Time is a flat circle.
We began the year excited for a potential power struggle in the SEC. Alabama and Nick Saban, three years removed from their last championship, trying to prevent Georgia and Kirby Smart from winning a third consecutive title and doing what Saban did to the conference in 2009.
Then, the Crimson Tide lost to Texas. And they barely beat South Florida. The think pieces started about whether this would be Saban’s final bow.
Then, Georgia needed to come back in the second half against both South Carolina and Auburn. The think pieces started about whether Georgia was still the best program in football, with Texas and Michigan stealing No. 1 votes.
Fast forward to the end of Week 6, and guess who the last two SEC teams without a conference loss are?
Here’s how ESPN FPI sees the conference shaking out at the conclusion of Week 6.
| Team | Record | Conference Record | FPI (National Rank) | Win Out % | Win Division % | Win Conference % | Make Playoff % |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | 5-1 | 3-0 | 24.4 (3rd) | 22.1% | 82.5% | 43.9% | 29.9% |
| Georgia Bulldogs | 6-0 | 3-0 | 24.3 (4th) | 21.0% | 90.2% | 47.4% | 42.0% |
| Ole Miss Rebels | 5-1 | 2-1 | 18.0 (11th) | 9.1% | 3.7% | 1.5% | 3.5% |
| LSU Tigers | 4-2 | 3-1 | 17.5 (14th) | 3.9% | 11.5% | 4.0% | 1.2% |
| Texas A&M Aggies | 4-2 | 2-1 | 16.2 (15th) | 5.2% | 2.0% | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Tennessee Volunteers | 4-1 | 1-1 | 15.1 (17th) | 0.7% | 6.3% | 1.9% | 0.7% |
| Auburn Tigers | 3-2 | 0-2 | 9.0 (29th) | 0.3% | 0.3% | — | — |
| Arkansas Razorbacks | 2-4 | 0-3 | 7.6 (32nd) | 1.3% | — | — | — |
| Florida Gators | 4-2 | 2-1 | 7.1 (34th) | 0.0% | 1.5% | 0.3% | — |
| South Carolina Gamecocks | 2-3 | 1-2 | 6.7 (36th) | 1.0% | 0.1% | — | — |
| Missouri Tigers | 5-1 | 1-1 | 6.6 (37th) | 0.1% | 1.4% | 0.3% | — |
| Kentucky Wildcats | 5-1 | 2-1 | 6.3 (38th) | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.1% | — |
| Mississippi State Bulldogs | 3-3 | 0-3 | 3.2 (50th) | 0.2% | — | — | — |
| Vanderbilt Commodores | 2-5 | 0-3 | -9.2 (103rd) | 0.0% | — | — | — |