The results of last weekend brought nothing but disruption to the Southeastern Conference football race.
Georgia lost at home to Auburn. Texas lost at home to Florida. Alabama lost on the road to Tennessee. Among the top four teams in the league, only Ole Miss escaped with a victory. The Rebels crushed Missouri at home.
As a result, Ole Miss finds itself at the top of the first tier of SEC teams – for this week. The Rebels have no easy task this Saturday as they travel to Austin to take on a staggering Texas team.
It is probably time for SEC teams to not emphasize gaining an at-large bid for the College Football Playoffs. It is time for them to concern themselves with being the SEC’s automatic qualifier by winning the league championship.
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Every team in the SEC has either four or five league games remaining. All but four teams – Texas A&M, South Carolina, Arkansas and Vanderbilt – are within one game of first place.
Four teams have one conference defeat – Ole Miss, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. Eight teams have two league losses – LSU, Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Missouri, Texas, Mississippi State and Oklahoma. Only the Sooners have three overall defeats.
There is no dominant team in the SEC. Each of these 12 teams should do what it can to be in Atlanta playing in the league title game on the first Saturday in December. Winning what appears to be the final SEC championship game would be the easiest path to the CFP.
Here is a breakdown of the 16 Southeastern Conference teams into four tiers heading into the eighth week of the regular season.
TIER 1
1. OLE MISS (5-1): Defeated Missouri 31-3; next up – at Texas
2. GEORGIA (6-1): Lost to Auburn 27-24; next up – Open date
3. TENNESSEE (6-1): Defeated Alabama 26-10; next up – at South Carolina
4. KENTUCKY (6-1): Defeated Oklahoma 21-13; next up – Vanderbilt at home
SKINNY: No one expected to see Tennessee and Kentucky in this foursome at the halfway point of the SEC schedule. Both the Vols and the Wildcats have winnable games this Saturday. Tennessee has the most challenging matchup as it must go on the road. Ole Miss is the team most expected to fall this week when it visits a desperate Texas squad.
TIER 2
1. LSU (5-2): Defeated Mississippi State 31-0; next up – at Auburn
2. ALABAMA (5-2): Lost to Tennessee 26-10; next up – Texas A&M at home
3. FLORIDA (5-2): Defeated Texas 27-24; next up – Open date
4. AUBURN (4-2): Defeated Georgia 27-24; next up – LSU at home
SKINNY: Florida and Auburn jumped right back into the postseason picture by registering road upsets against Texas and Georgia, respectively. The Gators have a week off in preparation for their rivalry game against Georgia. LSU has the difficult task of meeting Auburn, which possesses much momentum. Alabama can avoid a three-game losing streak by defeating Texas A&M.
TIER 3
1. MISSOURI (5-2): Lost to Ole Miss 31-3; next up – Open date
2. TEXAS (4-2): Lost to Florida 27-24; next up – Ole Miss at home
3. MISSISSIPPI STATE (4-2): Lost to LSU 31-0; next up – Oklahoma at home
4. OKLAHOMA (3-3): Lost to Kentucky 21-13; next up – at Mississippi State
SKINNY: Steve Sarkisian is the SEC’s coach on the hottest of seats this week. Back-to-back losses have dropped Texas from being No. 1 in the country to being on the outside of the CFP standings. The Longhorns have their chance at regaining some good vibes by knocking off Ole Miss. The Mississippi State-Oklahoma game seems to be an elimination game.
TIER 4
1. SOUTH CAROLINA (3-3): Open date; next up – Tennessee at home
2. TEXAS A&M (4-3): Defeated Citadel 41-0; next up – at Alabama
3. ARKANSAS (3-4): Defeated Vanderbilt 31-21; next up – Open date
4. VANDERBILT (3-4): Lost to Arkansas 31-21; next up – at Kentucky
SKINNY: South Carolina and Texas A&M are the teams who can cause chaos this Saturday by pulling upsets against Tennessee and Alabama, respectively. Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer needs an eye-catching victory to keep his job in Columbia.
