SEC: Asked and answered

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog
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As we start to wrap up the appetizers, the SEC's power again is clear. Five of the Associated Press top 10 are from the SEC West, and seven of the top 14 teams in the country are in the conference.

Here's a ranking of the league that dominates the rankings (records and this week's games in parenthesis):

1. Alabama (3-0; vs. Florida): Why is there a quarterback controversy when Alabama has a top-15-ranked quarterback? We're not sure, but we do believe another line of questioning -- Alabama's young secondary -- will take another step in the maturation process against the Gators on Saturday.

2. Auburn (2-0; at Kansas State on Thursday night): Are the Tigers ready for the gauntlet? We have said since early August that this Auburn team could be better overall than the one that was within 11 seconds of winning the national title last year yet have a worse record. Thursday's trip to Manhatten -- no, the other one -- seems daunting on its face, but considering it is the first of seven dates against top-20 foes, well, giddy-up.

3. Texas A&M (3-0; at SMU): Is there a line too big for the Aggies this week? We say no, considering that SMU is coming off a bye after losing 43-7 to North Texas and then losing (a) its head coach when June Jones resigned; (b) its starting quarterback when Neal Burcham hurt his elbow; (c) confidence of the alumni when Eric Dickerson -- the best Mustangs player ever -- called for the program to be killed. Ouch-standing.

4. LSU (3-0; vs. Mississippi State): Is LSU's youth ready for the SEC? Three warmups including a neutral-site win over Wisconsin have revealed some spunk and some pause. That said, the defense -- which held Louisiana-Monroe to less than 100 yards last week -- is big, fast and nasty. And that's a combination that is SEC-ready regardless of age.

5. Ole Miss (3-0; off): Are the Rebels a top-10 team? The polls say yes -- Ole Miss is No. 10 in the AP poll, which ranks fifth in the division. Welcome to the SEC West, gang. But the question lingers about which Bo Wallace will show up during crunch time.

6. South Carolina (2-1; at Vanderbilt): Is Steve Spurrier the best coach in SEC history? No, he's second, but that gap keeps closing with each passing year. And after Saturday's virtuoso performance against Georgia, he reaffirmed his status as the Ol' Ball Coach callin' ball plays. When you turn Dylan Thompson into Danny Wuerffel, well, that's coaching. Big-time Ball Coaching.

7. Georgia (1-1; vs. Troy): Let's play multiple choice, OK? If you were calling plays, and you may not have much experience, but we have faith in you, and you had first-and-goal from the 5 with the best running back in college football (and one of the five best on the planet at any level) on your team, would you: (a) give the ball to said running back, who is by far the best player on the field; (b) call for some hair-brained play-action doohickey that has disaster written all over it; (c) have a V-8? We all know the answer, right? Even Mike Bobo does ... now.

8. Missouri (3-0; vs. Indiana): Is Gary Pinkel the most underrated coach in the SEC? Quite possibly, because once again the Tigers are neck deep in a wide-open SEC East. And whoever is recruiting and coaching Missouri's defensive line (his name is Craig Kuligowski, but don't get spoiled by all that research ... Bless you, Interweb) is doing work.

9. Mississippi State (3-0; at LSU): Want a sneaky outlier for a big-time bowl shot? How about Mississippi State? If the unbeaten Bulldogs can survive the trip to Baton Rouge against a young LSU team, MSU goes open date, home against Texas A&M and Auburn, then open date at Kentucky, home against Arkansas and UT-Martin. An upset or two and MSU could make a push for 10 wins. Yes, MSU.

10. Florida (2-0; at Alabama): If Florida had lost to Kentucky, would Will Muschamp still have a job? We don't know, and the scary fringe on which Mr. Muschamp resides right now is razor thin.

11. Tennessee (2-1; off): How good will Tennessee's defensive line be in two years? With two five-star defensive tackles committed and defensive end Derek Barnett looking the part of an every-down player with a Sunday future, the sky's the limit. That bunch will see more bumps along the way with the schedule ahead, but the forging fires of the SEC will mold this group into something special.

12. Arkansas (2-1; vs. Northern Illinois): What's the best stat from last Saturday? We'll take the overpowering fact that Arkansas ran the ball on its final 30 plays in a dominating 49-28 win at Texas Tech. Man, that's simply great coaching. If it ain't broke -- and they can't stop it -- why mess with it?

13. Kentucky (2-1; open): Is there such a thing as a moral victory? We believe so, as long as it meets the following categories: (a) It has to come in a head coach's first two seasons. Moral victories in Year 3 or after are known simply as Dooleys; (b) it has to be against a team that is widely viewed as superior in almost every way; (c) you can have no more than one. Period. More than one moral victory moves you into old-school Vandy territory where you scare three more talented teams a season and find ways to lose. So, yes, there are moral victories and Kentucky's triple-overtime loss at Florida certainly counts.

14. Vanderbilt (1-2; vs. South Carolina): Was it sportsmanship, taunting or just relief when defensive lineman Adam Butler hugged UMass kicker Blake Lucas after Lucas missed a potential tying field-goal try in the final seconds last Saturday? We'll say the last and feel certain that new coach Derek Mason was ready to hug everyone after Lucas' miss secured a 34-31 win.

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