It’s been a fascinating year for this rebuilt conference, and it looks like it’s going to go off with a bang.

Alabama, which never got going against Oklahoma, saw its playoff chances take a cataphoric blow when the Crimson Tide laid an egg. Texas A&M, which has performed largely excellently under new coach Mike Elko, could not outlast Auburn in a wild overtime.

The end result is, well, a bit of a mess. The conference that has largely dominated college football in recent history has largely cannibalized itself in recent weeks. And honestly, we all need to regroup.

The Bulldogs and Vols are in prime position to capitalize on the SEC chaos, although the outcome is much juicier than that. The winner of the Texas-Texas A&M game will join the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game.