When you looked at the schedule in the SEC this weekend, everyone knew that we were in for an incredible weekend. This weekend gave us three pivotal matchups between Top 25 SEC teams, which would reshape the entire race for the College Football Playoff and the race for the SEC Championship.
The Georgia Bulldogs handed Ole Miss their first loss of the season, making the race for the Conference Championship even tighter. LSU took a second loss at the hands of Diego Paiva,, sending Baton Rouge into a frenzy. The Alabama Crimson Tide ended the night with a statement win over Tennessee as Alabama looks like it's a whole new team.
Alabama's incredible streak reshapes the SEC Power Rankings
The Kentucky Wildcats were inches away from picking up their first SEC win, as the Wildcats were stuffed on the goal line on a play that would've won the game. This team still lacks all the talent you need to win in the SEC, but the flashes Cutter Boley has shown in his time starting have been exciting. It'll be tough for this team to win the rest of the season, but it's as you'd expect with the talent level.
Bobby Petrino has made this Arkansas team far more competitive, but this weekend brought another close loss for the Razorbacks. The defense remains a massive problem as Marcel Reed and the Aggies were able to get whatever they wanted passing or rushing. This team doesn't have the talent to beat most of the teams they'll play, but the way the offense has played under Petrino has to be encouraging.
Jeff Lebby and his team keep wasting great chances to pick up their first win of this new era in Conference play. On Saturday, the Bulldogs had driven into field goal range with a chance to win the game, but Blake Shapen sealed the game by throwing his first interception of the game. This group is clearly improved compared to Lebby's first team, but it won't matter if they can't win a game in league play.
Hugh Freeze's team fell once again on Saturday Night, and with a 0-4 record in SEC play, his seat is starting to get hotter. The Tigers missed 3 field goals in this game, which doesn't help when the offense is already dealing with struggles. The only answer for Hugh Freeze at this point may be inserting Deuce Knight into the lineup at quarterback and hoping he sparks this team.
South Carolina continues to be a disaster on offense as the Gamecocks suffered another loss, this time at the hands of Oklahoma in a 26-7 game. LaNorris Sellers was held to just 124 yards passing and a touchdown, while the rushing attack was only able to pick up 1.6 yards per carry on 34 attempts. This team came into the season with the hopes of being a contender, but it's clear that losing offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains and a ton of talent on defense was too much to overcome.
As Fire Billy chants rained down from the crowd in The Swamp, the Florida Gators narrowly escaped with a win over Mississippi State. The game from Florida wasn't pretty as DJ Lagway threw a pair of interceptions while the offense had to settle for 3 field goals, keeping the Bulldogs in this game. Billy Napier's team now heads into the bye week, which raises the question of whether he'll be the Head Coach the next time we see this team.
After such an exciting win over Oklahoma last weekend, the Texas Longhorns needed 2 overtimes to beat a terrible Kentucky team. Arch Manning once again struggled, going just 12-27 for 132 yards with 11 carries for -1 yard. The offensive line and play calling are abysmal, as this offense can't get anything going. Texas was lucky to escape this game with a win, but this team is going to end up losing another game with the way they've played.
Saturday Night saw the Missouri Tigers win an ugly one as it took two overtimes for Eli Drinkwitz's group to beat Auburn. The defense got a ton of help from the Auburn kicking woes as Alex McPherson missed 3 field goals, including one that could've won the game in overtime. Missouri's rushing attack was taken away in this game, and if not for Auburn leaving so many points on the field the Tigers lose the game.
The LSU Tigers have looked like a broken team the entire season, and on Saturday Afternoon, Diego Pavia exposed it. The Tigers' offense looked the best they have all season long, yet it still wasn't good enough, as injuries and poor offensive line play had Garrett Nussmeier running for his life. The defense that looked much improved to start the season couldn't get off the field as Pavia and the Commodores stayed on the field for more than 36 minutes. This team is becoming the walking wounded, and with an incredibly tough stretch coming up, the Tigers are in trouble.
Josh Heupel's team has now played two big games, and they've fallen short in both, which has to be a concern. Two 99's defined this loss as Josh Heupel's horrible clock management led to a 99-yard pick-six for Alabama, and once it seemed the Volunteers overcame that play, Alabama drove 99 yards to score a touchdown. This team doesn't have the level of receivers it needs to run Josh Heupel's offense, while the defense desperately needs its star cornerbacks back from injury.
After suffering the first loss of the season, the Oklahoma Sooners got a great draw to bounce back as they faced a South Carolina team that is in disarray. John Mateer didn't play his cleanest game, with just 150 yards passing, but it was a great chance to get back in rhythm. The defense was dominant, shutting down the Gamecocks' rushing attack, forcing the Gamecocks to become one-dimensional.
When Vanderbilt lost to Alabama, it was a bit disappointing as the Commodores played their best game, but Diego Pavia struggled. This weekend, we got to see Pavia at his best as he and the Commodores dominated this game, running the football led by their star quarterback, who had 86 yards and 2 touchdowns. This team is now 6-1 and after a wild weekend of games, they could end up cracking the Top 10 of the AP Poll.
For the first three quarters, it looked like Ole Miss may be the best team in the Country as they were unstoppable on offense. In the 4th quarter, once things started to slip away, Ole Miss fully unraveled, losing the final quarter 17-0 and the game 43-35. Lane Kiffin's teams do the same thing every season as they start red hot and then begin to show cracks, which Lane Kiffin needs to correct if this team is going to make the College Football Playoff, as they have the talent to do so.
For the first three quarters, it looked like the Georgia Bulldogs had no answers for Lane Kiffin's offense before everything flipped. The Bulldogs dominated the 4th quarter, going on a 17-0 run after going three quarters without getting a stop on defense. This team has bounced back nicely after the loss to Alabama, and now they head into a bye in a great position to return to the College Football Playoff.
The Texas A&M Aggies survived a shootout against Arkansas to move to 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in league play. Marcel Reed looked like a Heisman contender with 4 total touchdowns on 280 yards passing and 55 yards rushing. The Aggies' defense remains a concern, as Arkansas was able to score 42 points in this game, as the Razorbacks averaged an absurd 8.4 yards per rush. This group has been impressive, but they still haven't faced one of the best teams in the SEC, where they'll truly be tested.
There's a new team atop our SEC Power Rankings as the Alabama Crimson Tide has emerged as arguably the best team in the conference. The Crimson Tide has won 4 straight games over ranked opponents, while their wins over Vanderbilt and Georgia only look better after this weekend. Ty Simpson looks like the best quarterback in the Country, and this team is fully back after their Week 1 loss to Florida State.