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With a quarter of the season remaining, half of the teams between the SEC and Pac-12 have hit the requisite six-win mark for bowl eligibility (7 SEC, 6 Pac-12). Another five can qualify with a Week 11 win. In fact, all but one team between the two conferences (better luck next year, Oregon State) can still, technically, become bowl eligible.
The SEC East (Florida) has been settled and Stanford’s magic number is down to one in the Pac-12 North. But there’s plenty of meaningful football yet to be played for both conferences.
Here’s how the SEC and Pac-12 stack up against one another after Week 10 in our hybrid power rankings.
One-Loss wonders
There’s a new leader atop the rankings after Alabama’s dominating win over LSU during Week 10 action. With three games left, this group likely contains your four division winners. LSU is on the outside looking in now with Alabama holding the tiebreaker over them, but it’s not over yet. Alabama should remain there, barring anything unforeseen.
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Stanford Cardinal
- LSU Tigers
- Utah Utes
- Florida Gators
Still in the fight
All five teams of these teams are still technically alive to win their respective divisions, albeit, some of them are long shots — especially Arkansas who rose above .500 in Week 10 for the first time since Week 1. Out West, Utah holds a one-game lead over UCLA and the Bruins’ cross-city rivals Southern California.
- UCLA Bruins
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
- Southern California Trojans
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Arkansas Razorbacks
The second place spoilers
Oregon needs a ton of help to win the Pac-12 North. The Ducks need to beat Stanford this weekend, win out and hope Stanford loses to Cal. Unlikely. Tennessee and Georgia, as well as Oregon and Washington State, should battle it out in their respective divisions for second place — with the Volunteers and Cougars holding the head-to-head tiebreakers.
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Washington State Cougars
- Oregon Ducks
- Georgia Bulldogs
The bowlers
Texas A&M is the only squad among Nos. 15-20 that is bowl eligible. Arizona, Auburn and California all need just one win to reach the postseason, while the rest need two victories in their final three contests to play a 13th game this winter.
- Auburn Tigers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- California Golden Bears
- Washington Huskies
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Arizona Wildcats
The no-bowlers
Oregon State is the only team eliminated from the postseason, soon to be joined by South Carolina and Vanderbilt, who need to win the rest of their games to become eligible. Colorado, Kentucky and Missouri each need two victories to sniff the postseason, but the outlook appears bleak as the trio is a combined 0-10 in their last 10 games. Kentucky’s schedule is at least favorable enough that the Wildcats could still get to a bowl if they get their act together.
- Kentucky Wildcats
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Colorado Buffaloes
- Missouri Tigers
- Oregon State Beavers
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
