Yes, Mississippi beat Georgia. Good for the Rebels. But now they have Saturday’s 24-17 loss at Florida to go with a 29-26 setback at 6-4 LSU and one of the worst results on the board of any team that harbored credible at-large playoff hopes entering the weekend, a 20-17 home loss to 4-6 Kentucky.

For that, the conference can thank the 12-team College Football Playoff. Without it, this would be a much different season for the league. Were the four-team CFP still in effect this year, the SEC would likely be one Texas loss from missing the Playoff for the first time in the event’s 11-year history.