At the end of each week, the 16 Southeastern Conference teams will be grouped into four groups according to what they have done on the field.
The top four teams are ones who appear to be probable College Football Playoff participants. The next four teams are considered bubble teams for the CFP.
The third foursome is composed of teams trying to get into CFP consideration. The final group consists of teams who are simply trying to have winning seasons.
Here are the four groups of SEC teams after the second week of the regular season.
GROUP 1 (CFP participants)
1. Georgia (3-0): did not play; next up is Alabama at home
2. Oklahoma (4-0): beat Auburn 24-17; next up is an open date
3. LSU (3-0): beat SLU 56-10; next up is Ole Miss on the road
4. Texas A&M (3-0): did not play; next up is Auburn at home
SKINNY: Oklahoma continued its rise by defeating Auburn. The Sooners have handed both Michigan and Auburn their only losses of the season. Georgia will get challenged when Alabama comes calling Saturday night. LSU’s victories over Clemson and Florida have lost much of their luster as both teams have won just one game. Texas A&M needs to protect home turf against Auburn if it is going to remain in the top group of four teams.
GROUP 2 (CFP bubble teams)
1. Ole Miss (4-0): beat Tulane 45-10; next up is LSU at home
2. Tennessee (3-1): beat UAB 56-24; next up is Mississippi State on the road
3. Texas (3-1): beat Sam Houston 55-0; next up is an open date
4. Vanderbilt (4-0): beat Georgia State 70-21; next up is Utah State at home
SKINNY: Ole Miss moved to the top of this foursome by crushing previously unbeaten Tulane. The Rebels get a chance to make a statement when they play host to LSU on Saturday afternoon. Vanderbilt is favored to win its fifth consecutive game against Utah State. Texas has its first open date of the season.
GROUP 3 (trying to become CFP bubble teams)
1. Missouri (4-0): beat South Carolina 29-20; next up is Massachusetts at home
2. Mississippi State (4-0): beat Northern Illinois 38-10; next up is Tennessee at home
3. Alabama (2-1): did not play; next up is Georgia on the road
4. Auburn (3-1): lost to Oklahoma 24-17; next up is Texas A&M on the road
SKINNY: Three of these four teams can show they are potential playoff teams with victories this week. Mississippi State gets Tennessee at home. Both Alabama and Auburn will have difficult tasks – trying to win road games against Georgia and Texas A&M, respectively. Missouri should have no trouble moving to 5-0.
GROUP 4 (trying to have winning seasons)
1. South Carolina (2-2): lost to Missouri 29-20; next up is Kentucky at home
2. Kentucky: did not play; next up is South Carolina on the road
3. Arkansas (2-2): lost to Memphis 32-31; next up is Arkansas at home
4. Florida (1-3): lost to Miami 26-7; next up is an open date
SKINNY: After four weeks, these four teams have the poorest bodies of work among conference squads. South Carolina still has a chance to salvage its season, but it must beat Kentucky at home. The situation looks bleak for both Arkansas and Florida. The Razorbacks’ Sam Pittman and the Gators’ Billy Napier appear to be the first two SEC coaches to be fired.
