University of Tennessee Athletics
SEC Adopts New Divisional Tie-Breaker
November 07, 2003 | Football
Nov. 7, 2003
The ADs agreed that if the seventh tie-breaker, which previously called for a vote of the athletics directors not involved in the tie, was to be used, the following procedure would determine the divisional representative in the SEC Championship Game scheduled for December 6, 2003, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, as well as future SEC Championship Games:
The tied team with the highest ranking in the Bowl Championship Series Standings following the last weekend of regular-season games shall be the divisional representative in the SEC Championship Game, unless the second of the tied teams is ranked within five-or- fewer places of the highest ranked tied team. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the SEC Championship Game.
In this procedure, for example, head to head would be used if the highest ranked team is ranked 5th and the second team is ranked 10th.
This season, if Florida, Georgia and Tennessee all win the remainder of their SEC games, then all three teams would be tied for the Eastern Division Championship. In the SEC Divisional Tie-Breaker, the three teams would remain tied through the first six procedures in the tie-breaker.
Every effort will be made to secure the Bowl Championship Series Standings as soon as possible to make the determination of the divisional representative. However, the final results may not be available until Sunday night or Monday morning.
"I commend the commissioner for the pro-active stance he's taken in this matter," UT athletic director Mike Hamilton said. "He took decisive action for the possibliity of a three-team divisional tie. It is always our preference to win championships on the field, but a seventh tie-breaker that brings in the BCS rankings gives us a better means of choosing a representative for the championship game."
