One-loss Texas holds the top spot amid two-loss conference chaos

ATHENS – Texas maintained its stronghold atop the AJC SEC Power Poll by virtue of being the only team with a loss amid relative chaos.

The Longhorns are still without a Top 25 win, but they did add a semi-impressive 20-10 road win at Arkansas last Saturday.

Place no. 2 is more contested, with Alabama edging Ole Miss as those two teams swallowed up all of the second- and third-place votes.

Georgia, on the heels of its impressive 31-17 victory over Tennessee, was the unanimous choice among the nine AJC SEC Power Poll voters at No. 4.

The Vols, like Texas A&M, sitting on the outside looking into the latest CFP field of 12 projections, took the No. 5 spot by simply voting over the Aggies.

In a way, things start to shake out and tiebreakers become easier to figure out.

Texas and Alabama are the most likely teams to play in the SEC Championship Game, with the Bulldogs and Texas A&M next in line if the Crimson Tide or Longhorns stumble.

At once, the SEC scheduler should be applauded for keeping plenty of fanbases engaged — six teams still have a shot at the league title game and the CFP field with just two weeks left in the season.

But had Texas played Tennessee, Alabama or Ole Miss, things probably would have been easier to figure out.

Games between Texas A&M and Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss or Alabama would have cleared more air.

Alas, there are winners and losers in every schema model, and in this case the big loser was clarity.

Things can get even more confusing and certainly frustrating if a two-loss SEC team goes to the league championship and loses.

What to do with a runner-up finish in the SEC Championship Game with three losses? Does a two-loss SEC team get bumped? If so, how do you decide which one?

Head-to-head or strength of schedule may or may not apply, depending on the latest whims of a CFP selection committee that seems intent on valuing the loss column more than metrics or the “eye test.”

CFP Committee Chairman Warde Manuel says it is not within the group’s “protocol” to put teams in a side-by-side comparison for the sake of hypothesizing which would win.

The AJC SEC Power Poll voters don’t mind such hypotheses, however, which brings us to this week’s survey question:

Which SEC quarterback do you want leading your team down 7 with two minutes left?

Ryan Fowler, Tide 100.9 radio

“Jalen Milroe’s rushing ability is why I picked him, he creates a real dilemma for opposing defenses that they will choose to defend him and this Crimson Tide offense on. Plus his deep ball is one of the best in college football.”

Anwar Richardson, Texas Orange Bloods

“When Texas defeated Michigan on the road this season, it marked the eighth straight true road win streak for Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers dating back to 2022.

Ewers has thrown 15 TD passes with just one interception in those games. Three of the eight wins have come in the stadiums of top-15 ranked opponents and in those games, and he has completed 63 percent of his passes for 792 yards and eight TDs (0 INTs).

Here are the notable achievements:

• on no. 10 Michigan (2024): 24-36-246-3/0

• on no. 3 Alabama (2023): 24-38-349/3/0

• at Kansas State no. 13 (2022): 18-31-197-2/0

• Total vs. Top-15 teams: 66-105-792-8/0

For that reason I will go with Ewers.

Josh Ward, Knoxville’s WNML radio

“I would take Carson Beck because I trust his ability to make big throws down the field. Beck might be a prisoner of the moment because of his performance against Tennessee, but Beck was my pick as the SEC’s top quarterback entering the season.

“It’s close for me between Beck and Jalen Milroe, who have also proven to be clutch while having game-breaking speed.

I would be scared of both guys if I had to stop one of them.”

Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

“In a year where the SEC’s quarterbacks aren’t quite basking in glory, give me Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia.

While Pavia may not possess the elite physical traits of other passers, his playmaking ability is off the charts. Vanderbilt hasn’t won them all, but Pavia’s individual brilliance is the main reason the Commodores have competed in all but one game this season, including masterful performances against Texas and Alabama.

Aaron Torres, Fox Sports Radio

“The answer seems easy – it would be Quinn Ewers.

No, the Texas signal caller is not perfect. But he has experience (something that DJ Lagway and Nico Iamaleava — who might be future answers to this question — don’t have right now. And Ewers isn’t reckless with the ball (cough, Carson Beck, cough).

Jaxson Dart, while talented, has been up and down all season and as we saw earlier this year, if you can slow down Jalen Milroe on the ground, Alabama’s offense can be slowed down.

Ewers is not perfect, but he is the right QB in crunch time, in this league, in this moment.”

Kaylee Mansell, DawgNation

“With 2 minutes on the line, I’ll take Jalen Milroe because I saw with my own eyes what he did against Georgia with less than 2 minutes left in the Tide’s 41-34 victory, producing the game-winning touchdown.

“You never want to meet Milroe when he’s under pressure.”

Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel

“Lots of SEC QBs could get it done under the gun. Few if any have proven that.

“Carson Beck would have been my pick in September but has been too shaky. I’ll go with big game potential (Jalen Milroe) over stability and experience (Quinn Ewers).

Senior team: How about the Florida Gators taking down LSU and chasing the Tigers out of SEC and CFP contention?

Florida took charge in the second half of their 27-16 win over LSU in The Swamp, building anticipation for their showdown with Lane Kiffin and his Ole Miss Rebels this Saturday.

Taking a big fall: Georgia proved to be a rock-solid stop for the Tennessee players from Rocky Top as they dropped a decisive 31-17 decision.

The Vols tumbled from the top of the SEC into the never-never land of the inexplicable CFP rankings, currently projected not to reach the 12-team playoff despite a head-to-head victory over the top-ranked two- losing team in the field, Alabama.

Here is this week’s AJC SEC Power Poll

1. (1) Texas 144 points, Highest vote 1, Lowest vote 1

2. (4) Alabama 132 points, highest vote 2, lowest vote 3

3. (3) Ole Miss 129 points, Highest vote 2, Lowest vote 3

4. (5) Georgia 117 points, highest vote 4, lowest vote 4

5. (2) Tennessee 103 points, highest vote 5, lowest vote 7

6. (7) South Carolina 97 points, highest vote 5, lowest vote 7

7. (6) Texas A&M 96 points, highest vote 5, lowest vote 8

8. (12) Florida 69 points, highest vote 8, lowest vote 11

9. (9) Missouri 67 points, highest vote 7, lowest vote 12

10. (8) LSU 65 points, Highest vote 9, Lowest vote 11

11. (10) Vanderbilt 63 points, Highest vote 8, Lowest vote 12

12. (11) Arkansas 52 points, Highest vote 8, Lowest vote 12

13. (13) Oklahoma 32 points, Highest vote 13, Lowest vote 15

14. (14) Auburn 27 points, Highest vote 13, Lowest vote 15

15. (15) Kentucky 21 points, highest vote 14, lowest vote 16

16. (16) Mississippi State 10 points, highest vote 15, lowest vote 16

SEC Power poll polling panel

Chris Doering, SEC Network

Kaylee Mansell, DawgNation

Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel

Josh Ward, Knoxville WNML

Ryan Fowler, Tuscaloosa Tide-100.9

Anwar Richardson, Orange Bloods

Aaron Torres, Fox Sports Radio

Mike Griffith, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

This week’s SEC games

(Draft Kings Odds)

Ole Miss -10.5 at Florida, noon, ABC

UMass at Georgia -42, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network

UTEP at Tennessee -42, at 1 p.m., SEC-Plus

Kentucky at Texas -21, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Louisiana Tech at Arkansas -22, 4 p.m., SEC-Plus

Wofford at South Carolina (no line), 6 p.m. 16.00, SEC-Plus

Missouri -7.5 at Mississippi State, 4:15 p.m., SEC Network

Texas A&M -2.5 at Auburn, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Alabama -13.5 at Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m., ABC

Vanderbilt at LSU -7.5, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network