Rivalry week.
It’s what the entire college football regular season leads up to and it’s the most anticipated week of the regular season.
The SEC has positioned itself with several top-ranked teams and every game within the conference means something.
Here is the biggest storyline for each SEC team heading into Week 14.
RELATED: SEC Bowl Projections after Week 13
Alabama — Alabama is atop the College Football Playoff rankings heading into the Iron Bowl and the favorite to claim yet another national championship. The Crimson Tide are catching the Tigers at an opportune time with Auburn losing two of its previous three games. With home field advantage, Alabama probably wins this weekend’s matchup, but rivalry matchups like this one are always close and competitive. A win for Alabama clinches a berth in the SEC Championship, setting up a likely favorable matchup in Atlanta for the Crimson Tide.
Arkansas — After not winning a conference game for more than two years, the Arkansas Razorbacks find themselves on a winning streak, winning their last two SEC matchups. This weekend, the Hogs can play spoiler, like many other SEC teams. They’ll travel to Missouri in hopes of ending the Tigers’ hopes of winning the SEC East and continuing their late-season momentum. Closing the season out on a three-game winning streak in the SEC would position Arkansas well for a 2015 run.
Auburn — Just a few weeks ago, Auburn still had all of its goals in front of them as a top-five team. But two losses in three weeks has derailed any possibility of winning the SEC West or a berth in the CFP. Momentum is going the wrong way for the Tigers, but they can quickly turn things around with an upset win over Alabama. A positive end result would certainly bring some positivity to what has been a disappointing end to the season.
Florida — The head coach may be on his way out, but the Gators still have a lot to play for this weekend. In what could be a very poetic ending to Will Muschamp’s career at Florida, the Gators take on in-state rival and No. 2 ranked Florida State. Muschamp and the Gators were the last team to beat the Seminoles back in 2012 and now they could be the ones to end FSU’s winning streak. A road win in Tallahassee would be a fitting way for Muschamp’s career to end and it would certainly be reminiscent of Ron Zook’s curtain call in 2004.
Georgia — Ironically, Georgia’s biggest storyline this week doesn’t even involve its own game. UGA fans will all eyes on Columbia, Mo., on Friday as Missouri takes on Arkansas. In order to reach the SEC Championship, Georgia needs Missouri to lose, so the case could be made that Georgia’s most important game in Week 14 isn’t the one the Bulldogs are playing in.
Kentucky — I doubt many UK fans envisioned the Wildcats being in this position just six weeks ago. Kentucky, who started the year with 5-1 record as now lost five straight conference games and the Cats are in danger of missing a bowl game. Louisville stands in their way, and frankly, all of the pressure should be on UK this week. Despite making a big jump in talent this year, losing six straight to end the season and ultimately missing out on a bowl game would be a disastrous way to end what looked like a promising 2014 season.
RELATED: How the AP Top 25 should have looked based on Week 13 performances
LSU — A Thanksgiving matchup against Texas A&M awaits LSU for its season-finale. The Tigers aren’t in contention for any SEC Championship or CFP berths, but the 2014 season has been full of ups and downs. A win to end the regular season would likely instill a large amount of confidence into the Tigers’ young playmakers as they prepare for the bowl season.
Mississippi State — The Egg Bowl may not be as high-profile as some thought it could have been earlier in the season, but it still holds direct CFP implications. Mississippi State survived a five-point loss to Alabama and still holds one of the four spots in the CFP. It’s possible that MSU may end up in the CFP, but not reach the SEC Championship. In order for MSU to even think about reaching Atlanta, the Bulldogs will need a win this weekend and then a subsequent Alabama loss. As long as MSU wins this weekend, however, a CFP berth still remains a very realistic possibility.
Missouri — Somehow the Missouri Tigers keep on winning. Always the underdog, Missouri has navigated through a tough “must win” two-game stretch against Texas A&M and Tennessee and will need another win this weekend to make it to the SEC Championship. Simply put, Week 14 is win or go home for the Tigers.
Ole Miss — The Rebels have suffered through a disappointing end to what was a promising season. Despite the recent poor performances, spoiling Mississippi State’s postseason hopes would make everything much better. It will be an incredible atmosphere in Oxford this weekend.
South Carolina — A late surge in the season has completely altered the perception of this year for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Preseason expectations have long been forgotten, but it appeared for a while that South Carolina could have been in danger of missing a bowl game. But with wins against Florida and South Alabama, a bowl game has already been clinched. Now, a sixth straight win over Clemson would be the cherry on top.
Tennessee — The Vols were looking like a new team with Joshua Dobbs at quarterback, but were unsuccessful in winning last week’s game against Missouri. Tennessee will probably become bowl eligible with a win against Vanderbilt on Saturday, but the focus for the Vols will be on 2015. Dobb’s emergence as a playmaker at quarterback has Tennessee fans envisioning a big step forward for the program next season.
Texas A&M — After a strong start to the season, Texas A&M’s inflated expecations quickly deflated as the season went on. Now, the Aggies are fighting just to reach .500 in conference play. A home game against LSU on Thanksgiving night awaits Texas A&M, a team searching for some momentum heading into the bowl season.
Vanderbilt — There’s isn’t much to say about Vanderbilt’s season except “better luck next time.” The Commodores probably won’t win a conference game all season, but an unexpected victory over Tennessee on Saturday would sure be a pleasant surprise as the ‘Dores head into the offseason.
RELATED: Examining this week’s College Football Playoff Poll
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
