SEC standings, explained: Updated 2024 tiebreakers for Georgia, Tennessee and more

The scramble for the SEC championship is the most-compelling race in college football in 2024. 

The conference has eight schools with two losses or less in conference play. Nine teams are ranked in the AP Top 25. The SEC should get four teams in the College Football Playoff – maybe even five – but the struggle to determine who the two teams that make the SEC championship game in Atlanta on Dec. 7 is very real heading into Week 12. 

The matchup between No. 7 Tennessee and No. 12 Georgia will offer some clarity, but the key game in the race will be on Nov. 30 between No. 3 Texas and No. 15 Texas A&M. That will determine how much the potential two-loss logjam will be in figuring out who goes to the conference championship game. 

Here is a look at where those contenders are in the standings, their respective paths to the SEC championship and the tie-breaker rules should two teams – or three or more teams - tie in the conference standings at the end of the regular season.

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SEC football standings 2024

The SEC has eight teams with two losses or less in conference play with three weeks left in the regular season. Here is a look at those teams. South Carolina also is ranked in the AP Top 25 and CFP rankings, but the Gamecocks have three losses in conference play.                                                    

SEC tiebreaker rules for 2024 season 

The SEC will use six potential tie-breakers for the 2024 season in this order until the tie is broken: 

Step 1: Head-to-head competition: This is the easiest tie-beaker. Did Team A beat Team B? 

Step 2: Record vs. all common conference opponents.

Step 3: Record against highest (best) placed common conference opponent in the conference standings, and proceeding through the conference standings among tied teams. 

Step 4: Cumulative conference winning percentages of all conference opponents among tied teams. 

Step 5: Capped relative total scoring margin vs. all conference opponents among the tied teams. 

Step 6: Random draw.

SEC contenders path to the championship game 

Tennessee (8-1, 5-1) 

Remaining schedule: at Georgia, vs. UTEP, at Vanderbilt 

The Vols are tied atop the conference standings, but they have lost the last seven meetings to Georgia and quarterback Nico Iamaleava is in concussion protocol ahead of the matchup. The Arkansas loss hurts because Ole Miss, Texas A&M and LSU have all beaten the Razorbacks. Still, Tennessee controls its own destiny at the moment because Texas and Texas A&M – the other one-loss teams – play on Nov. 30. 

Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1) 

Remaining schedule: vs. New Mexico State, at Auburn, vs. Texas 

The Aggies are the chaos team in this field – because a victory against Texas in the regular-season finale would ignite a potential two-loss mess for the rest of the SEC field. Texas A&M has a non-conference loss to Notre Dame, but that impacts the CFP race more at the moment. 

Texas (8-1, 4-1) 

Remaining schedule: at Arkansas, vs. Kentucky, at Texas A&M 

The Longhorns still control their destiny. The tricky loss for them is Georgia. Alabama and Ole Miss have head-to-head victories against the Bulldogs as a common opponent, and that tie-breaker could hurt the Longhorns if they slip up in one of these last three games. Texas, however, will be favored in its final three games. They have the best path to the SEC championship game. 

Georgia (7-2, 5-2) 

Remaining schedule: vs. Tennessee, vs. UMass, vs. Georgia Tech 

The Bulldogs close out SEC play on Saturday against Tennessee. A loss would mean elimination from the race. A victory would keep Georgia's hopes alive, and the head-to-head victory against Texas could come in handy if the Aggies beat the Longhorns on Nov. 30. The head-to-head losses against Ole Miss and Alabama, however, are the downside. That will be tough to overcome in a two-loss jam. 

Alabama (7-2, 4-2) 

Remaining schedule: vs. Mercer, at Oklahoma, vs. Auburn 

The Crimson Tide are in good shape despite conference losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee. That's because Alabama has head-to-head victories against Georgia and LSU, which will be huge if there is a pileup of two-loss teams. In most of those situations, Alabama will have the advantage. It's amazing how Kalen DeBoer's first season has fluctuated in Tuscaloosa.

Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2) 

Remaining schedule: at Florida, vs. Mississippi State 

The Rebels are in a good spot for the College Football Playoff, but three-point losses to Kentucky and LSU make their path to the SEC championship game far more difficult. The 28-10 victory against Georgia offset the 29-26 loss to LSU, but that likely will not be enough unless Alabama loses again. 

Missouri (7-2, 3-2) 

Remaining schedule: at South Carolina, at Mississippi State, vs. Arkansas 

The Tigers stayed in the SEC race with a 30-23 victory against Oklahoma in Week 11, but they are hanging by a thread as two-touchdown underdogs going to South Carolina in Week 12. Missouri already has blowout losses at Texas A&M and Alabama, and they do not have a victory against one of the top eight teams. A 6-2 record would affect other contenders in those tie-breaker scenarios, especially the Aggies and Crimson Tide. 

LSU (6-3, 3-2) 

Remaining schedule: at Florida, vs. Vanderbilt, vs. Oklahoma 

The Tigers could be part of a 6-2 logjam if they can win out, but the 42-13 loss to Alabama hurts. It would improve LSU's chances if Alabama were upset in the final two weeks against Oklahoma or Auburn. As it stands, the three-loss Tigers are a long-shot in this race, even if they do have a head-to-head victory against Ole Miss. 

SEC common opponents tracker for 2024

Here is a look at the common opponents for the eight teams in contention. Keep this chart handy for the final three weeks: 

Most likely SEC championship game scenario 

Here is what we think will happen over the next few weeks. 

- Georgia will beat Tennessee. 

- Missouri will be eliminated with a loss to South Carolina. 

- Texas will beat Texas A&M on Nov. 30. The Longhorns win out and claim one of the spots in the SEC championship game as a result. 

- If the chalk plays out from there, there will be six teams with 6-2 records in conference play trying to get the spot opposite Texas in Atlanta. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head records among those teams. At that point, it would be Alabama (2-1), Georgia (2-2), Tennessee (1-1), Texas A&M (1-1), Ole Miss (1-1) and LSU (1-2). The Crimson Tide would face Texas in the SEC championship game. 

Here is how that scenario would look among the remaining games:     

Right now, we have Texas vs. Alabama in the SEC championship game.