Going into the 2015 season there was a lot of talk about the SEC West being a gauntlet of elite teams with no weak link. Over the year teams have had their ups and downs with only two teams really separating themselves, Alabama at the top and Auburn at the bottom. Alabama has turned out to be the only team truly good enough to be considered a national title contender. Alabama represents the best of SEC football, and they just might be the best team in the country.
The SEC East has been a disaster with most teams regressing with the exception of Tennessee, who’s certainly improved even if they didn’t live up to pre-season hype. Florida only has one loss this year to LSU and have won the SEC East; but realistically they might need a lot of help to make the playoff. They are currently ranked #12 which means they are very much on the outside looking in; but the bigger issue is a home game with Florida State followed by the SEC title game against Alabama more than likely. The way they’ve played the last few weeks it looks unlikely they’ll come through those two games without losing.
This leaves the Alabama Crimson tide, who have ridden a home loss to Ole Miss amidst a number of quality wins over teams like Wisconsin, Mississippi State, LSU and Texas A&M. Once again, it’s the Crimson Tide that gives the SEC it’s only realistic hope of a place in the College Football Playoff, and stops the conference from being shut out like the Big 12 was last year.
Only the ACC has been in a similar position through November with Clemson going undefeated and being the only team with a realistic chance. Elsewhere, the Big Ten, Big 12 and PAC-12 had numerous teams in the hunt meaning a loss to one of their teams didn’t end the conferences chances. But in the SEC, it’s been about Alabama and whether their punishing defense along with the power running game of Derrick Henry, would be enough for them to survive November without any losses to make the playoff.
Alabama and Nick Saban must be one of the most disliked teams in the SEC, but it’s certainly better for the conference to be represented each year in the playoff, even if it’s your bitter rivals for the second straight year. So for the good of the conference long term it might be better if Alabama wins over Auburn in the Iron Bowl and then wins the SEC title game against Florida. Even if it doesn’t feel good right now Alabama has been the savior of the SEC so far in the playoff era.
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