5 Things We Learned about the SEC in Week 6
By Tony Breland
Week six of the SEC schedule is in the books, and with it another strong showing by two SEC West powerhouses on a collision course. Meanwhile, the SEC East continues to shake out in what is clearly the weaker division. We learned a lot about how the SEC will end up this season, in particular the following five items:
Alabama has unlimited upside. Sports Illustrated is pushing the meme that this Tide defense is among the best ever. The head coach spend every offensive series yelling at his starting quarterback to stop throwing bullets into triple coverage, after that pass results in a touchdown. Wave after wave of punishing running backs pound defenses and rack up yards.
To be sure, there are weaknesses, and fans are picking those apart on every Tide message board. But outside the circle of Capstone faithful, this Alabama team is seen as an unstoppable juggernaut. Opposing teams are freely surrendering in advance, and it’s considered outright insanity to suggest this team is not a collection of Supermen.
It’s an amazing time to be a Tide fan. So while you’re breaking down the kicking game or blocking schemes, take a moment to savor what could potentially be the most dominant Alabama team in decades.
Florida may have saved Mark Richt’s job. Will Muschamp brought a hard-nosed style of play to Florida, and it seemed a foregone conclusion the Gators would walk into Atlanta as SEC West champs. Then they played Alabama, and lost the services of two quarterbacks. Suddenly, it looks like a rebuilding year for the Gators. LSU added insult to injury, pounding the wounded Gators in Death Valley, and dropping them into third place in the East.
Meanwhile, Georgia has recovered from opening the season 0-2, reeling off four straight wins. With the Florida game now looking a lot more winnable, it’s conceivable the Bulldogs could win out, making that loss to South Carolina loom large when the Gamecocks play Clemson.
If South Carolina stumbles, Georgia goes to the SEC Championship game, and Mark Richt is the Comeback Kid, due in large part to the Alabama-Florida game.
Tennessee is a measuring stick. Sportswriters are poring over stats, trying to make comparisons between LSU and Alabama, and playing the game on paper before it’s played on the field. We got one comparison yesterday, with the LSU-Florida score practically matching that of the Tide-Gators. Of course, Florida was down to their third-string quarterback against LSU.
Both Alabama and LSU play the Volunteers before their epic matchup, and college football fanatics will no doubt analyze each game, trying to draw conclusions. The next two weeks will be a dream for fans of smashmouth football, and a nightmare for Derek Dooley.
Auburn is unpredictable. And not in a good way. Their high-powered, controlled-chaos offense may have its future quarterback in Kiehl Frazier, but they simply cannot stop a competent offense. Making prognostications about Auburn is a futile exercise; they’ve cost us a perfect record two consecutive weeks. And now it appears a matter of time before they cost Gene Chizik either his sanity, or his job.
Bobby Petrino could be a five-time PAC-12 champion by now. Arkansas’ head coach is an offensive wizard, and had it been Oregon – and not Auburn – that had flown him out to interview, he’d have a conference championship ring on every finger. Petrino is thoroughly uninterested in the defensive side of the ball, but his career choices have placed him in a conference that emphasizes defense, and wins championships. Perhaps it’s time to polish off the resume one more time.