The SEC Football regular season will reach a relative midpoint in Week 9. Two SEC teams, Georgia and South Carolina, have already played five conference games. Eight teams have already played four games, and the remaining six teams have played three conference games so far.
It is unlikely any SEC team, already having two conference losses, can reach Atlanta. That leaves eight teams in contention for the SEC Championship Game.
SEC Football Standings (after Week 8)
- No. 1 at 4-0 are the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas A&M Aggies
- No. 3 at 4-1 are the Georgia Bulldogs
- No. 4 at 3-1 are the Ole Miss Rebels
- Tied at No. 5 are 2-1 teams: Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Texas
- Tied at No. 9 are 2-2 teams: LSU, Tennessee, and Florida
- No. 12 at 1-4 are the South Carolina Gamecocks
- Tied at No. 13 are 0-3 teams: Mississippi State and Arkansas
- Tied at No. 15 are 0-4 teams: Auburn and Kentucky
Overall records have no bearing on SEC Football Standings. The SEC has eight pages of text defining the rules of tie-breaker procedures. A late November chaos scenario is that determining the two teams to play in Atlanta will require the application of several pages of the SEC's tie-breaking procedures.
At 4-0, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas A&M Aggies are the current favorites. Six more SEC Championship Game contenders have one SEC loss: Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Texas.
Before the Third Saturday in October, Alabama football fans enjoyed Josh Pate's pick of the Crimson Tide and Texas A&M to play in Atlanta. Pate also predicted an Alabama Crimson Tide win. Pate may be correct, but one SEC loss, by either the Crimson Tide or the Aggies, could propel Georgia or Ole Miss into the top two SEC Championship Game favorites. Ole Miss, in particular, has the easiest path of remaining SEC games.
No clarity as to the futures of SEC teams provides a wild ride that will make ESPN (Disney) happy. Many SEC football fans will enjoy the anticipation while balancing the dread of their team possibly missing out on the CFB Playoffs.