As the college football season enters its final week, four teams are vying for two spots in the SEC championship game.,Texas A&M and Alabama have straightforward paths, while Ole Miss and Georgia need some help from other conference results.The two spots for the SEC championship game remain undecided as the conference heads into Week 14, also known as Rivalry Week. Four teams are in contention for the conference championship game, including first-time potential participants No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 3 Texas A&M. Familiar contenders No. 10 Alabama and No. 4 Georgia are also in the mix.
Texas A&M appears to be in a strong position, being the only undefeated team in the conference with an 11-0 overall record and 7-0 in SEC play. The Aggies need a win against No. 16 Texas to secure their spot, barring an unexpected upset against Georgia.
Alabama is also a likely candidate to reach the championship game. Despite having two losses and being on the bubble for the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide has won four consecutive games against top-25 opponents. A victory against Auburn would send them to Atlanta for the second time in three years.
Ole Miss and Georgia could also make it to the SEC championship game, set for Saturday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. ET in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but they will need assistance from other SEC results in Week 14.
Here are the paths for each team entering Week 14:
Alabama (9-2, 6-1 in SEC play)
Path to SEC championship game: Beat Auburn. Despite a Week 12 loss to Oklahoma, Alabama controls its destiny. A win in the Iron Bowl against Auburn would secure their spot in Atlanta under coach Kalen DeBoer. This win could also boost Alabama’s College Football Playoff chances.
Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0 in SEC play)
Path to SEC championship game: Beat Texas, OR Alabama loses to Auburn and Ole Miss loses to Mississippi State. Texas A&M is in a “win and you are in” situation. If they defeat Texas, they will advance to the SEC championship game for the first time in program history. Alternatively, they could reach the game if Alabama loses to Auburn and Ole Miss loses to Mississippi State.
Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 in SEC play)
Path to SEC championship game: Beat Mississippi State; AND Alabama loses to Auburn + Texas A&M loses to Texas. Ole Miss, currently projected as a No. 7 seed in the College Football Playoff, has one of its best seasons in recent history. However, their path to Atlanta is challenging. They must beat Mississippi State in The Egg Bowl and also rely on Alabama losing to Auburn and Texas A&M losing to Texas. Their Week 8 loss to Georgia might be a factor.
Georgia (10-1, 7-1 in SEC play)
Path to SEC championship game: Alabama loses to Auburn, OR Texas A&M loses to Texas. To reach their fourth consecutive and eighth overall SEC championship game under Kirby Smart, Georgia needs either Auburn to defeat Alabama or Texas to defeat Texas A&M.
SEC tiebreaker rules are applied in the following order: head-to-head competition, record versus common Conference opponents, record against highest-ranked common Conference opponent, cumulative Conference winning percentage of all Conference opponents, capped relative total scoring margin versus all Conference opponents, and finally, a random draw.
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