SEC College Football Playoff bubble watch, Week 9: Georgia leads the pack while Texas stumble

The college football season has turned to the final stretch as the calendar enters Week 9, with the SEC playing great football over the first eight weeks of the season. The 16 teams have a combined 73-39 record, including an impressive 42-8 mark in non-conference games.

There are nine SEC teams ranked in the latest rendition of the AP Top 25 Poll, with four of them in the top eight - and six in the top 15 - in the nation. There was just one additional program among the others receiving votes, meaning that 10 of the conference's 16 teams received some recognition from voters.

The No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs lead the way, as they are 6-1 and 4-1 in conference play. The No. 5-ranked Texas Longhorns, who suffered their first loss of the season in Week 8 after being the final unbeaten SEC program, lead a large group of playoff hopefuls looking up at the Bulldogs in the standings.

Conference play remained in full force in Week 8, as 14 of the SEC's 16 teams faced a conference opponent, with the one other program enjoying a bye week. The expanded postseason field of 12 teams will likely lead to multiple teams from the conference reaching the College Football Playoff.

Take a look at which SEC teams remain in the College Football Playoff picture after Week 8 below.

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SEC College Football Playoff bubble watch ahead of Week 9

The No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs have the best chance of any SEC program to reach the College Football Playoff, as they sit at 6-1 with a 4-1 mark in conference play. They are considered a near lock with -1700 College Football Playoff odds, the second-best odds in the nation.

The No. 5-ranked Texas Longhorns are not far behind, as their -850 odds of reaching the College Football Playoff are the third-best in the nation. They are 6-1 overall and 2-1 in SEC play after falling to the Bulldogs in Week 8.

The No. 7-ranked Tennessee Volunteers have the third-best odds of any SEC program of reaching the postseason. They are sitting at 6-1, with a 3-1 mark in conference play. The Volunteers' postseason odds are -185, tied for the seventh-best in the nation.

Despite sitting at 5-2 and 2-2 in SEC play, the No. 15-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide are the only other SEC program in the top 12 of postseason odds. Their -110 odds of reaching the College Football Playoff are tied for the 11th-best in the nation.

The No. 8-ranked LSU Tigers lead a group of SEC programs on the outside looking in, as their +105 odds are the 13th-best nationally. The No. 14-ranked Texas A&M Aggies follow with the 14th-best odds, +125, of reaching the postseason.

The No. 18-ranked Ole Miss Rebels +210 odds are the 17th-best in the nation. The No. 21-ranked Missouri Tigers have the 20th-best postseason odds at +350 but are considered a long shot to make a push. There are no other SEC programs with better than +9500 odds of reaching the College Football Playoff.