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What SEC championship round-robin tiebreakers mean for Alabama football after LSU win

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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.

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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.

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  • 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.

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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.

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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. 



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University of Alabama police officer's family leans on law enforcement community after his death

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University of Alabama police officer's family leans on law enforcement community after his death


Dozens of people gathered on the University of Alabama campus Thursday night to honor University of Alabama Police Investigator Justin Beal, who died late Wednesday following complications of cancer. The vigil was originally scheduled to pray for his recovery, but turned into a celebration of life.



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New Alabama women’s basketball coach Pauline Love credits late mentor for coaching career

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New Alabama women’s basketball coach Pauline Love credits late mentor for coaching career


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) – Pauline Love, the new head coach of the Alabama women’s basketball team, says her late college coach, Joye Lee-McNelis, is the reason she got into coaching.

Love played for Lee-McNelis at Southern Miss, describing her as a second mother. Lee-McNelis passed away last summer after a long battle with breast cancer.

A relationship that changed her path

Love said she once told Lee-McNelis she would never go into coaching, a conversation the two laughed about often.

“I used to tell her all the time, I would never do this. I would never put up with somebody like me or I would never work for somebody like her. I was like coach, you’re crazy. We used to laugh about it all the time and she was like you’ll see one day, you’ll see,” Love said.

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Love had planned to work in the tech industry. Instead, she has spent 15 years in coaching.

“She pretty much paved the way for me. There’s no way I’d be sitting here if it wasn’t for her,” Love said.

New Alabama women’s basketball coach Pauline Love credits late mentor for coaching career(WBRC)

High expectations at Alabama

Love returns to Tuscaloosa after previously serving as an assistant at Alabama. She was introduced as head coach in April, and was brought to tears when she mentioned Lee-McNelis during that introduction.

Her goals for the program are clear.

“I’m going to have a passion about it. I want to bring a Final Four to the University of Alabama and make Tuscaloosa proud,” Love said.

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This year’s roster includes Spring Garden’s Ace Austin, back for her sophomore season.

Love said she wants her players to know that difficult times are part of the process.

“I can say for them, I’ve been there. I’ve done it. Just learn how to figure out and fight through hard things. You gotta do something hard and fight through it and I promise you it’s rewarding at the end of it,” Love said.

Love said she also wants to be a source of support for her players off the court, the same way Lee-McNelis was for her.

“I know we always get caught up in the money part of it, but I got a group of girls that doesn’t care about that. They want to care about making the fans happy and giving them something good to watch,” Love said.

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Copyright 2026 WBRC. All rights reserved.



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Alabama football fans invited to pep rally at River Market

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Alabama football fans invited to pep rally at River Market


Alabama football fans are invited to a preseason pep rally Aug. 4 at the Tuscaloosa River Market.  

The pep rally is part of the annual fall kickoff event hosted by the Tuscaloosa County chapter of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association. 

The family friendly event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the River Market, 1900 Jack Warner Parkway. Tickets, which include a barbecue dinner, cost $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 8 to 12. Children 7 years old and younger will be admitted for free.   

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The pep rally will feature live entertainment, a silent auction and a range of family-friendly activities. There will also be a cash bar with wine and beer. 

Tickets can be purchased on the chapter’s website, tuscaloosacountyuaalumni.com. Membership in the local alumni chapter is not required for attendance. 

University of Alabama President Peter Mohler and UA baseball coach Rob Vaughn will be part of the festivities. 

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Mohler began his duties as UA president on July 21, 2025.

Before being named UA president, Mohler spent nearly 15 years at Ohio State University, where he held senior leadership roles overseeing research, innovation and economic development. He also served as OSU’s acting president, providing leadership during a pivotal period for one of the nation’s largest public universities. 

Mohler earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wake Forest University and a PhD in cell and molecular physiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University Medical Center before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

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Vaughn has been UA’s head baseball coach for three years, leading the Crimson Tide to the College Baseball World Series in 2026. 

The Humble, Texas, native served as head baseball coach at Maryland for five seasons before coming to Tuscaloosa.

Vaughn played collegiate baseball at Kansas State, where his position was catcher. 

Alabama begins the 2026 football season on Sept. 5 with a home game against the East Carolina Pirates. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

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Other Alabama home games include Florida State on Sept. 19, South Carolina on Sept. 26, Georgia on Oct. 10, Texas A&M on Oct. 24, Chattanooga on Nov. 21 and Auburn on Nov. 28.

Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.  To support his work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News. 



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