A gritty Alabama football team got a pleasing, not pretty, win over the South Carolina Gamecocks. Many descriptions call it an ugly win, but the Crimson Tide had a few plays that no one can label ugly. They were not just game-changing plays but season-changing plays.
The close win caused Alabama to slip one spot in ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) to No. 4. The Crimson Tide remains the FPI's highest-ranked SEC football team. There are 11 SEC teams ranked in the FPI's top 25 teams. Behind the Crimson Tide are Georgia (No. 6), Texas (No. 7), Texas A&M (No. 8), Ole Miss (No. 12), Tennessee (No. 13), Vanderbilt (No. 17), Oklahoma (No. 18), Missouri (No. 19), LSU (No. 22), and Auburn (No. 24).
FPI projects Alabama Football as SEC Champion
According to the FPI, Alabama's probability of winning the SEC Championship remains at 57.3%. The Texas A&M road win over LSU moved the Aggies from an 8.5% probability to 17%. The Georgia Bulldogs are at 15.4%. Far behind are Ole Miss and Texas at 4.2%.
The Aggies' Playoff probability leads the SEC at 96.4%, third-best among FBS teams. Alabama Football is a close second at 93.1%, and fourth best among FBS teams. Other SEC teams are Georgia at 81.2%, Ole Miss at 69.8%, and Vanderbilt at 43.9%. The SEC's biggest Playoff mover after Week 9 was Ole Miss. Last week, the Rebels had a 48.9% probability. The Texas A&M Aggies, Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, and Ole Miss Rebels are among the top seven FBS teams projected to make the Playoffs. Also in the top seven are Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon.
Alabama's National Championship chances slipped slightly after the close win over South Carolina. Alabama is third among all FBS teams at 13.7%. Ohio State at 27.7%, and Indiana at 19.9% are the top two. At No. 4 and No. 5 are Georgia (8.3%) and Texas (8%).
Updated ESPN Analytics give Alabama Football an 81.8% probability of beating LSU, a 74.3% probability of beating Oklahoma, and a 75.2% probability of winning the Iron Bowl.