The SEC appears to be in pretty good shape as the College Football Playoff approaches, maybe even getting two teams into the four-team field — unless Auburn messes everything up, which is entirely possible. Mississippi State could also mess things up but the Bulldogs only have one chance to be the mouse in the cheesecake, while Auburn has two. Everyone else in the league has nothing left to play for, unless beating one another in a giant battle royal means something. Although I would like to see battle royal rules in effect, with the coach who gets thrown over the top rope losing his job.

“McElwain is gone! Now the other coaches are ganging up on Bret Bielema!”

“That’s good strategy because he’s the biggest!”

“Who ever believed Butch Jones could stay alive this long? But Barry Odom is creeping up on him…”

Rank	Team	Last Week
1.		1.	(Plays “Theme From ‘M*A*S*H.’”)
2.		2.	The Bulldogs have clinched the SEC East but when you are playing for higher stakes with a freshman quarterback, the pressure starts rising every week.
3.		3.	This is the point where the Tigers’ season turned into straight voodoo four years ago, propelling them all the way to the national championship game. “It can’t happen again,” which is exactly what everyone said before the Return of Dracula.
4.		4.	The last time Mississippi State was able to upset Alabama in Starkville, Sylvester Croom was at the Bulldog helm. That doesn’t mean those cowbells are out of warranty, though.
5.		5.	Maybe it was just me, but did the new LSU look a lot like the old LSU to anyone else?
6.		7.	Will Muschamp wouldn’t want to kick Florida while the Gators are down, would he? I’ll address that issue as soon as I finish feeding this fat baby some more cake.
7.		8.	More softness from the Fluffy Bunnies of the West this week as Auburn came to town and dished out a loss, greatly helped by bad Aggie clock management and a general lack of fortitude out of what is arguably the second-best group of recruits in the SEC.
8.		14.	For two years now, I’ve been able to automatically start the Power Poll with Mizzou at the bottom. So credit where it’s due — the Tigers have not only managed to find their way out of the woods but are one of the four or five teams in the league that actually feel good about themselves.
9.		11.	Credit also goes to Matt Luke, the interim coach who won’t get the permanent job but has acquitted himself well by finding a way to be SEC-competitive with a Sun Belt defense and a backup quarterback.
10.		8.	UK isn’t one of the programs that will change coaches after this season, but you’ve got to think the administration is starting to “accidentally” click on the “new coach” tab at Amazon.com, just to check the prices.
11.		12.	Butch Jones, meanwhile, has reached the pinnacle of Hot Seat, which means you make your fan base madder by winning games instead of losing them.
12.		13.	The Commodores got a win over Western Kentucky but it’s another season that’s fallen through the cracks in Nashville.
13.		10.	A one-point win over Coastal Carolina would normally merit a spot in the basement — if there wasn’t an alligator in there.
14.		9.	When Disney World is no longer the biggest Mickey Mouse operation in the state, you know there are problems…