All the cards fell into place for the South Carolina football team Saturday.
Not only did the Gamecocks take care of business against Missouri and Arkansas upset Florida, but Georgia knocked off Kentucky, meaning South Carolina is still alive in the SEC East race.
There are plenty of possibilities for craziness in the division race in the season's final three weeks, including a potential six-way tie. In the event of a six-way tie, the Gamecocks would advance to Atlanta, but there's a simpler road to the SEC Championship Game.
Simple might be a relative term, however, as South Carolina still needs plenty of help to earn the division crown. Let's take a look at what needs to happen for the Gamecocks to advance to Atlanta and how likely each individual piece is.
South Carolina over Florida
The journey to forcing a tie in the conference goes through Gainesville, as Will Muschamp must lead his new team over his old team in The Swamp.
These two teams are trending in opposite directions, as the Gamecocks have won three straight since their bye week, while the Gators failed to score an offensive touchdown in a lopsided loss to Arkansas on Saturday. Florida was bitten by the injury bug in the loss, as starting linebacker Alex Anzalone will miss the rest of the season and Jarrad Davis might be out for the upcoming contest as well. Starting center Cam Dillard will also likely miss the game with an injury, as will kick returner Chris Thompson.
The Gators are pretty beat up, while the Gamecocks are building more and more momentum. Even better for South Carolina, the players will be motivated to win the game for Muschamp, earn bowl eligibility and stay alive in the division race. With a pair of stingy defenses and struggling offenses, South Carolina figures to have a good shot to come up with the upset.
Tennessee over Kentucky
The Vols were No. 9 in the country not too long ago, but three straight losses made a mess in Knoxville, knocking Tennessee out of the polls and motivating starting running back Jalen Hurd to leave the team. A matchup with Tennessee Tech couldn't have come at a better time for the Vols, who are now fresh off a 55-0 rout.
Playing this game at Neyland Stadium will benefit Tennessee greatly, as Kentucky hasn't excelled outside of Lexington this season, getting blown out twice and turning in a poor performance against Missouri. The Wildcats don't really have a quality win this season, and while Tennessee may have struggled lately, the Vols are still significantly more talented. They shouldn't have any problem taking care of Kentucky.
Auburn over Georgia
Auburn has emerged as a threat in the SEC West, despite getting a scare at home from Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Tigers are (and should be) heavy favorites in this one, as their ground game has proven tough for any opposing defense this season.
The Bulldogs have fallen off the map this season after being a trendy pick to reach Atlanta. The Bulldogs have struggled offensively all year, and it's reasonable to expect Auburn to take care of business in Athens.
That's all that needs to happen to keep the Gamecocks alive for another week, but let's briefly go over the rest of the season as well.
LSU over Florida
Since the firing of Les Miles, LSU has looked like one of the SEC's better teams, despite the 10-0 loss to Alabama on Saturday. Add in the Tigers' serious advantage in Death Valley, and the fact that Florida could be coming off back-to-back losses, and LSU will likely be favored to win this one.
Vanderbilt/Missouri over Tennessee
For South Carolina to win the division, Tennessee doesn't have to lose both of these games; only one will force the four-way tie in the division that will give the Gamecocks the advantage. Missouri is likely the SEC's worst team, and the Tigers will have to travel to Knoxville, so the chance of a loss seems relatively slim.
This is still the least likely of all the necessary pieces, but Vanderbilt could conceivably knock off Tennessee. There's no doubt the Vols are more talented, but they likely won't have anything to play for at this point in the season. On the other hand, if the Commodores top Missouri on Nov. 12, they'll likely come in to the game 5-6, needing just one win to become bowl eligible.
Let's not forget Vanderbilt beat Georgia this season, kept it tight with Florida and nearly pulled out a road victory over Auburn. A home showdown with that much on the line against a team that seems to be falling apart doesn't seem unwinnable for the Commodores.
All of those things occurring would put South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky in a four-way tie atop the SEC East, where the Gamecocks would hold the tiebreaker. It'll undoubtedly take a lot for South Carolina to reach the SEC Championship, but the fat lady isn't singing yet. Here in Columbia, it ain't over 'til it's over.