Week 12 is not exactly 'Separation Saturday' across college football. But it definitely is for four SEC football teams. While the Texas A&M Aggies cruise by South Carolina in College Station, two other teams can join the Aggies as the only three contenders to advance to Atlanta.
If the Aggies and the Crimson Tide win their final two SEC games, they will advance to Atlanta. Georgia would remain a contender by beating Texas on Saturday. Ole Miss could also finish 7-1 with wins over Florida and Mississippi State, but Georgia has a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over the Rebels.
If Texas beats Georgia, and later Texas A&M, advancing to Atlanta on tie-breakers would be the Ole Miss Rebels. In that same situation, Alabama could lose to either of Oklahoma or Auburn and still be the No. 1 seed in Atlanta.
Note: With 16 more SEC vs. SEC games to be played, some unexpected outcomes could alter current 'common opponent' tie-breaker results.
Key SEC Football Week 12 Matchups
Getting back to Week 12, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Texas fanbases appear to be optimistic. In every case, a better description might be cautious optimism.
According to Stormin' In Norman, there is concern that two defensive linemen may miss the Alabama game. One of them, R Mason Thomas, leads the Sooners with 9.5 tackles for a loss, including 6.5 sacks. The Sooners are hoping to get back a wide receiver, an offensive tackle, and a linebacker.
Georgia is playing its best football, but according to Dawn of the Dawg, there are concerns about the Bulldogs not getting pressure on Arch Manning. Without frequent pressure, there are doubts about whether the Georgia secondary can deliver. Bo Underwood wrote that "the Bulldogs’ struggles on the backend clearly has been a real concern all season."
Texas Longhorn fans are often similar to superfan Matthew McConaughey, whose frequently unbridled optimism often runs hot. As reported by Sam Fariss for Hook'Em Headlines, Steve Sarkisian offers a more realistic perspective, "I will say this about Georgia; I've got a chance to watch a few of their games... Kirby [Smart] said it, they're hard to kill." Yes, they are.
Alabama fans can debate whether a Texas or a Georgia win will be more favorable for the Crimson Tide. If Alabama can win over the Sooners, what happens in Athens won't much matter.