The SEC West continued its reign as the best division in the league with exciting finishes to close games almost every Saturday. But end-of-season streaks helped change the fortunes of several teams, including Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU.
Here are the top five resumes from the SEC this season. Strength of schedule and records vs. top 30 were taken from the Sagarin Ratings.
5. ARKANSAS
Record: 7-5 (5-3)
Best win: at Ole Miss (53-52 OT)
Worst loss: vs. Mississippi State (51-50)
Strength of schedule: 8th
Record vs. Top 30: 3-2
Case for Arkansas: The Razorbacks make the cut over LSU based on their stronger finish to the regular season and better record against top 30 teams. Winning at Ole Miss and at LSU in consecutive weeks after surviving a four-overtime game against Auburn made fans nearly forget the 1-3 start. Any team that finishes third in the West and bounced back from the Mississippi State loss to take care of Missouri deserves a spot in the top five.
4. FLORIDA
Record: 10-3 (7-1)
Best win: Ole Miss (38-10)
Worst loss: Florida State (27-2)
Strength of schedule: 29th
Record vs. Top 30: 3-3
Case for Florida: The Gators had arguably the most exciting two-week stretch when they slipped past Tennessee then upset Ole Miss only two weeks after the Rebels’ win in Tuscaloosa. The Gators proved that a top-notch defense can go along way to overcome quarterback changes and inconsistency. Their focus allowed them to avoid stubbing a toe against underwhelming competition in the SEC East.
3. TENNESSEE
Record: 8-4 (5-3)
Best win: vs. Georgia (38-31)
Worst loss: at Florida (28-27)
Strength of schedule: 32nd
Record vs. Top 30: 1-4
Case for Tennessee: The five-game winning streak came too late for the Volunteers, who were written off following a 2-3 start, including back-to-back losses to Florida and Arkansas. The key to the turnaround was their comeback from a 24-3 deficit to beat Georgia. A bowl win over Northwestern would assure they have as much momentum as any team around entering 2016.
2. OLE MISS
Record: 9-3 (6-2)
Best win: at Alabama (43-37)
Worst loss: at Memphis (37-24)
Strength of schedule: 22nd
Record vs. Top 30: 3-2
Case for Ole Miss: Resume-wise the Rebels have the best win, and the fact that it was in Tuscaloosa is a bonus. And while the Florida loss was a wet firecracker, the Arkansas game was a heartbreaker. The 10th-best team in the land according to the Sagarin Ratings, the Rebels are the only team in the top 10 with three losses. The bottom line is wins over Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M, Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State look good on any resume.
1. ALABAMA
Record: 12-1 (7-1)
Best win: vs. LSU (30-16)
Worst loss: vs. Ole Miss (43-37)
Strength of schedule: 4th
Record vs. Top 30: 7-1
Case for Alabama: An eye-popping seven wins over the top 30 is two more than anyone else, and a major reason why many analysts said the Crimson Tide passed the eye test down the stretch. Outside of the Ole Miss loss, only Tennessee challenged Alabama into the second half. Leonard Fournette’s Heisman campaign began to sputter the night Alabama coasted past LSU behind Derrick Henry.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
