Ad Disclosure
Thursday’s Todd Gurley news sent a shockwave through the SEC, but Georgia remains a frontrunner with or without its leading rusher in the Eastern Division. Let’s look at which teams are in the best position the rest of the way:
MIZZOU (4-1, 1-0)
Gary Pinkel’s squad is in the middle of a pivotal three-game divisional stretch after having beaten South Carolina the week before last. In control of their own destiny at 1-0 in the SEC, Mizzou’s had an additional week to prep for Saturday’s game against Gurley-less Georgia at home. The Tigers become the East’s odds-on favorite with a win there.
REMAINING SEC GAMES: vs. Georgia, Saturday; at Florida, Oct. 18; vs. Vanderbilt, Oct. 25; vs. Kentucky, Nov. 1; at Texas A&M, Nov. 15; at Tennessee, Nov. 22; vs. Arkansas, Nov. 28
VERDICT: Can the Tigers take advantage of this weekend’s golden opportunity? Being able to overcome a two-touchdown deficit to beat the Gamecocks after a disappointing loss to Indiana proved the defending East champs have spunk, momentum they’ll try and parlay into the Georgia game. There’s a chance Maty Mauk and Co. could be favored in at least 4-of-6 remaining SEC contests post if the Tigers are able to start the conference season 2-0.
GEORGIA (4-1, 2-1)
The Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff hopes took a serious dive Thursday with the impermissible benefits leak, a dose adversity Mark Richt’s club wasn’t expected to face this season. These kind of events bring teams closer together, especially when most are already writing Georgia off as an Eastern Division favorite. It’ll be interesting to see how the bulldogs perform in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday. A loss detours, but doesn’t derail, Georgia’s path to Atlanta.
REMAINING SEC GAMES: at Missouri, Saturday; at Arkansas, Oct. 18; Florida, Nov. 1 (Jacksonville); at Kentucky, Nov. 8; vs. Auburn, Nov. 15
VERDICT: The casual observer assumes Georgia’s finished without its best player, but that’s selling the nation’s 10th-ranked team short. There’s still an elite group of backs capable of running the show in Gurley’s absence and we don’t know if the junior’s suspension is long-term. The next four games are winnable without him as long as Jeremy Pruitt’s defense can turn up the pressure and Hutson Mason avoids mistakes in the passing game.
FLORIDA (3-1, 2-1)
You’d think Florida’s 0-4 right now listening to Gator Nation’s opinion of Will Muschamp and starting quarterback Jeff Driskel, but this team’s very much alive in the muddied SEC East. The Gators have already played their toughest conference game of the season (at Alabama) and managed a road win at Tennessee when things could’ve turned sour in a hurry. Saturday’s game against LSU is a must-win to stay in the upper tier of the division vs. one of the West’s worst.
REMAINING SEC GAMES: vs. LSU, Oct. 11; vs. Missouri, Oct. 18; vs. Georgia, Nov. 1 (Jacksonville); at Vanderbilt, Nov. 8; vs. South Carolina, Nov. 15
VERDICT: We’ll know more after Saturday night, but the loss of second-team quarterback Treon Harris is a serious blow to Florida’s depth. Driskel hasn’t played well this season, embarrassing at times, and the Gators have struggled to manufacture offense when forced to drive the football. This year’s team is starting to look a lot like the 11-win team from 2012 which used defense to prevail, but there’s several challenges left (LSU, Mizzou, Georgia, Florida State) that makes a double-digit win total nearly impossible given the circumstances on offense.
KENTUCKY (4-1, 2-1)
The Wildcats, a missed call away from being unbeaten, have impressed in Mark Stoops’ second season thanks to a much-improved defense and several budding playmakers on the other side of the football. Kentucky’s has the East’s toughest schedule the rest of the way and will likely be one of several teams in this division with three or more losses in conference play at year’s end.
REMAINING SEC GAMES: at LSU, Oct. 18; vs. Mississippi State, Oct. 25; at Missouri, Nov. 1; vs. Georgia, Nov. 8; at Tennessee, Nov. 15
VERDICT: Kentucky’s going to a bowl game, but anything more doesn’t seem realistic. The Wildcats should be an underdog in their next four games after Saturday’s snoozer against Lousiana-Monroe and their one quality win this season was against the SEC’s most overrated team. Keep an eye on next weekend’s trip to Baton Rouge. Should the Wildcats pull it out against the possibly league-winless Tigers, they’ll move into the top 20 as a respected adversary prior to hosting third-ranked Mississippi State.
SOUTH CAROLINA (3-3, 2-3)
South Carolina’s the most disappointing team in college football this season without question. Steve Spurrier’s lack of accountability throughout came to a head last weekend when the Gamecocks blew their second straight two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter to lose at Kentucky. There’s major issues with this year’s team, one that doesn’t appear to be championship-ready.
REMAINING SEC GAMES: at Auburn, Oct. 25; vs. Tennessee, Nov. 1; at Florida, Nov. 15
VERDICT: Winning out’s not impossible, but isn’t likely either. With the SEC’s worst defense, taking out Auburn at Jordan-Hare on Oct. 25 seems like a steep hill to climb. At this point, getting to a bowl game is South Carolina’s immediate goal. It can worry about the division crown if the Gamecocks win out and get major help from others. They do hold the tiebreaker over Georgia (and would over Florida on Nov. 15) if all three teams finish 5-3 in league play.
