A wild Saturday of SEC action in Week 12 provided clarity in the conference title race with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Despite Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide are still alive with only one conference loss. Texas A&M, meanwhile, continues to sit atop the conference at 10–0 overall and 6–0 in SEC play.
Let’s dive in to a full look at the SEC title picture heading into Week 13.
Who are the top contenders for the SEC championship?
Entering Week 13, only four teams remain standing in the conference title hunt. Thanks to Texas’s loss to Georgia in Week 12, the Longhorns are eliminated from SEC title contention.
If Texas A&M beats Texas in the season finale, they’re in the conference title game. Ole Miss, Alabama and Georgia need some help to make it to Atlanta.
SEC standings entering Week 13 (only teams listed are those alive for conference title)
Here are the updated SEC standings for the conference title contenders heading into the penultimate week of the regular season:
SEC championship game matchup if the season ended today
Strictly based on the conference standings, the SEC title game would matchup Texas A&M and Georgia if the season ended today.
How Week 13 will affect SEC championship game scenarios
In short, it won’t. Ole Miss is idle in Week 13, while Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama each play non-conference foes in which they are all multiple score favorites. The Aggies face Samford out of the FCS, the Crimson Tide host Eastern Illinois out of the FCS and Georgia has a home game against Charlotte out of the American.
None of the contenders will clinch an SEC title appearance in Week 13. The only thing that could be affected is the tiebreaker scenarios featuring shared conference opponents that are not in contention for the SEC crown.
Clinching scenarios for each SEC team to make it to the conference championship
Texas A&M has the most straightforward path to the SEC title game after a wild comeback at home against South Carolina in Week 12. If the Aggies win against Texas in Week 14, they're in the conference title.
The scenarios for Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss are slightly more complex.
Texas A&M reaches the SEC title game if:
- The Aggies beat Texas OR
- Auburn beats Alabama AND Mississippi State beats Ole Miss
Alabama reaches the SEC title game if:
- Crimson Tide beat Auburn, Texas beats Texas A&M OR
- Crimson Tide beat Auburn, Mississippi State beats Ole Miss OR
- Crimson Tide beat Auburn. Alabama wins the three-way tie with the Ole Miss and Georgia based on conference opponent winning percentage
Georgia reaches SEC title game if:
- Auburn beats Alabama OR
- Texas beats Texas A&M OR
- Ole Miss beats Mississippi State. Georgia wins three-way tie with Alabama and Ole Miss based on conference opponent winning percentage.
Ole Miss reaches SEC title game if:
- Rebels beat Mississippi State, Texas beats Texas A&M AND Auburn beats Alabama
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as SEC Championship Game Scenarios Entering Week 13: Breaking Down Every Possibility.
