If it seems like we’re all marking time until November 5th, it’s only because we are. And not just for the titanic game in Tuscaloosa – Arkansas plays South Carolina in a game that will significantly impact on the races in both divisions. And for those of us composing power polls, don’t underestimate the importance of Kentucky and Ole Miss facing off. We’ll get to know once and for all which is the worst team in the conference.
- LSU (7-0, 4-0). The Tigers did what superior teams are supposed to do, steadily dismantled a weaker conference opponent on the road.
- Alabama (7-0, 4-0). Got bored and let Ole Miss score first. Then the Tide rolled off 52 straight.
- Arkansas (5-1, 1-1). The Hogs finish the season with six straight conference games.
- Auburn (5-2, 3-1). In games against two of the top three teams in the East, Ted Roof’s defense has given up a total of nineteen points. There’s no better evidence in support of Western superiority than that.
- Georgia (5-2, 3-1). The Dawgs scored an ugly win over Vanderbilt, but that kind of play would have resulted in a loss in seasons past. So, progress of a sort.
- South Carolina (6-1, 3-1). The ‘Cocks resume their old habit of playing down to the level of their opponent. (And yes, the Lattimore discount is being factored in with this ranking.)
- Florida (4-3, 2-3). I’ve got to rank the Gators somewhere.
- Vanderbilt (4-3, 1-3). They’ve got a pulse and a conference win, which is more than you can say about the four teams ranked below the Commodores.
- Mississippi State (3-4, 0-4). If Dan Mullen is a genius, then why is MSU averaging a shade over 15 ppg in conference play?
- Tennessee (3-3, 0-3). With the injuries, there’s just nothing left there.
- Ole Miss (2-4, 0-3). Painful to watch this team’s play against a respectable opponent. At least Ole Miss has Louisiana Tech and Kentucky to look forward to.
- Kentucky (2-4, 0-3). A bye week bounce? Are you kidding?
Get The Picture 
“…progress, of a sort.”
Tis mighty generous, Senator.
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My exact thoughts. However, someone who is not a Georgia fan could argue that the Senator is a Georgia fan and he’s not being fair cause South Carolina did beat us, is ranked in both polls and is also 14th in the BCS standings.
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If Lattimore were still healthy, I would have flipped SC and Georgia in my rankings.
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Not to mention the fact that the quarterback who led South Carolina’s offense in Athens is no longer on the team.
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Is the East is just awful or is the West just incredibly great? I’m going with both.
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Yes.
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No absolute here b/c I haven’t looked closely at all of the years since the split, but I’m thinking this year’s SEC East might be the worst SEC division ever.
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Despite Auburn being the better team, I’m still more worried about Florida. Also, does anyone else think Vandy could end up with as many as 4 conference wins this year, or is that wishful thinking?
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Vandy still has Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida, and Kentucky, so it could happen.
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I don’t think that’s wishful thinking at all. They could very well upset Arkansas its a home game. Although they do have to go to the Swamp. They’ll absolutely destroy Kentucky at home and i’d say they sneak out of Knoxville with a win.
Also, when i was looking at there schedule they play Army at home before they start the last stretch of conference games and noticed that Army is ranked no.1 in rushing. http://www.cfbstats.com/2011/leader/national/team/offense/split01/category01/sort01.html And then I noticed http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/stats/team/2011/army-black-knights/ They’ve got 2 RB’s with over 1000 yards, each with over 500 yards. So you can bet Army will try and run over Vandy. Doubt it will work on Vandy though
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Am i the only person who thinks u could make an argument for uga being the most overrated team in the sec but also has the potential to turn into one of the most underrated?
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Yes, hence the constant bickering here about glass half full/half empty. We’ve beaten 5 tomato cans, but we’ve won 5 in a row. I’ll take the optimistic viewpoint and be happy.
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I think you might be looking a little too far out when it comes to SC, Senator. 10/29 they head up to Neyland Stadium, a generally inhospitable environment, without Lattimore.
Even the SC fans are already looking ahead to Arky. If Garcia was still around, I could see the argument for a ‘pick em’ approach, but I’m pretty convinced Connor Shaw and company will now walk away with an L sans ML.
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Mississippi State that low? I guess that is good for Greg McGarity though. He should come cheaper when it comes to replacing Richt. ;))
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I think Mullen has played his way out of a big time coaching payday.
I think Malzahn is better than I gave him credit for. I thought the Barners would be much, much worse with all the new players.
Dooley’s best way to survive all this is if he tanks this season. The good season he had last year could hurt him if they get worse for the next two years. If they lose out, he can blame Kiffin/injuries and show progress by winning six next year. Without signs of progress, he’s toast. Fans hate two years of decline.
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Auburn University needs to back a Brinks truck up to Malzahn’s front door and tell him to just take however much it’s going to take to retain his services. He’s proven himself to be an excellent offensive coordinator. The Tigers are fortunate that he didn’t decide to jump ship last year and cash in on their season by taking a head coaching job. The job that he’s done this year might be even more impressive, really. A better opportunity than the Maryland gig may come knocking this offseason.
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I can’t wait for Malzahn to get out of the SEC. Let’s see what Chizik and Roof can do without him.
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Interesting that the Dawgs avoid the clear top 3 teams in the SEC and play all the worst teams in the league. Thank goodness for lucky scheduling. Having said that, Florida and Auburn won’t be easy games at all. We can’t really take anyone lightly (except maybe UK at home)…
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“Thank goodness for lucky scheduling.” Before any more “thanking goodness” maybe you should look at the 2013 and 2014 schedules.
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Just worry about that tomorrow, Scarlett! (hand to forehead)
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