Early on Saturday afternoon, someone pointed out to Georgia coach Kirby Smart that Ole Miss had just lost, then asked if Smart had been briefed on any scenarios where Georgia “could get in that game.”
“Get us in what game?” Smart responded.
He wasn’t being coy. Getting into the SEC championship was still a long shot at that point (about 4 p.m. ET). By the end of the night, Georgia was the first team to clinch a spot. And all around Georgia the reaction could be summed up: Uh, yay?
One can imagine the reaction in the SEC office after a day and night of stirring upsets and exciting games: (Expletive deleted, Dr. Pepper cans being thrown at walls.)
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Tis the worst of times for the SEC. Tis also the best of times.
Two things can be true: 1. The SEC is the deepest conference in college football, the hardest to play in and has the toughest road environments and just a great overall product. 2. The SEC should get only three teams in the College Football Playoff this year.
Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama team has three losses in his first season with the program. (William Purnell / Imagn Images)
It will be a shame if, as seems likely, Alabama and Ole Miss don’t make the CFP. They both beat Georgia, they both have talented rosters, and on any given day, they could beat anybody in the country. But the results on the field have to matter. If the SEC is so deep that teams are going to beat up on each other and knock each other out of the CFP, then so be it. That’s the cost of business.
GO DEEPER
Wild day in SEC sets up Georgia vs. Texas-Texas A&M winner in title game
That said, there are still two full weeks of football to go, with the potential for more wackiness. But as things stand, here are the updated vibes rankings, which as a reminder are not a pure ranking of who are the best teams — not that anyone knows anyway — but of the mood around the programs. This takes into account expectations, momentum, Playoff chances and … wait you’re saying who is still in the Playoff discussion?
Beat Wofford, 56-12
Last week: 1
Yeah, the Gamecocks were blown out by Ole Miss and lost at Alabama. So did Georgia. And Shane Beamer’s team is the hottest in the conference right now, with six wins in a row, and if it beats Clemson on Saturday, it could mean a third ranked win, if Missouri gets back in the rankings. Look, the Gamecocks’ Playoff chances still seem pretty low. But the fact it’s a legitimate discussion is remarkable.
Beat UTEP, 56-0
Last week: 9
When you’re happy through no real action of your own. Last week: We’re the first team out of the Playoff, arguing with Indiana and Big Ten fans. This week: We’re back baby! The Vols are comfortably in the field as long as they win at Vanderbilt, which is not a slam dunk this year, but it’s looking more feasible than a few weeks ago.
3. Texas (10-1, 6-1)
Beat Kentucky, 31-14
Last week: 5
This is still a hard team to pin down: It’s fully capable of not losing again and winning the national title. It’s fully capable of losing in College Station and then in the first round of the Playoff. But yes, that assumes the Longhorns still make the field, and we’re making that assumption. It has zero ranked wins and a home loss to Georgia, but the selection committee needs to find 12 teams, and it appears to adore Bevo.
GO DEEPER
Takeaways from Georgia’s win: Sluggish on the field but a good day on the Playoff front
4. Georgia (9-2, 6-2)
Beat UMass, 59-21
Last week: 4
Here’s a message to Georgia fans (and maybe coaches) leery of making the SEC championship: Don’t be. You’re safely in the Playoff if you beat Georgia Tech on Friday. You likely will be favored against Texas (which you already beat) or Texas A&M, and then you’d get three weeks off. Yes, losing the game would make it ultimately a detriment to have made the game. But there’s no dominant, Nick Saban-led colossus awaiting there. And as beat up as the Dawgs are, most of those injuries on offense, which has looked good the past two weeks. Just keep that going, remind those five-star prospects on defense how to tackle, and this team will likely get its much-needed rest with a bye into the quarterfinals.
GO DEEPER
Ole Miss loses to Florida 24-17 as CFP chances slip away
5. Florida (6-5, 4-4)
Beat Ole Miss, 24-17
Last week: 8
Good for Billy Napier. Sometimes a coach survives the hot seat through luck, but in this case, Napier legitimately got his team better, and with DJ Lagway at quarterback, there’s real hope going forward. How much hope we’ll see, but Napier earned another year.
6. Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2)
Lost at Auburn, 43-41 (4OT)
Last week: 7
Texas A&M is the one contender to lose Saturday and still control its destiny. (By the way, we here at the vibes are perfectly fine with “control your destiny” as a phrase. Not all cliches are created equal.) The Aggies know they’re out if they lose the next one. They know they’re in if they win that one and then beat Georgia. They don’t know what happens if they beat Texas but lose to Georgia, and that will be a huge debate for championship week. For now, hope lives.
7. Missouri (8-3, 4-3)
Won at Mississippi State, 39-20
Last week: 10
It hasn’t been pretty: Missouri has been outscored by 30 points in power-conference games. And being out of realistic Playoff contention is a disappointment. But Eli Drinkwitz’s team still has a good chance of finishing 9-3, then getting a 10th win in a bowl. All in all, it’s not a step backward for the program. It’s just not a step forward either.
8. Vanderbilt (6-5, 3-4)
Lost at LSU, 24-17
Last week: 6
OK, things have come a bit back down to earth, but if in any other year, Vanderbilt had gone into Death Valley and kept the score within a touchdown, the Vandy fan base would have been ecstatic. It still may be. This seems a fairly realistic group. Let’s see what another year of success does.
Beat Alabama, 24-3
Last week: 12
The jury remains out on Brett Venables as a head coach. (We’re also OK with “the jury being out” as a cliche.) But as a defensive mind, there’s no question. He just needs to fix this offense in the offseason, and the signs the last few weeks are promising, and the Sooners may be contenders in 2025.
10. Auburn (5-6, 2-5)
Beat Texas A&M, 43-41 (4OT)
Last week: 13
You don’t just go into Jordan-Hare Stadium and get a win. Well unless you’re Cal. Or Vanderbilt. Or Oklahoma, Arkansas or last season New Mexico State. … You know what, maybe we need to take a look at that Texas A&M ranking again.
Beat Louisiana Tech, 35-14
Last week: 11
Three Arkansas turnovers made the score closer in a game the Razorbacks otherwise dominated (456-257 in total yards). But it’s not great that we’re breaking down the box in a win over a 4-7 Sun Belt team. This regular-season finale at Missouri is fairly intriguing for how everyone feels in December. And who will be employed in December.
Lost to Missouri, 39-20
Last week: 14
These Bulldogs aren’t rising in the vibes so much as others are falling and everyone just forgetting about them at this point. Given the record and results, they’re probably OK with that.
GO DEEPER
The moral of the story from Ole Miss loss: This is about surviving the grind
13. Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3)
Lost at Florida, 24-17
Last week: 2
A longer treatise on Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss is contained in this column, which was published before Alabama and Texas A&M also lost. Did that change the equation? One can’t rule it out, because, again, the committee has to find 12 teams for the field. Maybe the Rebels will get some help. But for now, they don’t control their … OK, let’s keep it to one appearance per cliche per column.
14. Kentucky (4-7, 1-7)
Lost at Texas, 31-14
Last week: 15
The Wildcats have five losses in six games since their win at Ole Miss, with the lone win over mighty Murray State and the five losses by an average of 15.2 points. There will be no bowl, and the only chance to head into an uncertain offseason on a good note is to beat Louisville. That actually could happen!
GO DEEPER
Michigan flips QB Bryce Underwood — No. 1 player in 2025 class — from LSU
15. LSU (7-4, 4-3)
Beat Vanderbilt, 24-17
Last week: 16
Whatever happened in the game Saturday night, the vibes were going to remain down because of the Bryce Underwood news. Beating a solid Vanderbilt team, albeit by one touchdown, only stems the bleeding a bit. Brian Kelly doesn’t seem in immediate trouble, but he sure does need some good news.
GO DEEPER
Sooners ‘finally did the things’ to win, possibly eliminating Bama from Playoff
16. Alabama (8-3, 4-3)
Lost at Oklahoma, 24-3
Last week: 3
These rankings are meant to be reactionary, which is why Alabama is in the basement this week. Clearly, it’s not the worst team or program in the league, and the Playoff isn’t even off the table yet. Kalen DeBoer may still prove to be the right hire. As Curt Cignetti would say, just Google him. He wins.
But the angst meter is going up. It’s one thing to lose a close game on the road when your Playoff hopes were probably on the line. It’s another to get waxed like that. It’s one thing to go into a season knowing the schedule is hard and making the Playoff isn’t a given. It’s another to be unbeaten heading into September, coming off a big win over Georgia, then lose three of your next seven. (With a two-point win at home thrown in there.)
GO DEEPER
How Alabama’s offense faltered with everything on the line against Oklahoma
Beat Auburn this week, and everyone will feel better. Beat them like a drum, preferably. And maybe you catch a break with the Playoff. But in general, Alabama fans, who were spoiled by the Nick Saban era, a parting thought: Welcome to Angst-ville.
(Top photo of Kirby Smart: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
