Now that the first month of the football season is in the books, it’s time to assess just where each SEC team stands.
It is obvious for some teams but for others you have to look a little below the obvious, the won-loss record, to make an assessment of where each team stands.
We’ll start with the teams in the SEC West.
Alabama (4-0 overall, 2-0 SEC) is the most obvious team to judge. The Crimson Tide is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation, so where is Alabama? The Tide is at the top of its game. The defense has been tough lately, as the shutout of Ole Miss proves, and the offense has come along just as it has the last three or four years.
“The question now is are we going to be able to build on this, continue to improve as a team and not be satisfied with where we are so that we can improve and get better execution and improve consistency in things that we do and how we play,” said Nick Saban.
Arkansas (3-2, 0-1) blew a game it should have won when it lost a 24-7 lead and took a 28-24 loss at Rutgers, but the Razorbacks have played well in every other game, even in their 45-33 loss to Texas A&M. It’s safe to say Arkansas has been a pleasant surprise.
“I’m growing more and more comfortable with my people,” said Bret Bielema.” I told our guys after the (A&M) game, ‘We’re not there yet, but this climb to the top of the mountain has been a lot of fun. When we get to the top, it’s going to be really fun to know what you did.’ I’m not saying it’s going to come this week, but I have a strong belief that they’re going to play better. To do it on the road in SEC play is a lot of fun.”
Auburn (3-1, 1-1) is off to a good start under new coach Gus Malzahn.
“My main thing was our team playing together, playing hard, doing what their coaches ask them to do, and getting better. At the very first of the year when I said our goal was to get better each practice and each game, it sounded like coach-speak, but it’s so true with this team.” said Malzahn.
The Tigers have already matched last season’s win total (three) and there will be more coming in the future as Nick Marshall settles into his role as the quarterback and leader of the team.
“We feel like he’ll get more comfortable and I think they’ll be a time in the season that we can say, ‘Hey, it’s clicking,’ and he can play football and not have to think. Hopefully, that time will come sooner, rather than later,” Malzahn said.
LSU (4-1, 1-1) is once again one of the best teams in the SEC West — and the nation.
“Again, we’re in this thing together, coaches and players. Coaches are not without fault. Certainly I take my share, and we’ll be better,” said Les Miles.
The Tigers played well enough to win at Athens but there was strong subplot that might have weighed on the minds of the LSU players.
“Offensively, fifth straight game over 400 yards; first time in school history,” said Miles. “The storyline was going in, what we minimized, was that Zach (Mettenberger) was returning to Georgia. Now beyond a visit there, think about the emotion that must have been going through that young man’s mind: a place that he committed to, wanted to play, where his mom works, where his family goes down the road to see him play, that he doesn’t have real emotion there.”
Mississippi State (2-2, 0-1) had high hopes but has struggled out of the gate except for a romp over Troy two weeks ago.
“On offense I think we were pretty efficient throughout most of the night,” said Dan Mullen. “One of the things I challenged our team on is that I felt we would improve from week one to week two, week two to week three and so on. I felt we had a great practice this last week, and I thought we would improve from week three to four and I think it showed on the field. With a young group of guys we need to continue to improve.”
Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1) got off to a great start with a win over Vanderbilt in Nashville and Texas in Austin, but the Rebels ran into a buzz saw last week at Alabama and came away with a 25-0 loss to the No. 1 team in the nation.
“We’re excited to get back on the field after last week’s loss,” said Hugh Freeze. “We’re 5-1 in the last six games that we’ve played, which we think has provided a very good foundation in where we are headed with the program. Sitting at 3-1 with the schedule we’ve had, is something that’s a good start to year two of our building here. We’re excited to get back out.
“You never like losing. You never like looking at the what-ifs or wishing you had done something different. It’s part of the game. 60 teams do that every Saturday. What kind of team you become is defined after difficult moments. They’re the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason. We had a chance defensively to put us in the game, but we didn’t make enough plays to keep us in it late in the game.”
Texas A&M (4-1, 1-1) expected to be a player in the SEC and national championship picture and the Aggies still might be. They do have the most exciting player in the country in returning Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, but they also have that 49-42 loss to Alabama hanging over their heads. The Aggies have no margin left for error if they want to remain in title contention.
Kevin Sumlin’s team is off this week but they get back in action on Oct. 12 at Ole Miss.
“There are some teams where you don’t want a week off, like last year. You’re a hot team and you want to keep playing. We need some time,” said Sumlin. “We’ve played a lot of young guys. Everyone thinks about the physical strength of playing through week five or six, but the harder part is the mental strain. You’ve got the first round of exams and quizzes coming through that these young guys have to handle. For our team, the bye week comes at a great time. We need this week, both physically and mentally. This is the first time in a long time we haven’t had a practice or a lift. I think that’s a positive thing.”