SEC Round-Up: League's 'elimination weekend' arrives in Week 11
The final Saturday of the college football regular season is typically referred to as “Rivalry Weekend.”
This Saturday could be referred to as “Elimination Weekend” for four teams in the Southeastern Conference.
College Football Playoff hopes and SEC Championship aspirations can be severely damaged for Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU and Alabama.
Three losses likely eliminates any team from playoff consideration. Three losses in conference play equals SEC Championship elimination. Two conference losses may prevent a team from advancing to Atlanta for the title game.
The tightrope will be walked in Oxford, where Georgia (7-1, 5-1) squares off with Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2).
Georgia, which is No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, hopes to enhance its resume and stay on track for an SEC championship. A loss could create a significant detour.
The Bulldogs are currently tied atop the SEC standings with Texas A&M and Tennessee, which they play next week. One-loss Texas and LSU are just a half-game behind in the standings.
Georgia lost to Alabama and would be at a tie-breaker disadvantage if they finished with the same conference record as the Crimson Tide.
Also, Ole Miss — which has just Florida and Mississippi State remaining on its schedule — doesn’t figure to lose again. Therefore, a loss would also put Georgia at a tie-break disadvantage with the Rebels.
Despite all that’s at stake, Georgia won’t approach the game any differently.
“We try to be businesslike and intense throughout the season and not treat one game bigger than the other,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “When you do that, the kids kind of read into that.
“So for us, it’s a lot of big games. I think the elasticity of someone’s ability to focus can be stretched. We’re trying to stretch that mental preparation so they can do it over and over again.”
Ole Miss, No. 16 in the playoff rankings, had already suffered three-point losses to Kentucky and LSU by mid-October. Coach Lane Kiffin acknowledged another loss would cripple postseason possibilities. He pointed out that has been the case for the Rebels’ last two games.
“We’ve put ourselves in a playoff situation for two games in a row,” he said. “This would be the third one in a row that we would need to win to keep on pace for (the playoff).”
There will also be no room for error in Baton Rouge. Alabama, No. 11 in the playoff rankings, has lost to Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
The Crimson Tide most recently skunked Missouri, 34-0, but another loss would be devastating.
“We have less wiggle room, and our backs are to the wall, so we're going to fight,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “Each and every day, we're going to fight, scratch and claw like you've never seen, and that continues on this week."
Meanwhile, No. 15 LSU has fallen to Texas A&M and USC in a non-conference clash.
A loss would leave the Tigers out of playoff contention and put their SEC title hopes on life support.
However, coach Brian Kelly said there is no stake than usual.
“If this is an elimination game, every game in the SEC is an elimination game,” Kelly said. “Everybody that has a loss, everybody has two losses, everybody that plays each other. It’s an elimination game.
“We can put that to rest. Each team in the SEC knows where they’re at. The record speaks for itself. This is about your need to play your very best when your best is needed.”
They all need to be at their best or risk elimination.
Around the SEC
This week’s games: Florida at No. 5 Texas; No. 3 Georgia at No. 16 Ole Miss; South Carolina at Vanderbilt; Mississippi State at No. 7 Tennessee; No. 11 Alabama at No. 15 LSU; Oklahoma at No. 24 Missouri
Who’s hot: Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson leads the SEC with 980 yards. Last week, he rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Kentucky. That was his fourth straight game to exceed 100 rushing yards and score at least two touchdowns. Don’t be surprised if he reaches those totals for the fifth time in a row. He next faces Mississippi State, which is last in the SEC in rushing defense.
Who’s not: The Ole Miss pass defense has been too generous of late. Over the last three games, the Rebels have allowed 884 yards (294.6 per game) and six touchdowns. That’s despite not necessarily playing the most challenging competition. There was no shame in allowing LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier to throw for 337 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-26 overtime loss. Next, they gave up 182 passing yards to Oklahoma, which has one of the SEC’s least productive passing games. Then, last week, they allowed 365 yards to Arkansas, which was without starting quarterback Taylen Green for most of the game. This weekend, the Rebels will be tested by Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, who is ranked third in the SEC in passing.
Keep an eye on: The Texas Longhorns lead the nation in total defense and are second in scoring defense. They’ve allowed just 241.3 yards and 11.5 points per game. Skeptics would point out Texas has faced five struggling offenses — Michigan (ranked 127th), ULM (125th), Oklahoma (112th), Vanderbilt (107th) and Colorado State (93rd). Still, they’ve done what was expected. Only Georgia has managed 30 points vs. the Longhorns. Texas can expect another stingy defensive effort vs. Florida. The Gators are ranked 69th in total offense but are down to third-string quarterback Aidan Warner. He passed for just 66 yards last week vs. Georgia. Florida holds an NCAA record of scoring in 456 consecutive games. That streak is in serious jeopardy.
The pressure is on: Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is having a good year. He has thrown for 2,302 yards and 17 touchdowns. But he has also thrown 11 interceptions. He was picked off three times by Alabama, Texas and Florida. Next he faces an Ole Miss defense which has been vulnerable to the pass. The Bulldogs likely will need him to exploit that vulnerability to keep up with the Ole Miss offense. The Rebels average 42.1 points to lead the SEC in scoring.
Best matchup: After posting three sacks vs. Texas A&M last week, South Carolina now boasts the SEC’s second-most productive pass rush. The Gamecocks have 31 sacks. More than half (16) have come in the last three games. They face Vanderbilt’s offensive line, which has surrendered just 11 sacks. The Commodores have allowed just one sack in their last three games. Of course, a lot of that is due to the mobility of quarterback Diego Pavia.
