How Florida Wins the Outright SEC Regular-Season Title

The Florida Gators on Saturday, for the first time since 2014, clinched at least a share of the SEC regular-season title with its 111-77 win over Arkansas.

The title also gives head coach Todd Golden the trifecta of championships after the program's SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament titles last season, making him just the third coach to do so in his first four years.

"I continue in my career, you just realize that every year is different and every team is different," he said. "And we were incredibly fortunate to return some really impactful players off a national championship team, but it took us a little bit to get comfortable and to find our way. And the credit that this team deserves more than anything is staying together, believing in each other when guys weren't playing at their best, not pointing fingers."

Todd Golden has completed the trifecta of championships, winning his first SEC regular-season title after winning the SEC and NCAA tournaments last season. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

That being said, the Gators have not yet clinched the outright title due to Alabama's win over Tennessee. Florida Gators on SI details what Florida needs to do to win the outright title.

How Florida Wins Outright

Since the SEC regular-season title is determined by conference record, technically both Florida and Alabama can win a share for the title. For that to happen, Florida has to lose both of its next games (Mississippi State, Kentucky), and Alabama has to win its next two games (Georgia, Auburn).

If that were to happen, both Florida and Alabama would finish with a 14-4 record in conference play, creating a share title. However, the SEC regular-season standings also determine the seeding for the conference tournament, but there cannot be two one-seeds. Florida, as a result of its 100-77 win over the Crimson Tide on Feb. 1, holds the one-seed no matter the outcome due to having the tie-breaker.

Now, the goal is simple for Florida to win the outright title: win at least one of its next two games.

Should Florida beat either Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11 SEC) or Kentucky (19-10, 10-6 SEC), the Gators would stand alone atop the SEC standings heading into the postseason. Additionally, if Alabama loses even one of its next two games, Florida would automatically clinch the outright title no matter its results.

Larger Implications at Play

While Florida has clinched the top seed in the SEC Tournament no matter what, and winning an outright regular-season title is simply for bragging rights, the Gators cannot afford a slip-up down the stretch with larger implications on the table.

The Gators, a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament Committee's first bracket outlook, are rising after its dominant wins over Ole Miss, Texas and Arkansas. Wins over the next two games, plus another deep run in the SEC Tournament, could be enough for Florida to clinch a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.

"We're playing for a lot still. We got a lot to still accomplish," Golden said. "This can't be the best thing that happened to us this year. Not only are we playing to be lone champs on Tuesday, but I told the guys, we're playing to become the best seed possible. Because of the way we played in the month of February, we've opened up a lot of opportunities for ourselves down the stretch."