SEC Standings Updated: Surging Teams Shake Up Playoff Picture After Week 11

With three Saturdays left in the regular season, the SEC standings have morphed into a four-team sprint that could shake up the entire College Football Playoff picture. Texas A&M now owns the inside track after improving to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in league play. Mike Elko’s offense keeps humming—340 points so far—while a defense led by linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. has surrendered just 206. The Aggies still must survive road trips to LSU and Texas, but win out and they control a berth in Atlanta and maybe the No. 1 CFP seed. Alabama lurks in the shadows at 8-1, also perfect in conference games (6-0). Jalen Milroe has grown into a down-field assassin, and the Tide have reeled off eight straight wins since a September stumble at Penn State. Nick Saban’s squad finishes with Oklahoma, Auburn and a potential division title tiebreaker against Georgia, giving Bama plenty of runway to crash the playoff party. Speaking of the Bulldogs, Kirby Smart’s defending champs are 8-1 overall and 6-1 in league action, still alive thanks to the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense (19.8 ppg). Georgia’s closing slate—Mississippi State, at Tennessee, vs. Georgia Tech—sets up a must-watch showdown on rivalry weekend if Texas A&M slips. The surprise storyline is Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin’s Rebels (9-1, 5-1 SEC) lead the nation in total offense and carry a three-game win streak into a pivotal visit from Vanderbilt. Should the Rebels run the table and chaos strike above them, Oxford could find itself hosting the league’s first 12-team playoff discussion. Key tiebreakers to monitor • Divisionless format: The top two conference records reach the SEC Championship. • Head-to-head: Texas A&M owns wins over Ole Miss and Alabama; Alabama faces Georgia next week. • Common opponents: If head-to-head can’t settle a tie, record vs. common SEC foes is next. Dark-horse watch • Texas (7-2, 4-1) can still crash the title game if it sweeps Kansas, at Arkansas and the annual Thanksgiving clash with Texas A&M. • Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2) has posted its best start since 1928, and the Commodores’ five-star freshman QB Wyatt Mason has them dreaming of a New Year’s Six bid. Games that will decide everything Nov 22: Alabama at Georgia Nov 28: Texas A&M at Texas Dec 6: SEC Championship, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Bottom line Every win now counts double: once in the standings and once in the CFP committee’s war room. Keep refreshing those SEC standings—the path to the playoff still runs straight through them, and November’s chaos has only begun.