By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Matt Smith recaps week 12 in the SEC.

SEC Week 12 Recap
Scores
No. 1 Alabama 52, Arkansas 3
No. 9 Georgia 49, Missouri 14
Tennessee 42, Vanderbilt 17
LSU 37, No. 6 Florida 34
Auburn 24, Mississippi State 10

The Big Story
Who saw that coming? Aided by a pair of Kyle Trask interceptions and a run-of-the-mill cleat-throwing penalty, 23-point underdog LSU stunned No. 6 Florida, 37-34, on a foggy night in Gainesville. A back-and-forth game was won by the Tigers on Cade Yorks 57-yard field goal with 23 seconds to play. Florida had a chance to tie on the final play, but Evan McPhersons 51-yard attempt sailed wide left. LSUs final drive had stalled, but the Tigers were given reprieve when Florida cornerback Marco Wilson threw the cleat of LSU tight end Kole Taylor 20 yards down the field after a play, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It was an individual bonehead play on a night when the entire Florida team made serious gaffes to likely knock the Gators out of College Football Playoff contention.

On the heels of its 55-17 loss to Alabama last week, LSU circled the wagons behind freshman quarterback Max Johnson, making his first career start just a couple hours up the road from Tampa, where his father, Brad, led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl crown when Max was in diapers. Johnson threw three touchdown passes and did not turn the ball over. The Tigers converted each of their three takeaways into points, including a pick-six by Eli Ricks to put LSU up 14-7 in the second quarter.

For Florida, Kyle Trask did amass 474 yards of offense, but his two interceptions are the only two throws hell be thinking about until turning his focus to the SEC Championship Game. Trask was good, but he wasnt great, and with the Gators defense not being up to the task, Florida paid the ultimate price. Every mistake was costly, and despite outgaining LSU by nearly 200 yards, the Gators couldnt overcome all of their gaffes. Beating Alabama and earning the schools first CFP bid would have been a monumental challenge, but all anyone wants is a shot, and Florida denied itself that opportunity with its blunder-filled night that wont be soon forgotten.

Top Takeaways
*Despite getting plenty of help from Florida, Saturday nights big upset in The Swamp doesnt happen without a spirited effort from LSU. I wasnt sure the Tigers had one of those left in it on the heels of ugly losses to Texas A&M and Alabama, as well as the school announcing it would opt out of a bowl game. Like it has for Georgia, a quarterback change was beneficial for LSU. Maybe some LSU players are ready to call it a season, but Max Johnson certainly was not, and a quarterback can spread fire throughout a team. That fire kept LSU dialed in even after its 27-17 lead was gone in just four minutes late in the third quarter.

LSUs defense certainly lost the efficiency battle, allowing more than eight yards per play to Florida, but in the current era of college football, that can be acceptable as long as there are takeaways. In addition to Eli Ricks pick-six, Jay Ward had a circus interception off of two deflections deep in Tigers territory that ended a long drive for the Gators. The win didnt save LSUs season, but knocking Florida out of the national title picture is a big deal. The LSU-Florida rivalry is not friendly, and Ed Orgeron deserves a ton of credit for rallying his troops in the face of adversity.

*The Alabama machine looks unstoppable. With multiple circumstances suggesting the Crimson Tide might not have their A-game on a chilly morning in Fayetteville, Alabama instead shook off a slow first quarter with 49 unanswered points to rout Arkansas, 52-3. Mac Jones did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time all season, but missed on just five of 29 passes. Alabama scored six rushing touchdowns and DeVonta Smith added fuel to his Heisman Trophy campaign with a punt return touchdown late in the first quarter to put Alabama on top to stay.

The Tide have now not only won, but covered, in seven straight games, all but Georgia coming with huge lines. The only concern Saturday was an early shoulder injury to linebacker Christian Harris, whose status for next weeks SEC Championship Game is uncertain. Outside of that, it was another performance from Alabama showing that they may be unbeatable and that next weeks conference title clash with Florida may end up no different than Alabamas other two big games this season 3 a 17-point win over Georgia and a 28-point win over Texas A&M.

Quick Hitters
*Auburn limped to the finish line of its 6-4 season with an ugly 24-10 win at Mississippi State. I dont know what it would have taken to save Gus Malzahns job, but that wasnt it, and the Tigers cut ties with Malzahn on Sunday after eight seasons, an SEC title, two SEC West titles, and three Iron Bowl wins. With Texas and USC not likely to open, Auburn could be the most attractive job available this cycle. Is this finally the SEC job for Billy Napier? Could Auburn lure Matt Campbell away from Iowa State? I dont think Hugh Freeze would be a good fit, but youll hear his name plenty. As is the case with anything related to Auburn, it will be fascinating to watch it play out. And a reminder: The early signing period begins Wednesday.

*Credit to Georgia for finishing strong despite being out of the national title picture in November for the first time since 2016. J.T. Daniels taking over at quarterback was a big boost. Not only is he better than Stetson Bennett IV, but he hadnt played a snap in 15 months, meaning he was going to be fired up to play any opponent on the Bulldogs pillow-soft late-season schedule. Special teams were the only hiccup in Georgias 49-14 thumping of Missouri, with Daniels throwing three touchdown passes and receiver George Pickens being no match for the Tigers secondary. The 8Dawgs will likely be headed to the Peach or Cotton Bowl after they beat Vanderbilt next week to finish 8-2. With an opportunity to just play out the string after losing to Florida, Georgia has instead maintained its focus and dominated less talented opponents over the past three games.

*Tennessee let Vanderbilt hang around longer than it should, including allowing a touchdown that led to Sarah Fuller becoming the first female to score in a Power Five game after converting the extra point, but the Vols dominated after falling behind 10-7, rolling to a 42-17 win in Nashville. Its hard to glean much from this one. The Commodores are an SEC team in name only. Jeremy Pruitt likely bought himself 2021 by avoiding a disastrous loss, but its hard to think next season will be much different than this one, particularly if Jim Chaney returns as offensive coordinator. Frustration is acceptable. Apathy is dangerous. Tennessee needs to make sure the former doesnt turn into the latter.

*The Vanderbilt coaching search appears to be winding down. Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell may have said no after initially showing interest. Charlottes Will Healy, Armys Jeff Monken, and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea are still in the mix, and former NFL coach Jeff Fisher cant be written off. Monken would be the most interesting hire, as he would presumably bring his triple-option offense to Nashville. Want the rest of the SEC to take notice of you, Vanderbilt? Run that offense. It will irritate the heck out of the rest of the league that they have to prepare for it and face it in the middle of an SEC schedule. Monken wont win a conference title like Georgia Tech did with Paul Johnson, but he can come in and have some quick success as the league struggles to figure out how to counter it. If you cant get the personnel, you have to be different. Running a spread or Air Raid offense is no longer different. The triple option still is. Lets hope it happens.

*Bowl Projections? Sure, why not. I think Florida is at risk at falling out of the New Years Six picture, and that is accounted for below. If South Carolina wants to participate in a bowl, the Gators sliding to the Citrus Bowl likely would knock the Gamecocks out.

SEC:
Sugar (CFP semifinal): Alabama
Orange: Texas A&M
Peach: Georgia
Citrus: Florida
Outback: Ole Miss
Gator: Auburn
Music City: Tennessee
Liberty: Kentucky
Texas: Arkansas
Armed Forces: Missouri
Birmingham: Mississippi State

New Years Six:
Sugar (CFP semifinal): Alabama vs. Notre Dame
Rose (CFP semifinal): Clemson vs. Ohio State
Orange: Texas A&M vs. North Carolina
Peach: Georgia vs. Coastal Carolina
Cotton: Iowa State vs. Cincinnati
Fiesta: Indiana vs. USC

Around The Nation
*Conference championship weekend is set. The Clemson-Notre Dame rematch will obviously receive the most hype, but there are some other excellent matchups. Iowa State will go for its first ever Big 8/Big 12 title against Oklahoma, while Cincinnati and Tulsa will put their unbeaten records in AAC play on the line after having to cancel their regular-season game scheduled for yesterday. The best game of the day could be in the Sun Belt, as No. 9 Coastal Carolina hosts a rematch with Louisiana-Lafayette, hoping to keep New Years Six bowl hopes alive while also keeping head coach Jamey Chadwell. The Chanticleers won a 30-27 thriller over the Ragin Cajuns in October. Other matchups include Washington at USC (Pac-12), Northwestern vs. Ohio State (Big Ten), UAB at Marshall (Conference USA), Boise State vs. San Jose State (Mountain West) and Ball State vs. Buffalo (MAC).

*USC pulled another rabbit out of its hat, overcoming a 28-10 deficit against crosstown rival UCLA to stay undefeated in a 43-38 win. The Trojans had clinched the Pac-12 South earlier in the day when Utah handed Colorado its first loss of the season, so even though the stakes werent great, the game was as entertaining as any we saw on Saturday. USC isnt going to crack the CFP race with three last-minute wins in its five games, but going 6-0 and winning the Pac-12 with a victory over Washington on Friday night would be a big accomplishment for a program that has been fledgling. Could USC have run the table against a 9 or 10-game schedule? Probably not, and the Pac-12 has only itself to blame for not giving the Trojans that opportunity, but USC, if not a great team, is certainly an exciting one.

*778. Thats how many yards No. 17 North Carolina put up on No. 10 Miami (FL) in its 62-26 embarrassment of the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Michael Carter and Javonte Williams broke the NCAA record for most rushing yards by two teammates with 544. The 8Canes arent close to being back to relevancy. Theyve had a number of escapes this season, and were completely non-competitive in their two big games against Clemson and the Tar Heels. UNC didnt even bother throwing much, as Sam Howell attempted just 19 passes. If Clemson defeats Notre Dame, 8-3 North Carolina likely stole an Orange Bowl berth from 8-2 Miami with its win on Saturday. UNC has now topped 700 yards in two of its last three ACC games.

*Nebraska fell to 2-5 on Saturday with a 24-17 home loss to Minnesota. The defeat ensured the Cornhuskers will finish with a losing record for the fifth time in the last six seasons. From 1962-2014, Nebraska had just two losing seasons. Anyone over the age of 30 keeps waiting for the eventual Nebraska return to prominence, but with every ugly loss and every losing season, the likelihood of that ever happening lessens.

*Coastal Carolina almost saw its perfect season go by the wayside after two late touchdowns from Troy turned a 35-23 Chanticleers lead into a 38-35 deficit. The story of the season had a happy ending, however, as Grayson McCall marched the Chants right down the field for the game-winning touchdown with under a minute to play. It was a sandwich game for Coastal Carolina in between last weeks emotional win over BYU and next weeks rematch with Louisiana-Lafayette. The game almost ended in disaster, but a team that has seized the big moments all season did it again with all the pressure in the world on their shoulders.

*Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte announced on Saturday that Tom Herman would remain the Longhorns head coach, despite an apparent back-channel flirtation with Urban Myer. This situation reminds me quite a bit of what happened at LSU in 2015, when there was a coup to try to get Les Miles fired that ultimately failed. Miles was retained for 2016, but after a 2-2 start, was fired. Texas opens the 2021 season with challenging games against Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas. The 8Horns will probably lose one of those games, and then the calls to fire Herman will begin again. Texas went too far down the road to turn back, but it appears just made a U-turn. I think its a mistake, and I do not expect Herman to finish the 2021 season.

A Peek at Next Week
The Big One
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 11 Florida, 8 p.m. ET (CBS)
Alabama hasnt been tested in two months, but its no guarantee that the 8-2 Gators will be able to provide one. Florida can and will score, but if Alabamas defense can break serve, it might be like watching Pete Sampras at Wimbledon after he broke serve. Itll be over. Regardless, five of the best offensive players in college football should be on the same field on Saturday night, and thats nothing to take lightly. This one should be fun, regardless of whether its decided in the second, third or fourth quarter.

Dont Miss
No. 5 Texas A&M at Tennessee, Noon ET (ESPN)
Ole Miss at LSU, 3:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Missouri at Mississippi State, 3:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network Alternate)

Flip Around
No. 15 Northwestern vs. No. 3 Ohio State (Indianapolis), Noon ET (FOX)
No. 17 Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 9 Coastal Carolina, Noon ET (ESPN2)
No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 8 Iowa State (Arlington), Noon ET (ABC)
No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 2 Notre Dame (Charlotte), 4 p.m. ET (ABC)
No. 20 Tulsa at No. 6 Cincinnati, 8 p.m. ET (ABC)