SEC football standings and title game race, 2026
The SEC Championship Game matches the top 2 teams in the conference standings.
15 of 16 teams can still reach the title game.
- In if they win out: Georgia and Kentucky
- Alive but need help: Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas, LSU, Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Auburn, Texas A&M and Arkansas
- Out of the race: Vanderbilt
28 conference games left. Based on every possible result of those games.
Standings and projected finish
Ordered by current conference record, with tiebreakers. How ties are broken
| # | Team | Conf | Overall | Projected finish | Title game chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GeorgiaPlaced by tiebreaker: record vs. all common conference opponents.7-1 overall · Projected finish: 1st (avg 3.2) | 5-1 | 7-1 | 1stavg 3.2 · 6.6-2.4 conf | 54% |
| 2 | Kentucky7-1 overall · Projected finish: 2nd (avg 3.5) | 5-1 | 7-1 | 2ndavg 3.5 · 6.5-2.5 conf | 42% |
| 3 | AlabamaPlaced by tiebreaker: cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents.What it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.6-2 overall · Projected finish: 3rd (avg 4.5) | 4-2 | 6-2 | 3rdavg 4.5 · 6.1-2.9 conf | 24% |
| 4 | Ole MissWhat it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.6-2 overall · Projected finish: 4th (avg 5.0) | 4-2 | 6-2 | 4thavg 5.0 · 5.9-3.1 conf | 24% |
| 5 | TexasPlaced by tiebreaker: cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents.What it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.6-2 overall · Projected finish: 7th (avg 6.9) | 3-2 | 6-2 | 7thavg 6.9 · 5.3-3.7 conf | 7% |
| 6 | LSUPlaced by tiebreaker: cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents.What it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.6-2 overall · Projected finish: 5th (avg 5.5) | 3-2 | 6-2 | 5thavg 5.5 · 5.6-3.4 conf | 19% |
| 7 | TennesseePlaced by tiebreaker: cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents.What it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.6-2 overall · Projected finish: 8th (avg 6.9) | 3-2 | 6-2 | 8thavg 6.9 · 5.4-3.6 conf | 11% |
| 8 | MissouriWhat it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.6-2 overall · Projected finish: 6th (avg 6.8) | 3-2 | 6-2 | 6thavg 6.8 · 5.2-3.8 conf | 11% |
| 9 | South CarolinaPlaced by tiebreaker: head-to-head result between the tied teams.What it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.5-3 overall · Projected finish: 10th (avg 8.2) | 3-3 | 5-3 | 10thavg 8.2 · 4.8-4.2 conf | 2% |
| 10 | FloridaWhat it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.5-3 overall · Projected finish: 9th (avg 7.4) | 3-3 | 5-3 | 9thavg 7.4 · 4.9-4.1 conf | 5% |
| 11 | OklahomaWhat it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.4-4 overall · Projected finish: 11th (avg 10.7) | 2-3 | 4-4 | 11thavg 10.7 · 3.6-5.4 conf | 1% |
| 12 | Mississippi StatePlaced by tiebreaker: cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents.What it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.4-4 overall · Projected finish: 12th (avg 11.6) | 2-4 | 4-4 | 12thavg 11.6 · 3.7-5.3 conf | <1% |
| 13 | AuburnWhat it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.4-4 overall · Projected finish: 13th (avg 12.3) | 2-4 | 4-4 | 13thavg 12.3 · 3.4-5.6 conf | <1% |
| 14 | Texas A&MPlaced by tiebreaker: head-to-head result between the tied teams.What it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.4-4 overall · Projected finish: 14th (avg 13.1) | 1-4 | 4-4 | 14thavg 13.1 · 2.6-6.4 conf | <1% |
| 15 | ArkansasWhat it takes: Win out and several results to go its way.3-5 overall · Projected finish: 15th (avg 14.6) | 1-4 | 3-5 | 15thavg 14.6 · 1.8-7.2 conf | <1% |
| 16 | Vanderbilt3-5 overall · Projected finish: 16th (avg 15.9) | 0-5 | 3-5 | 16thavg 15.9 · 0.5-8.5 conf | 0% |
“In if they win out” means winning every remaining conference game guarantees a spot on record alone. “What it takes” is the simplest set of other results that, along with winning out, guarantees a spot without needing a tiebreaker. Projected finish and title game chance are based on the numbers: we played out the rest of the season 10,000 times, with each game's win chance from the Receipts Rankings model, including home field. Projected finish ranks teams by their average place across those seasons (1st has the best average).
How the standings moved, week by week
Each team's conference place after each week with SEC games.
Remaining conference games
Strength of schedule here is the combined current record of the conference opponents each team still plays. 1 is the toughest stretch.
| Team | Still to play | Strength of schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 1Opponents 24-8 | |
| Georgia |
| 2Opponents 17-7 |
| Kentucky | 3Opponents 17-7 | |
| Arkansas |
| 4Opponents 21-11 |
| LSU | 5Opponents 21-11 | |
| Oklahoma | 6Opponents 21-11 | |
| Texas A&M |
| 7Opponents 21-11 |
| Vanderbilt |
| 8Opponents 21-11 |
| Ole Miss |
| 9Opponents 15-9 |
| Tennessee |
| 10Opponents 20-12 |
| Texas | 11Opponents 19-13 | |
| Florida |
| 12Opponents 14-10 |
| South Carolina | 13Opponents 14-10 | |
| Alabama |
| 14Opponents 13-11 |
| Auburn |
| 15Opponents 13-11 |
| Mississippi State |
| 16Opponents 13-11 |
How ties are broken
We use the official SEC procedure (SEC Football Tie-Breaking Process (secsports.com)).
Two teams tied
- Head-to-head result between the tied teams
- Record vs. all common conference opponents
- Record vs. the highest-placed common opponent, proceeding through the standings
- Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents
- Capped relative total scoring margin vs. conference opponents
- Random draw
Three or more teams tied
- Record in games among the tied teams; if not all played, a team that beat all others advances and one that lost to all drops out
- Record vs. all common conference opponents
- Record vs. the highest-placed common opponent, proceeding through the standings
- Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents
- Capped relative total scoring margin vs. conference opponents
- Random draw
Once a step lifts a team out of a tie, it takes the spot and the remaining teams start over. When a group of common opponents is tied in the standings, we use each team's record against that group as a whole.
Capped relative total scoring margin uses the SEC's own formula, which isn't published, so we stop before that step.
How the projections work
Each remaining game's win chance comes from the gap between the two teams' Receipts Rankings scores (through 2026-11-01), plus home field. Both were fit to every FBS game played after late October in the 2021–2025 seasons. Ties our data can't break are settled at random in the simulations.