Conference-only schedules continued to chew up several of the leading contenders in the SEC, leaving the league hinging its College Football Playoff hopes on a select few only four games into the regular season.
After a tough Saturday, the SEC has just four teams with fewer than two losses and a dwindling list of options for the national semifinals.
This isn’t to say the SEC champion isn’t a lock for the top four, or even that the conference won’t again have a case for making up half of the playoff field, especially during this unique regular season.