SEC Football: Week 5 Wrap Up
John David Mercer-US PRESSWIRE
We are five games into the college football season. Where does the time go? It seems like it just started. But life is good. The Alabama Crimson Tide is 5-0 and number 1 in the country. And, we are about to get deep into SEC play. With games like LSU/Florida and Georgia/South Carolina coming up, Alabama fans will have plenty of good football to watch this weekend while the Tide takes their week of rest.
Divisional Power Shift
After watching Auburn almost pull off a ridiculous miracle against a ho-hum LSU effort two weeks ago, it confirmed what I had already started to think: There is a power shift happening in the SEC.
It seems the SEC West is a little more ebb and a little less flow these days. LSU looked painfully ordinary and certainly beatable in the 12-10 win against Auburn, but since then even more questions have surfaced. The Bayou Bengals were in a dog fight against Towson this weekend, but won 38-22. They have lost 11 scholarship players since August for various reasons. There is no way to spin this. LSU is good, just not quite as good as advertised.
The flames from the roaring dumpster fire in Fayetteville can still be seen from miles away. The Hogs were once again slaughtered and made into tasty tailgating snacks, this time by Johnny Manziel and the Aggies. Texas A&M won huge 58-10, and Johnny Football went straight gangster on Arkansas’ D, throwing for 453 yards, rushing for just over 100 yards, and scoring four touchdowns. Let the Tebow comparisons begin.
Ole Miss looked tougher, but still completely outmanned in the 33-14 loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Winning in Oxford is a tough gig for anyone, and Huge Freeze will learn that the hard way over the next few years. At least they have an awesome campus and tailgating atmosphere. No one makes a bourbon drink, or pretends to be UVA’s academic equal, like Ole Miss.
Auburn is 1-3. They have a lousy quarterback. Their defense absolutely hates tackling. Their coaches wear backwards hats, or rock Uncle Rico mustaches. You can only string together so many top 15 recruiting classes and still use “inexperience” and “youth” as an excuse. The Tigers will undoubtedly finish under .500 and miss making a bowl this year. This week they play the Arkansas Sillynannies in the “SEC Pillow Fight of the Year.”
Hope springs eternal seemingly every year in Starkville. “This is the year,” is the Bulldog fan’s mantra. And hey, Mississippi State is 4-0, but they have yet to play Alabama, LSU, Tennesee, or Texas A&M. It’s just a matter of time before their white and maroon bubble bursts — it just hasn’t happened yet. Their success thus far is a mirage.
Alabama and LSU continue to carry the flag for the West, and Texas A&M is showing promise, but the drop off after these teams is becoming steeper with each passing week
Beasts in the East
The East, however, is looking more like the SEC East of the mid 2000’s. Yes, the East has their train wrecks with Kentucky and Vanderbilt. And Mizzou is turning out to be who we thought they were: an average Big 12 team not quite ready to compete with the big boys.
But Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina are all legitimate contenders to win the SEC. South Carolina’s front seven is scary good, and fly around and hit people as well as any defense in the country. Conner Shaw is more than able to make plays with his legs or his arm, and Marcus Lattimore is beginning to look like his old self. They will collide with the Georgia Bulldogs this weekend at 7pm on ESPN.
Florida has a solid win versus the Vols, and their win against Texas A&M on the road is looking more and more impressive. Their October 20th matchup with Georgia could shape up to be the game of the year in the SEC East. They will have the ultimate litmus test this weekend when they take on LSU at 3:30 on CBS. Sorry Gary, no Honey Badger this year, but I’m sure that won’t stop you from bringing him up. Cam too. And Tebow.
Georgia looks like the best of the bunch, I would dare say possibly the second best team in the country. Aaron Murray is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Freshman running back Todd Gurley looks special. They are on the short list of teams in the country with a legitimate shot at beating Alabama.
And Tennessee, while not completely polished in some areas and maybe deficient in others, has a game changing quarterback in Tyler Bray, who has the play-making ability to defeat most secondaries in the country. They put up a valiant effort this weekend against Georgia, but eventually lost 51-44 in the game of the year thus far in the SEC. Turnovers hurt the Vols, but they have the personnel capable of possibly eeking out a win against a good team.
I don’t know if the power has shifted so far in favor of the East to warrant “best division” and all of the plush accolades that accompany such a distinction, but the scales are definitely starting to even out.
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