Auburn Captures SEC Crown, Is BCS Title Game Berth Next?

With a high-powered win over Missouri in the SEC Championship Game, Auburn claimed its second SEC title in four years and automatically qualifies for a BCS bowl bid.

But sitting at No. 3 in the next to the last BCS standings from last Sunday, could the Tigers be on their way to the BCS title game instead of just representing the SEC in the Sugar Bowl? That will be left, at least partly, up to the way that Ohio State and Florida State answer the call on Saturday night in their respective conference championship games.

The Tigers will wait with bated breath to see if they can jump the Buckeyes in tomorrow’s BCS standings if the top teams are all victorious on Saturday night. Such a leap — a one-loss team jumping an undefeated team for a BCS title game bid — would be a fascinating turn of events. But we’ll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, Auburn can celebrate its SEC title and at the very least can expect a berth in the Sugar Bowl.

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Texas A&M, Missouri officially join SEC on Sunday

The SEC finally welcomes Texas A&M and Missouri officially Sunday, marking the conference’s first expansion since 1991.

Both schools join the Southeastern Conference after vacating spots in the Big 12, where the Aggies and Tigers were among the founding 12 members in 1996.

The Big 12 also lost members Colorado and Nebraska to the Pac-12 and Big Ten, respectively, after both schools left last season in the first major parts of realignment.

The SEC now includes 14 schools, seven each in the Eastern and Western divisions. The champions of each division will again play in the annual SEC Championship Game, which will be held on Dec. 1 this year.

The new divisions are as follows:

East Division		West Division
	Florida Gators		Alabama Crimson Tide
	Georgia Bulldogs		Arkansas Razorbacks
	Kentucky Wildcats		Auburn Tigers
	Missouri Tigers		LSU Tigers
	South Carolina Gamecocks		Mississippi State Bulldogs
	Tennessee Volunteers		Ole Miss Rebels
	Vanderbilt Commodores		Texas A&M Aggies

 

Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East Rundown Week Eight

Big Ten

Conference Leader: Michigan State (8-0, 4-0)

Lurking: Wisconsin (7-1, 3-1)

Game of Last Week: Wisconsin 31 vs. Iowa 30. In what might end up being a Big Ten championship knockout game, the Badgers didn’t fall victim to the letdown after upsetting Ohio State last weekend and held off Iowa’s last-minute comeback.

Game of Next Week: Michigan State vs. Iowa. If the Spartans can survive their trip into Iowa City, they have an easy path to an undefeated season and a Big Ten conference championship awaiting them

Bowl Eligible Teams: Michigan State Spartans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Wisconsin Badgers.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Missouri (7-0, 3-0; North Division) and Baylor (6-2, 3-1; South Division)

Lurking: Nebraska (6-1, 2-1; North Division) and Oklahoma State (6-1, 2-1; South Division)

Game of Last Week: Missouri 36 vs. Oklahoma 27. Yet another upset as Missouri knocks off the then-No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners at home and sends the Big 12 title chase and BCS standings into complete chaos.

Game of Next Week: Missouri vs. Nebraska. The Tigers will hope to avoid the expected letdown after beating Oklahoma when they travel into Lincoln to take on the Cornhuskers — who despite falling to Texas two weekends ago, continue to look strong.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Baylor Bears.

Big East

Conference Leader: Pittsburgh (4-3, 2-0)

Lurking: Syracuse (5-2, 2-1)

Game of Last Week: Syracuse 19 vs. West Virginia 14. An upset in the completely unpredictable Big East reveals the Orange to be legitimate conference title contenders.

Game of Next Week: Louisville vs. Pittsburgh. With literally every team still alive in the Big East title chase, the current leader Panthers will look to avoid the upset to a good Cardinals team.

Bowl Eligible Teams: None yet.