ESPN’s Laura Rutledge on state of the SEC, who’s contending, who’s not

By Michael Collins | Oct 12, 2018

(Photo by Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images, courtesy ESPN.com) /

ESPN’s Laura Rutledge spoke in an exclusive FanSided interview about the state of the SEC, telling us which teams are on their way up – and down – according to the SEC Network reporter.

Laura Rutledge, one of the true rising stars at ESPN, stays busy covering SEC football on the worldwide leader’s SEC Network, including some in-game reporting and as the host of the traveling pregame show, SEC Nation.

Rutledge spoke to me in an exclusive interview and gave a few thoughts about where the conference stands right now in terms of football, and what programs are turning the corner.

As part of the SEC Nation cast, Rutledge has the opportunity to work with some of the best college football analysts in the country in Paul Finebaum, Marcus Spears, and Tim Tebow. But, according to her, managing that crew can be quite a task.

“They go off the rails anyway, but I am trying to keep them in line as much as possible,” Rutledge chuckled to me. “It’s fun because I get a chance to sort of whip ’em in to shape but also let ’em go a little bit, and I enjoy that. It’s kind of one of the things I look forward to most on Saturdays.

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“The other part of this too, is that who wouldn’t want to wake up on a Saturday and talk college football with Tim Tebow, Marcus Spears, and Paul Finebaum? Some of the best minds in the game and we get to start the day off talking with them. I just love it, even if they get a little unruly at times.”

I had to hold back my laughter, as having been on the set of the show before, “unruly” is a rather innocuous sounding description for the chaos that can happen within.

This week, SEC Nation is in Auburn as the Tigers get set to face a hungry Tennessee team who has been improving steadily under first-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Rutledge – who picked Auburn to make the College Football Playoff in the preseason – thinks this is an important game for the Tigers.

“I think it’s a crucial game for many reasons,” Rutledge told us. “One of them being, Auburn really needs to win this one. It’s not that Tennessee doesn’t but…Auburn’s expectations were so high coming into this year, and they just are at a point now where they’ve got to prove they’re legit.”

When I asked if a loss to the Volunteers would put Gus Malzahn’s job in jeopardy, she seemed confident that he would be fine, even if upset this weekend.

“I think Gus [Malzahn] is in a fine spot, if we’re talking about with the administration and everything. He just signed a new contract,” Rutledge stated. “You know, fans are going to be frustrated if they lose this game, and I think it’s just disappointing because going into the season everyone is talking about Jarrett Stidham and this great defense.

“There were questions about the o-line and about their run game, but I just didn’t think it would be what it’s been.

“They came out week one and beat Washington, and Washington’s a really good team. So, it’s not that Auburn is a bad football team, but they’ve got to figure out ways to run the football. That’s where I think the fan frustration comes into play.”

I asked Rutledge about the state of the conference, and with Alabama and Georgia having separated themselves from the pack to a degree, who did she see as up and coming challengers down the road – or even now, if the Tide or Bulldogs should begin to stumble.

“I think you have to look at Texas A&M,” Rutledge said. “They played Alabama probably closer than any team has this year, and they also played Clemson pretty close too. They’re a team that is probably a couple of years away, but…with what Jimbo Fisher has done with them offensively, they’re impressive.

“In a very short period of time, they’ve finally become this team that we wanted them to be, which is playing four full quarters of a football game. We saw flashes under Kevin Sumlin, but they weren’t quite physical enough to compete in this league. We’re seeing that now.”

And in the Eastern Division?

“Over in the east, I’d point to Florida as a team that could contend with Georgia,” as I’m sure Rutledge smiled while speaking of her alma mater. “I think Dan Mullen is turning that around very quickly and they’re going to be a contender for the east finally, which makes the SEC that much better.”

After chatting about the upcoming Georgia-Florida game and how it could impact the SEC, Rutledge answered a few questions from readers and fans I had received.

From Jenn in Florida: “Can Alabama be stopped?”

Rutledge laughed a little and then answered, “Yes, they can be, but I think the only way that happens is if unfortunately, people are injured, and you just hope that doesn’t happen. Because right now, with the way Tua Tagovailoa is playing, and Jalen Hurts is playing too when he comes in the game, they look unstoppable.”

From Alan in Chicago: “How legitimate is LSU? Are they still building or are they a threat now?”

“They’re a threat now,” Rutledge emphatically stated. “And we’ll see that in action I believe against Georgia. I think Georgia wins the game tomorrow, but LSU is legit. They’ve got legit athletes, they’ve got legit coaches. Dave Aranda, their defensive coordinator, and Steve Ensminger at the offensive coordinator position have made major impacts on this team.”

Georgia fan and blogger Vineyard Dawg wanted to know how Rutledge would compare the facilities at SEC schools to the rest of the country.

Rutledge didn’t hesitate for a moment to answer that question. “They’re the best. I mean, they just are. Texas A&M, for instance, is a school that could stack up right now against a lot of NFL facilities. I think what you see around the conference…it’s just rampant. You have to keep up with the Joneses in this league.”

You can hear the entirety of our interview with Laura Rutledge below

Besides keeping busy with her SEC Network schedule, Rutledge and pal Paul Finebaum are also working on a great promotion with SEC partner Pilot Flying J Travel Centers, helping fans gear up and fuel up for the tailgate parties and games.

Next. SEC Power Rankings After Week 6. dark

You can catch Rutledge and the rest of the SEC Nation crew every Saturday morning on the SEC Network from 10am to 12pm ET, broadcasting live from a different SEC location each week.