Here's the SEC rule that would allow a 6-1 Florida to win the East over a 6-2 Tennessee
With Tennessee’s loss at Texas A&M and the Vols facing Alabama next week, the possibility of Tennessee finishing up the conference schedule with a 6-2 record is certainly in play.
Meanwhile, Florida has a somewhat manageable SEC slate for the remainder of the season.
As such, the indefinite postponement of the Florida-LSU game is absolutely a potential issue for how the SEC East pans out. In the event that Florida finishes with a 6-1 SEC record (the LSU game isn’t played) and Tennessee finishes with two conference losses, an SEC rule would permit Florida to win the division despite Tennessee beating the Gators in the head-to-head matchup last month.
From SEC Bylaw 30.22.1.3:
The Conference champion will be determined by a game between the two division champions. The team in each division with the highest percentage of wins during all regular-season conference competition will be declared division champion.
The key part of that rule, of course, is the words “highest percentage of wins.” Win percentage is the determining factor.
The fans know this. The SEC knows this. And the media knows it. It shouldn’t be a surprise as to why SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey made the rounds on national television today to discuss the Florida-LSU situation. Sankey is attempting to reassure fans that this won’t happen. But how much control does he have over this situation?
For the record, as a Central Floridian, I believe the right move was made in cancelling the game in Gainesville on Saturday. Hurricane Matthew was a monster storm, and millions on the coast evacuated in-land. Moreover, at the time the decision had to be made, Gainesville was still in the potential path for the hurricane.
Millions of lives were affected, and the issue was bigger than getting the game played on Saturday.
But now that the storm has passed, the schools and the SEC have to now find a way to play this game.
Could you imagine if Florida won the east with only seven conference games? It wouldn’t be pretty.