Ole Miss, Carolina is showing strong

There are almost no absolutes in the SEC this season.

Texas A&M was a stunning upset, while South Carolina was doomed to struggle for six wins…until the Gamecocks slowed the Aggies on Saturday night. There were plenty of other surprises – Georgia's offensive struggles, Ole Miss' explosion, Vandy's taking care of business.

A very hectic week also changed perceptions. We believe every SEC team here ends the regular season after Week 10.

Georgia (11-1, 7-1 after 34-20 win over Florida)

Georgia hasn't done anything particularly impressive. But the next two weeks will tell for the Bulldogs. Cover Ole Miss on the road and Tennessee at home and book the playoffs. Split the two and probably do the same thing. If you lose both, things quickly become tricky. Tennessee looked a lot like Georgia this week – solid defense, offense that struggled to get out of harm's way at times. Ole Miss could be the big threat here.

Texas (11-1, 7-1 after a week off)

The Horns have a week off and it doesn't look like they'll have much trouble at A&M or Arkansas. Texas appears to be a safer potential 11-1 team than the Bulldogs.

Tennessee (10-2, 7-1 after 28-18 win over Kentucky)

The Vols had some self-inflicted problems against Kentucky, but did enough to get through. They have to play better in Georgia in two weeks. We'll play the Vols on the road, but that's not the Georgia team from a few years ago. UT could very well finish at 11-1 after everything is said and done. Even at 10-2, their playoff situation looks pretty good.

Alabama (10-2, 6-2 after a week off)

The Tide need to win at LSU, but if they can do that, their playoff dreams are still very much alive and well. The ugly loss for A&M probably puts Bama up a notch. They're a solid No. 4 team for the SEC's CFP, which seems like a sensible thing to do after a chaotic Saturday across the country.

Texas A&M (9-3, 7-2 after 44-20 loss to South Carolina)

The Aggies are now likely out of the SEC race and the playoff race. Texas will likely beat them at the end of the season, which will likely put a 9-3 Aggie team in sight of a top non-CFP bowl. The way they beat South Carolina didn't exactly help their style points.

LSU (9-3, 6-2 after a week off)

The Alabama game is the story here. The winner is in the playoff hunt, and the loser is essentially out. It's a pretty easy run to Alabama for the Tigers, so next week is the one to circle on the calendar.

Ole Miss (9-3, 7-2 after 63-31 win over Arkansas)

The Rebels will likely lose to Georgia, but that is far from a certainty. In the end, this is probably the game Ole Miss needs to win to get into the playoffs, as a 9-3 team that lost to Kentucky is likely stuck on the outside. The last two wins seem pretty safe, so next week it's all about Georgia.

Missouri (9-3, 6-2 after a week off)

The Tigers are the weakest of these potential 9-3 teams. South Carolina suddenly looks like a very plausible loss, and Arkansas definitely has a chance to pull out the win. 8-4 was talked about, but Arkansas didn't look great this week.

South Carolina (8-4, 5-3 after 44-20 win over Texas A&M)

The offense was explosive and pretty fun. At this point, wins against Wofford and Missouri at home seem entirely plausible, with Vandy also in the running. We could have stopped at 7 wins, but this Carolina team looked like an 8 win team against the Aggies, so we'll take the plunge.

Vanderbilt (7-5, 6-3 after 17-7 win over Auburn)

Vandy pulled it off, which is good because the next three games look pretty brutal. South Carolina is up and down and Vandy's smash mouth style could be problematic. LSU on the road is a big challenge and Tennessee will likely be playing for a playoff spot. Still, someone will end up on the wrong side of the Commodores and Vandy will pick up its seventh win.

Arkansas (6-6, 5-4 after a 63-31 loss to Ole Miss)

Maybe Bobby Petrino can also take over the defense. The Razorbacks are taking a step back just because it doesn't seem particularly likely that they'll win at Mizzou. That seems like a very small advantage for the Tigers. Considering a loss to Texas and a win over La. Tech, the final score is 6:6.

Oklahoma (5-7, 5-4 after 59-14 win over Maine)

Maine was an easy win, but that's what it looks like. Missouri probably has the best chance of a sixth win and bowl eligibility, but with the game still to be played, the Tigers appear to be the better team. Oklahoma had a brutal schedule at the end and that terrible offense (despite one good day this week) isn't enough to win.

Florida (5-7, 4-4 after 34-20 loss to Georgia)

The Gators simply didn't have enough juice in the tank and with DJ Lagway potentially out for the season, the ceiling is getting lower by the minute. Florida State is terrible, but this is the only possible win in the Billy Napier era.

Kentucky (4-8, 3-6 after 28-18 loss to Tennessee)

Speaking of no offense, Kentucky just can't stay out of the way. They're also pretty horribly beaten up at this point. FCS Murray State comes next week, but then Texas should end any bowl hopes pretty quickly the following week.

Auburn (4-8, 3-6 after 17-7 loss to Vandy)

Auburn had to get past Vandy to have any chance of a bowl appearance. While they're good enough to outlast ULM, they're not good enough to outlast Alabama or Texas A&M.

Mississippi State (2-10, 2-7 after 45-20 win over UMass)

That's it for the Bulldogs this season. It was a tough run.