A race to the finish

On a day where a lot of us (including Steve Beisner) are spending a lot of time on the couch watching cars go round and round, it only seems appropriate that we take a look at the race for the SEC East regular season crown, which is neck-and-neck as we enter the final stretch.  Right now, there is a three-way tie for first between the Cats, South Carolina and Tennessee, with the Gators a game out after slipping up in Athens yesterday.  So, it basically comes down to the final 1/3 of the season to determine a regular season winner.  Tennessee and Kentucky both play the other three teams in contention again before the season ends, giving them a chance to control their own destiny a bit, but the Vols play all three on the road and the Cats only get the Vols at home.  So, it looks like South Carolina might have the easiest schedule heading down the stretch, which might mean advantage: Gamecocks.  The fake USC plays both Kentucky and Tennessee, but gets them at home.  Their road games are against teams that are a combined 11-19 in conference play. Here is who each team has left: Kentucky @ Vanderbilt TENNESSEE @ South Carolina LSU Georgia @ Florida South Carolina @ Mississippi State ARKANSAS KENTUCKY @ Vanderbilt TENNESSEE @ Georgia Tennessee @ Ole Miss @ Kentucky MISSISSIPPI STATE @ Florida @ South Carolina ALABAMA Florida ALABAMA VANDERBILT @ LSU TENNESSEE @ Mississippi State KENTUCKY Now, if you've spent any amount of time reading my mediocre writing on this site over the past few months, you've noticed that I'm the eternal optimist and always trying to polish a turd when it appears.  So, as usual, I'm banking on the Cats to close out the regular season crown and get the first round bye in Tampa (you're all coming, right?).  But, do you think this Kentucky team has what it takes to win the important games down the stretch?  Discuss below. ***Also, if you're really looking to break it down, this is how the tie-breaker works.