SEC football tiebreaker process: How will a team win in case of a tie during conference championship?

The Southeastern Conference has a lot of exciting teams and as they continue to change the structure of the conference with 16 members and no more divisions, the tiebreaker process has changed as well. The official SEC football Twitter account posted the new rules regarding SEC football tiebreakers in terms of the standings.

Below are the sequential steps to determine a tiebreaker:

Head-to-head competition among the teams with the tied record
Record vs. common SEC opponents among the tied teams
Record against the best-placed common conference opponent in the standings among the tied teams
Cumulative winning percentage of conference opponents among the tied teams
Capped relative total scoring margin vs. all conference opponents among the tied teams
Random draw

While getting through all the steps in the SEC football tiebreaker process is likely not going to happen, this would generally be used to determine the SEC champion.

If this is to determine second place in the SEC and fill the remaining spot in the SEC Championship Game, the team not in the tiebreaker would become the home team as they have the better overall record.

If the two teams are tied for the best record in the SEC and the SEC football tiebreaker process is used in order to figure out the road and home team, this will be used to determine who is hosting the SEC Championship Game.

Teams that can be in the discussion for SEC football tiebreaker process

Looking at the programs that are projected to make the SEC Championship this season, there are a couple of teams that may require this process. If it is a tied record between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs, for example, they would only go to the first step as they play the first conference game this season.

The Texas Longhorns have an easier SEC schedule than people expected going in and this program did make the College Football Playoff last season.

Expect them to be in the conversation for the best record in the SEC, along with the Tennessee Volunteers, Ole Miss Rebels and Alabama Crimson Tide. Those four teams will likely be amongst the best in the conference during the 2024 season.

About the author

Vincent is a College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with close to 6 years of experience. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sport Business from Saint Leo University, and has worked with Pasco News Publications and Pro Football Focus.

Vincent's education has helped him approach sports writing from the understanding of what it takes to run a program/team and the business side of it. He has interviewed dozens of players, coaches and analysts and believes he asks the questions readers are interested in.

He ensures that the source is credible and cross-checks information before reporting to ensure accuracy and relevance in his articles.

Vincent doesn’t have a favorite team or player, as he tries to remain unbiased. However, he considers John Wooden the greatest coach of all time and the 1990 “Fifth Down Game” between Colorado and Missouri the most iconic College Sports moment.

For Vincent, College Sports is on par with the pro leagues as it is a professional pipeline with media rights deals and a free agency of sorts. He plays video games and hangs out with friends and family when he’s away from his keyboard.

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Edited by Deepesh Nair