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1. Texas- Texas is currently leading the country in points given up only allowing 5.5 PPG. They've only allowed their opponents 4.1 yards per pass and they are #1 in red zone defense nationally. Yes, the offense continues to put up points but Texas' defense is currently better than they were last year. Pete Kwiatkowski has done a hell of a job replacing some key contributors from last year's team. If you could nitpick, right now it's their sack percentage on defense, which is 76th in the country. That won't fly against Georgia and Alabama.
2. Georgia- A bye week for Georgia before a massive game against Alabama. If you want to pick one thing Kirby Smart will be harping on this week, it's third down offense. A 37.5% conversion for the Bulldogs doesn't feel real. I'm sure the Georgia boards are not blaming Mike Bobo for this at all.
3. Tennessee- Could Tennessee have beat Oklahoma by 20? Sure and I'm sure Josh Heupel will not be happy with some of the inconsistencies on offense. The big thing for the Vols is they have to get healthy at tackle. Their current backup tackles will not get the job done. But who knew in 2024 that Josh Heupel's football team would be defined by stout defense and power running football? Who had that on the bingo card in February 2021???
4. Alabama- Look, the whole idea that Alabama and Nick Saban received favored treatment from the SEC offices in Birmingham is bunk. And I know that the SEC schedule got wonky when they added Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012 and refused to go to 9 games. But Nick Saban only facing Georgia twice in Athens during his 17 year career shows how freaking stupid the SEC scheduling has been the last decade plus. Wait, the game is in Tuscaloosa this year??? Okay, I'm calling Birmingham.
5. Ole Miss- Only one SEC QB has ever thrown for 5,000 yards in a year. That person was Joe Burrow. Jackson Dart is averaging 388 yards per game. If Ole Miss makes the playoffs, with their schedule, he will have a shot at 5,000 yards. Also, playing Georgia Southern in week 4 is a disgrace to the sport. Have I told you how much I hate SEC scheduling?
6. LSU- There really feels like a massive gap between the top 5 teams and the rest of the SEC. LSU handled business against a game UCLA team in Baton Rouge. I know mid afternoon game in September against a...uh Big 10 team...isn't exactly a Morgan Wallen in Neyland ticket, but holy hell fans, it's a P4 matchup! You are already that bored by the Brian Kelly era??? You won 9 games last year! You can still make the playoffs!
7. Missouri- I'm sure Eliah Drinkwitz will make some kooky comment about how the haters want to see him fail or whatever for his press conference but if you want to be a big boy in the SEC, going double OT at home against Vanderbilt and winning due to a missed 30 yard FG doesn't exactly strike confidence in his football team.
8. Oklahoma- The long diatribe goes to the Sooners this week. Watching Oklahoma try and score against Tennessee in the first 3 quarters reminds me of the Thanos meme with young Gamora where she asks what did his sacrifice cost and Thanos replies "everything" in a mourning tone. The school that has produced 4 Heisman winning QB's in this century wanted an elite defense again and it cost them everything. Lincoln Riley lost 10 games in 65 games at OU. Brent Venables has lost 11 in 30 games. In this day of NIL, roster management has become more important than ever in college football and Venables really cost himself letting Gabriel walk for Jackson Arnold. Yes the OL is in shambles and injuries at WR makes everything look worse but they screwed up the QB position and now are relying on a 6'0/190 lb freshman QB for the rest of the year. Looking at Oklahoma's schedule, does anyone see 9 wins? And if they go 7-5, what is Oklahoma's move? Fire Venables? Very curious what the next few weeks look like for the folks in Norman.
9. Arkansas- Sam Pittman has to be kicking himself right now. He could be sitting 4-0 with a top 25 team and face Texas A&M with a true freshman QB to try and go 5-0. Yet that Oklahoma State loss continues to follow them around as a bad rain cloud. I'm not sure how long they can keep playing Taylor Green scramble ball and win games but the good news is you're better than Auburn! That's fun!
10. Texas A&M- I didn't catch the game against Bowling Green, one of two SEC teams I didn't get my eye on (sorry Kentucky, the Ohio Bobcats didn't make the third screen) but Mike Elko definitely has some Bret Bielama vibes overall. "Hey that was a fun 9-3 team even though the MAC team we played only lost by 6 and Prairie View A&M was only down by 10 late in the third quarter!" Elko has to completely change that quarter so I'll give him a pass. We will see how good they are next week against the Razorbacks.
11. South Carolina- You know what would piss me off as a Gamecock fan? I have this coach who isn't an offensive or defensive guy. He should a CEO type that pays attention to the details with a disciplined football team that does the little things. Yet my team is averaging 74 yards per game in penalty yards (109th in the country). If you're not going to be an offensive or defensive specialist or a superstar recruiter, at least be disciplined.
12. Kentucky- I apologize to the folks in Lexington for not looking at that 12:45 SECN game against the Ohio Bobcats. But we are now four games in and Kentucky, in the year of our Lord 2024, is averaging 152 pass yards per game. Can't wait for Jackson Arnold to be a Wildcat in 2026.
13. Auburn- I don't want to sound like Bo Wallace here, but as anyone in the history of our fine conference gotten more opportunities for winning two games? How long can Hugh Freeze last on the 2014 and 2015 wins against Alabama that lead to absolutely nothing? If you take those wins away from Hugh Freeze, did you know his conference record is 20-27*? Auburn is getting killed by turnovers, currently rankings 113th in the country in turnover margin. Are we sure Auburn has 6 wins on the schedule?
14. Florida- The good news? Florida is 2-2 with a nice get right win against the lowly Mississippi State Bulldogs. The bad news? You will probably be favored in two games at most the rest of the way.
15. Vanderbilt- Clark Lea is going to lay awake at night, knowing he could have been 4-0 and gotten himself a nice contract extension with two more wins the rest of the year. Instead, 2-2 with both losses being utterly devasting.
16. Mississippi State- Considering how terrible both the Bulldogs and Gators are, we all should owe Dan Mullen an apology.
2. Georgia- A bye week for Georgia before a massive game against Alabama. If you want to pick one thing Kirby Smart will be harping on this week, it's third down offense. A 37.5% conversion for the Bulldogs doesn't feel real. I'm sure the Georgia boards are not blaming Mike Bobo for this at all.
3. Tennessee- Could Tennessee have beat Oklahoma by 20? Sure and I'm sure Josh Heupel will not be happy with some of the inconsistencies on offense. The big thing for the Vols is they have to get healthy at tackle. Their current backup tackles will not get the job done. But who knew in 2024 that Josh Heupel's football team would be defined by stout defense and power running football? Who had that on the bingo card in February 2021???
4. Alabama- Look, the whole idea that Alabama and Nick Saban received favored treatment from the SEC offices in Birmingham is bunk. And I know that the SEC schedule got wonky when they added Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012 and refused to go to 9 games. But Nick Saban only facing Georgia twice in Athens during his 17 year career shows how freaking stupid the SEC scheduling has been the last decade plus. Wait, the game is in Tuscaloosa this year??? Okay, I'm calling Birmingham.
5. Ole Miss- Only one SEC QB has ever thrown for 5,000 yards in a year. That person was Joe Burrow. Jackson Dart is averaging 388 yards per game. If Ole Miss makes the playoffs, with their schedule, he will have a shot at 5,000 yards. Also, playing Georgia Southern in week 4 is a disgrace to the sport. Have I told you how much I hate SEC scheduling?
6. LSU- There really feels like a massive gap between the top 5 teams and the rest of the SEC. LSU handled business against a game UCLA team in Baton Rouge. I know mid afternoon game in September against a...uh Big 10 team...isn't exactly a Morgan Wallen in Neyland ticket, but holy hell fans, it's a P4 matchup! You are already that bored by the Brian Kelly era??? You won 9 games last year! You can still make the playoffs!
7. Missouri- I'm sure Eliah Drinkwitz will make some kooky comment about how the haters want to see him fail or whatever for his press conference but if you want to be a big boy in the SEC, going double OT at home against Vanderbilt and winning due to a missed 30 yard FG doesn't exactly strike confidence in his football team.
8. Oklahoma- The long diatribe goes to the Sooners this week. Watching Oklahoma try and score against Tennessee in the first 3 quarters reminds me of the Thanos meme with young Gamora where she asks what did his sacrifice cost and Thanos replies "everything" in a mourning tone. The school that has produced 4 Heisman winning QB's in this century wanted an elite defense again and it cost them everything. Lincoln Riley lost 10 games in 65 games at OU. Brent Venables has lost 11 in 30 games. In this day of NIL, roster management has become more important than ever in college football and Venables really cost himself letting Gabriel walk for Jackson Arnold. Yes the OL is in shambles and injuries at WR makes everything look worse but they screwed up the QB position and now are relying on a 6'0/190 lb freshman QB for the rest of the year. Looking at Oklahoma's schedule, does anyone see 9 wins? And if they go 7-5, what is Oklahoma's move? Fire Venables? Very curious what the next few weeks look like for the folks in Norman.
9. Arkansas- Sam Pittman has to be kicking himself right now. He could be sitting 4-0 with a top 25 team and face Texas A&M with a true freshman QB to try and go 5-0. Yet that Oklahoma State loss continues to follow them around as a bad rain cloud. I'm not sure how long they can keep playing Taylor Green scramble ball and win games but the good news is you're better than Auburn! That's fun!
10. Texas A&M- I didn't catch the game against Bowling Green, one of two SEC teams I didn't get my eye on (sorry Kentucky, the Ohio Bobcats didn't make the third screen) but Mike Elko definitely has some Bret Bielama vibes overall. "Hey that was a fun 9-3 team even though the MAC team we played only lost by 6 and Prairie View A&M was only down by 10 late in the third quarter!" Elko has to completely change that quarter so I'll give him a pass. We will see how good they are next week against the Razorbacks.
11. South Carolina- You know what would piss me off as a Gamecock fan? I have this coach who isn't an offensive or defensive guy. He should a CEO type that pays attention to the details with a disciplined football team that does the little things. Yet my team is averaging 74 yards per game in penalty yards (109th in the country). If you're not going to be an offensive or defensive specialist or a superstar recruiter, at least be disciplined.
12. Kentucky- I apologize to the folks in Lexington for not looking at that 12:45 SECN game against the Ohio Bobcats. But we are now four games in and Kentucky, in the year of our Lord 2024, is averaging 152 pass yards per game. Can't wait for Jackson Arnold to be a Wildcat in 2026.
13. Auburn- I don't want to sound like Bo Wallace here, but as anyone in the history of our fine conference gotten more opportunities for winning two games? How long can Hugh Freeze last on the 2014 and 2015 wins against Alabama that lead to absolutely nothing? If you take those wins away from Hugh Freeze, did you know his conference record is 20-27*? Auburn is getting killed by turnovers, currently rankings 113th in the country in turnover margin. Are we sure Auburn has 6 wins on the schedule?
14. Florida- The good news? Florida is 2-2 with a nice get right win against the lowly Mississippi State Bulldogs. The bad news? You will probably be favored in two games at most the rest of the way.
15. Vanderbilt- Clark Lea is going to lay awake at night, knowing he could have been 4-0 and gotten himself a nice contract extension with two more wins the rest of the year. Instead, 2-2 with both losses being utterly devasting.
16. Mississippi State- Considering how terrible both the Bulldogs and Gators are, we all should owe Dan Mullen an apology.
