As college football season winds down in Atlanta tonight, the race towards another type of playoff begins to hit its stride.

A playoff the SEC might actually have a better chance of winning.

Two and a half months into the 2024-25 men’s college hoops season, the SEC has made the most of the bigger, badder, and larger basketball leagues. All 16 teams in the league are sitting above .500 overall and have 10 wins or more at this point in the season.

It may not sound like much, but when you look at the success of the SEC compared to the other power conferences, only the Big Ten can toute something of that nature.

At the forefront of this southern hoops hierarchy are No. 1 Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ole Miss with Florida, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt helping bring depth to the league.

While it’s only January, this league has already staked its claim to be a threat when it comes to the NCAA tournament and will most certainly have an impact on how the tournament will unfold.

So, who is in, who’s out and who is sitting on the bubble when it comes to the first look the SEC’s forecast for the NCAA tournament.

In

Auburn (17-1, 5-0)

The Auburn Tigers are a NCAA tournament selection committee’s dream. Any discussion regarding their credentials for sitting on a top seed line will be pretty cut and dry. They’ve got tremendous metrics, with top rankings in KenPom, strength of record, and the national leader in Quad I wins with 10.

Alabama (15-3, 4-1)

Much like Auburn and Tennessee, the Alabama Crimson Tide are in a race for the No. 1 seed line, and while its early in the race it is very clear that given the strength of the SEC from top to bottom, the winner of the SEC’s regular season will be in line for one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.

Ole Miss (15-3, 4-1)

Falling to Mississippi State in overtime this past Saturday isn’t too damaging, and the good thing for Ole Miss so far in this season is they don’t have any resume damaging losses. When you pair that with the hefty number of resume-boosting games coming up (vs. Texas A&M, at Missouri, vs. Texas), they can make themselves a player in the SEC title race.

Missouri (15-3, 4-1)

Missouri is one of the handful of teams we will learn a lot about over the next few weeks. They’re off to a great start but they’ve got three tough road games (Texas, Mississippi State, Tennessee) paired with home tilts (Ole Miss and Texas A&M). The Tigers may take on some water, how much remains the question.

Florida (16-2, 3-2)

The Florida Gators have enough off-court issues going on, but on the court, they’ve been one of the major surprises this season. The biggest highlight so far, a 30-point victory over then-No. 1 Tennessee on Jan. 7.

Kentucky (14-4, 3-2)

While losing to Alabama at home on Saturday isn’t the worst thing to happen, do not be shocked if it’s the start of a possible slide. The Wildcats have back-to-back road games at Vanderbilt and Tennesse coming up.

Tennessee (16-2, 3-2)

While the SEC race is long from being decided, Tennessee’s got a huge game this coming Saturday vs. Auburn. A loss at Auburn could put the Vols in an uncomfortable spot this time next week.

Mississippi State (15-3, 3-2)

The Mississippi State Bulldogs have a very intriguing resume so far this season. They’re top-15 in the major college hoops metrics when it comes to tournament resumes, and they’ve managed to stay above .500 in the league with a brutal schedule so far. In terms of viability, we will see how long they stay in the “In” category, but don’t be surprised if they’re sliding towards the bubble. There’s always

Texas A&M (14-4, 3-2)

Losers of two out of their last three games, Texas A&M has a critical week ahead of them with games vs. Ole Miss and Texas. The Aggies can kill two birds with one stone by getting a season sweep of the Longhorns and would boost their tournament resume. Handing the Longhorns a loss and adding more damage to their resume sounds like a lot of fun if you’re an Aggie.

Georgia (14-4, 2-3)

It’s hard to say that there’s a wasted opportunity in the SEC with the conference being as strong as it is, but it’s hard to ignore the missed opportunity Georgia had this past Saturday. After falling into a deep hole vs. Auburn, the Bulldogs climbed back and had a chance to win the game. While the loss hurts, this league provides rebounding efforts, and Georgia gets two of them with Arkansas and Florida this week.

On the Bubble

Oklahoma (14-4, 1-4)

Overall, the record is good. However, four losses in a league as unforgiving as the SEC puts you on the bubble quicker than you can say, “It just means more.”

Vanderbilt (15-3, 3-2)

If I were on the selection committee, I’d put them in the tournament. Their win vs. Tennesse this past Saturday puts them on the right side of the bubble, for now.

Out

Texas (12-6, 1-4)

Four losses in the league, and 1-5 in Quad I games. The opportunities have been there and will be there. Texas just has to start winning games. Plain and simple.

Arkansas (11-7, 0-5)

As has been stated earlier, the SEC gives teams so many opportunities to improve their resumes. For the Arkansas Razorbacks, they’ve wasted all five of them so far this season. There’s a small glimmer of hope for Arkansas when they face Georgia this coming week. Any win in the league is a resume builder at this point.

Games to watch this week

Tuesday, Jan. 21

Vanderbilt at Alabama

Missouri at Texas

While it’s easy to add Mississippi State at Tennesse to this, Vanderbilt and Texas are in much more of a desperate need to boost their tournament resumes at this point in the season.

Wednesday, Jan. 22

Georgia at Arkansas

Winless in the SEC, Arkansas needs a win here or either the winning streak of a lifetime, or a SEC tournament championship are the only ways the Hogs will go dancing in March.

Saturday Jan. 25

Tennessee at Auburn

Game of the Year in the SEC (So far) …