With the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma into the SEC and the move away from divisions in 2024, the conference introduced new tiebreaking procedures to determine which teams would compete in the SEC Championship Game. The SEC tiebreakers were revised to accommodate both the expansion and the first non-division schedule since 1991.
The SEC standings are first determined based on record against opponents within the conference. No games against non-conference opponents are considered when looking at who competes in the SEC Conference Championship Game. In the event of a tie when it comes to conference winning percentage, the following tiebreakers are used.
To find out how PFSN’s analytics see the current SEC season playing out, visit our College FPM table to see every team’s percentage chance of making the SEC Championship Game. If you want to test out different scenarios of your own, then be sure to check out the PFSN College Football Playoff Predictor.
SEC Two-Team Tiebreakers
If two teams are tied for first place in the standings, they will both participate in the Championship Game. However, the tiebreaking procedure outlined below will be used to determine which team is considered the home team and which is considered the road team. In the event of a tie for second place in the standings, the following process will be followed to decide who will play in the SEC Championship Game.
1) The winner of any head-to-head matchup between the two teams (if applicable).
2) Win percentage against common opponents within the conference.
3) Win percentage against common opponents based on the order of finish. This tiebreaker examines each opponent individually, progressing from top to bottom in the table. If a group of common opponents is tied, then the head-to-head tiebreaker will be applied for that tie, and if it cannot split them, the combined record against the tied teams will be used.
4) The combined record of all conference opponents for each team. If, for any reason, one team has played fewer than nine conference games, the winning percentage will be used as opposed to the record.
5) Each team’s ranking by SportsSource Analytics’ capped relative total scoring margin versus all Conference opponents among tied teams.
6) Random draw.
SEC Three (or More) Team Tiebreakers
If, after any step in the following procedure, one or two teams are either superior or inferior to the others, they are removed from the tiebreaking procedure, and the remaining teams either go to the two-team tiebreaker or return to the start of the three-team tiebreaking procedure.
1) If all teams played each other, then the records for those teams in those games would be compared.
2) If all the teams did not play each other, but one team either defeated or was defeated by ALL the other teams, they shall be removed from the tiebreaking procedure.
3) Winning percentage of all teams against common conference opponents among all the teams involved in the tie. This tiebreaker examines each opponent individually, progressing from top to bottom in the table. If a group of common opponents is tied, then the head-to-head tiebreaker will be applied for that tie, and if it cannot split them, the combined record against the tied teams will be used.
4) The combined record of all conference opponents for each team. If, for any reason, one team has played fewer than nine conference games, the winning percentage will be used as opposed to the record.
5) Each team’s ranking by SportsSource Analytics’ capped relative total scoring margin versus all Conference opponents among tied teams.
6) Random draw.
If multiple teams are tied for top spot in the SEC standings, and two teams emerge as superior after any step, those two teams shall contest the SEC Championship Game. A two-team tiebreaker will be applied to determine the home and road designation.
How the SEC Tiebreakers Worked in Practice
The 2024 season provided us with an opportunity to see the two-team tiebreaker in action. Georgia and Tennessee were tied for second place in the SEC standings with a 6-2 record. As Georgia had beaten Tennessee on November 16, the Bulldogs advanced to the SEC Conference Championship Game to face Texas.
