Alabama is back in the Playoff picture, and that alone tells you how much the first three weeks have shaken up the SEC.
The 3-0 Crimson Tide are now showing up in national Playoff projections everywhere. ESPN, USA Today, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, The Athletic, Bleacher Report and others all have Alabama in the 12-team field, usually slotted as either the 8-seed or the 9-seed. That is a major shift for a team that had been left out of Playoff forecasts for months.
The bigger SEC question is still unresolved: will the league get four teams into the Playoff, or five? Right now, the early results make a strong case for five.
In non-conference games against Power Four opponents, SEC teams are 10-2. The rest of the Power Four has not matched that pace.
The Big 12 is 5-7, the ACC is 6-9, and the Big Ten sits at 4-9.
Texas’ win over Ohio State was a huge boost for the SEC, and other results have only added to the sense that the Big Ten may be getting too much credit. USC had a tough time with Rutgers last week, and the Scarlet Knights are 0-3 with a loss to UMass. Oregon also dropped a game to Oklahoma State in Week 2.
ESPN’s FPI reflects just how crowded the SEC race already is. Eight SEC teams have at least a 20.3% chance of reaching the Playoff field.
Texas leads the way at 85.3%, followed by Georgia at 75.4% and Alabama at 57.8%. Ole Miss is next at 40.1%, then Tennessee at 33.2%, LSU at 27.9%, Florida at 27.1% and Mississippi State at 20.3%.
Texas A&M is next in line at 13.7%, with Oklahoma at 11.7%.
For now, Alabama does not belong on the bubble unless it stumbles against South Carolina. Texas and Georgia are in the same category. The SEC bubble teams are Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, Florida, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
Week 4 could start trimming that list. Oklahoma is projected to lose to Georgia and fall off the bubble.
Alabama beating South Carolina, Texas beating Tennessee and Georgia beating Oklahoma would keep the SEC’s bubble picture largely unchanged, though the Sooners would be hanging on by a thread. The loser of Texas A&M at LSU would add another team to the bubble-watch category.
Mississippi State could be pushed out if it loses at home to Missouri. And the loser of Ole Miss at Florida would stay on the bubble rather than falling out of it.
In Other News...
Bryant-Denny Just Gave Alabama Fans A New Gameday Price Debate
Bryant-Denny Stadiums concession stands can make even a routine snack feel like part of the bigger gameday experience, and the Burnt End Nachos are a good example of how Alabama fans are now weighing taste against the kind of price tag that comes with eating inside a major venue. The review of the item found a decent portion and a familiar enough lineup of ingredients, but also noted that the same dish carries a much friendlier price at a local restaurant than it does under the stadium lights.
For fans filing through Tuscaloosa on Saturdays, the real debate is less about whether the nachos are enjoyable and more about whether they justify nearly $20 before tax for what is still, at the end of the day, a plate of stadium food. Thats the tradeoff Alabama supporters keep running into on game day: convenience, atmosphere, and a specialty menu item, all wrapped into one purchase that leaves the taste buds satisfied but the receipt hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Keelon Russell Just Entered A Bigger SEC Conversation
Rece Davis used his latest look around the SEC to put a spotlight on the leagues next wave of quarterbacks, and Alabamas Keelon Russell was right in the middle of it. As Davis sized up the conference heading into Week 4, he said Ole Miss remained his top team, but he also singled out four young passers who have already started to change the way their teams are viewed.
Russells inclusion matters because it keeps Alabama in the center of the SEC conversation even as other programs try to build momentum behind emerging quarterbacks like Tennessees Faizon Brandon, Vanderbilts Jared Curtis and Mississippi States Kamario Taylor. For Alabama, it is another sign that the Tides future at the position is drawing real attention, and that Russell is already being discussed alongside some of the leagues most promising young talents. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Pass Rush Has A New Difference-Maker Entering SEC Play
Through the first three games, Devan Thompkins has already become one of the more important additions on Alabamas defensive front. The USC transfer leads the Crimson Tide with three sacks, and his impact has shown up in more than just the stat sheet. Against Kentucky and Florida State, he gave Alabama a needed presence off the edge while also showing the versatility and poise the staff has come to lean on as SEC play begins.
Now the challenge gets a little more demanding, with South Carolina next on the schedule and Alabama looking for Thompkins to keep setting the tone up front. For a defense that wants to disrupt timing and force offenses into uncomfortable spots, his role only gets bigger from here. The early returns have been strong, but the next stretch will show how much of a difference-maker he can be when the competition tightens. [Read more 🡒]