SEC ROOTING GUIDE

In which we tell you which teams you should root against in the upcoming week.

TCU doesn’t play this weekend, while Florida State and Oregon are huge favorites. So most of the teams SEC fans should want to lose will help the conference indirectly.

Minnesota at Nebraska: For example, Mississippi State fans in particular should root hard for the Cornhuskers to pick themselves up after Wisconsin crop dusted them last week. A Golden Gophers loss hurts the resumes of both TCU and Ohio State, both competing for that No. 4 spot in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee. The Horned Frogs and Buckeyes each beat Minnesota, which could close the regular season with four losses in five games.

Oklahoma State at Baylor: The Cowboys have lost four consecutive games, and are in danger of missing a bowl after starting the season 5-1 with a close loss to Florida State. That’s a worse collapse than Kentucky. But Oklahoma State has a chance to redeem itself, and whet the appetite among Florida fans for coach Mike Gundy, by pulling off a shocking road upset to knock the Bears out of the playoff mix. Baylor is a huge favorite, and it’s going to take some monster turnovers and special teams plays for Oklahoma State to compete. But it would be glorious for the SEC if the Bears lost.

USC at UCLA: The Bruins already faced Oregon in the regular season and got hammered, falling behind 42-10 in the fourth quarter. A Ducks loss in the Pac-12 title game would do wonders for the SEC’s chances to become a two-bid conference. So SEC fans shouldn’t root for a rematch between UCLA and Oregon. The Trojans have three losses — by 6, 4 and 3 points, two of them on the road. At its best, USC’s offense also is capable of competing in a shootout with the Ducks.

Arizona at Utah: The Wildcats beat a wounded Oregon team on Oct. 2 and are 3-2 since, losing to both good opponents. It’s hard to picture Arizona winning what would be a revenge game against the Ducks in the Pac-12 championship game. USC and Arizona State have a better chance at knocking Oregon out of the playoff. So SEC fans would prefer the Utes to win here, paving the way for those teams in the Pac-12 South Division.