By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Texas A&M threw a major wrench into the SEC West picture by upsetting Auburn.

For a second straight weekend, the SEC produced one of the seasons most stunning results. And Auburn finally seeing the breaks turn against them in the late stages of a game may not even have been the most dramatic game of the day.

With three of the leagues games featuring either an FCS opponent or Vanderbilt, there wasnt expected to be much sizzle on a Saturday with most of the nations interest focused elsewhere. But as it turned out, the SEC ended up on the big stage once again.

Lets recap Week 11 in the SEC.

Georgia 63, Kentucky 31

The Bulldogs won because: They kept their foot on the gas. After a similarly dominant start to last weeks loss against Florida, in which a 7-0 lead turned into a 31-7 deficit, Georgia never let up in Lexington. The 8Dawgs, playing without Todd Gurley for one last week, turned in a balanced offensive effort, rushing for 302 yards and throwing for 254. The best news was that Malcolm Mitchell and Jonathon Rumph, two players who Georgia has been waiting on to produce, led the team with four catches each. Kentuckys run defense was gashed once again, as the Wildcats never got closer than 11 points after falling into a 21-0 hole.

Ole Miss 48, Presbyterian 0

The Rebels won because: The running game finally worked. It was no surprise that, after struggling with SEC defenses, Ole Miss would finally get the ground game cranked up against the hapless Blue Hose. Jordan Wilkins led the team with 171 yards, while Mark Dodson had two touchdowns and 128 yards on just three carries. The defense was back to its old ways after a poor performance against Auburn, holding Presbyterian to just 156 total yards. It was a short day for Bo Wallace, who was removed from the game at halftime with the Rebels ahead 35-0.

Texas A&M 41, Auburn 38

The Aggies won because: The law of averages finally kicked in. Given its recent history, it never truly felt like Auburn was going to lose, as the Tigers fought back from a 35-17 deficit following a blocked field goal return for a touchdown. Auburn had two chances to tie or take the lead, but fumbles on consecutive possessions, the first inside the Texas A&M five-yard line, squashed Auburns SEC title hopes and likely their national title hopes as well. Kyle Allen was brilliant in his first road start, throwing four first-half touchdown passes and avoiding the tragic mistake to which freshmen are often accustomed.

Mississippi State 45, Tennessee-Martin 16

The Bulldogs won because: They showed up. Barring a multitude of colossal mistakes, this was going to be a rout, and it was. It was surprising to see Dak Prescott play as much as he did with Alabama looming, however. The Heisman Trophy candidate was 14-of-23 for 206 yards and two touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown as well to break a sleepy game open early in the second quarter. There were no major injuries, which was the only goal for the Bulldogs. Now its on to Tuscaloosa with a chance to wrap up (not technically, but for all intents and purposes) the SEC West title.

Florida 34, Vanderbilt 10

The Gators won because: They forced Vanderbilt to pass. A quick 7-0 lead had the Commodores thinking upset, but Florida settled down and scored the next 24 points to take a sizable lead. Vanderbilt isnt built to come from behind, and it showed. Johnny McCrary finished just 14-of-35 with a pair of interceptions, as the Commodores never seriously threatened in the second half. The Florida running game wasnt as good as it was against Georgia, but it did produce over 200 yards on 50 carries to keep the pressure off of quarterback Treon Harris. A win over South Carolina next week gets the Gators bowl-eligible, keeps them alive in the SEC East and may save Will Muschamps job.

Alabama 20, LSU 13 (OT)

The Crimson Tide won because: Blake Sims stepped up at the desperate moment. After being shut out for the first 29 minutes of the second half, without even really threatening, Sims needed to guide Alabama into field-goal range with no timeouts and less than a minute to play. Starting at the 35-yard line after a kickoff out of bounds, helped, but Sims was in control the whole time, always being aware of where he was on the field and how much time was left. He never forced the issue, taking the available short passes and methodically marching the team downfield despite the clock winding down. After a game-tying field goal, Alabama scored quickly in the top half of overtime before stopping LSU on downs to win its fourth straight in the always-intense rivalry.

Game Balls

Georgia KR/PR Isaiah McKenzie 3 2 kickoff returns, 116 yards, 1 TD; 1 punt return, 59 yards, 1 TD

Texas A&M QB Kyle Allen 3 19-of-29, 277 yards, 4 TD

Auburn RB Cameron Artis-Payne 3 30 carries, 221 yards, 2 TD

Quick Hits

*After having the week off, the SEC East remains Missouris to lose, as the Tigers can return to Atlanta for the second straight year with wins at Texas A&M, at Tennessee and at home vs. Arkansas. If they stumble, they can still win the division if Georgia loses to Auburn. Florida needs to defeat South Carolina, have Auburn defeat Georgia, and have Missouri lose to Tennessee and either to Arkansas or Texas A&M. That would result in a three-way tie at 5-3, with Florida holding the tiebreaker with a 5-1 record in SEC East games. It will likely come down to Missouris Black Friday game against the Razorbacks, as both the Gators and Bulldogs will complete conference play next weekend.

*On the other side, Mississippi State can all but clinch the SEC West with a win at Alabama next week (theyd still need to beat Vanderbilt in two weeks to clinch). Alabama remains in control of its destiny, but still has Auburn looming on Nov. 29. Ole Miss could sneak back in the race as well, if Alabama defeats Mississippi State, Georgia defeats Auburn, Auburn defeats Alabama and the Rebels win the Egg Bowl. Auburn would need a four-way tie at 6-2 with Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The Tigers would claim that four-way tiebreaker by virtue of a 2-1 record in head-to-head games and having defeated Ole Miss.

*On the late-game personal foul penalty against LSU, it may have been meaningless. Would the Tigers still have simply ran it two more times and forced Alabama to use their timeouts? The Crimson Tide werent allowing a rushing touchdown there, so LSU would have had to take a chance and throw it there to get seven points. If they dont, then Alabama still gets the ball at the same point on the clock, down by three. Les Miles oversold the penaltys importance, as any coach would do in that situation, but if it was truly impactful, it meant LSU wasnt going to just settle for a field goal there. Unfortunately, well never know the answer.

*Georgia at its best remains one of the most impressive teams in the country. Kentucky pushed Mississippi State for 60 minutes in Lexington, but the Bulldogs had no such trouble in the Bluegrass State. The 8Dawgs now get Todd Gurley back before hosting Auburn next week. Without its no-show against Florida, or a now-unfathomable loss to South Carolina, Georgia is squarely in the playoff hunt. Its why the frustration level in Athens doesnt jive with how much success the program has had of late. The difference between good Georgia and bad Georgia is as wide as any team in the country. And that isnt just a 2014 issue.

*Yes, it was awful to see both Ole Miss and Mississippi State playing FCS opponents yesterday. However, FCS games arent going away, and the SEC at least spreads them out over the course of the season, unlike the Big Ten and Big 12, which stack them all in September. These games are a product of the big business that college football has become, and we have to accept them. The SEC gets criticized more than any other league for playing those games, but not clustering them all together early in the season is the best way to handle them from a fan perspective.

*As we saw from its near-disaster last week against Louisiana-Monroe, Texas A&M had clearly spent three weeks preparing for Auburn. It showed Saturday, as the Aggies dissected the shaky Tigers defense to build a lead that they were just barely able to hold. Auburn, meanwhile, was coming off of two highly emotional victories against South Carolina and Ole Miss. Texas A&M was fresher and better prepared. In the SEC, thats a recipe for an upset, despite no one, myself included, thinking it was possible after the Aggies 59-0 loss to Alabama in their last SEC game.

*I still believe Auburn is the only team with a realistic chance of making the playoff with two losses. The loss to Texas A&M was a bad one, but it also provides it the opportunity to post an additional quality road win on a 10-2 resume. Road wins at Kansas State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama, with a loss to the possible No. 1 team in the nation, is impressive. The Tigers will need a lot of help to get back in the mix, but without any elite teams this season, dont think Auburn cant find luck back on its side as the season winds down.

If The Playoffs Started Today

Sugar Bowl: (1) Mississippi State vs. (4) Oregon

Rose Bowl: (2) Florida State vs. (3) TCU

Week 12 Lookahead

The focus of the nation will be on Tuscaloosa, as No. 1 Mississippi State visits Bryant-Denny Stadium to meet Alabama (3:30 p.m. or 7:15 p.m. ET, CBS or ESPN). The Bulldogs havent defeated the Crimson Tide since 2007. Both teams control their destiny in the SEC West and the College Football Playoff.

The luster has worn off a bit on the Deep Souths Oldest Rivalry, as Auburn and Georgia have both suffered damaging losses in the past two weeks. Nevertheless, the game still means plenty, as the Tigers and Bulldogs will meet in Athens after playing two straight meetings at Auburn during SEC scheduling restructuring (3:30 p.m. or 7:15 p.m. ET, CBS or ESPN).

South Carolinas visit to Florida (Noon ET, SEC Network) means quite a bit for both teams. The Gamecocks may need the win to get to a bowl, with a trip to Clemson looming. For Florida, its another must-win for Will Muschamps Gators coaching career, and SEC East title hopes remain alive.

The only inter-division game is a big one, as Missouri tries to stay on top of the SEC East with a win at suddenly-resurgent Texas A&M (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network). Arkansas returns off of a bye week, hoping to snap a 17-game SEC losing streak against LSU in Fayetteville (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2). Kentucky tries for a fifth time to become bowl-eligible when it travels to 4-5 Tennessee (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

Ole Miss and Vanderbilt are idle.