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There’s still a lot to play for, they say over and over. But at some schools, that tired old cliche means much more than it does at others when there’s only three weeks left in the regular season.
What’s the motivation for our 14 SEC teams as we head down the home stretch? Let’s take the pulse.
Alabama: Well, this is too easy. After the Tide’s beatdown of LSU Saturday night, it’s full steam ahead toward another national championship for Nick Saban and the guys. There’s no doubt they think they’re the best team in the country right now. And who’s to doubt them? Anything less than a national title will be a disappointment.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks are on a roll now after a disappointing start to the season. Why stop now? They’ve got LSU this week and that would be a nice signature win. Just getting bowl eligible was a goal a few weeks ago, and it seemed like a longshot. Now, it’s all about bowl positioning with a strong finish. Still need one more win to be bowl eligible.
Auburn: Same thing for Auburn, The Tigers needed a big win somewhere to get bowl eligible and they did it last Saturday by upsetting Texas A&M in College Station. The nonconference game with Idaho is a lock No. 6. Beating Georgia this week or Alabama in two weeks would be pure gravy.
Florida: The Gators have a championship game to play in on Dec. 5, so their motivation is obvious. Their defense can play with anyone but they’ve got plenty to fix on offense. That Vanderbilt win last week was laughable. Those great Gator coaches on the offensive side of the ball need to get more out of QB Treon Harris down the stretch.
Georgia: Fighting for a coach’s job? That’s plenty of motivation. That’s certainly the case at Georgia, where the Mark Richt era might be coming to an end. But if the Bulldogs run the table against Auburn, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech to finish 9-3, can they really let Richt go?
Kentucky: This was the year the Wildcats had to make a bowl game. Progress was essential. But after a 4-1 start, the ‘Cats have lost four straight – and looked bad doing it. Thankfully, the schedule gets softer now and two wins should be available against Vanderbilt, Charlotte and Louisville. Should, however, is the operative word. UK can’t beat anybody unless it starts playing better.
LSU: Playing for pride. Playing for self-respect. Playing with purpose. Those are all things we’re curious to see about the Tigers after last week’s humiliating loss to Alabama. They looked like they didn’t even belong on the same field. We’ll need to see quickly if that confident 7-0 LSU team can resurface Saturday against Arkansas.
Mississippi State: When you’ve got the No. 1 team in the country coming onto your campus on a Saturday in November, what possibly could be more motivating? Well, in Hail State’s case, how about the motivation that Alabama ruined your No. 1 ranking a year ago. Time to make amends for Dak Prescott and the guys.
Missouri: The spotlight has been shining brightly on the Missouri players this week for their role in the drama in Columbia, so there’s plenty of motivation for them to go to Kansas City and beat BYU in an interesting November nonconference game. Plenty of people cheered for you for standing up for justice, now they’ll want maximum effort on the field to cheer for you again. You’ll need to deliver.
Ole Miss: The Rebels have a bye week, and it couldn’t come at a better time. I’m sure there’s not a player on the Ole Miss roster who left Tuscaloosa in September after beating Alabama that thought they’d hit the bye week with three losses. They need to rest this week and re-energize. LSU and Mississippi State await, which are huge games. Be ready, but first, this weekend be safe.
South Carolina: Shawn Elliott brought plenty of energy to the team the week after Steve Spurrier abruptly resigned and it resulted in a win. Two losses have followed, though the effort was there. If the players want to help Elliott get this job for good, they’ll need a big finish. Beating Florida or Clemson is a tall task, but that’s what it’s going to take. Do they have it in them?
Tennessee: The softness of the Vols’ final five weeks on the schedule made it mandatory that they run the table and finish the regular season 8-4. So far, so good. This big finish is more about 2016, to be honest. After all those heartbreaking close losses early, no team in America needed to learn how to win more than Tennessee. Win out, win a bowl game and be a contender in ’16. Makes sense, right?
Texas A&M: Two winnable games against Western Carolina and Vanderbilt should provide A&M with the opportunity to fix their mess at quarterback. Is Kyler Murray the guy? Does Kyle Allen deserve another chance? This carousel at quarterback has to stop sometime if the Aggies are ever going to be legitimate contenders.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores have major issues on offense, but that defense has been spectacular. At 3-6, Vandy could use another win or two. The final three games are Kentucky, Texas A&M and Tennessee and all three of those teams have shown this year that they know how to fall apart in a game. Some positive vibes heading into the offseason would be huge in Nashville.
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist and author who is covering SEC football for Saturday Down South.
