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After a couple weeks, and having to work two Saturdays in a row, I finally got to enjoy a Saturday off and watch college football again that wasn't just night games.
1. Texas- Ewers took control of the offense once again and the defense continues to impress. Here's a crazy but probably true opinion. This is the biggest game in Austin since 2006 vs. Ohio State, right?
2. Georgia- The dirty little secret about Georgia is they just do not have the talent on the back end that we have seen in year's past. We saw what Milroe did to them and then it was confirmed by Mississippi State throwing it around the year. The good news is when Carson Beck doesn't turn the ball over, they score.
3. LSU- Am I confident that LSU is the actual third best team in the SEC? No. Is that USC loss looking worse and worse each week that goes by? Yes. Did Ole Miss cost themselves that game more than LSU win it Saturday? Most likely. Do I trust LSU more than I trust Alabama and Tennessee? By the tiniest bit. So, there we go.
4. Tennessee- I've seen what Tennessee's offense can do even if they've had to put the hazard lights on the last weeks. They can be elite. Alabama's defense hasn't shown to be elite except one half against Georgia, so I'm going to caution with Tennessee at #4. It is quite hilarious Josh Heupel finally has an elite defense, and he can't get the offense into gear. When do we have the Alex Golesh conversation?
5. Alabama- I truly believe you can take 3-6, jumble it up and come up with an order you like and be correct. I just can't believe Alabama's defense struggles this much. Sure, they lost a little bit of talent with Saban's departure, but they look inept at times. If you watched the full game, you could make the case they were lucky to beat South Carolina. But that offense can motor when they don't turn the ball over and Milroe's legs always make him dangerous.
6. Texas A&M- A bye week after their dismantling of Missouri and that home loss to Notre Dame isn't as bad as people think. I still don't know if I trust Weigman as their QB but Mike Elko's defense flies to the football as well as anyone in the SEC. What also helps Texas A&M is the schedule. No Georgia, Alabama or Tennessee this year, with both LSU and Texas at home. Would anything be more fun than 10-1 TAMU vs. 11-0 Texas in College Station? Would tickets go for $10,000 a piece?
7. Ole Miss- The long diatribe of the week: Lane Kiffin is a good coach; I truly believe that. He's a mastermind on offense, he can recruit well, and his players love to play for him. But his entire career, his team's just do not have the necessary toughness that is needed on a football field. 12 penalties on the road is flat out inexcusable. A defense that struggles to get stops on 3rd/4th and short. They don't come up big in goal line situations and they seem to never be able to get that big conversion they need to ice games. And yet he's at the perfect place for him. Ole Miss is perfectly fine with 9 wins a year. They are probably fine with explosive offenses and so-so defenses. But it's time to start a conversation that this program just will not be elite.
8. Vanderbilt- After the biggest upset in SEC conference play history, Vanderbilt went on the road and took Mark Stoops' soul from Kroger Field. Diego Pavia is the favorite for SEC player of the year, right? And how weird is it to think that Vanderbilt is 3 plays away from 6-0? At the very least, if this team somehow pulls of 7-5, I think Lea should be coach of the year.
9. Arkansas- Did anyone need that Tennessee win more than Sam Pittman? 7-5/8-4 probably saves his job and if he can somehow get Missouri the last week of the season, he should be okay (assuming wins against La Tech and Miss State) then he probably gets 2025. I'm not sure anyone in the SEC has the highest floor/lowest ceiling like Arkansas does but if they play defense like they did against Tennessee, they will have a chance every week.
10. Missouri- Does anyone say more thanks you to the Lord above than Eli Drinkwitz about someone missing a kick this year? Imagine the Vandy loss at home coupled with a 31 point loss to TAMU? I don't think his job would in jeopardy by any stretch of the imagination, but that double digit win season of 2023 would feel like a distant memory.
11. Oklahoma- I've kind of said this earlier in the year, but I'll add to it. Since the NIL/transfer portal became an official thing in 2021, has there ever been a worse personnel decision that choosing Jackson Arnold over Dillon Gabriel?
12. South Carolina- Did anything encapsulate the Shane Beamer era more than somehow recovering a miraculous onside kick, needing 20 yards to get into FG range for a chance to win the game and then somehow throwing a pass in the endzone to get picked off on 3rd and 8?
13. Florida- The Graham Mertz injury sucks and they might have gotten Tennessee with Mertz. I would never wish an injury on a player nor should any fan. But this might be the best long-term solution for Florida. Going 6-6/7-5 and DJ Lagway improving every week is the best way to keep Billy Napier's job. You go 6-6 with Mertz and it might not mean anything. You get to a bowl with Lagway and he looks like a future stud in November and you get some more rope with the fans.
14. Kentucky- You could tell me that Mark Stoops goes into Knoxville and gets a win against Tennessee after the Vols beat Alabama and then they are only up 1 possession with 5 minutes left against Murray State the next week and I wouldn't be surprised at this point.
15. Mississippi State- A fine effort from the Bulldogs against Georgia gets them to the #15 spot after I had assured myself, they would be #16 all year. Jeff Lebby has a tough job but after the disaster against Toledo it was nice of them to fight against Georgia in Athens.
16. Auburn- Assuming the Tigers beat UL-Monroe before the Alabama game, find me three more wins: On the road against Missouri, Kentucky and Alabama, with home games against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. Can Hugh Freeze survive a 3-9 or 4-8 season? Remember when they fired Gene Chizik for going 3-9 two years after he won a national title?
1. Texas- Ewers took control of the offense once again and the defense continues to impress. Here's a crazy but probably true opinion. This is the biggest game in Austin since 2006 vs. Ohio State, right?
2. Georgia- The dirty little secret about Georgia is they just do not have the talent on the back end that we have seen in year's past. We saw what Milroe did to them and then it was confirmed by Mississippi State throwing it around the year. The good news is when Carson Beck doesn't turn the ball over, they score.
3. LSU- Am I confident that LSU is the actual third best team in the SEC? No. Is that USC loss looking worse and worse each week that goes by? Yes. Did Ole Miss cost themselves that game more than LSU win it Saturday? Most likely. Do I trust LSU more than I trust Alabama and Tennessee? By the tiniest bit. So, there we go.
4. Tennessee- I've seen what Tennessee's offense can do even if they've had to put the hazard lights on the last weeks. They can be elite. Alabama's defense hasn't shown to be elite except one half against Georgia, so I'm going to caution with Tennessee at #4. It is quite hilarious Josh Heupel finally has an elite defense, and he can't get the offense into gear. When do we have the Alex Golesh conversation?
5. Alabama- I truly believe you can take 3-6, jumble it up and come up with an order you like and be correct. I just can't believe Alabama's defense struggles this much. Sure, they lost a little bit of talent with Saban's departure, but they look inept at times. If you watched the full game, you could make the case they were lucky to beat South Carolina. But that offense can motor when they don't turn the ball over and Milroe's legs always make him dangerous.
6. Texas A&M- A bye week after their dismantling of Missouri and that home loss to Notre Dame isn't as bad as people think. I still don't know if I trust Weigman as their QB but Mike Elko's defense flies to the football as well as anyone in the SEC. What also helps Texas A&M is the schedule. No Georgia, Alabama or Tennessee this year, with both LSU and Texas at home. Would anything be more fun than 10-1 TAMU vs. 11-0 Texas in College Station? Would tickets go for $10,000 a piece?
7. Ole Miss- The long diatribe of the week: Lane Kiffin is a good coach; I truly believe that. He's a mastermind on offense, he can recruit well, and his players love to play for him. But his entire career, his team's just do not have the necessary toughness that is needed on a football field. 12 penalties on the road is flat out inexcusable. A defense that struggles to get stops on 3rd/4th and short. They don't come up big in goal line situations and they seem to never be able to get that big conversion they need to ice games. And yet he's at the perfect place for him. Ole Miss is perfectly fine with 9 wins a year. They are probably fine with explosive offenses and so-so defenses. But it's time to start a conversation that this program just will not be elite.
8. Vanderbilt- After the biggest upset in SEC conference play history, Vanderbilt went on the road and took Mark Stoops' soul from Kroger Field. Diego Pavia is the favorite for SEC player of the year, right? And how weird is it to think that Vanderbilt is 3 plays away from 6-0? At the very least, if this team somehow pulls of 7-5, I think Lea should be coach of the year.
9. Arkansas- Did anyone need that Tennessee win more than Sam Pittman? 7-5/8-4 probably saves his job and if he can somehow get Missouri the last week of the season, he should be okay (assuming wins against La Tech and Miss State) then he probably gets 2025. I'm not sure anyone in the SEC has the highest floor/lowest ceiling like Arkansas does but if they play defense like they did against Tennessee, they will have a chance every week.
10. Missouri- Does anyone say more thanks you to the Lord above than Eli Drinkwitz about someone missing a kick this year? Imagine the Vandy loss at home coupled with a 31 point loss to TAMU? I don't think his job would in jeopardy by any stretch of the imagination, but that double digit win season of 2023 would feel like a distant memory.
11. Oklahoma- I've kind of said this earlier in the year, but I'll add to it. Since the NIL/transfer portal became an official thing in 2021, has there ever been a worse personnel decision that choosing Jackson Arnold over Dillon Gabriel?
12. South Carolina- Did anything encapsulate the Shane Beamer era more than somehow recovering a miraculous onside kick, needing 20 yards to get into FG range for a chance to win the game and then somehow throwing a pass in the endzone to get picked off on 3rd and 8?
13. Florida- The Graham Mertz injury sucks and they might have gotten Tennessee with Mertz. I would never wish an injury on a player nor should any fan. But this might be the best long-term solution for Florida. Going 6-6/7-5 and DJ Lagway improving every week is the best way to keep Billy Napier's job. You go 6-6 with Mertz and it might not mean anything. You get to a bowl with Lagway and he looks like a future stud in November and you get some more rope with the fans.
14. Kentucky- You could tell me that Mark Stoops goes into Knoxville and gets a win against Tennessee after the Vols beat Alabama and then they are only up 1 possession with 5 minutes left against Murray State the next week and I wouldn't be surprised at this point.
15. Mississippi State- A fine effort from the Bulldogs against Georgia gets them to the #15 spot after I had assured myself, they would be #16 all year. Jeff Lebby has a tough job but after the disaster against Toledo it was nice of them to fight against Georgia in Athens.
16. Auburn- Assuming the Tigers beat UL-Monroe before the Alabama game, find me three more wins: On the road against Missouri, Kentucky and Alabama, with home games against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. Can Hugh Freeze survive a 3-9 or 4-8 season? Remember when they fired Gene Chizik for going 3-9 two years after he won a national title?
