Help me understand the SEC tiebreakers

[Mr. Rockytop]

Considering that we win all the rest of our conference games.If we beat Georgia and they beat Florida, then how does the Sec East pan out? How will winning or losing to teams in the Sec West have an effect on us or Georiga/ Florida ? Please give much insight as possible.

 

[no1g8r]

Considering that we win all the rest of our conference games.If we beat Georgia and they beat Florida, then how does the Sec East pan out? How will winning or losing to teams in the Sec West have an effect on us or Georiga/ Florida ? Please give much insight as possible.

From the SECSports.com website:

A. TWO-TEAM TIE

1) Head-to-head competition between the two tied teams.
2) Records of the tied teams within the division.
3) Head-to-head competition vs. the team within the division with the best overall record (divisional and non-divisional) Conference record and proceeding through the division. Multiple ties within the division will be broken from first to last.
4) Overall record vs. all common non-divisional opponents.
5) Combined record vs. all common non-divisional teams.
6) Record vs. common non-divisional team with the best overall Conference (divisional and non-divisional) record and proceeding through other common non-divisional teams based on their order of finish within their division.
7) The tied team with the highest ranking in the Bowl Championship Series Standings following the last weekend of regular-season games shall be the divisional representative in the SEC Championship Game.



B. THREE (OR MORE) TEAM TIE

1) (Once the tie has been reduced to two teams, go to the two-team tie-breaker format.)
2) Combined head-to-head record among the tied teams.
3) Record of the tied teams within the division.
4) Head-to-head competition vs. the team within the division with the best overall (divisional and non-divisional) Conference record and proceeding through the division. Multiple ties within the division will be broken from first to last.
5) Overall record vs. non-division teams.
6) Combined record vs. all common non-divisional teams.
7) Record vs. common non-divisional team with the best overall Conference (divisional and non-divisional) record and proceeding through other common non-divisional teams based on their order of finish within their division.
8) The tied team with the highest ranking in the Bowl Championship Series Standings following the last weekend of regular-season games shall be the divisional representative in the SEC Championship Game, unless the second of the tied teams is ranked within five-or-fewer places of the highest ranked tied team. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the SEC Championship Game.


I had to read through #4 on the 3-way tie scenario about 5 times before it sunk in well enough to begin to understand it, and I still don't think that I could explain it without a whiteboard.

 

[utvol0427]

You left out one rule. Tennessee will somehow be factored out of the equation and will not play for and SEC Championship.

 

[OrangeSquare]

OK here we go:

What HAS to happen for Tennessee to make it to the SEC CG.

1. Easiest solution. Tennessee wins out, and Florida loses two SEC Games.

2. IF Tennessee wins out, and Florida only loses to Georgia in SEC play, and Georgia only loses to Tennessee in SEC play then Tennessee will NOT make the SEC CG unless Florida were to lose to Florida St, and drop more than 5 BCS slots below the Vols.

3. IF Tennessee wins out, and Florida only loses to Georgia in SEC play, and Georgia only loses to Tennessee in SEC play then Tennessee will NOT make the SEC CG unless Georgia is the highest ranked BCS team, and then Tennessee would have to be ahead of Florida in the BCS by atleast one spot.

4. IF Tennessee wins out, and Florida only loses to Georgia in SEC play, and Georgia only loses to Tennessee in SEC play then Tennessee will NOT make the SEC CG unless they are the highest ranked BCS team of the three, and Georgia is ahead of Florida in the BCS standings.

Basically, if it comes to three way tiebreaker, we need Florida to have lost BAD enough to Florida St, to drop them five spots behind the Vols unless Georgia is the highest ranked BCS team and Tennessee is second to them, and ahead of Florida.

It will be hard for Tennessee to ever win these 3 way tiebreakers because the level of out of conference opponents are so weak with Georgia and Florida that they aren't going to be far enough behind Tennessee in the BCS for the head to head exception to work in the Vols favor.