By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
The often crazy SEC is a bit calmer this season (which I appreciate after writing about the other three wack-a-do conferences already). However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of fireworks left in the playoff race.
Let’s look at tiebreakers before we get going.
| 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 | 6-1 | 4-0 | Point differential vs common conference opponents (+101) |
| Alabama | 4-3 | 4-0 | Point differential vs common conference opponents (+89) |
| LSU | 4-3 | 2-2 | |
| Florida | 2-5 | 1-3 | Point differential vs common conference opponents (+10) |
| Georgia | 2-5 | 1-3 | Point differential vs common conference opponents (-75) |
| Tennessee | 2-5 | 0-4 |
The only ties are from teams about to play each other. Auburn holds a slight advantage over Alabama in point differential within the conference. Florida holds the same advantage over Georgia.
Conference Title Race
The Iron Bowl will be the de facto conference championship game in the SEC. The winner will win the conference and the loser will finish the season in 2nd. It is simple, but man, is it exciting.
Playoff Race
The playoff race is just as simple in the SEC. Alabama, Auburn, and LSU have already punched their tickets to the postseason. Either Florida or Georgia could tie LSU, but both would lose the tiebreaker since LSU beat them. LSU is locked into 3rd place in the conference, while the Alabama schools will battle for the top spot.
That turns our focus to the vote-in. Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee all sit currently at two wins on the season. Getting up to three wins will give you a chance (albeit not a great one).
Florida and Tennessee are in similar spots. They both hold a solid win (over Texas and Iowa, respectively). Tennessee would also need to beat LSU for them to get to three wins, which would be their most impressive win. Those resumes, combined with the fact they they have a win over a team they may be put against in the vote-in, gives them a real chance.
Georgia, I hate to say this, but I don’t like your odds. I can only speak for myself, and not the voters as a whole. But even if they beat Florida next week, they would have zero wins over teams with 3 or more wins (unless Tennessee won too). Winning might get them on the ticket, but I don’t like their chances this year. But you can still ruin the chances of your biggest rival, and that would feel pretty sweet.
Best of luck to the SEC this week, and thank you for keeping it simple.
