Two Key Showdowns Have Huge CFP Implications: How to Watch Every SEC Football Game
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What can we say, we love elimination games, especially when there's interesting recent history involved.
There's two in the Southeastern Conference this weekend, and by elimination games we mean that they include high-profile teams, but one in each contest has to win in order to keep its College Football Playoff chances alive. We're talking about Texas and Oklahoma, of course, who both have two losses heading into the weekend and are heading into brutally-tough matchups on the the road at none other than Georgia and Alabama.
If the playoff had started this past week, No. 10 Texas was in the 12-team tournament, but No. 11 Oklahoma would have been been out due to automatic bids to conference champions. You may remember that three-loss Alabama ended up in the same spot last year and didn't get in.
Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide can all but assure itself a spot in the SEC Championship Game with a win against the Sooners on Saturday, as it and Texas A&M are still both undefeated in league play. The Bulldogs know they have to win to still have a shot at Atlanta.
What really makes the matchups juicy, though, is that Texas and Georgia went to overtime in the 2024 SEC Championship before the Bulldogs won and secured a CFP bye, and the Sooners fans rushed the field when they won at home against the Crimson Tide a year ago. You know last years' 24-3 dud of a game in Norman has been the talk in the football complex in Tuscaloosa.
Oh, and by the way, it's homecoming at Alabama.
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That all gives us a great Games of the Week doubleheader on Saturday:
No 11 Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC) at No. 4 Alabama (8-1, 6-0)
2:30 p.m. CT • ABC
Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium (100,077)
Last: OU, 24-3 (2024 at Norman)
Series: OU leads, 4-2-1
SiriusXM: 138/191 – 84
No. 10 Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC) at No. 5 Georgia (8-1, 6-1)
7:30 p.m. ET • ABC
Athens, Ga. • Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium (93,033)
Series: Texas leads, 4-3
Last: Georgia 22-19 [OT] (2024 SEC Championship Game)
SiriusXM: 82 – 84
Regardless of the outcomes, we'll have a much clearer postseason picture fro the SEC after these two games, with No. 14 Vanderbilt fans hoping both visiting teams lose so the Commodores can move up and have a a win-and-in situation.
Here's a reminder of who the SEC contenders have left to play:
No. 3 Texas A&M: South Carolina, Samford, at No. 10 Texas
No. 4 Alabama: No. 11 Oklahoma, Eastern Illinois, at Auburn
No. 5 Georgia: No. 10 Texas, Charlotte, at No. 16 Georgia Tech
No. 7 Ole Miss: Florida, Bye, at Mississippi State
No. 10 Texas: at No. 5 Georgia, Arkansas, No. 3 Texas A&M
No. 11 Oklahoma: at No. 4 Alabama, Missouri, LSU
No. 14 Vanderbilt: Bye, Kentucky, at No. 25 Tennessee
As always, all other games are in order of when they start, and times are local to the venue. Open Date: Auburn (4-6, 1-6 SEC); No. 13 Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2).
1. South Carolina (3-6, 1-6 SEC) at No. 3 Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0)
11 a.m. CT • ESPN
Bryan - College Station, Texas • Kyle Field (102,733)
Series: Texas A&M leads, 9-2
Last: South Carolina, 44-20 (2024 at Columbia)
SiriusXM: 380 - 84
2. Arkansas (2-7, 0-5 SEC) at LSU (5-4, 2-4)
11 a.m. CT • SEC Network
Baton Rouge, La. • Tiger Stadium (102,321)
Series: LSU leads, 43-23-2
Last: LSU, 34-10 (2024 at Fayetteville)
SiriusXM: 374 - 106/190
3. Tennessee Tech (10-0) at Kentucky (4-5, 2-5)
1:30 p.m. ET • SEC+
Lexington, Ky. • Kroger Field (61,000)
Series: UK leads, 1-0
SiriusXM: 161/192
4. New Mexico State (3-6) at No. 21 Tennessee (6-3, 3-3)
4:14 p.m. ET • SEC Network
Knoxville, Tenn. • Neyland Stadium (101,915)
Series: First meeting
SiriusXM: 106/190
5. Florida (3-6, 2-4 SEC) at No. 6 Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1)
6 p.m. CT • ESPN
Oxford, Miss. • Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (64,038)
Series: Florida leads, 13-12-1
Last: Florida 24-17 (2024 at Gainesville)
SiriusXM: 145 - 138/
6. Mississippi State (5-5, 1-5 SEC) at Missouri (6-3, 2-3)
6:45 p.m. CT • SEC Network
Columbia, Mo. • Faurot Field (57,321)
Series: Mizzou leads, 3-2
Last: Mizzou 39-20 (2024 at Starkville)
SiriusXM: 374 - 106/190
Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.
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