Every Wednesday right here you can read Across the South, 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, things are starting to take shape in both the West and the East after a hectic weekend in the conference and another huge slate coming up:
Starting in the SEC West, while there is still a lot of season left, the magnitude of the matchup between Texas A&M and Alabama is undeniable after LSU fell to Ole Miss on Saturday. The Tigers second loss not only likely knocked them out of CFP contention, but gave a victory to an Ole Miss team already with a head-to-head loss to Alabama.
It is extremely often the case that the head-to-head matchups are critical in deciding who makes it to Atlanta, so with both Alabama and Texas A&M sitting at 4-1 and 2-0 in-conference, this game could go a long way towards deciding who wins the West.
A victory for the Aggies would without a doubt be the biggest of the Jimbo Fisher era, while an Alabama victory would be massive on the road for a team that is still being questioned. The winner will have the inside track to Atlanta.
Things are interesting in the SEC East as well. Georgia nearly shook things up majorly but were able to avoid a loss to Auburn. The Bulldogs host fellow undefeated counterparts Kentucky in Athens this week, and assuming Georgia wins, they all but lock up the East early.
Kentucky has a chance to force a seismic shift in the conference if they could pull the massive upset this week and put itself in prime position to play in the SEC Championship for the first time ever. Interestingly enough, Texas A&M has never played for an SEC Championship either.
Tennessee, who many expected to finish second in the East, really hurt themselves by losing at Florida a couple of weeks ago. The Vols will be off this week before facing Texas A&M on October 14th.
While there is still much to be figured out, this week is going to make the picture in the SEC much clearer. It won’t be long before we have a pretty good idea who will be representing both divisions in Atlanta.
