Published by Dan Cunning on Nov 28, 2012

SEC 2012: Season Review

With the 2012 SEC regular season now complete, let's explore how the two-team expansion gave scheduling a major role in each team's success or failure.

The SEC's 14 teams can be split into the top 6 and the rest. The top 6 are Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M. They were a perfect 30-0 vs the rest.

East Division Overall Top 6 The Rest
Georgia 7-1 1-1 6-0
Florida 7-1 3-1 4-0
South Carolina 6-2 1-2 5-0
Vanderbilt 5-3 0-3 5-0
Missouri 2-6 0-5 2-1
Tennessee 1-7 0-4 1-3
Kentucky 0-8 0-3 0-5
West Division
Alabama 7-1 1-1 6-0
LSU 6-2 2-2 4-0
Texas A&M 6-2 1-2 5-0
Mississippi State 4-4 0-3 4-1
Mississippi 3-5 0-4 2-1
Arkansas 2-6 0-4 2-2
Auburn 0-8 0-4 0-4

Notes

  • Georgia and Alabama are the only teams to play only two games versus the top 6.
  • Florida is the only team with three wins over top 6 teams.
  • Missouri played 5 of the top 6, only missing LSU.
  • Vanderbilt and Mississippi State played 5 games against the rest.
  • Tennessee and Arkansas only beat the teams that never won.
  • Kentucky and Auburn lost no matter who they played.

Results

  • Georgia and Alabama are playing for the SEC championship.
  • Florida and LSU should be disappointed.
  • Texas A&M and South Carolina should be cautiously optimistic.
  • Vanderbilt and Mississippi State are more optimistic than they should be.
  • Missouri are more disappointed than they should be.
  • Mississippi doesn't know what to think.
  • Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and Auburn fired their coaches.

Cross Division Games

Georgia and Alabama avoided playing the other division's top 3 teams, helping them win their division. This was possible with a 12-team conference, but it's more likely with 14-teams because the inter-divisional games have dropped from 3 to 2. Here's a look at these games for 2012 and 2013:

East Division 2012 2013
Florida at Texas A&M, vs LSU vs Arkansas, at LSU
Georgia vs Mississippi, at Auburn vs LSU, at Auburn
Kentucky vs Mississippi State, vs Arkansas vs Alabama, at Mississippi State
Missouri vs Alabama, at Texas A&M at Mississippi, vs Texas A&M
South Carolina at LSU, vs Arkansas at Arkansas, vs Mississippi State
Tennessee at Mississippi State, vs Alabama at Alabama, vs Auburn
Vanderbilt vs Auburn, at Mississippi vs Mississippi, at Texas A&M
West Division 2012 2013
Alabama at Tennessee, at Missouri at Kentucky, vs Tennessee
Arkansas vs Kentucky, at South Carolina at Florida, vs South Carolina
Auburn at Vanderbilt, vs Georgia at Tennessee, vs Georgia
LSU at Florida, vs South Carolina at Georgia, vs Florida
Mississippi at Georgia, vs Vanderbilt at Vanderbilt, vs Missouri
Mississippi State at Kentucky, vs Tennessee vs Kentucky, at South Carolina
Texas A&M vs Florida, at Missouri vs Vanderbilt, at Missouri

A red box indicates playing two of the other division's top 3 or playing a top 3 team on the road. A green box indicates not playing a top 3.

2013 Predictions

  • UGA or South Carolina will win the east.
  • Alabama will win the west.
  • Missouri will rebound from a bad 2012.
  • Vanderbilt and Mississippi State will have disappointing years.
  • Kentucky will continue to suffer.
  • Arkansas will not contend for the western championship.
  • Mississippi and Texas A&M will be happy.
  • LSU and Florida will be disappointed again.

Unless the SEC adds more conference games, champions will continue to be determined by who didn't play who, but college football thrives on controversy, so why fix it?

Hope your cross-division rival sucks!