SEC football teams with their hands on the panic button in Week 10

The college football season, as it always does, is flying by. It's hard to believe we are already in Week 10, with the calendar flipping to November as we enter the stretch run of the regular season.

The College Football Playoff and the SEC Championship contenders will take shape this month. It's do or die time across the country for a lot of teams, and the 12-team playoff means that more teams than ever are still alive with a dream of winning the national title than ever before at this point of the season.

While there are plenty of teams still vying for playoff inclusion, there's also plenty of teams in the SEC whose seasons have not gone how they hoped. For some, there's overlap between a disappointing season and still being a playoff contender (cough Alabama cough).

Plenty of teams are in need of a win in Week 10 to restore some confidence and maybe just to even keep the dream of bowl eligibility alive. Here's the three teams that will send their fanbases into full blown panic mode with a loss this week.

3 Teams Reaching For The Panic Button With A Loss

3. South Carolina

In fairness to South Carolina, they are slight underdogs at home to a surging Texas A&M team that just came away with a huge home win over LSU to sit alone in first place in the SEC. So a loss wouldn't be that deflating for the Gamecocks, but it would also mean that 6-6 is probably the ceiling for a talented team that had higher aspirations than .500 ball.

After a 2-0 start, South Carolina has lost three of its last five games to sit at 4-3. They had close losses to LSU and Alabama and a blowout defeat at the hands of Ole Miss. Right before taking a bye week, the Gamecocks went to Norman and hammered Oklahoma 35-9.

A win here would probably have Carolina fans dreaming of winning out and finishing 9-3 or at least 8-4. A loss would make 6-6 look more like a reality. There's one obvious win left for the 'Cocks at home against Wofford, but they still have road games at Vanderbilt and Clemson and a home tilt against Missouri around it.

2. Auburn

It has been a tough year on the Plains as Auburn sits at just 3-5. But the football gods could smile on them if they can beat Vanderbilt at home this weekend, giving them bragging rights over rival Alabama, who already lost in Nashville to the Commodores.

Auburn found its offensive identity in a two touchdown win over Kentucky on the road, with RB Jarquez Hunter lighting up the Wildcats. The question will be whether Hugh Freeze will accept it or if he'll still ask too much of a limited QB in Payton Thorne.

Diego Pavia led New Mexico State to a shocking blowout win over Auburn in November last year and he returns to Jordan-Hare looking to lead a second team to a win on the Plains.

Auburn has to win his game in order to still have a fighting chance at bowl eligibility. A win means that they would need to upset either Texas A&M or Alabama to get to six wins. A win over the 'Dores means they would only need one upset to get there.

1. Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin has never won 9+ games two seasons in a row as a head coach. That streak seemed to obviously be coming to an end in 2024 with arguably his best overall roster, and one of the most talented teams on paper in Ole Miss program history. The Rebels won 11 games a year ago and brought back a lot of talent and stocked up in the transfer portal.

But they sit at just 6-2 heading into November with an understandable road loss to LSU and a home loss to Kentucky that looks more baffling by the week.

A loss to Arkansas this week would end Ole Miss' playoff hopes, and make it all the more unlikely that Kiffin can get to nine wins. The Rebels have a daunting task next week at home against Georgia, a game they would have to win if they lose to the Hogs this week.

They still have a road game at Florida to come, too, and the Gators have looked like an improved team over recent weeks.