Half of the Southeastern Conference came to play Saturday. The other half must have thought it was still non-conference play.
The closest inter-conference game Saturday was Georgia’s 45-32 beating at Arkansas, a game far worse than the score appeared. Every game reached a conclusion by halftime, and some fans may have had the urge to — God forbid — watch a game outside SEC.
Games don’t get any more boring than last week,’s so stay hopeful for the week to come.
1. Mississippi State, Prev. 1 (6-0, 3-0 SEC)
The Bulldogs received a much deserved bye week Saturday, and they have an easy road ahead with Kentucky, Arkansas and UT-Martin coming up on the schedule. MSU then ends the season with road trips to Oxford and Tuscaloosa in what will probably be its most difficult games of the season.
The easy games ahead may signal a possible trap game, but the Bulldogs are too mature to let that happen. Most of the players have gone through years of losing or coming up short to play down to one of their upcoming opponents.
The games may be blowouts, but I recommend watching them anyway because of junior quarterback Dak Prescott. Every season features a player who has to be seen every week, and as the obvious Heisman favorite, Prescott is the guy this season.
2. Ole Miss, Prev. 2 (7-0, 4-0 SEC)
The Rebels’ style of victory is unconventional, but it has worked to perfection every Saturday so far this season. Ole Miss swarms a team on defense all night, then waits for its athletes on offense to make big plays.
The 34-3 win against Tennessee Saturday is a perfect example of how the Rebels find victories. The Volunteers led 3-0 until late in the second quarter, when Ole Miss went 67 yards on two straight passes to senior receiver Vince Sanders. The floodgates suddenly opened, and the Rebels scored the final 27 points of the game.
John Chavis-led defenses are not supposed to allow big plays, so it’ll be interesting to see how Ole Miss’ style goes against LSU. If the Tigers want any chance of victory, they probably can’t fall too far behind. When the Rebels get the wheels turning, no one has been able to keep up.
 3. Alabama, Prev. 4 (6-1, 3-1 SEC)
It’s never fun playing Alabama when its coming off a bad game. Saturday, Texas A&M had the pleasure of playing the Tide after its second consecutive dud. It didn’t go well.
Alabama outgained the Aggies by more than 400 yards, scored 35 points in the second quarter and made the days of Johnny Manziel seem ancient with a 59-0 beatdown in Tuscaloosa. The Tide proved this is the same Alabama team opponents feared before, and murmurs of an off year went out the window.
It would be boring and generic, but Alabama could still run the table and contend for a national championship. The Tide can play against every team left on its schedule, and Nick Saban is the last person to be doubted.
4. Auburn, Prev. 3 (5-1, 2-1 SEC)
Auburn has serious middle child syndrome, ranked fifth in the nation but fourth in its own division. It’ll need to beat one of the teams in front of it if it wants to be talked about in the conference race.
5. Georgia, Prev. 5 (6-1, 4-1 SEC)
The Bulldogs proved for a second week that senior running back Todd Gurley may not be as important as many once thought.
UGA played the same Arkansas team Alabama struggled with the week before and was beating them by 28 by the start of the second half. Freshman running back Nick Chubb put on his best Gurley impression, gaining 202 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Most of Georgia’s remaining schedule involves the SEC East, so look for it to cruise to the championship game.
6. LSU, Prev. 7 (6-2, 2-2 SEC)
They may not be able to hang with the good teams, but at least the Tigers can beat up the bad ones.
LSU finds itself in a weird median between the top and the bottom of the SEC, and the remainder of the schedule will prove where they belong. A win against Ole Miss would take the Tigers’ best effort of the season, but it’s possible with this team’s talent.
7. Texas A&M, Prev. 6 (5-3, 2-3 SEC)
It was cute when people thought sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill was anywhere as good as Manziel. It was even cuter when people thought the A&M defense had changed.
The Aggies will probably finish the season in the bottom half of the conference, but I get the feeling coach Kevin Sumlin isn’t concerned. He has a young team, and when his team loses, he can think back to all that Manziel earned him in the two seasons prior.
 8. Arkansas, Prev. 9 (3-4, 0-4 SEC)
The Hogs continued their long run of SEC losses with the big loss to UGA on Saturday. A game against UAB next week should be a good change of pace.
Coach Bret Bielema has made improvements since last season, but he may be playing for his job in the final four SEC games. Going 0-8 in conference in the first season is one thing, but doing it in season two warrants a pink slip.
9. Missouri, Prev. 10 (5-2, 2-1 SEC)
Missouri won in the most miserable way possible Saturday, beating Florida 42-13 despite gaining only 119 total yards. It doesn’t mean much considering the terrible spot Florida football is currently in, so opinions of Mizzou shouldn’t change much.
 10. South Carolina, Prev. 11 (4-3, 2-3 SEC)
At this point, Steve Spurrier has probably abandoned any serious coaching. His mind is probably on the golf course during games, and considering how bad this season’s team is, I don’t blame him.
11. Kentucky, Prev. 8 (5-1, 2-1 SEC)
It was a great weekend for Wildcats fans, as Midnight Madness kicked off what is sure to be an incredible season. A light show followed by appearances from Drake and some top recruits preluded the main event as coach John Calipari’s team scrimmaged in front of a sold out crowd.
Oh, and the football team got embarrassed.
12. Tennessee, Prev. 12 (3-4, 0-3 SEC)
The Volunteers are still in search of their first SEC win this season, and Lane Kiffin ­— the man many believe is responsible for the program’s downfall — comes to town this week as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. Needless to say the hard liquor will be flowing in Knoxville this weekend.
13. Vanderbilt, Prev. 14 (2-5, 0-4 SEC)
The Commodores avoided another loss via a bye week, but a game at Missouri will put them back in their familiar place.
14. Florida, Prev. 13 (3-3, 2-3 SEC)
The Gators have worked too hard for too long to not earn this spot.
Allowing a punt return touchdown, fumble for a touchdown and an interception for a touchdown in the same quarter is something that should be treasured.
Vandy may come back next week, but its time someone honors the Gators’ collapse.