Auburn, which was supposed to be Alabama's biggest challenger in the SEC West, lost to Clemson two weeks ago and needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to pull away from FCS foe Mercer on Saturday.
LSU, which fired former coach Les Miles because he didn't beat the Crimson Tide enough, lost its first SEC game under coach Ed Orgeron by 30 points.
And Florida and Tennessee, which combined for three field goals in the first three quarters at the Swamp on Saturday, finally surrendered to the law of averages and at least put a dramatic ending on what was largely an unwatchable rivalry game.