Georgia looks like it has the SEC East on complete lockdown heading into a Week 9 matchup against Florida.

Vanderbilt threw its season away after getting tossed around by Alabama 59-0. Missouri was never going to contend for the SEC East title this season. South Carolina, Kentucky and Florida still have a small chance to reach Atlanta, but it’s not likely any of them surpass the Bulldogs.

A couple of plays here and there could have left things much more interesting at this point in the SEC East race.

Here are the five plays that could have altered SEC East pecking order:

5. Rodrigo Blankenship field goal vs. Notre Dame

It wasn’t a long attempt at 29 yards, but Blankenship had missed one earlier in the game. Trailing on the road as an opposing kicker is a difficult position to be in, especially if you’ve already missed. Luckily for the Bulldogs, he came up clutch with a little over 3 minutes to play. Georgia was able to squeak out a 20-19 victory in South Bend.

Blankenship has been a blessing for Kirby Smart, missing only one field goal and zero extra points so far this season. The redshirt sophomore even catalogs every game on his website.

The win over the Irish set the tone for Jake Fromm, Smart and the Georgia team. The Bulldogs haven’t looked back since, winning five straight games in dominating fashion. The monster win on the road gave Georgia confidence that it could compete and win the SEC East.

Barring a complete meltdown or a barrage of injuries, expect to see Smart meet former boss Nick Saban in the SEC Championship.

4. Eddy Pineiro missed XP vs. LSU

While Florida has earned some gutsy conference wins, it has also endured painful SEC losses. The Gators have lost back-to-back conference games by a combined three points — both at home. The slide began with one-point loss to LSU in which Florida outplayed the Tigers in the second half.

Reliable kicker Eddy Pineiro missed an extra point in the third quarter that would have tied the game. Florida punter and holder Johnny Townsend looked like he mishandled the placement, perhaps causing the miss.

Neither team scored the rest of the game, leaving Florida with a 17-16 defeat to ponder. That loss was the Gators’ first conference failure of the season. They weren’t able to muster up enough confidence to beat Texas A&M the following week.

Florida must beat Georgia to have a shot at Atlanta. It just doesn’t seem like a probable scenario right now. Georgia is playing great, while the Gators are floundering as of late.

3. Feleipe Franks’ Hail Mary vs. Tennessee

Maybe Tennessee is contending for the SEC East right now if not for this long connection. Instead, Butch Jones and the Volunteers are facing criticism from everywhere in light of their disastrous season. Franks’ bomb to Tyrie Cleveland struck a major artery in the football heart of Tennessee, with the Gators prevailing 26-20.

The Volunteers have looked lifeless since. Not only did this loss hurt Tennessee’s chances of breaking through in 2017, it also hinders Jones’s chance of returning for another season as head coach.

2. Deebo Samuel’s injury vs. Kentucky

In three games in 2017, Samuel had two kickoff-return touchdowns, three receiving TDs and one rushing score. His presence on the field changed everything for the South Carolina offense. Since his departure due to injury, the Gamecocks haven’t been the same.

South Carolina has averaged around 190 passing yards in its last three conference games. Bryan Edwards has stepped up, but he still hasn’t been able to accumulate the yards Samuel could rack up.

Jake Bentley has looked like one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC. Will Muschamp’s defense has been playing some good football. If Samuel were still on the field, it’s possible that the Gamecocks would be undefeated heading into their bout with Georgia the first weekend of November.

Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

1. Kentucky’s blown coverage vs. Florida

The Wildcats had two grotesque defensive mistakes in this game. Toward the end of the first half, Franks found Cleveland for a 45-yard bomb on a fourth-and-three. Inexplicably, the Wildcats left Cleveland wide open, even though he was the only wide receiver in the play.

Then with less than 50 seconds to go, Luke Del Rio connected with Freddie Swain for another wide-open touchdown. Mark Stoops still has nightmares about this play, considering Kentucky hasn’t beaten Florida since 1986. The win would have been monumental for the Wildcats.