Four teams are still very much alive in the SEC West this season as we enter the ‘put up or shut up’ stretch of defining moments. There’s also a fifth team, LSU, playing hot with a shot at 10 wins for a fifth consecutive season:
MISSISSIPPI STATE (7-0, 4-0)
The SEC’s only remaining unbeaten, the Bulldogs battle two SEC elites the rest of the way (Alabama and Ole Miss) and wins over both ensures Mississippi State its second ever conference championship game appearance. The Bulldogs are the current College Football Playoff favorite equipped with a balanced offense that hasn’t yet been contained this season.
REMAINING SEC GAMES: vs. Arkansas, Saturday; at Alabama, Nov. 15; vs. Vanderbilt, Nov. 22; at Ole Miss, Nov. 29
VERDICT: Don’t get caught looking ahead as the nation’s top-ranked team. Mississippi State’s visit to Alabama in two weeks is the SEC’s biggest game of the season, but the Bulldogs must first get past Arkansas this weekend for that epic matchup to matter. The Razorbacks are hoping to avoid another winless season in league play and have the rushing strength to pull off the upset. Best case scenario for Arkansas is that it catches Mississippi State napping.
OLE MISS (7-1, 4-1)
Ole Miss fell victim to Death Valley last time out where faulty late-game execution snapped the Rebels’ seven-game winning streak to start the season. It didn’t seem to bother the Playoff selection committee whoever who voted the Rebels ahead of Oregon and Alabama at No. 4 in their initial poll.
REMAINING SEC GAMES: vs. Auburn, Saturday; at Arkansas, Nov. 22; vs. Mississippi State, Nov. 29
VERDICT: With their goals still within reach, it’s important for the Rebels to avoid letting last week’s loss to LSU contribute to another setback against Auburn. Erase that one from memory and get back to doing what the offense does best — big plays in the passing game and staying on the field on third down. If Ole Miss beats Auburn in Oxford on Saturday night, it appears the Egg Bowl will be for all the marbles on Nov. 29.
ALABAMA (7-1, 4-1)
Alabama gets the weekend off after back-to-back impressive performances offensively, winners of three straight since an early-season loss to Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide’s No. 6 in the first Playoff poll with three opportunities over the next four weeks to beat ranked teams. Do so, and Alabama’s an at-large postseason lock even if Ole Miss wins out and captures the division crown.
REMAINING SEC GAMES: at LSU, Nov. 8; vs. Mississippi State, Nov. 15; vs. Western Carolina, Nov. 22; vs. Auburn, Nov. 29
VERDICT: The first of three heavyweight bouts next weekend in Death Valley, Alabama jumps back toward the front of the division standings if it can find a way to snap LSU’s recent hot streak. Get past that game and there’s a potential No. 1 vs. No. 3 showdown at home against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs will likely come into Tuscaloosa 8-0 with College GameDay in tow. The pressure on Dak Prescott and the West favorite would be immense away from Starkville.
AUBURN (6-1, 3-1)
The Tigers avoided catastrophe last weekend against South Carolina with one final stop on the game’s final play, a last-ditch heave to the corner of the end zone from Dylan Thompson. Auburn’s struggled to generate a pass rush this season and the Gamecocks exploited that weakness last time out. The Tigers are one of three SEC teams in this week’s initial Playoff poll, coming in at the No. 3 spot behind Florida State and just ahead of Ole Miss.
REMAINING SEC GAMES: at Ole Miss, Saturday; vs. Texas A&M, Nov. 8; at Georgia, Nov. 15; at Alabama, Nov. 29
VERDICT: Beginning with Saturday’s game at Ole Miss, Auburn takes on three Top 10 teams the rest of the SEC season, a chance to shake-up the pecking order in the SEC West. Like these other three contenders, if Gus Malzahn’s team wins out, they’ll most likely defend their SEC crown inside the Georgia Dome. This weekend’s a possible Playoff elimination game for either team considering the brutal slate the rest of the way.
