Missouri and Tide rise, Georgia stays on top as SEC winds down regular season

It's rivalry week around the Southeastern Conference, where the championship game matchup is set and two head coaches have already been fired.

Two-time defending national champion Georgia is still No. 1. No. 8 Alabama has surged back into College Football Playoff contention — and into the league title game against the Bulldogs — after a bumpy start. Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher got his golden parachute already and Mississippi State's Zach Arnett was fired before completing his first full season.

Picked to finish sixth in the East, No. 10 Missouri has been the league's biggest surprise behind the offensive star power of quarterback Brady Cook, running back Cody Schrader and wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Here's a look at some of the stars and storylines in the final week of the regular season, which includes a slate of traditional rivalry games from the Iron Bowl to the Egg Bowl:

STAR POWER

— Jayden Daniels heads into the Texas A&M game as the SEC's best bet to win the Heisman Trophy, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. He's leading the nation in total offense (417.4 yards per game) and pass efficiency (208.3) and has won SEC offensive player of the week honors five times. Favored targets Malik Nabers, the nation's leading receiver, and Brian Thomas are candidates for the Biletnikoff Award.

— Georgia tight end Brock Bowers has 51 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns in nine games, missing two with an ankle injury. He's hoping to repeat as the Mackey Award winner.

— Alabama QB Jalen Milroe and Georgia's Carson Beck have thrived in replacing star predecessors Bryce Young and Stetson Bennett. Milroe has consistently progressed from a rocky start against Texas and subsequent one-game benching. Beck doesn't seem to have had a bad game. Both are semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien Award, along with Cook, Daniels and Mississippi's Jaxson Dart.

— Schrader leads the SEC and ranks seventh nationally with 1,272 yards and has run for 12 touchdowns. He's up for the Doak Walker Award.

— Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson leads the league with 10 sacks and his 116 tackles trails only teammate Jett Johnson (117).

— The SEC has four Thorpe Award semifinalists: Missouri's Kris Abrams-Draine, Georgia's Malaki Starks, Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry and Auburn's Jaylin Simpson.

GOING BOWLING

Nine SEC teams are already bowl eligible and three more are 5-6 and hoping to get there this weekend. They'll have to beat favored in-state rivals. Florida faces No. 5 Florida State, Mississippi State plays No. 12 Mississippi and South Carolina has Clemson.

HOT SEATS

Texas A&M and Mississippi State didn't wait to make coaching changes. Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek answered the biggest lingering question when he said Sam Pittman will be back for a fifth season.

Pittman, South Carolina's Shane Beamer and Florida's Billy Napier are among those who could need solid 2024 seasons to feel secure. Auburn's Hugh Freeze had his first-year bubble popped with a 31-10 loss to New Mexico State, but the Tigers are at least bowl eligible heading into the Alabama game.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

Alabama has two obvious rising stars from the nation's top recruiting class. Safety Caleb Downs is the Crimson Tide's leading tackler by a wide margin, and Kadyn Proctor has been starting at left tackle all season.

It may be harder for freshmen to get significant action at Georgia, but there's plenty of young talent waiting in the wings. Florida wide receiver Eugene Wilson III has a team-high six touchdown catches. Other young defenders have also shined, including Texas A&M's Taurean York, Ole Miss linebacker Suntarine Perkins and South Carolina defensive back Jason Kilgore.

RECRUITING WATCH

With the December signing period coming up in a month, powers Georgia and Alabama are once again leading the way. The Bulldogs lead the 247Sports composite rankings while Alabama is fourth, one spot ahead of Florida. The SEC trio have landed commitments from the top three rated quarterbacks in the composite rankings: Dylan Raiola (Georgia, No. 1), DJ Lagway (Florida, No. 2) and Julian Sayin (Alabama, No. 3).

Counting incoming members Oklahoma (7) and Texas (9), the SEC has 11 teams poised to pull in Top 20 recruiting classes. That includes Texas A&M (10), Tennessee (12), LSU (14), Auburn (17), South Carolina (19) and Mississippi (20). They're followed by Kentucky (21), Arkansas (23), Vanderbilt (39), Missouri (40) and Mississippi State (42).

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