Randy Sartin-US PRESSWIRE
Another week, another piece of the college football puzzle. Does the East have another contender? How putrid is the West after the after LSU and Alabama? Let’s take a look at who’s who in SEC football.
Contenders
LSU. The Bayou Bengals flattened another cupcake when they beat Idaho down 63-14. The most interesting thing involving LSU is that the game on October 6 against Florida just got a lot more interesting. In the meantime, Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery get to set up shop in Auburn’s backfield. Next game: @Auburn
Alabama. Alabama only gave Arkansas its first home shutout since LBJ (No. Not Lebron James) was in office. The Tide whacked the Razorbacks 52-0. This week, it is cupcake central in Tuscaloosa. Next game: Florida Atlantic
Georgia. Florida Atlantic actually gave the Bulldogs a game for a half before Georgia pulled away to a 56-20 victory. The length of time it took for the Dawgs to seize control is cause for removal from contenders, but for now it is a simple statistical anomaly. Scrappy Vanderbilt is up next. Next game: Vanderbilt
Florida. Moving up into the contenders this week are the Florida Gators. They went into Neyland Stadium in the first Tennessee game that has mattered one iota to the country in years and throttled the Volunteers in the second half on the way to a 37-20 win. After two weeks on the road, the Gators finally get to return home and battle pretender Kentucky. Next game: Kentucky
Trending Up
South Carolina. Steve Spurrier got his 200th win over UAB. There is nothing remarkable about a cupcake getting flattened by an upper-tier SEC school. Luckily, the team the Gamecocks play next, Missouri, has a bit more of a pulse. Next game: Missouri
Missouri. Mizzou rebounded off a physical game against Georgia to beat a hot Arizona State team 24-20. Missouri did not have the services of starting quarterback James Franklin. The Tigers get their first taste of the SEC on the road when they travel to Columbia to play the Gamecocks. Next game: @South Carolina
Standing Fast
Texas A&M. Manziel had an amazingly good game against SMU. Of course, half the country would have an amazingly good game against SMU. The weakness of the opponent makes it impossible to move the Aggies much of anywhere. South Carolina State won’t help much either. Next game: South Carolina State
Trending Down
Ole Miss. Give up 66 points at home, earn a spot on the trending down list. Texas did completely outman the Rebels, and Ole Miss did play with a lot of fire and heart. Sadly, they still lost by 35 points. Nothing like a cupcake to make the program feel better. Next game: @Tulane
Tennessee. Neyland Stadium was rocking Saturday afternoon. Tyler Bray then lost his mind in the second half and made Kiehl Frazier look like Joe Montana in comparison. The defense was gassed by the Gators in the 4th thanks to Bray’s ineffective offensive leadership. Luckily, not even Bray could screw up so bad that the Vols lose to Akron at home. Next game: Akron
Mississippi State. The Bulldogs cracked the top 25 after week 3. Why are they trending down? They gave up 572 yards to Troy and never really put the Trojans away in their 30-24 victory. The cupcake train stops in Starkville this weekend when new FBS member South Alabama comes to town. Next game: South Alabama
Pretenders
Auburn. It took overtime to put down the ULM Warhawks 31-28. The 1-2 Tigers can’t stop anyone, and Kiehl Frazier hasn’t progressed very much through three weeks. If Frazier was afraid of the pass rush in the past two weeks, he will be terrified of the LSU front he sees this week in Jordan-Hare. Next game: LSU
Arkansas. Alabama is a great team, but a 52-0 loss at home? Tyler Wilson calling out the team after said beat down? Just to top things off, John L. Smith is still coaching the team. The October 6th game against Auburn could turn into a “whose who” of dumpster fire seasons. Next game: Rutgers
Kentucky. Joker Phillips seems like a nice fellow. There is a talent vacuum in the Kentucky upperclassmen. It simply isn’t there. The vacuum is the main reason Western Kentucky claimed bragging rights over the Wildcats 32-31 in overtime. Next game: @Florida
Vanderbilt. A win over Presbyterian (located in South Carolina for those who didn’t know) doesn’t warrant Vanderbilt moving anywhere. Giving the ‘Dores a trend off that pillow fight would utterly invalidate the concept. Next game: @Georgia
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