SEC football's conference championship tiebreaker rules in 2024, explained
The SEC now has 16 teams after adding Texas and Oklahoma to the mix this year following chaotic conference realignment nationwide. And with a conference that large and no East and West divisions anymore, ties in the standings at the end of the regular season are increasingly likely, especially when most conferences no longer have divisions and everyone can’t play each other.
So when the regular season ends and we look to conference championship weekend, it may be challenging to figure out which two teams will play in it if there are ties at the top of the standings. While conference titles alone are important, there are also College Football Playoff implications on the line because the four highest-ranked conference champs get top seeds and first-round byes.
Here’s a look at the SEC football tiebreaker rules in 2024, should we need them.
SEC football championship game tiebreaker rules in 2024
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The 2024 SEC football championship game is set for Saturday, December 7 at 4 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the conference’s top two teams will face off. But without the East and West divisions, how will the conference determine which teams play for a title if there is a tie?
If there is a two-team tie in the SEC standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will consider these factors to break it, per SEC tiebreaker rules:
1. Head-to-head competition among the tied teams
2. Record versus all common conference opponents among tied teams
3. Record against highest (best) placed common conference opponent in the conference standings, and proceeding through the conference standings among the tied teams
4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among the tied teams
5. Higher relative total scoring margin per SportSource Analytics versus all conference opponents among tied teams
6. Random draw of the tied teams
If two teams are tied for first in the SEC standings, they’ll play in the title game, and the tiebreaker steps above will decide seeding.
If there is a multi-team tie in the SEC standings at the end of the regular season, the conference will look at these considerations to identify the first team in the title game. After the first team is identified, the process reverts back to the two-team tiebreaker rules.
1. Head-to-head competition among tied teams
2. Record versus all common conference opponents among tied teams
3. Record against highest (best) placed common conference opponent, proceeding through the conference standings among tied teams
4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of all conference opponents among the tied teams
5. Higher relative total scoring margin per SportSource Analytics versus all conference opponents among the tied teams
6. Random draw of the tied teams