Alabama
What SEC championship round-robin tiebreakers mean for Alabama football after LSU win
Sixteen SEC football games remain until two championship game bids are awarded.
That is 65,536 potential outcomes to decide which two SEC teams have the chance to play for an SEC championship in Atlanta Dec. 7.
But despite losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee during conference play, Alabama football has a significant chance to make the SEC championship, especially after its 42-13 win at LSU Saturday night.
Here’s a look at where the Crimson Tide stand with three games left on its schedule including conference bouts against Oklahoma and Auburn.
Where Alabama stands in SEC standings
Alabama is one of five two-loss teams in the SEC along with Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU and Missouri.
Head-to-head, the Crimson Tide hold an advantage over each of them. Alabama beat Georgia, LSU and Missouri, while it has a better record against common conference opponents than Ole Miss.
Here is a look at the current SEC standings through Week 11 of the football season.
- Texas A&M (5-1)
- Tennessee (5-1)
- Texas (4-1)
- Georgia (5-2)
- Alabama (4-2)
- Ole Miss (4-2)
- LSU (3-2)
- Missouri (3-2)
- South Carolina (4-3)
- Arkansas (3-3)
- Vanderbilt (3-3)
- Florida (2-4)
- Auburn (1-5)
- Oklahoma (1-5)
- Kentucky (1-6)
- Mississippi State (0-6)
But head-to-head tiebreakers may not be what Alabama needs to have an advantage in by the end of the season.
What SEC round-robin tiebreaker means for Alabama football
In the event of a tie between three or more teams vying for an SEC championship bid, the tiebreaker begins at head-to-head competition among the tied teams and the record against all common conference opponents. From there, the record against the highest-placed common conference will be compared.
If a tie remains, the teams will be ranked by cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among tied teams, followed by a comparison of relative total scoring margin. As a last resort, a random draw of the tied teams will ensue.
The farther tiebreakers go, the more they would favor Alabama.
In SEC play, Alabama has faced five teams currently ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll top 25: Georga, South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri and LSU.
If Alabama were to win out, according to mred’s SEC standings tracker, its conference opponent win percentage would be better than teams like Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee, if it loses to the Bulldogs Saturday, and Texas A&M, if it loses to Texas Nov. 30.
But it’s close. The Crimson Tide’s advantage is by 0.0.156 percentage points.
Which games could decide Alabama SEC championship fate?
If Texas wins its next two games against Arkansas and Kentucky, and Texas A&M beats Auburn Nov. 23, the Longhorns vs. Aggies game Nov. 30 will be for the top seed in the SEC. The loser would fall below two-loss Alabama because of the Crimson Tide’s conference opponent win percentage.
After Georgia’s loss to Ole Miss Saturday, Tennessee alone could decide the Crimson Tide’s fate.
If the Volunteers beat the Bulldogs and Vanderbilt, the SEC championship bid is theirs. If Tennessee loses to either team, and is in group of two-loss teams tied with Alabama, the Crimson Tide would take the SEC championship slot if it wins out even with Tennessee holding the individual head-to-head tiebreaker against Alabama.
An Arkansas win against Missouri Nov. 30 could also disrupt Alabama’s plans for an SEC championship. If the Razorbacks beat the Tigers, LSU would jump Alabama for an SEC championship bid in a five-way tie of two-loss SEC teams between the Crimson Tide, LSU, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
For the first time in five years, Alabama is heading to the SEC Softball Tournament championship.
The No. 2-seeded Crimson Tide (49-6) is coming off a 9-1 run-rule win over No. 3 seed Florida (48-10) on Friday, May 8. Alabama first opened tournament play with a 7-1 win over No. 7 Arkansas (42-11) on Thursday.
The Crimson Tide will face No. 4 Texas, which is coming off a walkout 5-4 win over No. 9 Georgia.
Alabama had not reached the SEC Tournament championship game since 2021, when it won its last conference championship.
Here’s what to know about how to follow the Crimson Tide against Texas in the SEC Tournament title game.
When does Alabama softball play vs Texas in SEC Tournament?
- Location: John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Ky.
- Game time — 4 p.m. CT Saturday, May 9
First pitch in the Alabama softball vs. Texas matchup is set for 4 p.m. CT Saturday, May 9 for the championship title.
What channel is Alabama softball vs Texas in SEC Tournament?
The 2026 SEC Softball Tournament conference championship game will air on ESPN.
How to listen to Alabama softball vs Texas in SEC Tournament
You can tune into each Alabama softball game on Catfish 100.1 FM.
2026 SEC Softball Tournament bracket
Click here to see the full 2026 SEC Softball Tournament bracket.
2026 SEC softball standings, conference records
All conference records are as of entering the SEC Softball Tournament.
- Oklahoma (20-4)
- Alabama (19-5)
- Florida (17-7)
- Texas (16-8)
- Tennessee (16-8)
- Texas A&M (16-8)
- Arkansas (15-9)
- LSU (12-11)
- Georgia (12-12)
- Mississippi State (9-15)
- Missouri (9-15)
- South Carolina (7-17)
- Ole Miss (6-18)
- Auburn (4-19)
- Kentucky (1-23)
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at ahurley@usatodayco.com.
Alabama softball dominated all the way in its win to advance to its first SEC Tournament championship in five years.
The No. 2-seeded Crimson Tide (49-6) didn’t trail once in its 9-1 run-rule win over No. 3 seed Florida (48-10) on Friday, May 8. Alabama first opened tournament play with a 7-1 win over No. 7 Arkansas (42-11, 15-10) on Thursday.
Here are our three biggest takeaways from the Crimson Tide’s win over the Gators.
Alabama softball offense is starting to click at the right time
Alabama did not have to wait until the middle innings to find its offense this time.
Freshman Ambrey Taylor opened the scoring with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. It was Taylor’s 11th home run of the season and her second in as many days after also going deep against Arkansas in the quarterfinals.
Alabama continued to build from there. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the second, Ana Roman singled to right field to bring in another run. Marlie Giles followed with a two-run single, pushing Alabama ahead 4-0 before the inning ended.
Jena Young doubled to drive in two more runs, with one coming across on a fielding error, at the bottom of the third. Alexis Pupillo followed with an RBI single to stretch Alabama’s lead to 6-1 by the end of the inning.
Pupillo shot an RBI-double off the wall and Audrey Vandagriff doubled to score another, extending Alabama’s lead to 8-1, threatening run-rule territory with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, securing the run rule with an RBI single by Taylor.
After needing a later-than-preferred power surge to pull away from Arkansas, Alabama’s lineup looked more comfortable early against Florida. The Crimson Tide finished with nine runs on 13 hits.
Vic Moten handles early pressure in first SEC Tournament appearance
Vic Moten’s first SEC Tournament appearance did not start easily, but the freshman pitcher kept Florida from taking advantage of the new kid on the block.
Moten walked two batters in the first inning but answered by striking out three straight Gators to keep the game scoreless heading into the bottom half.
Her pitch count climbed quickly. Moten threw more than 30 pitches in each of the first two innings and more than 20 in the third, reaching 87 pitches after just three. But after battling through traffic early, she settled in with a seven-pitch 1-2-3 fourth inning.
Alabama’s lead gave Moten margin for error, but Florida’s offense still had enough firepower to threaten a comeback. Moten ended the complete-game effort striking out four and one run on three hits with seven walks. Not bad for the freshman’s first postseason appearance.
Alabama moves one win away from SEC Tournament history
Alabama’s win over Florida moved the Crimson Tide one step closer to separating itself in SEC Softball Tournament history.
Both No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Florida entered Friday tied with six SEC Softball Tournament championships apiece. With the semifinal win, Alabama will now have a chance to become the first program in conference history to win a seventh SEC Tournament title.
The Crimson Tide had won only two of its last seven meetings against the Gators entering Friday, including a loss to Florida in the 2024 Women’s College World Series. This was the first postseason meeting between the two programs since then.
Alabama had not reached the SEC Tournament championship game since 2021, when it won the tournament title.
When does Alabama softball play again?
After beating No. 7 Arkansas and No. 3 Florida on back-to-back days, the Crimson Tide will face the winner of No. 4 Texas vs. No. 9 Georgia in the SEC Softball Tournament championship game at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 9.
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at ahurley@usatodayco.com.
Does that animal have rabies? Here are signs and symptoms to look for
Rabies is an infectious disease that affects the central nervous system in mammals. Here’s what to look for in pets.
The Republic
State health officials are urging people to keep their pets vaccinated for rabies after a fox in Elmore County and a raccoon in Lee County tested positive for the virus.
On May 1, the raccoon was spotted acting strangely near Auburn, and the fox emerged from a wooded area and attacked a person in Tallassee, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. The person has sought medical treatment.
“Rabies is not seasonal, and we continue to see cases year-round, but late spring is a time when activity peaks, particularly in wildlife,” said Dr. Dee Jones, state veterinarian for the ADPH, “The primary risk of rabies from wildlife is our pets, and keeping them up to date on rabies vaccine is critical.”
Alabama state law requires that dogs, cats and ferrets 12 weeks of age and older be current with rabies vaccination. In addition to vaccination, area residents are advised to take the following precautions to avoid possible exposure to rabies:
- Do not leave uneaten pet food or scraps near your residence.
- Do not allow pets to run loose; confine them within a fenced-in area or with a leash.
- Do not illegally feed or keep wildlife as pets.
- Do not go near wildlife or domestic animals that are acting in a strange or unusual manner.
- Caution children not to go near any stray or wild animal, regardless of its behavior.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
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