LSU is in. I guess they could play their way out, but it's hard to see that happening unless injuries kill this team. Before the year is out, though, they'll get Bo Spencer back; he might even be around for Florida or Kentucky. LSU's remaining schedule is one of the easier ones among the league's contenders - home games with Auburn, Florida and Vanderbilt, road tilts at Kentucky and Auburn. That likely means that while their current strength-of-schedule ranking of 108 might improve some, it won't get a lot better. That will hurt LSU's seeding, and losses from here on in will have more effect than wins. The current 10-game win streak needs to continue even though a loss or two won't hurt LSU's chances to win the conference.

After LSU, Tennessee is the next most likely team to get in. The Vols didn't help themselves getting pounded in Oxford last night, though, and at 7-4 in the league and 16-9 overall, their record is unimpressive. What will be their saving grace is their strength of schedule, which currently ranks 2nd most difficult in the country. Tennessee's RPI number of 22 (according to CBS) probably wedges them into the brackets - but they can knock themselves out if they collapse on the back end of the schedule. The Vols have three road games in their final five, at Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina, with home games against Mississippi State and Alabama. A 3-2 mark the rest of the way probably gets them into the tournament; anything less than that and they might have to win some games in the SEC Tournament to make it in.

Florida has the best overall record in the league outside of LSU. The Gators are 20-6 overall and 7-4 in league play, but their strength of schedule ranking is just 101 and because of that Florida sits at No. 44 in CBS' RPI ratings. That's not a safe number for them, though if today was Selection Sunday I'd say they're inside the bubble right now. Florida's remaining schedule will give them an opportunity to make or break themselves; they've got home games with Vandy, Tennessee and Kentucky and road games at LSU and Mississippi State. Get hot against that fivesome and they'll find themselves with a good seed; lose more than two and they might be off the bubble going into the SEC Tournament.

South Carolina has drawn all the buzz this year that LSU should have received, which has offended me for a good while, and Darrin Horn is the guy some are saying should be the SEC Coach Of The Year which REALLY offends me. Still, the Gamecocks have put together a decent resume and right now I would guess they'd make the tournament. Horn's team is 18-6 and 7-4 in the league, and they're sitting at No. 45 in CBS' RPI rankings with an SOS ranking of 91. They've got a pretty conducive schedule to maybe winning the East - Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee at home, Vandy and Georgia on the road. I won't say they're absolutely in right now, but I'd be surprised if they didn't clinch a bid before the end of the regular season barring a collapse.

Meanwhile, Kentucky has probably played themselves out of a tournament bid. Not much about the Wildcats' resume is impressive - an 18-8 record (7-4 in the SEC after that disaster Tuesday night) against the 82nd-toughest schedule in the country gives them an RPI of 66, which puts them well off the bubble. Meanwhile, they've got home games left with Tennessee, LSU and Georgia and road games at South Carolina and Florida. I don't think 3-2 against that slate will get it done; they'll have to win four of the five or else they'll need to play their way in from the SEC tourney. The way UK is playing right now, Meeks' points irregardless, I don't see it.

Mississippi State played themselves out of the tournament last week with losses to LSU and Auburn, and right now they're 76th in the RPI ratings at 16-9 and 7-4. State's SOS ranking of 66 is OK, but they lost too many out-of-conference games and when they started losing league games it hurt - badly. More, they're on the road for three of the last five games - at Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss - and they might need to win all three. Home games with Auburn and Florida are absolute must-wins.

Auburn is a long shot, but they're hot right now and they might have an outside chance of making things interesting. Jeff Lebo's team is 16-9 and 6-5 in the league, which look more like NIT numbers - as does their RPI of 87. The SOS of 93 doesn't help them much, either, but that's going to get better in the next five games. Auburn has LSU both home and away, Ole Miss at home and State and Alabama on the road. They've got to beat the other three teams and split with LSU to get to 20-10, then probably win a couple in the SEC Tournament before you could look at them as much of a threat - but they're at least still in contention. I don't think they could afford to lose a game other than the one in the PMAC Saturday, though.

Vanderbilt is probably beyond help, but they've played a little better of late with four wins in the last five. At 16-9 and 5-6 their record isn't much help, and the RPI stat of 93 is lousy. So is an SOS of 104. They're home against South Carolina and Arkansas, and they've got to win both games, and they're at Florida, Georgia and LSU and they'd have to win a minimum of two out of three just to give themselves a chance at an at-large bid. Even then they'd need to get to the championship game at the SEC tournament, I'd say.

I'd say four bids, with an outside shot at five. The contenders do play each other a great deal from here on in, though so it's very fluid. I like where LSU is sitting; I don't like where anybody else in the league is.

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