Every Wednesday right here you can read Across the SEC, where we’ll get into a different topic on the SEC, break down the biggest matchups of the previous week, preview the coming week’s slate, and talk about where things stand in the best conference in the land!
In this week’s edition, Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels have a chance to dramatically shake up the SEC standings and the national College Football Playoff scene as well:
Let me start this off by saying this: I do not think Ole Miss is going to beat Georgia on Saturday night in Athens. In fact, this feels like a typical Lane Kiffin letdown spot of a game where I am almost inclined to think Georgia is going to blow the Rebels out.
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But the chaos that would ensue in the unlikely event that the Rebs can pull off the upset is so huge that the possibility is at least worth discussing. So let’s dive into it.
The committee has already established that head-to-head is the greatest metric, which is the reason why Texas remains ahead of Alabama at the moment. With Alabama having defeated Ole Miss, by the committee’s same logic, Alabama should remain ahead of Ole Miss this week no matter what.
That being said, you can make the argument that a road win at Georgia would be the most impressive win by any team all season and gives the Rebels a case to jump over all of the one-loss teams.
The other layer of complication lies in the fact that Ole Miss is not going to make the SEC championship game unless Alabama loses another game. So could the 11-1 Rebels have a legitimate case for the playoff even while not appearing in the SEC championship?
And what if Ole Miss beats Georgia, and Alabama runs the table and defeats Georgia in the SEC Championship. Would a Georgia loss ultimately hurt Alabama’s case?
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The short answer to all of this is that it really depends on what happens with Texas, Florida State, and the Pac-12. Penn State also finds themselves in a similar spot as Ole Miss with one loss (to Ohio State) and a matchup against Michigan this week.
Thus far this season, the chaos and craziness of college football have yet to unfold. But with the way the slate lines up, it is certainly possible that this is the week where things get absolutely wild.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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