:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/3892673/156902973.0.jpg)
With Saturday's action complete, the SEC regular season has drawn to a close. Georgia and Alabama are set to play for the SEC Championship Saturday, with the winner a near-certainty to play Notre Dame for the BCS National Championship in Miami on Jan. 7.
The Georgia Bulldogs took the championship of a stronger-than-expected SEC East this season. While the Bulldogs were pummeled 35-7 by South Carolina on Oct. 6, they managed to win all 11 remaining games to earn their spot in the conference championship. Most important was Georgia's win over Florida on Oct. 27, which gave the Bulldogs a tiebreaker over the Gators. Both teams finished 11-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference. South Carolina finished 10-2 (6-2), good enough for third in the East, despite losing star running back Marcus Lattimore to injury with four games left to play. Vanderbilt will go to a bowl game after a respectable 8-4 (5-3) finish. Missouri's first season in the Southeastern Conference ended with the Tigers 2-6 in conference play and 5-7 overall. Mizzou's performance earned them fifth in the division, ahead of Tennessee and Kentucky.
Alabama was the early favorite to win the SEC West, and the Crimson Tide did not disappoint. Alabama finished 7-1 in the conference, a game ahead of LSU and Texas A&M. Mississippi State's Egg Bowl loss Saturday dropped the Bulldogs to 4-4 in conference play and 8-4 overall. Ole Miss, Arkansas and Auburn round out the West standings.