The game of the year in the SEC occurs next week when Alabama travels to LSU, but this weeks slate of action told us a lot about the rest of the conference.
Lots of SEC fans wanted to shovel dirt on Georgia after their struggles at LSU two weeks ago, but the bye did Kirby Smart’s team a world of good. They reasserted their dominance over the SEC East with a big 36-17 win over Florida.
Jacksonville wasn’t the only place where SEC fans could see a game last weekend though. Kentucky’s magical season continued with a last-gasp victory at Missouri. It wasn’t pretty for the Wildcats, but you can be certain Mark Stoops doesn’t care.
Mississippi State’s roller-coaster campaign continued as well. They absolutely dominated Texas A&M in Starkville. The Bulldogs aren’t going to win the SEC West, but they’re a really tough team to defeat at home.
The news wasn’t good everywhere in the conference though. We’ll start this week’s power rankings with another disappointing game for the home crowd in Fayetteville.
Chad Morris’ first season at Arkansas can’t end soon enough. Giving up 45 points at home to Vanderbilt just isn’t acceptable for Razorback fans. Morris needs an offseason to find some talent on both sides of the ball. Ty Storey continued to struggle under center. He threw two costly interceptions that really helped the Commodores win this game pretty comfortably. Expect a change at quarterback for Arkansas in the offseason.
Jeremy Pruitt isn’t into moral victories, but if he was, this would qualify. The Volunteers couldn’t do enough to knock off the Gamecocks, but they continue to look more and more like a competent football team. In the end, the Tennessee defense just couldn’t make enough plays. Specifically, their rush defense has to improve. South Carolina is a good running team, but giving up 224 yards on the ground effectively ended the Volunteers’ chance to win this game. It was a step forward for Tennessee, but Pruitt and company still have a long way to go.