- Missouri Tigers (16-4 and 5-2) - Average national ranking is No. 29 (29.4). The Tigers have a favorable away slate to finish the SEC regular season, but not in their next two games. Trips to Starkville and Knoxville could triple their maybe contender status.
Regular Season Longshots
- Texas Longhorns (14-6 and 3-4) - Average national ranking is No. 38 (38.2). The SEC is blessed with talented freshmen. The Horns might have the best one in Tre Johnson. On Saturday, Johnson scored 24 of his 30 points in the second half, fueling an impressive comeback victory for the Horns.
- Vanderbilt Commodores (16-4 and 4-3) - The Dores are the SEC's surprise team, having beaten Tennessee and Kentucky in Nashville. However, most computer models still project a losing record in SEC play.
Forget About It
Maybe one of the following five will surprise. Certainly, any of them are capable of pulling off upsets. But a run putting them in championship contention seems impossible. A simple list will suffice: Oklahoma Sooners (15-4 and 2-4); Georgia Bulldogs (14-6 and 2-5); LSU Bengal Tigers (12-7 and 1-5); Arkansas Razorbacks (12-8 and 1-6) and South Carolina Gamecocks (10-10 and 0-7).