SEC football – Page 2 – Syndication Server

College football Power Four conference championship tiebreaker rules, explained

How the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC will figure out who plays in their respective conference title games if there are ties at the top of the standings.

Conference realignment changed everything in college football, and some impacts were predictable while we’re still learning and figuring out others. Tiebreaker rules for conference championship games falls somewhere in the middle.

Some FBS conferences eliminated divisions as they added or lost teams, and now the Sun Belt Conference is the lone one with two divisions. So that means, for example, determining who plays in the SEC championship game no longer boils down to who wins the East or West divisions. Instead, it’s all about the top-2 finishers in the regular-season standings.

And when you have conferences with 18 teams or 16 teams and not everyone can play each other, there’s tremendous potential for multiple teams to finish with the same conference record. As The Athletic noted last month, tiebreakers could become a nightmare.

So who gets to play in their respective conference title games when the four highest-ranked conference champs get a top College Football Playoff seed and first-round bye? What are the tiebreaker rules for the Power Four conferences in 2024?

It’s a lot to keep track of, so we’re here to help.

ACC football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024

The 2024 ACC football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at 8 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, and the top-2 teams will face off. But without the Atlantic and Coastal divisions, how will the conference determine which teams play for a title if there is a tie?

If there is a two-team tie in the ACC standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to break it, per ACC tiebreaker rules:

1. Head-to-head competition between the two tied teams

2. Win-percentage versus all common opponents

3. Win-percentage versus common opponents based upon their order of finish (overall conference win-percentage, with ties broken) and proceeding through other common opponents based upon their order of finish

4. Combined win-percentage of conference opponents

5. The tied team with the higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric provided by SportSource Analytics following the conclusion of regular season games

6. The representative shall be chosen by a draw as administered by the commissioner or commissioner’s designee

In a two-way tie for first, the team with the highest win percentage (outright or via tiebreaker rules) will be the top seed.

If there is at least a multi-team tie in the ACC at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to figure out the single winner of the tiebreak. After the first team is selected from the multi-way tiebreak, the tiebreaker process resets:

1. Combined head-to-head win-percentage among the tied teams if all tied teams are common opponents

2. If all the tied teams are not common opponents, the tied team that defeated each of the other tied teams. If all the tied teams are not common opponents, no tied team defeated each of the other tied teams, but a tied team lost to each of the other tied teams, such team shall be eliminated and removed from the tie

3. Win-percentage versus all common opponents

4. Win-percentage versus common opponents based upon their order of finish (overall conference win-percentage, with ties broken) and proceeding through other common opponents based upon their order of finish

5. Combined win-percentage of conference opponents

6. The tied team with the highest ranking by the Team Rating Score metric provided by SportSource Analytics following the conclusion of regular season games

7. The representative shall be chosen by a draw as administered by the commissioner or commissioner’s designee

Big Ten football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024

The 2024 Big Ten football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at 8 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and the top-2 teams will face off. But without the East and West divisions (RIP Legends and Leaders), how will the conference determine which teams play for a title if there is a tie?

If there is a two-team tie in the Big Ten standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will use these considerations to break it, per Big Ten tiebreaker rules:

1. Head-to-head game winner

2. Win percentage among common conference opponents

3. The records of the two tied teams will be compared based on record against common opponents with the best conference record and proceeding through the common conference opponents based on their order of finish within the conference standings

4. The records of the two tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents

5. The representative will be chosen by the by the highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the regular season

6. Random draw among the tied teams conducted by commissioner or designee

If there’s a two-way tie for first in the Big Ten and the tied teams previously played each other, the winner of that game is the top seed. If the tied teams didn’t previously play each other, the two-way tiebreaker rules apply.

If there is at least a multi-team tie in the Big Ten at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to figure out the single winner of the tiebreak. But if it’s a tie after the single tiebreak winner is selected, the Big Ten will use these factors to break it. And if the tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tiebreaker rules apply.

1. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage in games among the tied teams:

1A. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other, but one team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, the team that defeated all other teams in the tie is removed from the tiebreaker, and the remaining teams revert to the beginning of the applicable tiebreaker process (i.e., two team or three or more team tie)

1B. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other and no team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, move to the next step in tiebreaker

2. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against all common conference opponents played by all other teams involved in the tie

3. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings in order of finish

4. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents:

4A. In the event of an unbalanced schedule (i.e., less than nine conference games are played), the records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on the best cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents, regardless of how many conference opponents each team played. If winning percentage is equal for all conference opponents, move to next step in tiebreaker

5. The representative will be chosen by the by the highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the regular season

6. Random draw among the tied teams conducted by commissioner or designee

Big 12 football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024

The 2024 Big 12 football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at noon ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the conference’s top-2 teams will play. But if there’s a tie, how will the Big 12 break it to determine which teams will play for a conference title?

If there is a two-team tie in the Big 12 standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will look at these factors to break it, per Big 12 tiebreaker rules:

1. Head-to-head competition among the two tied teams

2. Win percentage against all common conference opponents among the tied teams

3. Win percentage against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings (based on the record in all games played within the Conference), proceeding through the standings. When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, use each team’s win percentage against the collective tied teams as a group (prior to that group’s own tie-breaking procedure) rather than the performance against individual tied teams

4. Combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents (i.e., the strength of conference schedule)

5. Total number of wins in a 12-game season. The following conditions will apply to the calculation of the total number of wins: Only one win against a team from the NCAA FCS or lower division will be counted annually. Any games that are exempted from counting against the annual maximum number of football contests per NCAA rules

6. Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the last weekend of regular-season games

7. Coin toss

If there’s a two-way tie for first and the tied teams previously played each other, the winner of that game is the top seed. If the tied teams didn’t previously play each other, the two-way tiebreaker rules apply.

If there is a multi-team tie in the Big 12 at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider the following factors to figure out the single winner of the tiebreak. But if there is still a multi-way tie after the first team is selected from the tiebreak, the Big 12 will use these factors to break the tie, and when two teams are left tied, the two-team tiebreaker rules apply.

1. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage in games among the tied teams:

1B. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other and no team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, move to the next step in tiebreaker

2. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against all common conference opponents played by all other teams involved in the tie

3. Record of the three (or more) tied teams against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings (based on the record in all games played within the conference), proceeding through the standings. When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, use each team’s win percentage against the collective tied teams as a group (prior to that group’s own tie-breaking procedure) rather than the performance against individual tied teams

4. Record of the three (or more) tied teams based on combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents (i.e., strength of conference schedule)

6. Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the last weekend of regular-season games

7. Coin toss

SEC football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024

The 2024 SEC football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at 4 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the conference’s top two teams will face off. But without the East and West divisions, how will the conference determine which teams play for a title if there is a tie?

If there is a two-team tie in the SEC standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to break it, per SEC tiebreaker rules:

1. Head-to-head competition among the tied teams

2. Record versus all common conference opponents among tied teams

3. Record against highest (best) placed common conference opponent in the conference standings, and proceeding through the conference standings among the tied teams

4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among the tied teams

5. Higher relative total scoring margin per SportSource Analytics versus all conference opponents among tied teams

6. Random draw of the tied teams

If two teams are tied for first in the SEC standings, they’ll play in the title game, and the tiebreaker steps above will decide seeding.

If there is a multi-team tie in the SEC standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will look at these considerations to identify the first team in the title game. After the first team is identified, the process reverts back to the two-team tiebreaker rules.

1. Head-to-head competition among tied teams

2. Record versus all common conference opponents among tied teams

3. Record against highest (best) placed common conference opponent, proceeding through the conference standings among tied teams

4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among the tied teams

5. Higher relative total scoring margin per SportSource Analytics versus all conference opponents among the tied teams

6. Random draw of the tied teams

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

Hugh Freeze shares update on Payton Thorne’s status ahead of ULM game

Will Thorne lead the offense on Saturday when the Tigers battle the ULM Warhawks?

Will Auburn be without its signal-caller for its game with ULM on Saturday?

During this week’s preview press conference on Monday, Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] shared that quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] was limited during bye week practices due to shoulder issues stemming from the Tigers’ loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 2.

Freeze was hopeful earlier this week that Thorne would be ready to play, but his tune changed Wednesday during the SEC teleconference saying that Thorne was “not as far along as I’d hoped.” However, a report from Auburn Undercover revealed that Thorne will get the nod for Auburn’s game against ULM on Saturday.

Freeze said Auburn’s backup quarterbacks got plenty of reps during bye-week practices in place of Thorne, giving Freeze several options to fill the void should Thorne’s shoulder issues blend into the ULM game.

“The second open week we actually got the other guys quite a bit of reps in the three practices we had. Then we had a little scrimmage to close it out,” Freeze said. “Offense versus defense, other guys that don’t typically get reps, and offense won that scrimmage on a pass play from Walker (White) to one of the young receivers. It was good to see them get reps. We got Holden (Geriner) and Hank (Brown) quite a few also.”

Thorne ranks No. 8 among SEC quarterbacks with 1,825 yards and is tied for 6th with 13 touchdowns. Two other quarterbacks have seen action this season, [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag]. Brown started two games for the Tigers this season while Geriner has seen action in two games.

Auburn faces ULM at 11:45 a.m. CT on Saturday and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn makes top 10 for 2026 TE Kaiden Prothro

Georgia’s No. 3 recruit from the 2026 cycle is considering Auburn in the early stages of his recruitment.

One of the nation’s top tight ends from the 2026 recruiting cycle is considering Auburn for his college destination.

[autotag]Kaiden Prothro[/autotag], a four-star tight end from Bowdon, Georgia, released his top 10 choices this week, which included Auburn. Auburn is one of seven SEC programs listed in Prothro’s top 10, joining Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Texas.

Prothro has visited the Plains twice since July, most recently for Auburn’s game with Arkansas on Sept. 21. During his visit in July, he told On3’s Jeffrey Lee that Auburn gave him a great early impression.

“I feel like Auburn is a great school to be at,” Prothro said in an interview with On3. “I’m always going to keep my options open. I feel like Auburn is going to be a good school in the next couple of years. I can’t really say much because I’m still looking at other schools, but I think Auburn is going to be a pretty good school for me.”

Outside of the seven SEC schools previously mentioned, Prothro is also considering USC, Florida State, and Miami. Prothro is a 6-6, 210-pound tight end from Bowdon High School (Georgia). He is a four-star-rated tight end by all major recruiting outlets and is considered a five-star play by 247Sports’ composite ranking. He is the No. 3 tight end in the nation and the No. 3 overall recruit from Georgia for the 2026 cycle.

ESPN predicts the winner of Auburn vs. ULM

Will Auburn handle business on Saturday against ULM?

The Auburn Tigers return to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday for the first time since Sept. 28 when they host ULM to close out the nonconference schedule.

Auburn (3-6, 1-5 SEC) dropped its most recent game to Vanderbilt on Nov. 2, 17-7, erasing the momentum built from its first SEC win on Oct. 26 at Kentucky. The Tigers look to take momentum back on Saturday against ULM (5-4, 3-3 Sun Belt) as they enter the most important stretch of the season.

Will Auburn handle business? ESPN’s matchup predictor favors Auburn in a major way by giving the Tigers a 96.2% chance to beat ULM on Saturday.

Auburn needs to win its final three games to qualify for a bowl game and a win over the visiting Warhawks will push them in the right direction. ULM is in a rough patch, dropping three straight contests by an average margin of 18.3 points after beginning the season with a 5-1 record.

Auburn will look to win the game by stopping ULM’s run game. The Warhawks rank No. 8 in the Sun Belt in rushing by averaging 172.1 yards per game. However, ULM’s run blocking is no match for [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag], and the rest of the Auburn defense. The Warhawks’ average grade in run blocking is 60.9 according to Pro Football Focus and has not graded above 69.1 in the category. On the contrary, Auburn averages 76.6 in run defense and has graded above 80 four times this season.

Auburn football hosts ULM on Saturday for an 11:45 a.m. CT kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.

Three-star WR Erick Smith commits to Auburn

Smith joins his brother Derrick by committing to Auburn.

Auburn football executed the flip of four-star wide receiver [autotag]Derrick Smith[/autotag] from Alabama in July and has now completed the “Smith sweep.”

Wednesday, Auburn added three-star wide receiver [autotag]Erick Smith[/autotag], twin brother of Derrick, to its 2025 haul. Erick Smith is Auburn’s third wide receiver commit of the cycle, joining brother Derrick and three-star [autotag]Sam Turner[/autotag] of Decatur, Georgia.

Following his announcement, Smith told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente that the idea of continuing his playing career alongside his brother played a role in his commitment. It also helps that he feels at home on the Plains.

“Because every time I come up here, it felt like home,” Smith said in an interview with Auburn Undercover. “Coach Marcus (Davis), he’s similar to my high school coach. They don’t sugarcoat anything and always show family-like and like a father figure. I don’t want a coach that shows different sides of themselves, I want them to show their true colors and he does exactly that.”

The Smith brothers have played a key role in Southside-Selma’s success on the field in 2024. The 9-2 Panthers defeated Hillcrest-Evergreen last Friday, 36-35, to advance in the AHSAA playoffs and will face Montgomery Academy on Friday.

According to 247Sports, Erick Smith is the No. 78 recruit from Alabama and is Auburn’s 27th commitment to its 2025 class.

Where does Auburn stand in USA TODAY Sports re-rank ahead of ULM game?

Did Auburn rise in Paul Myerberg’s weekly ranking following its bye week?

Auburn may not have played during week 11, but its’ decline in the USA TODAY Sports re-rank continues.

Auburn is ranked No. 91 in Paul Myerberg’s weekly ranking, a two-spot slip from last week’s installment. Its fall is due mostly to the rise of programs such as UCLA and Kansas, which jumped more than 10 spots following wins over Iowa and Iowa State, respectively.

Colorado and Georgia Tech join UCLA and Kansas by advancing 10-plus positions in this week’s ranking. Colorado earned an impressive road win last Saturday by taking down Texas Tech, 41-27. Georgia Tech knocked Miami off the unbeaten shelf last Saturday by upsetting the Hurricanes, 28-23. The win over Texas Tech pushes them into the top-25 at No. 24 while Georgia Tech bumps up to No. 30.

Auburn’s next opponent, ULM, is ranked one spot below Auburn at No. 92. Last week, the Warhawks fell to Texas State at home, 38-17, for their third-straight loss. The Tigers will look to gain ground in the re-rank this Saturday when it hosts ULM at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

There’s a new No. 1 in the SEC standings after Week 11

The SEC standings got turned upside down in Week 11 after Georgia’s loss to Ole Miss

The Tennessee Volunteers are on top of the SEC standings after Week 11. Georgia suffered a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss, which ended Georgia’s brief reign at No. 1 in the conference.

Ole Miss is back in the SEC championship race, which is very balanced. Georgia’s loss means the Bulldogs have two conference losses and don’t have the tiebreaker with Alabama or Ole Miss. As a result, Georgia is unlikely to make the SEC championship game.

Speaking of Alabama, the Crimson Tide demolished LSU and its College Football Playoff hopes in a shocking 42-13 road win.

Texas blew out Florida, 49-17, to continue its strong season. South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers and running back Raheim Sanders both scored a pair of touchdowns to help the Gamecocks beat Vanderbilt 28-7.

Tennessee crushed Mississippi State, 33-14, but may have lost starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the process. Oklahoma’s stunning collapse in a 30-23 loss to Missouri continued the Sooners’ downfall.

Arkansas, Kentucky, Auburn and Texas A&M had bye weeks in Week 11.

Full SEC football standings after Week 11

Tennessee Volunteers (8-1, 5-1)
Texas A&M Aggies (7-2, 5-1)
Texas Longhorns (8-1, 4-1)
Georgia Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2)
Ole Miss Rebels (8-2, 4-2)
Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2, 4-2)
Missouri Tigers (7-2, 3-2)
LSU Tigers (6-3, 3-2)
South Carolina Gamecocks (6-3, 4-3)
Vanderbilt Commodores (6-4, 3-3)
Arkansas Razorbacks (5-4, 3-3)
Florida Gators (4-5, 2-4)
Oklahoma Sooners (5-5, 1-5)
Auburn Tigers (3-6, 1-5)
Kentucky Wildcats (3-6, 1-6)
Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6)

Updated SEC football standings after Week 11’s action

Here is how the SEC conference standings look after Week 11:

Overall, Week 11 in the SEC was definitely one of the more memorable that the conference has seen so far this season.

Saturday’s slate across the SEC featured a notable Top 25 upset in Oxford, while a pair of conference powers faced off in Baton Rouge in a result that shocked many across college football.

Let’s take a look at the latest SEC football conference standings after Week 11’s action:

Updated SEC Football Standings after Week 11

T-1. Tennessee, Texas A&M (5-1)

3. Texas (4-1)

4. Georgia (5-2)

T-5. Ole Miss, Alabama (4-2)

T-7. Missouri, LSU (3-2)

9. South Carolina (4-3)

T-10. Vanderbilt, Arkansas (3-3)

12. Florida (2-4)

T-13. Oklahoma, Auburn (1-5)

15. Kentucky (1-6)

16. Mississippi State (0-6)

While they will still need help to get there, Alabama helped their chances at making the SEC title game on Saturday with their 42-13 win at LSU. The Crimson Tide now sit at 4-2 in SEC play with only two conference games remaining to play.

Coming out of Week 11, two teams also sit atop the SEC standings at 5-1 in Tennessee and Texas A&M. Texas is also the lone remaining SEC team with one loss, sitting at 4-1.

Auburn football schedule: Is Auburn playing today?

Is Auburn playing today? Here’s a look at the schedule and the games to come.

Will the Auburn Tigers be on the field today in Week 11 of the College football schedule?

Following a 17-7 loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn is on a bye week and will return to the field on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The Tigers will enter the final stretch of the season with their backs against the wall, needing to win each of their final three games to qualify for a bowl game. Their quest for postseason play begins next Saturday at home against ULM for the final nonconference game of the season.

After jumping out to a 5-1 record, the Warhawks have dropped its last two games. In their most recent game, ULM running back Ahmad Hardy rushed for 212 yards and a score, but it was not enough to carry the Warhawks to a win, falling 28-23 to Marshall on the road.

Before making the trek to Auburn, the Warhawks will host Texas State on Saturday, hoping to get back to its winning ways. According to ESPN’s matchup predictor, Auburn has a 91.9% chance to beat ULM next Saturday.

Auburn football 2024 schedule

Aug. 30: Auburn 73 Alabama A&M 7
Sept. 7: California 21 Auburn 14
Sept. 14: Auburn 45 New Mexico 19
Sept. 21: Arkansas 24 Auburn 14
Sept. 28: Oklahoma 27 Auburn 21
Oct. 5: Georgia 31 Auburn 13
Oct. 19: Missouri 21 Auburn 17
Oct. 26: Auburn 24 Kentucky 10
Nov. 2: Vanderbilt 17 Auburn 7
Nov. 16: vs. ULM (11:45 a.m. CT, SEC Network)
Nov. 23: vs. Texas A&M (TBA)
Nov. 30: at Alabama (TBA)
Record: 3-6, 1-5 SEC

ESPN forecasts the remainder of Auburn football’s season

What is the likelihood of Auburn winning its final three games?

Auburn football will be heavily motivated when it returns to action on Nov. 16.

The Tigers, who enter this weekend with a 3-6 record, will need to win all three of its final games to earn bowl eligibility. Can they get the job done? ESPN analytics has taken a crack at forecasting the results of Auburn’s final stretch of games.

According to ESPN’s football power index, Auburn has a 3.9% chance to win every game over the next three weeks, which ranks No. 10 among SEC programs. Auburn, however, has a higher “win-out” percentage than LSU, Oklahoma, Florida, and Vanderbilt.

Breaking it down further, ESPN forecasts Auburn to win its next game over the ULM Warhawks, but fails to give the Tigers an advantage over its final two SEC foes, No. 16 Texas A&M and No. 11 Alabama.

Auburn has been given a 91.9% chance to beat ULM on Nov. 16 at Jordan-Hare Stadium to close out its nonconference slate. After starting 5-1, the Warhawks have dropped two straight games to South Alabama and Marshall and are projected to lose Saturday’s game to Texas State.

After facing ULM, Auburn will meet No. 16 Texas A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Aggies have a 61.7% chance to beat Auburn on Nov. 23 according to ESPN but the game could be a much closer affair. Texas A&M recently lost a 44-20 game to South Carolina on the road. With the game being at Jordan-Hare, Auburn has a chance to upset the Aggies and gain momentum heading into the Iron Bowl.

Finally, Auburn has a less-than-ten percent chance to upset No. 11 Alabama at Nick Saban Field on Nov. 30. ESPN gives Alabama a 90.4% chance to beat Auburn in the Iron Bowl, which would extend its streak to seven straight wins over the Tigers on their home field. Alabama has the SEC’s best chance of winning out according to the FPI with 39.6% and is favored in its final four games, which include games at No. 13 LSU and Oklahoma.

If ESPN’s predictions come true, Auburn will finish the season with a losing record for the fourth straight season at 4-8. Of course, these projections are merely for entertainment purposes and in no way solidify the results of the next three games.

However, if the necessary win total does not bounce Auburn’s way, the Tigers should take a step forward in 2025 thanks to its No. 5 recruiting class.