Chase for spots in SEC championship game still up for grabs with 2 games left

Chase for spots in SEC championship game still up for grabs with 2 games left
It's a tight race! Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

With two games left in the regular season, No. 15 Texas A&M has a chance to reach the Southeastern Conference title game for the first time since joining the league in 2012.

If the Aggies win their remaining games against Auburn and No. 3 Texas they will be 7-1 in conference play and be guaranteed a shot.

“This is everything that you want, right? We haven’t been in this position as a program ever,” first-year Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. “There’s been no time ever where Texas A&M has been in the SEC, in the last two games controlled their own destiny to go to Atlanta. And so that’s what you work for. It’s the opportunity that you’ve trained for.”

But a loss would create more chaos in an already tight race that could end with as many as six teams with a 6-2 record in the first season the league has played without divisions since 1991.

“It’s interesting because this is my first year being in the SEC without divisions … I’m just kind of thinking what would that look like now? It makes it very entertaining,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I think college football is at an all-time high, popularity wise, people watching us. They want to know what’s going on. It’s not just our conference, it’s a lot of other conferences. I think it’s a good thing.”

The Aggies are currently tied with the Longhorns for the SEC’s best mark at 5-1. Texas hosts Kentucky on Saturday before the showdown with Texas A&M on Nov. 30. No. 8 Georgia is in third place at 6-2 after already wrapping up league play. Tenth-ranked Tennessee is next at 5-2 and No. 7 Alabama and No. 9 Ole Miss are next at 4-2.

Tennessee last played in the SEC title game in 2007 with a 6-2 league record and lost 21-14 to LSU who also came in with a 6-2 record.

The Volunteers have one conference game remaining against Vanderbilt on Nov. 30. Alabama plays Oklahoma and Auburn and Ole Miss faces Florida and Mississippi State.

Alabama holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Georgia after getting a 41-34 win over the Bulldogs. Georgia has the tiebreaker over Texas and Tennessee after beating both teams.

If it is still tied after factoring in the head-to-head competition, then records against all common conference opponents would be used to break the tie. The third level to break ties would be the records against the highest placed common conference opponents.

Next would be cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents followed by the relative total scoring margin against all conference opponents.

If things still aren’t sorted out after all that then the tied teams would be subject to a random draw to pick who will go to the title game.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart isn’t thinking about any of that and doesn’t even want to talk about what needs to happen for his team to reach the title game.

“I don’t think that’s a hypothetical, the focus is on UMass. I mean, it really is,” he said. “So, why would I put energy or time into trying to figure out what the best pathway is, including the SEC championship, when I’m worried about UMass? I just don’t think it’s a quality conversation.”

While the Aggies would be thrilled to earn a spot in the conference title game, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin isn’t so keen on qualifying for the game now that the College Football Playoff has expanded from four to 12 teams.

“The conference championship could have a big impact both ways for people,” he said. “I’ve talked to other coaches, so I’ll just give you the feeling from some other coaches that they don’t want to be in it. The reward to get a bye versus the risk to get knocked out completely, that’s a really big risk just to get a bye.”

Kiffin added that playing another game also increases the risk of injuries and then likened playing in it to gambling.

“I’m not a big gambler but that’s kind of like one of those Vegas poker table things, like that’s all in,” he said. “And you’re going all in in the best conference in football, so you’ve got to play somebody great, too. Very different than a lot of these other conferences.”

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The Texans host the Titans this Sunday. Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images.

Even with Nico Collins back, Joe Mixon remained the star of Houston’s offense in a win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.

Mixon had another big game to lead Houston to the 34-10 victory, running for 109 yards and three touchdowns with 44 yards receiving as the Texans (7-4) ended a two-game skid.

Collins helped the Texans to the win with four receptions for 54 yards in his return after missing five games with a hamstring injury.

It was the sixth straight game with at least one touchdown run for Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, which ties a franchise record. He’s had at least 100 yards rushing in six of his eight games this season and his nine rushing touchdowns in the past six games are a franchise record for a six-game span.

“Joe has been amazing,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “He’s been somebody who came in, taught guys how to win more … he taught guys what it takes to get to that goal. We are not there yet, but we are taking strides.”

Mixon gave Houston an early lead with a 45-yard touchdown run on the first drive and he made it 14-0 with a 1-yard scamper later in the first quarter. His third score on another 1-yard run extended the lead to 34-10 in the fourth.

“Joe, when he’s on, he’s a force for us,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Over 100 yards, three touchdowns, I just really liked the way we just kept churning it in the run game.”

Mixon's performance helped the Texans solve the second-half woes that had plagued them in the past four games. They scored 17 points after halftime Monday after managing just 15 points combined in the second half of the previous four games.

What's working

Mixon has completely transformed Houston’s running game this season. The Texans surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark as a team just seven times last season. Houston averaged just 96.88 yards rushing a game last season and has averaged 137.75 yards rushing in the eight games Mixon has played in this season.

What needs help

Stroud threw for 257 yards Monday night, but did not have a touchdown pass. He has just one touchdown pass with three interceptions in the past three games combined after throwing four with just one interception in the previous three games.

Collins was open on a long pass in the first quarter Monday night, but Stroud overthrew him and it was intercepted on the Dallas 12.

Stock up

DE Derek Barnett had a strip-sack of Cooper Rush in the fourth quarter Monday night. The ball was recovered by Dallas offensive lineman Tyler Guyton, but Jalen Pitre knocked the ball out of his hands and Barnett picked it up and dashed 28 yards for a touchdown.

“Derek Barnett, the play he made really changed the game for us,” Ryans said. “They flipped the momentum and got everybody juiced up on the sideline. It was just a huge play.”

Barnett is the sixth defensive lineman in franchise history to score on a fumble return and the second in the NFL this season after Travon Walker had one for the Jaguars on Nov. 3.

Stock down

LT Laremy Tunsil negated a 77-yard touchdown reception by Collins on the first play of the game Monday after being flagged for being an ineligible man downfield. It was the 14th penalty of the season for Tunsil, which leads the NFL.

Injuries

DE Will Anderson Jr. missed a second straight game with an ankle injury. … T Blake Fisher could return Sunday after missing Monday’s game with a concussion.

Key number

11 — Derek Stingley had an interception Monday night to give Houston 11 interceptions in its past six games.

Next steps

The AFC South-leading Texans return to division play Sunday with a visit from Tennessee (2-8) before a trip to Jacksonville (2-9) on Dec. 1. Houston needs to take care of business against these struggling teams before its bye with a stretch of three games in 10 days against Miami, Kansas City and Baltimore coming after the off week.

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