SEC tiebreaker scenarios: How Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss can reach title game

Four SEC teams are still in contention for a conference championship berth, although we won't find out which two teams will face in Atlanta until the final week of the regular season.

Alabama, the frontrunner for a spot in the SEC title game, saw his chances fall a bit after being upset by Oklahoma 23-21 at home in Week 12. Georgia also saw its chances increase, defeating Texas 35-10 at home to eliminate he Longhorns from contention.

REQUIRED READING: College football conference tiebreakers: Where each Power Four league stands before Week 13

Texas A&M, the lone undefeated team in SEC play, is also in contention, along with Ole Miss, whose only loss in conference is to Georgia.

Alabama takes on in-state rival Auburn on the road in Week 14, which could be a scary game for the Crimson Tide, given the SEC championship and College Football Playoff implications on the line. Georgia, meanwhile, ends the season against Georgia Tech, meaning the Bulldogs can't lose another conference game.

Texas A&M faces rival Texas in the regular season finale and Ole Miss takes on Egg Bowl foe Mississippi State.

All four contenders are either on off in Week 13 or are taking on buy-game opponents.

Here's a look at each team's path to an SEC championship berth ahead of Week 13.

SEC championship tiebreakers

Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0 SEC)

• Path to SEC championship game: Beat Texas, or Alabama and Ole Miss lose to Auburn and Mississippi State, respectively

Texas A&M has the simplest road to the SEC championship game: Beat Texas, and you're in. Lose to Texas, and you're likely out due to tiebreaker rules.

A road game against the Longhorns is the only game stands in the Aggies way for an undefeated season and SEC championship berth, not counting Samford, which is 1-10 this season. A loss to Texas likely opens to door for Georgia, which has a better record against common opponents then Texas A&M.

If Texas A&M loses, it needs to hope Alabama and Ole Miss drop to two conference losses in their final games.

Alabama (8-2, 6-1 SEC)

• Path to SEC championship game: Beat Auburn

Alabama also has a simple path to the SEC championship game, which is just beating Auburn in Week 14. While not a simple task, Alabama has a head-to-head win over Georgia and is in position to beat out a 3-way tie with Ole Miss and Georgia due to SEC opponent winning percentage.

There are multiple ways for Alabama to reach the SEC title game, and none of them include losing to Auburn.

Georgia (9-1, 6-1 SEC)

• Path to SEC championship game: Texas beats Texas A&M or Auburn beats Alabama

Georgia needs some help to reach the SEC championship, although the chances of either Texas A&M or Alabama losing is decent in Week 14.

If Georgia and Texas A&M both have one loss, Georgia would reach the game based on record against common opponents (Georgia beat Texas). If Alabama lost, Georgia would get in over fellow 1-loss team Ole Miss due to head-to-head tiebreaker.

Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC)

• Path to SEC championship game: Beat Mississippi State and Texas beats Texas A&M and Auburn beats Alabama

Ole Miss has the unlikeliest shot at the SEC championship game, but hey, crazier things have happened.

The Rebels are banking on a 3-way tie for first place with Texas A&M and Georgia, which would likely result in a rematch with the Bulldogs for the conference title.

SEC tiebreaker rules

Here's how the SEC's tiebreaker rules work in order, according to the conference:

• A. Head-to-head competition among the tied teams

• B. Record versus all common Conference opponents among the tied teams

• C. Record against highest (best) placed common Conference opponent in the Conference standings, and proceeding through the Conference standings among the tied teams

• D. Cumulative Conference winning percentage of all Conference opponents among the tied teams

• E. Capped relative total scoring margin versus all Conference opponents among the tied teams

• F. Random draw of the tied teams

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: SEC tiebreaker scenarios: How each team can reach title game