Through six weeks of the 2015 season, 21 conference games are in the books.
Though Week 5 victimized two previously unbeaten teams (Georgia and Ole Miss), the SEC’s three remaining unbeatens (Florida, LSU and Texas A&M) survived Week 6.
Thanks to a head-to-head matchup between Florida and LSU, the league will be down to at most two unbeatens by the time Week 7 is over.
There are four conference games on the slate for Saturday, with Ole Miss and Mississippi State playing non-conference opponents while Arkansas and Tennessee enjoy bye weeks.
Note: Though it was a part of the Week 7 SEC schedule, the Auburn-Kentucky game was not included in this analysis because it was played prior to the article’s publish date.
Here are some things we can learn about the SEC championship picture from those games:
- Florida at LSU: Two months ago, no one would have predicted this game would feature the league’s top two teams by conference record. Florida already has breezed through half of its conference schedule, holding a 4-0 record and a commanding lead on the SEC East. Meanwhile, LSU is 3-0 and one of only two SEC West teams without a loss at this point in the season. The outcome of this game can and will impact the outcome of both of the SEC’s divisional races. A Florida win pushes the Gators into a very comfortable position with a 5-0 record and games against only Vanderbilt, Georgia and South Carolina remaining. That scenario pushes LSU back to the crowd in the SEC West, bringing Ole Miss and potentially Alabama (pending the results of its game against Texas A&M) right back into the discussion. If LSU wins, the Tigers are set up nicely for a stretch run of relevance of the final four games of the conference season, with matchups against Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M still to come. A loss for the Gators would open the door for the winner of the Georgia/Missouri game, as well as potentially Tennessee, to remain in the SEC East discussion.
- Alabama at Texas A&M: This game will have a huge impact on the SEC West race. With no more than two losses for any of the seven teams, the possibilities are still endless for how this race could play out. Texas A&M is 2-0, and only trails LSU’s 3-0 record through six weeks. A win for the Aggies distinguishes them as one of the favorites to represent the division in Atlanta. A loss hurts, but it is hardly a do-or-die proposition for Kevin Sumlin’s team. Meanwhile, Alabama is viewing this game from a much different scope. With a loss to Ole Miss already on the board, the Crimson Tide can ill-afford another divisional mishap if it plans to defend its SEC Championship at the end of the season. Alabama has seen this scenario play out before, having lost the same game last season only to run the table in league play. The Crimson Tide likely will need to repeat that feat in 2015.
- Missouri at Georgia: Given the crazy history of the SEC East, Week 7 may be too soon to call this an elimination game. But if we’re honest with ourselves, becoming a three-loss team in the league in mid-October is rarely a recipe for a trip to Atlanta. At 1-2 in the league, Missouri is in a particularly rough spot because both of the Tigers’ losses have come to divisional opponents (Kentucky and Florida), which puts them on the wrong side of some tiebreakers. Georgia is 2-2 with a loss against SEC West power Alabama. A win here coupled with a Florida loss at LSU would put the Bulldogs right back into the thick of the SEC East race.
- Vanderbilt at South Carolina: This game has no impact on the SEC championship race. Instead, this one will be a contest to see which team can get its first conference win of the season. If South Carolina happens to lose, the Gamecocks would drop to 0-5 in the SEC and face a real possibility of a winless season in league play. Vanderbilt is looking to break a 10-game SEC losing streak, and doing so would give the Commodores their first league win since 2013.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
