With the two highest-ranked teams in the conference on a bye, Week 9 wasn’t a big momentum shifter, but a few teams helped their chances of getting to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game while others were eliminated.

Uncle Mo watched the games, checked out the polls before and after, and read all the beat-writer breakdowns to figure out which SEC teams have the most momentum going for them right now.

Let’s see where everyone stands:

  1. LSU: On the bye, the Tigers’ position atop the SEC West was safe in Week 9. The College Football Playoff committee recognizes LSU as the top team in the conference with a No. 2 ranking. The Tigers will face their toughest foe of the season, traveling to Bryant-Denny Stadium for a showdown with No. 4 Alabama.
  2. Alabama: The Crimson Tide are in the playoff committee’s initial final four, but need a win over LSU this weekend to stay in the race for all championships still in play (division, conference and playoff).
  3. Florida: The Gators all but clinched the SEC East with a 27-3 win over Georgia in Jacksonville. UF can make it official with a win over Vanderbilt this weekend. The No. 10 Gators likely will be watching scores most of Saturday afternoon and evening, after their game with the Commodores, to see who might be their opponent in Atlanta.
  4. Ole Miss: With all the focus on LSU and Alabama, don’t count out the Rebels in the SEC West. Ole Miss defeated Auburn 27-19, and can play in the SEC Championship Game by winning out. Ole Miss takes on an up-and-down Arkansas team next.
  5. Texas A&M: The Aggies need some cannibalism to occur in the SEC West before they can think about winning the division, but the switch to QB Kyler Murray shot some new life into the Texas A&M offense. TAMU took down South Carolina 35-28, and faces struggling Auburn this week.
  6. Arkansas: UA finally snapped a two-game nonconference losing streak with a 63-28 win over Tennessee-Martin. It doesn’t mean much for the four SEC games in November, but the Razorbacks closed out October on a high note.
  7. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs didn’t get any favors in the SEC West race on a bye week, but they still figure to be a factor with upcoming games against Alabama and Ole Miss. MSU first needs to take care of a struggling Missouri team on Thursday night.
  8. Tennessee: The Volunteers’ last hope at the SEC East crown evaporated with Georgia’s loss to Florida, but that didn’t affect their effort against Kentucky later that night. UT thumped UK 52-21 to get back to .500 (4-4) with a November slate of four winnable games, starting with South Carolina.
  9. Vanderbilt: The Commodores were thumped 34-0 by Houston, but are still only 1-3 in the SEC. If Vanderbilt can pull off the upset against Florida, it could actually factor into the division championship conversation.
  10. Georgia: UGA was virtually eliminated from the SEC East race with a 27-3 blowout loss to division rival Florida. The loss could lead to more than just frustration and disappointment, as FOX Sports college football writer Bruce Feldman reported that major Georgia boosters are talking about moving in a new direction. For now, coach Mark Richt and his team have to focus on Kentucky in Week 10.
  11. Missouri: MU QB Maty Mauk was reinstated the team last week during the team’s bye week. This week, however, he was suspended again for the remainder of the season. Mizzou has not scored a touchdown in its past three games, all with freshman QB Drew Lock at the helm. The Tigers face Mississippi State on Thursday.
  12. South Carolina: The Gamecocks gave it all they had, but still fell short at Texas A&M, 35-28. The loss drops USC to 1-5 in the SEC, guaranteeing a losing season in conference play. South Carolina’s difficult November starts with a trip to Neyland Stadium to take on an up-and-down Tennessee team.
  13. Auburn: The Tigers were officially eliminated from SEC West contention with a 27-19 loss to Ole Miss, falling to 1-4 in SEC play. Auburn is in danger of falling below .500 overall (currently 4-4) if it loses its upcoming contest with Texas A&M.
  14. Kentucky: A 1-3 October turned the Wildcats from a September contender to a November pretender. The 52-21 loss to Tennessee illustrates the gigantic gap between two rebuilding SEC East programs. UK, out of the SEC East race at 2-4, needs at least two wins in November for bowl eligibility, with the first opportunity coming Saturday against Georgia.