Alabama's 42-13 blitz at LSU and Ole Miss' 28-10 loss to Georgia caused considerable turmoil within the SEC. At least eight different teams could advance to the SEC Championship Game.
For the purposes of this exercise, I predict the Dawgs will beat Tennessee next week and Texas will win at Texas A&M. According to my colleague Seth Emerson's calculations, this game will likely feature Texas vs. Alabama in Atlanta, and I like the Tide for that game.
Meanwhile, at least one SEC team will finish 10-2 and miss the playoffs if things continue like this. My prediction is that Tennessee will only have one win in the top 25 (against Alabama) and probably only three wins against a team that finishes above .500. Unless, of course, the Vols go 11-1 against a winless Top 25 team in Indiana.
Elsewhere, Oregon State hasn't done anything bad at all, but if they play Ohio State in a rematch of the Big Ten Championship Game, I'd go back to Ohio State. Penn State's resume isn't overwhelming, but given that the committee drafted them No. 6 last week, an 11-1 Nittany Lions team is better than 11-2 Texas or 10-2. It will likely be seeded higher than Georgia, which lost.
Lastly, Colorado is my new projected Big 12 champion. Buff is rolling. It hurts to keep 9-0 BYU off the field completely, but the Cougars' luck will run out at some point, probably at Arizona State in a few weeks. A 10-2 Ole Miss team with a lopsided win over Georgia State and a likely 9-3 South Carolina team will take my final AT large spot.
(Photo: Patrick Mulligan/Getty Images)
