Tennessee football joins Texas and Texas A&M on top of the SEC as the only three teams with one loss in conference play so far this season. There are still eight teams with two losses or less, giving some an outside shot to make the SEC Championship Game, with others having a realistic chance to make the trip to Atlanta.
The Vols looked good in their win against Mississippi State. Tennessee was without redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the second half, but that didn't slow down the offense, which scored 33 points by the end of the night.
Texas also won in blowout fashion against Florida while Texas A&M was on a Bye. Ole Miss and Alabama reentered the title picture with huge wins. Both teams have two SEC losses but could make a run for one of the spots in the title game with the help of some chaos.
With the updated conference format, the top two teams make the SEC Championship. There are no more divisions, which means anyone can make the SEC Championship if they finish as one of the top two teams in the conference. Here is how the conference shakes out after Week 11.
Rank | Team | Previous Rank | Week Ten Result |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas Longhorns | 2 | W 49-17 vs Florida |
2 | Tennessee Volunteers | 3 | W 33-14 vs Mississippi State |
3 | Ole Miss Rebels | 7 | W 28-10 vs Georgia |
4 | Georgia Bulldogs | 1 | L 10-28 vs Ole Miss |
5 | Texas A&M Aggies | 4 | IDLE |
6 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 8 | W 42-13 vs LSU |
7 | LSU Tigers | 5 | L 13-42 vs Alabama |
8 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 9 | W 28-7 vs Vanderbilt |
9 | Missouri Tigers | 11 | W 30-23 vs Oklahoma |
10 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 6 | L 7-28 vs South Carolina |
11 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 10 | IDLE |
12 | Kentucky Wildcats | 14 | IDLE |
13 | Oklahoma Sooners | 13 | L 23-30 vs Missouri |
14 | Florida Gators | 12 | L 17-49 vs Texas |
15 | Auburn Tigers | 15 | IDLE |
16 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 16 | L 14-33 vs Tennessee |
Winners
Texas keeps on winning in its first season in the SEC. The Longhorns only have one conference loss and, with a win over Texas A&M in a few weeks, have positioned themselves to make their first trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
Ole Miss might be the biggest winner coming out of the weekend. The Rebels upset Georgia to keep themselves in the SEC and College Football Playoff picture while putting the Bulldogs on the fringe of missing out on a title opportunity for both the SEC and CFP.
Alabama rose from the dead on Saturday with a dominant win over LSU. It was a pseudo-elimination game for the loser, and the Crimson Tide announced to the world that they're not done yet.
Losers
LSU dropped the biggest game of its season, virtually eliminating it from competing in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Tigers have two conference losses, which also likely eliminates them from making the SEC Championship unless there is chaos in the final weeks.
Georgia is coming off its worst loss of the season. They were embarrassed against Ole Miss and will have to rally this week if they want to keep their season alive and prevent losing back-to-back games with Tennessee coming to town on Saturday.
Oklahoma continues to struggle in its inaugural SEC season. The Sooners are 1-5 in conference play but still have a chance to make a bowl if they can win one more game.
Week 12 in the SEC
Tennessee and Georgia headline Week 12 in the SEC. This is the only game with direct Playoff implications for both teams. Some other interesting conference games are between Texas and Arkansas, LSU and Florida, and Missouri and South Carolina.