The League: Teams still have much to play for

<p>Top-ranked Florida had sewn up its invitation to the Southeastern Conference Championship before Halloween had ended. Undefeated Alabama supplied the opposition a week later.</p><p>So much for drama. Or, is the sarcasm inappropriate with three weekends remaining in an SEC regular season?</p><p>Survey says: “Inappropriate.”</p><p>So, the Gators and Crimson Tide followed through for what has seemed like destiny since late September. So, two of the top three teams in the country — THE top two teams if you gauge it by the BCS standings — will meet, as expected, in what might be a de facto national championship semifinal game.</p><p>So? So?</p><p>So, there’s so much more football to be played, and so much more at stake in the SEC.</p><p>Put away biases for a moment, don’t play the role of elitist, and look at the bigger picture.</p><p>For the next three weeks, SEC programs will continue competing with enthusiasm and jockeying for position as bowl representatives in funny blazers that would make Craig Sager jealous show up in press boxes from Fayetteville to Columbia, and almost all points in between.</p><p>There is money on the table, and the SEC is aiming to rake in every dime.</p><p>Should both Florida and Alabama advance into the BCS tier of bowl season, the SEC will have no less than 10 league tie-in opportunities.</p><p> Should 10 league teams win the requisite six games to qualify, there will be a total of $51.35 million owed league members by the end of the chaos.</p><p>Bowl game regulars Auburn and Tennessee are back in the mix after inexplicable absences last season, and the SEC seems strong as ever. Sure, there are a load of three- and four-loss teams, but most are victims of conference scheduling. Running to the daylight of a bowl invitation will give the SEC another gauge of conference strength.</p><p>Additionally, there is a Heisman Trophy race that finds Tim Tebow and Mark Ingram involved, and a possible fourth consecutive national championship for the league as the pot of gold at the end of a magnificent rainbow.</p><p>Yes, there is much at stake.</p><p><B>Bowl prominence</B></p><p>Not only is the more than $51 million in payouts an annual jackpot for the conference, but just being involved in bowl games energizes every fan base. Most of the trips are considered highlights of the year for players and fans, and an extra month of bowl preparation helps keep the SEC in headlines and regenerating widely competitive teams.</p><p> Think of it as an additional spring training, which, in many ways, it is. SEC teams have gone a collective 19-7 in bowl games in the last three seasons, and have produced every national champion during that span. This is no coincidence.</p><p> While Florida and South Carolina from the SEC East, and Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Ole Miss from the West have already qualified for postseason games, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas have legitimate opportunities to give the SEC as many as 10 representatives.</p><p> Mississippi State, with a 4-5 record and games remaining with Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss, also has an outside chance to get to 6 wins and play spoiler.</p><p> Even the smallest of bowl games should be considered an investment. Parlay your share of the appearance fees into a pool that pays the Charleston Southerns, Chattanoogas, and Furmans of the world to be fed to your teams in filled stadiums on future Saturdays, and the dividends grow exponentially.</p><p><B>Best games remaining (not including UF or Alabama)</B></p><p>Auburn at Georgia, Saturday. The Bulldogs don’t want to waste an opportunity to wrap up a bowl invitation with sometimes-dangerous Kentucky looming, followed by an underdog situation against Georgia Tech. Auburn is seeking its eighth win, which could keep it on track for a Cotton or Outback bowl bid and cement a highly successful debut season for Gene Chizik.</p><p>LSU at Ole Miss, Nov. 21. LSU’s only losses are to the top two teams in the BCS standings, and Ole Miss maintains a slight resemblance to their top-10 alter ego of September, though it might take a forensics team to make the undeniable match. Wins over Tennessee (Saturday), LSU and Mississippi State would help.</p><p>Kentucky at Vanderbilt, Saturday. OK, OK, hit me with your best shot. Still, the Wildcats need this slam dunk to ensure bowl eligibility, even if it means a small payday at the Papajohns.com Bowl. The point is: With a road game at Georgia and a home game with suddenly motivated Tennessee following, Kentucky doesn’t want to play with fire where Vandy is concerned.</p>