The Big 12 is even deader than it was last week. The ACC is Clemson and Clemson alone until further notice. UCF’s dead, Cincinnati’s got a long way to go, and BYU’s intriguing but plays too weak a schedule for us to know what to make of what the committee will make of them. So let’s talk about the SEC.
In the West, as expected, Alabama pounded Texas A&M. Mississippi State proved to not be a surprise contender. Mississippi got a nice win on their road to a what we assume will be a mildly optimistic final verdict. No, nothing too noteworthy in the West, with the exception of Auburn bowing out of our speculations.
But in the East…
Florida didn’t look all that great against the Gamecocks, but their remaining schedule’s the stuff of envy, featuring a trip to College Station next week, a visit from LSU the week following, Georgia in Jacksonville in early November, and a whole lot of take-care-of-business games. It’s not an easy slate, and it does conclude with a trip to Rocky Top that’s far from a sure bet this far out, but compared to what they could be facing? Florida should be in the picture for a good while more.
Meanwhile, Georgia pounded Auburn. The defense was even better than expected, holding Auburn to 3.5 yards per play (the national median last year was around 5.6). The passing game looked surprisingly competent, with Stetson Bennett (what a name) completing 17 of 28 for 8.6 yards per attempt, and the rushing game’s 202-yard night bringing the offensive total to a solid 6.1 yards per play against one of the best defensive units in all the land. Georgia does not share Florida’s optimistic scheduling. They play in Tuscaloosa in two weeks’ time. But a loss in Tuscaloosa doesn’t hurt, and once that’s done (they host Tennessee next week in Athens and should be a sizable favorite) the Dawgs will have presumably a coin flip’s chance in Jacksonville and nothing else but expected victories.
In a year in which, as many have been saying, two SEC playoff teams is a moderate probability, Florida and Georgia are, two weeks in, the clear candidates for the non-Alabama slot, or perhaps for a slot each if Georgia can surprise in Tuscaloosa. Which means that among teams currently playing, these are the two behind Alabama and Clemson to watch. These are the two with the most to gain and lose. And they’re on a collision course.
