For the first time in a long, long, long time EVERY SINGLE SEC SERIES THIS FINAL WEEKEND OF THE REGULAR SEASON HAS SIGNIFICANCE.
First off, the top 2 teams in both the East and West play each other. The SEC champion will come from this group.
Florida @ Kentucky ... The series winner takes the SEC East. If Florida wins, they also take the SEC Championship (no worse than a tie.) If Kentucky wins, they will share the SEC Championship with Florida and possible LSU. They would been seeded above Florida by virtue of winning the series. If Florida sweeps they win it all. If Kentucky sweeps they can do no worse than tie for the overall title.
Best guess: Kentucky wins 2-1, wins the East by tie-breaker. Florida and Kentucky both end up being National Seeds.
LSU @ Mississippi State ... The series winner takes the SEC West. If LSU wins, they could force a 3-way SEC title tie with Florida and Kentucky. If that happens, Kentucky is the overal #1 seed having beaten LSU in their series.
Best guess: LSU wins 2-1, wins the East, takes overall #2 seed, Kentucky is overall #1seed. LSU wins a National Seed along with Florida and Kentucky.
Arkansas @ Texas A&M ... The series winner takes 3rd in the West and overall #5 seed. In an unexpected oddity,. if Arkansas sweeps and MSU wins the LSU series then Arkansas actually finishes #1 in the West as they would be 19-10 and LSU/MSU would be 19-11. How's that for crazy? It's not likely, however. The series loser takes #4 in the West and takes the overall #6 or #7 seed depending on what Vandy does.
Best guess: A&M wins 2-1
Ole Miss @ Auburn ... Auburn is reeling and both Auburn and OM are fighting to make the NCAAT. If OM takes the series they tie for 5th in the East and OM gets the #8 seed in Hoover and Auburn takes the #9 seed; if Auburn takes the series they will swap positions; and they end up playing again in game 1 in Hoover regardless. It's possible one or both could pass Vandy in the overall standings should Vandy lose the series to Alabama.
Best guess: OM wins 2-1
Alabama @ Vandy ... Alabama is the only SEC team whose fate is sealed, i.e, they will not be going to Hoover other than as spectators. Vandy needs a series win to clinch the #7 seed. Vandy could take #6 if A&M gets swept (not likely.)
Best guess: Vandy wins 3-0 (I only say this to tick off utahozzie, I actually think it will be 2-1)
Missouri @ Tennessee ... Tennessee needs either a sweep and one Georgia loss OR a 2-1 series win and Georgia get swept in order to take the final spot for Hoover. Neither is likely and UT, now coachless, will not be in Hoover. I do think they "win 2 for the departed skipper" however.
Best guess: Tennessee wins 2-1
Georgia @ South Carolina ... SC has to sweep to make the NCAAT most likely. If Georgia wins the series they clinch the last spot in Hoover no matter what UT does. One win and 1 UT loss also clinches it. If Georgia wins the series in Columbia then the fans might hang their coach before the weekend is over, most likely from the roof supports behind home plate -- that's just a guess, they might do it in the outfield bleachers for better TV coverage.
Best guess: South Carolina wins 2-1
There are so many permutations on the results and resulting SECT seeds that only Albert Einstein could figure it out and, given that he takes a long time to think about things it's not likely he'll do that before sometime in July, at which point no one will care.
If it all plays out as I have guessed then Vandy is the #7 seed and SC is the #10 seed and we'll play them next Tuesday, the winner getting LSU on Wednesday.
Next most likely day 1 opponent would be Ole Miss or Auburn.
First off, the top 2 teams in both the East and West play each other. The SEC champion will come from this group.
Florida @ Kentucky ... The series winner takes the SEC East. If Florida wins, they also take the SEC Championship (no worse than a tie.) If Kentucky wins, they will share the SEC Championship with Florida and possible LSU. They would been seeded above Florida by virtue of winning the series. If Florida sweeps they win it all. If Kentucky sweeps they can do no worse than tie for the overall title.
Best guess: Kentucky wins 2-1, wins the East by tie-breaker. Florida and Kentucky both end up being National Seeds.
LSU @ Mississippi State ... The series winner takes the SEC West. If LSU wins, they could force a 3-way SEC title tie with Florida and Kentucky. If that happens, Kentucky is the overal #1 seed having beaten LSU in their series.
Best guess: LSU wins 2-1, wins the East, takes overall #2 seed, Kentucky is overall #1seed. LSU wins a National Seed along with Florida and Kentucky.
Arkansas @ Texas A&M ... The series winner takes 3rd in the West and overall #5 seed. In an unexpected oddity,. if Arkansas sweeps and MSU wins the LSU series then Arkansas actually finishes #1 in the West as they would be 19-10 and LSU/MSU would be 19-11. How's that for crazy? It's not likely, however. The series loser takes #4 in the West and takes the overall #6 or #7 seed depending on what Vandy does.
Best guess: A&M wins 2-1
Ole Miss @ Auburn ... Auburn is reeling and both Auburn and OM are fighting to make the NCAAT. If OM takes the series they tie for 5th in the East and OM gets the #8 seed in Hoover and Auburn takes the #9 seed; if Auburn takes the series they will swap positions; and they end up playing again in game 1 in Hoover regardless. It's possible one or both could pass Vandy in the overall standings should Vandy lose the series to Alabama.
Best guess: OM wins 2-1
Alabama @ Vandy ... Alabama is the only SEC team whose fate is sealed, i.e, they will not be going to Hoover other than as spectators. Vandy needs a series win to clinch the #7 seed. Vandy could take #6 if A&M gets swept (not likely.)
Best guess: Vandy wins 3-0 (I only say this to tick off utahozzie, I actually think it will be 2-1)
Missouri @ Tennessee ... Tennessee needs either a sweep and one Georgia loss OR a 2-1 series win and Georgia get swept in order to take the final spot for Hoover. Neither is likely and UT, now coachless, will not be in Hoover. I do think they "win 2 for the departed skipper" however.
Best guess: Tennessee wins 2-1
Georgia @ South Carolina ... SC has to sweep to make the NCAAT most likely. If Georgia wins the series they clinch the last spot in Hoover no matter what UT does. One win and 1 UT loss also clinches it. If Georgia wins the series in Columbia then the fans might hang their coach before the weekend is over, most likely from the roof supports behind home plate -- that's just a guess, they might do it in the outfield bleachers for better TV coverage.
Best guess: South Carolina wins 2-1
There are so many permutations on the results and resulting SECT seeds that only Albert Einstein could figure it out and, given that he takes a long time to think about things it's not likely he'll do that before sometime in July, at which point no one will care.
If it all plays out as I have guessed then Vandy is the #7 seed and SC is the #10 seed and we'll play them next Tuesday, the winner getting LSU on Wednesday.
Next most likely day 1 opponent would be Ole Miss or Auburn.
