PEARL — Atop the Southeastern Conference, teams like Vanderbilt, Florida and South Carolina are making a case for themselves as national championship contenders.

A rung or two lower on the ladder are a half-dozen teams fighting for survival.

Six teams are separated by three games in the conference standings heading into this weekend’s action. The top eight advance to the league tournament. Although the SEC schedule is less than halfway complete, the cramped standings have made every game and every series crucial.

Even a series against an also-ran, like this weekend’s three-game set between Ole Miss (20-14, 5-7 SEC) and Kentucky (16-17, 2-10) in Oxford can have big implications. If the Rebels can steal a few victories they can take advantage of other contenders beating up on each other — such as Mississippi State and Arkansas, who play each other in Fayetteville.

Conversely, a series loss would drop Ole Miss even further behind and vault Kentucky into the jumbled mess of teams fighting for a tournament berth.

“Every SEC weekend is important. You’ve always got to come out with three wins, or at least win the series for sure. I think we can pick up a little momentum in the SEC this weekend, get back on track and make a run,” Ole Miss pitcher Eric Callender said.

Evidence of how quickly fortunes can change in the SEC is readily apparent with a glimpse at the standings:

• LSU (21-12, 3-9) has lost five one-run games in conference play and sits alone in last place in the Western Division. The Tigers entered the season ranked in the top 10 in most national polls.

• Alabama entered last weekend with a three-game lead in the West. It was swept by top-ranked Vanderbilt and, thanks to a pair of walk-off wins by Arkansas over LSU, had its lead chopped to a single game. Arkansas, on the verge of falling well behind in the division, is instead right in the thick of things.

That sort of volatility forces players to take a one game at a time approach, Callender said. Looking too far ahead can cause teams to lose focus — and ground — in the short term.

“Coach always says it’s a 30-game battle in the SEC, so every game is just as important as the others. Whether or not you’re at the top of the SEC or back in the pack every game is important so that’s how we’re taking it,” Callender said.