By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
It feels like all roads are leading to a very meaningful Iron Bowl this season. Perhaps it will even be the de facto conference championship game. Let’s look at the tiebreakers and then dive in.
| Order | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | Conference Record |
| 2 | Head-to-Head |
| 3 | Record vs common conference opponents |
| 4 | Point differential vs common conference opponents |
| 5 | Record vs common overall opponents |
| 6 | Point differential vs common overall opponents |
| 7 | Overall record |
| 8 | Overall point differential |
Since every conference team will eventually play each other, most ties will end with a head-to-head. However, there can be scenarios that take us much deeper (just look at the Big XII last season).
Now, for how the playoffs work. The top three teams in each conference will get an automatic bid to the playoffs. After that has been settled, the last 4 teams will be voted in by a league-wide vote. After the field is set, seeding will begin. This season, the top 8 teams will be seeded, and then they will get to draft their opening-round opponents (which I cannot wait to write content about).
I cannot predict which way the vote will go, so for these articles, I will be focusing on the automatic bids.
Also, keep in mind that three-way tiebreakers are broken for the top team, and then the two remaining games go back to head-to-head.
Current Standings
| Team | Overall Record | Conference Record | Tiebreaker Reason (if applicable) |
| Auburn | 5-1 | 3-0 | Point differential vs common conference opponents (+97) |
| Alabama | 3-3 | 3-0 | Point differential vs common conference opponents (+75) |
| LSU | 4-2 | 2-1 | |
| Florida | 2-4 | 1-2 | |
| Georgia | 1-5 | 0-3 | Point differential vs common conference opponents (-95) |
| Tennessee | 2-4 | 0-3 | Point differential vs common conference opponents (-105) |
The SEC (much like the Big10) is pretty straightforward at this point. However, in the last two weeks, that could change a lot.
Conference Title Race
The conference title race will most likely come down to the Iron Bowl. There will not be a way to decide a conference champion until that game is played, no matter what happens.
Outside of Alabama and Auburn, both LSU and Florida are still in the running. If LSU wins out and Alabama loses out, they are the champs. Florida would need a three-way tie at the top for them to clinch it (and have the best point differential in conference).
Both Georgia and Tennessee have been mathematically eliminated from conference title contention.
Playoff Race
Both Auburn and Alabama can clinch an automatic bid with a win this coming week.
LSU can also clinch this week, but they need some help. They need to beat Auburn, and they need Alabama to beat Florida. If that happens, third place will be the worst they could finish.
Florida can’t clinch this week, but they can keep their automatic bid hopes alive (and improve their vote-in odds should they need them) with a win over Alabama.
Tennessee can still get up to third place, but they would need help. First, they must win out. Second, they need LSU to lose out. And third, they need Florida to lose out. If that happened, then they would finish third. If they lose this week or LSU wins, they will be eliminated from automatic bid contention.
The only way Georgia can get in is if everything that Tennessee needs to happen happens, plus Georgia wins out. Then they would still need to win the tie between LSU and Tennessee in point differential. If they lose this week or LSU wins, they are eliminated from automatic bid contention.
