FPI simulates 2020 SEC football season: Upsets, multiple playoff teams and more surprises
Florida winning the national championship? It could happen ... or at least it did in one of our 20,000 daily simulations mapping out the SEC season.
Kentucky delivers the first upset of the SEC season, taking down Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium by eight points. It's a devastating loss for the Tigers, who enter the season as a long shot playoff candidate, with an 11% chance, according to FPI. Bo Nix, entering his second season in Auburn and with more expectations on his shoulders, throws two interceptions in the loss.
Tennessee picks up a road victory in Columbia, and Texas A&M squeaks by with a too-close-for-comfort win against Vanderbilt. The Aggies led by just a point before Kellen Mond threw a touchdown with four minutes to go to extend the lead to eight. Elsewhere, expectations largely hold.
Now, getting into week five. It throws their Auburn pitch off, but is it going to follow script?
Auburn's season is effectively over before it has really begun. What most assumed would be a close game between Georgia and Auburn was anything but. Kirby Smart's team ran around the Tigers and handed Gus Malzahn his second loss in as many games to open the season -- this time by 23 points. The win helped answer this question for the Bulldogs, too: How would they fare without Jamie Newman?
The answer appears to be, just fine.
In Starkville, Mike Leach had his first winnable game as Mississippi State's head coach (following a loss at LSU in Week 4), but it turned ugly. Arkansas pulled away from the Bulldogs in the second half and won by 16
No. Leach has screwed that up. I'm looking forward to seeing State play the 'Backs. Is it fair to say, in the SEC FPI, after week one Mississippi State is in a top five position? An eight win team?
