Week 11 SEC Talking Points: East Division

Do you feel that Florida, despite their loss to Arkansas, still has a firm grasp at the top spot of the East or is their standing in jeopardy now?

Jonathan Waldrop (@aukiwal83): All Florida really needed to do was beat an Arkansas team that was hammer punched in the face by Auburn. I understand we’re now in the throes of Novembert, but Florida should be head and shoulders above the Razorbacks. That offense is something really awful, though, and I’m just not sure the defense can continue to bail them out. I feel that LSU is going to be the final nail in the coffin for the Gators in the East.

Tom Stephenson (@tcstephenson1): I mean, yeah. Now that the Gators have to go to Baton Rouge next weekend, and Tennessee’s remaining schedule consists of the murderer’s row that is Kentucky, Mizzou, and Vandy, and Tennessee has the tiebreaker? Florida could be a loss to LSU away from missing out on a trip to Atlanta.

If the answer to that question is no, who do you think poses the biggest threat to the Gators?

Jonathan Waldrop (@aukiwal83): Gotta go with Tennessee. Lord help us, the Vols might actually be able to pull it off. They have a much more manageable schedule on the back end and although Kentucky and Vandy are not the pushovers once thought to be, Tennessee should be able to beat them. Also, Mizzou’s so pitiful, I just can’t see them going to Knoxville and winning. That being said…

Alex Dusza (@alexdusza): Agreed, it has to be Tennessee because of the tiebreaker over Florida. With Del Rio out again is anyone really expecting Florida to be productive the rest of the season? I would not even consider South Carolina this week a guaranteed win as the Gamecocks seem to have found a bit of an identity the past few weeks.

Tom Stephenson: Yeah, it’s Tennessee. While I wouldn’t put actual money on the Vols running the table the rest of the way -- because there’s a very real chance that Butch Jones has lost the locker room -- there’s really no other option: Kentucky already has three losses and would lose the tiebreaker to the Gators, while Georgia, Vandy, South Carolina and Mizzou are already out of this.

Call your shot: The next SEC win for Mizzou will be…

Jonathan Waldrop (@aukiwal83): ...I think they’ll pull the upset in Knoxville. Beating Vandy in Columbia seems easy, but the ‘Dores have made it a mission this year to go on the road and compete heavily against much more talented opponents. They beat UGA and had a shot against Auburn this past week. I feel like Coach Bert is so spiteful, he may put 70 on the Tigers. Vanderbilt is the easier choice, but I’m going with Tennessee.

Alex Dusza (@alexdusza): Woo boy… At some point, they have to win, right? They certainly could win a game this year, most likely this week against Vanderbilt, but I think they will enter next year with a 14 game SEC losing streak and break that at home against South Carolina September 9.

Tom Stephenson: It kills me to say this, but it’s probably going to be Vanderbilt at home on Saturday, because playing top 25 teams balls to the wall and then farting away winnable games against 2-7 teams is a longstanding Vanderbilt football tradition.