Alabama's Path to SEC Championship is Clear

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The path has become crystal clear for Alabama to make the SEC Championship game during the first weekend of December.

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Alabama defeated Eastern Illinois 56-0 on Saturday in Tuscaloosa behind a rushing attack that had its best day since 1979, with 269 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. The game means nothing for the Tide's SEC Championship hopes, but the action across the SEC on what is typically known as 'cupcake Saturday' in the conference has cleared the muddy waters on Alabama's path to the conference title game.

How Can Alabama Make the SEC Championship?

The picture became crystal clear on Saturday afternoon: If Alabama defeats Auburn in the Iron Bowl, the Crimson Tide will go to the SEC Championship. How did we get here? Alabama needed help after last weekend's 23-21 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners. Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama all had one loss in conference play, negating the typical tiebreaker of head-to-head record because Alabama did not play Ole Miss during the regular season. The tiebreaker then became conference opponent win percentage. Alabama's needed to be higher than Georgia's and Ole Miss's to secure a spot in the conference title with a 7-1 SEC record.

The only scenario where Alabama missed the SEC Championship, even with a win over Auburn next Saturday in the Iron Bowl, needed the following three things to happen:

Kentucky defeats Vanderbilt
Florida defeats Tennessee
Texas A&M defeats Texas

Kentucky played Vanderbilt, and Florida played Tennessee in week 13, but Texas and Texas A&M do not play until week 14. The picture could have become clear on Saturday with the results of Kentucky-Vanderbilt and Tennessee-Florida. If Vanderbilt, Tennessee, or Texas won, then Alabama could clinch a spot in the SEC Championship with a win over Auburn next Saturday. Vanderbilt defeated Kentucky 45-17 in Nashville, Tennessee, in a mid-afternoon game on ESPN, clearing the path for Alabama. Tennessee is currently up 31-0 on Florida to start the second half in Gainesville.

Alabama did not play Kentucky, Florida, or the Texas schools. Georgia played Kentucky, Florida, and Texas, while Ole Miss played Kentucky and Florida. Alabama played Vanderbilt and Tennessee. If Kentucky and Florida had won, Georgia's conference opponent win percentage would have been better than Alabama's, resulting in the Bulldogs making the SEC Championship over Alabama, despite losing to the Tide 24-21 in Athens in September. This is no longer a concern, however, with Vanderbilt's dominant win over Kentucky and Tennessee up big on Florida early in the second half.

Who Could Alabama Play in the SEC Championship Game?

The Crimson Tide still has to defeat Auburn to make the SEC Championship, but if Alabama does, who could the Crimson Tide play? There are two options:

The Georgia Bulldogs: Have you gotten tired of Alabama-Georgia yet? I hope not, because if Texas defeats Texas A&M, the Bulldogs would make the SEC Championship over the Aggies, based on conference opponent win percentage (Georgia: 0.4844; Texas A&M: 0.2813; Ole Miss: 0.3438).

The Texas A&M Aggies: We could see a rekindling of a matchup we saw every season in the SEC West after Texas A&M joined the conference in 2012. The Aggies would need to go to Austin, Texas, and win the Lone Star Showdown with its in-state rival to finish 8-0 in the SEC, clinching a spot in the SEC Championship.

The SEC Championship will be played on Saturday, December 6, in Atlanta, Georgia. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET.

Alabama will face Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday, November 29, in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.