ATHENS — The SEC office announced the official football tiebreakers for the 2024 season on Wednesday, with head-to-head at the top of the list.

Considering the preseason No. 1-ranked Georgia football team plays the next three highest ranked teams in the preseason polls — Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss — the new tiebreaker rules would seem to work in the Bulldogs’ favor should they find themselves in a tiebreaker scenario.

Per the league release, head-to-head will be the first tiebreaker in place (A), followed by:

  • (B) Record versus all common SEC opponents among the tied teams
  • (C) Record against the highest (best) placed common SEC opponent in the league standings, and proceeding through the league standings among the tied teams
  • (D) Cumulative SEC winning percentage of all league opponents among the tied teams
  • (E) Capped relative scoring margin (see Appendix A, below) versus all conference opponents among the tied teams
  • (F) Random draw of the tied teams

If a tiebreaker step produces standings with two teams tied for first place in the SEC, they are both selected for the championship game. To decide the seeding of the two teams, they will progress through the two-team tiebreaker procedures, which will determine home/away designation for the SEC Championship Game.

Two-team tiebreaker procedure

In the event of a two-team tie for second place, the following procedure will be used in the following order:

(A) Head-to-head competition among the two tied teams

(B) Record versus all common SEC opponents among the two tied teams

(C) Record against highest (best) placed common SEC opponent, proceeding through the league standings among the tied teams

If the higher place in the standings with common SEC opponents among the two tied teams includes 2 or more teams that are also tied. The tie lower in the standings will only be broken if the tiebreaker procedure for head-to-head competition can break the tie

  1. If 2 teams are tied, they will enter the beginning of the two-team tiebreaker procedures for second place
  2. If 3 or more teams are tied, they will enter the beginning of the three-team (or more) tiebreaker procedure for second place

— If the head-to-head tiebreaker procedure fails to break the tie between the teams lower in the standings, the records of the tied teams against these common opponent will be combined.

— If there are 3 or more opponents tied, but not all of them are common opponents, only the record against common opponents will be considered.

(D) Cumulative SEC winning percentage of all SEC opponents among the tied teams

(E) Capped relative total scoring margin versus all SEC opponents among the tied teams.

(F) Random draw of the tied teams

  1. Each tied institutions Athletics Director will join a video conference, with the SEC commissioner or his/her designee. During the videoconference, each tied institution’s name will be visibly placed into a drawing.
  2. If there are two or more teams tied for one spot in the SEC Championship Game, then the SEC commissioner or his/her designee will draw one name. The first name that is drawn wins the random draw and is placed in the SEC Championship Game as the away team.
  3. If there are three or more teams tied for the two spots in the SEC Championship Game, and a random draw is needed to determine both participants in the SEC Championship Game, then the SEC commissioner and his/her designee will draw two names. The first name drawn is paled in the SEC Championship Game and will be the home team The second name drawn is also placed in the SEC Championship Game and will be the away team.

Three-team tiebreaker procedure

Three-team tie (or more) for first place: In the event three or more teams are tied for first place in the SEC standings, the procedure below will be used in descending order.

After the head-to-head competition among the tied teams, if a tiebreak step produces standings with a clear No. 1 team by itself, that team is selected for the championship game and the other two teams go to the first step of the two-team tiebreaker procedures for second place; if there are four teams, the No. 1 team is in the championship game and the other teams go to the first step of the three-team tiebreaker procedures for second place, etc..

If a tiebreaker step produces standings with two teams for No. 1, they are both selected for the championship game. To decide the seeding (home/away) of the two teams in the SEC Championship Game, they will progress through the two-team tiebreaker procedures.

If the standings produced by any tiebreaker procedure result in a tie at the top that is insufficient for assigning a championship game participant, but includes one or more teams ranked below the tied teams, the tied teams at the top of the standings will revert to the beginning of the tiebreaker procedures and all other teams eliminated .

(A) Head-to-head competition among the tied teams

If all there is a round-robin where all three teams played each other:

If one team has sole possession of the best record among the tied teams, that team is selected for the championship game.

In the event the two two teams remain tied:

  1. They will return to the beginning of the two-team tiebreaker procedures for second place.
  2. If more than two teams remain, they will return to the beginning of the three-team (or more) tiebreaker procedures for second place.
  3. If two teams are tied for the best record within the round robin standings, they are both selected for the SEC Championship Game.
  4. If three or more teams are tied for the best record within the round robin standings: Those teams revert to the beginning of the three-team (or more) tiebreaker procedures for first place; and Any teams that do not have the best record within the round robin standings are eliminated from contention in the SEC Championship Game.

If there is not a complete round robin among the tied teams:

  1. If one team beat all the other tied teams, it is selected for the championship game, and the other remaining teams return to the start of the tiebreaker procedures for second place.
  2. If one team lost to all the other tied teams, it is eliminated and the other teams returning the start of the applicable tiebreaker procedure, unless there are only two teams remaining, in which case they are both selected for the championships game.

If no team either beat all the other tied teams or lost to all the other tied teams, all the tied teams advance to the next tiebreaker procedure.

(B) Record versus all common SEC opponents among the tied teams

If one team has sole possession of the best record versus common SEC opponents is selected for the SEC Championship Game. The team with sole possession of the best record versus common SEC opponents is selected for the SEC Championship game.

The remaining teams return to the start of the tiebreaker procedures.

  1. If there are two teams for second place with the “Record versus all common SEC opponents” standings, they start at the beginning of the Two-team tiebreaker procedures for second place.
  2. If there are three or more teams tied for second place within the “Record versus all common SEC opponents” standings, they start at the beginning of the three-team (or more) tiebreaker procedures for second place.
  3. If two teams are tied for the best record within the “Record versus all common SEC opponents”, they are selected for the championship game.
  4. If three or more more teams are tied for the best record within the “Record versus all common SEC opponents”:

Those teams revert to the beginning of the three-team (or more) tiebreaker procedure for first place; and the remaining teams are eliminated from contention in the SEC Championship Game.

(C) Record against highest (best) placed common SEC opponent, proceeding through the SEC standings among the tied teams

If the highest place in the standings with common SEC opponents among the tied teams incudes 2 or more opponents that are also tied:

  1. The tie lower in the standings will only be broken if the tiebreaker procedure for head-to-head competition can break the tie. If 2 teams are tied they will enter the beginning of the two-team tiebreaker procedure for second place. If 3 more more teams are tied, they will enter the beginning of the three-team (or more) tiebreaker procedures for second place.
  2. If the head-to-head tiebreaker procedure fails to break the tie between the teams lower in the standings, the records of the tied teams abasing these common opponents will be combined.
  3. If there are 3 more opponents tied, but not all of them are common opponents, only the record against common opponents will be considered.

If one of the tied teams (Team A) is in sole possession of the best record against the common SEC opponent (s) with the best SEC record:

  1. Team A is selected for the SEC Championship Game
  2. The remaining teams are eliminated from contention in the SEC Championship Game.

If two of the tied team (Team A and Team B) are tied for the best record against the common SEC opponent (s) with the best SEC record:

  1. Team A and Team B revert to the beginning of the two-team tiebreaker procedure for second place.
  2. The remaining teams are eliminated from contention in the SEC Championship Game.

If three or more teams are tied for the best record against the common SEC opponent (s) with the best SEC record

  1. The teams that are tied for the best record revert to the beginning of the three-team tiebreaker procedures for second place.
  2. The remaining teams are eliminated from contention in the SEC Championship Game.

If all tied teams have the same record against the common opponent(s) with the best SEC record, proceed to the next common SEC opponent)s) based on their order of finish within the SEC and continue the procedure above until all SEC opponents are exhausted.

(D) Cumulative SEC winning percentage of all SEC opponents among the tied teams

  1. If the standings produced by this tiebreaker yield a clear first place team, the first-place team is selected for the SEC Championship Game.
  2. If the standings produced by this tiebreaker yield two more more teams tied for first: The teams tied for first place revert to the beginning of the tiebreaker procedure | All remaining teams are eliminated from contention in the SEC Championship Game.
  3. If the standings produced by this tiebreaker yield more than two teams tied for first and there are no teams below first, advance to the next step in the tiebreaker procedure.

(E) Capped relative total scoring margin versus all SEC opponents among the tied teams

(F) Random draw of the tied teams (See above)