The gap between Alabama and Georgia is widening: Week 5 SEC rankings

The last two weeks have been pretty ugly for Georgia. The victory against Missouri was one that they rode their luck (slightly), and although the Tennessee game’s scoreboard showed 38-12 and a ‘dominant’ team, Tennessee didn’t go down like it did in 2017.

With Kentucky impressing with their shellacking of South Carolina in Lexington, is it too early to ask the question: Is Georgia stumbling?

Anyway, here are our SEC standings. You’ll be stunned to know who’s No.1

  1. Alabama: The Tide keep rolling. Jalen Hurts will come off the bench to carry on the bloodletting in the fourth quarter, and all will be fine. At this rate, put the Crimson Tide down for 3 touchdown favourites in the SEC Championship Game as well as the National Championship Game that follows.
  2. LSU: The Tigers were good against Ole Miss – even though a referee did help the Tigers by getting in the way of Ole Miss receivers at important events! Saying that, it was a boat-race in Baton Rouge, as Ole Miss fansite ‘Red Cup Rebellion’ pointed out.
  3. Georgia: The Bulldogs are the pick of the SEC East, but we’re not quite sure how good they actually are, now. Their biggest test will be in Baton Rouge in two Saturday’s time, and it’s becoming clear that the Dawgs aren’t looking as impenetrable as we first thought.
  4. Kentucky: The Wildcats are playing so damned well at the moment. They really are. We thought Mississippi State and South Carolina would be guaranteed losses at the start of the season, and we’re 0-2. Benny Snell ran for 99 yards, by the way. He’s the best running back in the SEC, folks.
  5. Texas A&M: The two losses came against Clemson and Alabama, so we’ll forgive them for it. If the Aggies had lost against Arkansas – and they were helped by a late INT. Jimbo Fisher grabbed a player’s facemask, which wasn’t cool, either.
  6. Florida: On Dan Mullen’s return to Starkville, the Gators won a slugfest. The go-ahead TD was because of something that MSU did not have on offense: Imagination. The Gators are on a roll at the moment, folks.
  7. Auburn: The Tigers weren’t great against Southern Miss, and that keeps on irritating the locals. It’ll also irritate Jarrett Stidham, bearing in mind that his NFL future pretty much hangs on a great season at Jordan-Hare. After a 245 yard, 2-TD performance you could say he put his team on his back, but THIS WAS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI, FOLKS (Kudos to the defense for holding them to 13, by the way).
  8. Missouri: They aren’t the worst team in the SEC East, but they aren’t the best. They’ll get to a bowl game though.. And probably win 3 in-conference games.
  9. Mississippi State: Right now, Joe Moorhead’s offensive philosophy of “run ’em down the middle and break ’em” isn’t a good one. It needs creativity. The Penn State offense worked last year like this because Trace McSorley is a quick quarterback. Fitzgerald is not. They also have no discipline (89th in the country in penatlies), either….especially on the road (they give up 111 yards worth of penalties away from Starkville).
  10. South Carolina: The Gamecocks are not a good football team, folks. My South Carolina-supportng friend (who’s also a booster and former frat boy) asked me: “Were we overrated at the start of the season or do we just suck?” I had no answers. At least he was cheered up by news that Clemson’s got a problem at QB. That’s how deep that rivalry goes, folks.
  11. Ole Miss: Got a lucky unlucky with a SEC ref getting in the way of potential first down or TD plays from the offense, but really, it wasn’t close. That’s because good defenses learn from the Ole Miss philosophy of ‘throw it long and let the receivers beat you on the ground’.
  12. Arkansas: Showed some guts against Texas A&M, and although they will remain winless in the SEC West, Chad Morris’ Hogs seem to be showing a bit.
  13. Vanderbilt: If Derek Mason survives after this season, it will be a miracle. This is a very, very poor team.
  14. Tennessee: Urgh. Even the fumbles that the defenses make happen aren’t going their way.

WHO IMPRESSED? 

  1. Dan Mullen: Went to Starkville, won a middleweight fight, and showed some offensive imagination in the process.
  2. Arkansas: Battled until the end. Not bad, considering how appalling this program has been this year.
  3. Kentucky: The Wildcats keep rolling, and are only 1 win away from bowl eligibility.
  4. MSU fans: The Cowbells were awesome on Saturday night even if the team really was not.

WHO DID NOT IMPRESS?

  1. Jimbo Fisher: Don’t grab players by their facemask. It’s absolutely not cool. And although Tyrel Dodson agreed with what happened, I still don’t think it’s cool.
  2. South Carolina: The Gamecocks may well end up bowl eligible, but only just. This game against Missouri is looking HUGE for them this weekend.
  3. Joe Moorhead: First two weeks, Moorhead’s an offensive genius. Play anyone remotely good, and he’s 2 for 2 at being an offensive numbskull. With LSU, Auburn and Alabama still to come on the schedule, it’s only going to get worse.