannot be expected to beat teams the Bulldogs will be playing from here on out by settling for field goals. The Bulldogs need touchdowns. It’s time for the offense to figure out how they're earned.

Keep Jayden Daniels in the pocket; make him throw: Georgia has had success slowing “running quarterbacks” over the year, but Daniels may be the best of them all. Bulldog defensive lineman Zion Logue compares his speed to Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford, who ran nine times for 57 yards against Georgia earlier this year. Daniels is a solid quarterback, but has struggled to throw the football when forced to stay inside the pocket; he’s been known to rush some throws. Look for the Bulldogs to employ a strategy against Daniels as they did with Hendon Hooker. If Georgia can enjoy similar success, it’s going to be a good afternoon for the Bulldogs.

Get back to being aggressive offensively: I’m personally not as “worried” about Georgia’s offense in the Bulldogs’ wins at Kentucky and against Georgia Tech. In Lexington, the wind was blowing 25 mph, and last week at Sanford Stadium, Georgia Tech’s defense was more susceptible to successful runs by the Bulldogs than any of us getting hold of a bad burrito.

That said, with perfect conditions inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it’s time for Todd Monken to get back to explosive ways. The guess here is that Georgia will be more aggressive. If that happens, Saturday’s game is going to be fun to watch.

Have an answer for Harold Perkins, Jr.: This obviously qualifies as a no-brainer, as you can bet the talented freshman linebacker will have just one job on Saturday: get after Stetson Bennett. If LSU is to win this game, Perkins’ ability to keep Bennett on his heels will be a huge part of any success the Tigers may have. We’ll see, but one would think this is where Darnell Washington will come in handy, although LSU will move Perkins around to put him in as advantageous a position as they can. Georgia will need to know where he is on the field at all times.

Start fast: Enough of the horsing around. Take the field, make a statement, and don’t give LSU any reason to believe it can ruin Georgia’s perfect season. Last week’s loss to Texas A&M notwithstanding, the Tigers are going to come out fired up. However, with no chance of earning a trip to the playoffs, a quick start by the Bulldogs could put a quick end to the game.