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    • SEC standings, tiebreaker scenarios to make Week 13 title game
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    SEC standings, tiebreaker scenarios to make Week 13 title game

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    With two weeks left in the college football regular season, the top of the Southeastern Conference standings remains congested — so much so that no clear conference champion remains in the standings entering Week 13.

    And it’s something that might not be locked up until 12 o’clock next Saturday.

    Entering Week 13, No. 3 Texas and No. 14 Texas A&M remain tied for first place in the standings with 5-1 records in SEC play. Both the Longhorns and Aggies will face off in Week 14 for the first time since 2011.

    REQUIRED READING: Root against Notre Dame? That shouldn’t be hard for Tennessee football fans | Topmeyer

    But the road to Atlanta for the SEC championship game doesn’t stop in the state of Texas, as there are three other teams in contention for the title game. No. No. 8 Georgia is in third place at 6-2 in SEC play after beating No. 11 Tennessee, now 5-2. Then there’s No. 7 Alabama and No. 9 Ole Miss, both of whom are ranked fifth at 4-2.

    Although the Vols are ranked fourth in the SEC and have not officially been eliminated from contention for the SEC championship game, Tennessee’s path to Atlanta is a proverbial Hail Mary away from reality.

    The winner of the SEC championship game will not only claim conference supremacy, but also an automatic bid and a possible first-round bye in the new College Football Playoff. So needless to say, the stakes are high in winning the SEC championship game.

    Here’s an updated look at the SEC standings and tiebreaker scenarios heading into Week 13, including specific scenarios for the handful of teams that could appear in the SEC championship game:

    REQUIRED READING: From SEC to Big 12, college football doesn’t need division. Smarter tiebreakers are needed

    Tiebreaker in the SEC standings

    With divisions removed for the first time since 1991 – due to the league’s expansion with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma – the SEC announced six new tiebreakers should there be a tie in the standings at the end of the regular season.

    Here are the six tiebreakers, according to the SEC:

    1. Head-to-head competition between the tied teams
    2. Record against all regular conference opponents among tied teams
    3. Record against the highest (best) ranked common conference opponent in the conference standings, and ongoing conference standings among tied teams
    4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among tied teams
    5. Capped relative aggregate scoring margin against all conference opponents among tied teams
    6. Random draw of the tied teams

    As noted by the SEC, a clear conference champion is determined at the end of the regular season. If two or more teams are tied for second place, the conference champion will be the home team in the SEC championship game and the tiebreaker scenarios will be used to determine the other team.

    If two teams are in first place in the SEC at the end of the regular season, both teams will qualify for the SEC Championship Game.

    SEC tiebreaker scenarios

    Five SEC teams continue to battle for a spot in the SEC championship game on Dec. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, per bball.notnothing.net.

    Here are the easiest (and least stressful) ways the five teams can make it to the SEC championship game:

    REQUIRED READING: Where the college football conference title game tiebreakers stand before Week 13

    Texas

    • Beat Kentucky AND Texas A&M

    Texas controls its own destiny for the SEC Championship. If the Longhorns win their two remaining games against Kentucky and Texas A&M, they will be in the game.

    Texas A&M

    Like rival Texas, the Aggies don’t need any help to reach the SEC championship game. They just need to beat Auburn in Week 13 and Texas in Week 14 to make their first-ever conference title game appearance since joining the SEC in 2012.

    Alabama

    • Beat Oklahoma AND Auburn
    • Missouri beats Mississippi State OR Arkansas

    Alabama has a path to the SEC championship game, but it isn’t as easy compared to the Longhorns and Aggies. The Crimson Tide not only needs to win, but also needs help from Missouri, which will play at least one of its two remaining games vs. Mississippi State and Arkansas must win.

    If that happens, Alabama would punch its ticket to Atlanta based on the fourth SEC tiebreaker: conference opponent winning percentage (50% or 48.4%, depending on whether Missouri wins one or both remaining games). A loss by the Crimson Tide in the next two weeks would put it out of contention.

    Georgia

    Georgia, which has already completed the SEC portion of its schedule, can only hope to make the conference title game based on the results of other teams in the final two weeks. If the Bulldogs get the help they need, they could face Texas or Texas A&M for the second time this season.

    Here’s what needs to happen for Georgia to get into the SEC championship game:

    To face Texas A&M:

    • Texas A&M wins OR loses to Auburn OR Texas
    • Alabama loses to Oklahoma OR Auburn
    • Ole Miss loses OR loses to Florida OR Mississippi State

    To face Texas:

    • Texas beats Kentucky and Texas A&M
    • Texas A&M loses to Auburn AND Texas
    • Ole Miss and Alabama lose one of their last two games

    REQUIRED READING: Root against Notre Dame? That shouldn’t be hard for Tennessee football fans | Topmeyer

    Ole ma’am

    • Beat Florida AND Mississippi State
    • Texas A&M loses to Auburn AND Texas
    • Alabama loses to Oklahoma OR Auburn
    • Tennessee loses to Vanderbilt

    Then there’s Ole Miss, which, like Georgia, needs a certain level of chaos to erupt to sneak into the conference title game. The easiest route for the Rebels is to win and hope for some big upsets, including Texas A&M going winless against Auburn and Texas; Alabama loses to Oklahoma or Auburn; and for Vanderbilt to beat Tennessee.

    There is also a scenario in which four SEC teams finish tied for second place in the conference standings, with Alabama earning the final spot in the SEC championship game via the tiebreaker procedure.

    Best Odds to Win the SEC Championship Game

    Using ESPN’s College Football Power Index as a database, Alabama has the best chance to win the SEC championship game.

    Here’s a full breakdown of SEC teams’ odds of winning the title game according to ESPN’s FPI, which factors into the odds of making it to and winning the SEC Championship Game:

    1. Alabama (39.5%)
    2. Texas (39.2%)
    3. Georgia (17%)
    4. Texas A&M (3.4%)
    5. Ole Miss (0.9%)
    6. Tennessee (0.1%)

    SEC standings begin week 13

    Here’s a look at what the SEC standings look like in Week 13:

    SEC record in brackets

    • T-1. Texel (5-1)
    • T-1. Texas A&M (5-1)
    • 3. Georgia (6-2)
    • 4. Tennessee (5-2)
    • T-5. Alabama (4-2)
    • T-5. Ole Miss (4-2)

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