SEC teams with their hands on the panic button in Week 9

We are into Week 9 of the college football season, and as expected, the SEC has been canibalizing itself. After Georgia knocked off Texas in Austin, there are no undefeated teams left in the conference and the calendar hasn't even flipped to November yet.

It's been a wild season already. The defending SEC champion Alabama has lost twice already, the first time the Crimson Tide has more than a single loss before November since 2007.

Georgia looks like the cream of the crop again after beating Texas, but the dream of getting four or five SEC teams into the College Football Playoff is looking more challenging with preseason playoff teams like Alabama and Ole Miss already having two losses each.

Week 9 will present opportunities for SEC teams to make a statement and salvage their playoff or bowl lives, but losing this weekend would cause widespread panic among these fanbases:

Teams ready to slam the panic button in Week 9

3. Arkansas

Most pundits and fans outside of Fayetteville expected Arkansas to be one of the cellar dwellers in the SEC this season. Credit to Sam Pittman as the Razorbacks enter Week 9 at 4-3 and on the cusp of bowl eligibility.

If they want to go bowling, and perhaps Pittman wants to save his job, the Hogs have to win this weekend on the road against Mississippi State. Arkansas has one more game on the schedule that should be a win when Louisiana Tech comes to town. But otherwise the Hogs have home games against Ole Miss and Texas and a road tilt at Missouri. They'll be underdogs in all three of those games.

Mississippi State has been the worst team in the conference this season, but Arkansas is just a 6.5 point favorite over the Bulldogs on the road. A loss would cause the administration to evaluate everything, and could be the tipping point on Pittman being on the unemployment line.

2. Kentucky

It has been a disappointing season in Lexington as Kentucky sits at just 3-4 following a blowout loss on the road to Florida. It was the Wildcats' second straight loss after a home defeat at the hands of Vanderbilt.

If Kentucky wants to salvage bowl eligibility, they have no choice but to beat Auburn at home this weekend. They have three home games left and they'll need to win all three of them against Auburn, Murray State, and Louisville. Kentucky still goes on the road to face Tennessee and Texas.

Auburn comes in at 2-5 and winless in the SEC, but the Tigers have a little more bite than many think. They probably should have beat Missouri on the road last weekend and have found hilarious ways to lose many winnable games.

You have to figure they'll break through and win one of these games soon enough. Fans in Lexington are hoping that isn't this week.

1. Alabama

There's mass panic in Tuscalosa following Alabama's second loss of the season, and just the Crimson Tide's second loss to Tennessee since 2006.

Alabama is fighting for its playoff life this week and every week after it. They cannot afford another loss or Tide fans can start booking their tickets for the Citrus Bowl. The horror.

Alabama is back at home this week and facing another SEC team needing a win to stay alive in the playoff race. Missouri came from behind to beat Auburn last week following a blowout road loss to Texas A&M.

It's gut-check time for the Crimson Tide. Style points don't matter for Alabama fans at this point; just win, baby, as Al Davis would say.