A couple of weeks ago the Vale singled our Vandy linebacker Zach Cunningham for stopping Georgia's last-minute drive by sheer force of will. Cunningham is a wonderful player, a Butkus Award finalist, and some tout him as SEC defensive player of the year. Not quite. But his heroic block of an Auburn field goal will go down as a great moment in Commodore history. Fittingly, this spectacular play comes in a loss. It's still worth watching.
Meanwhile, our rankings.
1. I don't know that the Aggies cried very much after getting spanked by Moo State. Yes, it came as a shock to all of us. Sure, State has looked wretched all season. But you know what? First, A&M gave up 35 to the Bullies, which just shouldn't happen. (State still has Auburn cleat marks on its posterior.) Second, before you make a thing of Aggie QB Trevor Knight's injury, remember that Jake Hubenak was more effective in relief. The truth is, the Aggies were not playoff material. They knew it. Fate knew it. Apparently Dan Mullen knew it.
2. Ole Miss eeked out a win over Georgia Southern, but they lost the SEC's best QB Chad Kelly in the process. That's especially bad because (a) the Rebs relied way too much on Kelly for their success and (b) they seem to be slipping in the mojo department. Oh, and (c) we feel really bad for Kelly. One never knows how much an NCAA investigation weighs on a program, but I'm growing suspicious. Ole Miss is 4-5, and here's a bold prediction: the Rebs will stay home for the holidays.
3 and 4. I wanted to put Florida and Kentucky at #1 before Professor Barreto's timely intervention. Let's face it: nobody's good enough to win the East, and nobody really wants to. After all, would you want an extra game against Alabama? After a bye week, Arkansas totally exposed the Gators for the pretenders we've always said they are, while Georgia somehow came back to beat Kentucky. Neither team is particularly good, and now Kentucky really needs to beat Tennessee. The Wildcats will settle for beating Peay (I do it every week, y'all) and going to a pitiful bowl game.
BONUS: Remember The Pattern? The week after a big game, especially a road game and especially a win, SEC teams are particularly vulnerable. Florida just beat Georgia at a neutral site, and they just couldn't step up to Arkansas, who was coming off a bye week.
5. Missouri just doesn't have it. Awful nice of South Carolina coach Will Muschamp to encourage Mizzou's Barry Odom not to get too down. Watch the video, and get the Kleenex.
6. I know Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech 55-0, but something smells real, real bad in Knoxville. Star RB Jalen Hurd left the team last week to transfer somewhere else, and the recruiting class of 2014 has lost over a dozen players. I'm a big fan of coach Butch Jones, but I'm not sure how the Vols will recover.
7. That was a tough loss for the LSU Tigers. Bama's defense is historically good, and LSU's almost the same. The Tigers will be a little beat up, but trust me: they are done losing for this season. What an incredible performance by the Tiger D, with talent flying all over the field.
8. Bold prediction: Mississippi State will go bowling! I know that's a quick reaction, but look at the schedule. The Bullies are 4-5, and wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss will get them there. Never mind: Arkansas is just too good. But QB Nick Fitzgerald may just have found himself, which is huge for the Bulldogs' attitude.
9. Vanderbilt probably cried a little after losing to Auburn. You can always count on the Dores defense. In addition to Saint Zach Cunningham, the Vale would like to single out LB Ja'Karri Thomas, S Ryan White, and S Arnold Tarpley for their physical play. The big news, though, is QB Kyle Schumur, who played his best game against the toughest defense Vandy will see. If this is a breakthrough for him, bold prediction: Vandy beats two of Mizzou, Ole Miss, and Tennessee to make a bowl game. I really believe it.
10. South Carolina is coming on, albeit against weak competition, and QB Jake Bentley is gonna be solid in that program. Plus, the defense isn't awful. In fact, nobody has really exposed the Gamecock defense, something we've overlooked so far. Improvement through the season is a sign of good coaching, you know. Now 5-4, the Cocks are going bowling -- and nobody saw that!
11. It looks like a win in Lexington means something these days. Therefore, Georgia is feeling a mixture of pride and vulnerability. The Dogs have been embarrassed a time or two, with a beat-up Auburn team coming next. To be honest, I'm sick of commentators anointing Jacob Eason the next messiah. As if other young QBs haven't performed at least as well: Austin Allen, Nick Fitzgerald, and Jake Bentley come to mind. But Eason played well on the road and led a winning comeback drive. He also makes throws other QBs cannot.
12. People are calling Auburn the hottest team in the country, but Vanderbilt put a physical pounding on the already-wounded Tigers. The Pattern caught up to Auburn too. After a taxing win at Ole Miss, Auburn QB Sean White sat out the first half with a shoulder injury -- but backup John Franklin couldn't do enough to win the game. White's injury became obvious on a couple of squirrelly throws. Monster RB Kam Pettway, a serious SEC Player of the Year candidate, pulled up lame with what looks to be an upper quad pull. No one knows what to expect from that. Auburn's other wonderful RB Kerryon Johnson still suffers from an ankle sprain: he's fast, but he's neither agile nor quick. And LB Tre Williams couldn't play. Auburn is way too good for Georgia, but only if White is ok and the RB corps can produce. Bold prediction: Georgia plays Auburn tough. I can't even call an Auburn victory. If I were a cold blooded gambling fool, I'd take Georgia plus the 10.
13. Humbled at Auburn, Arkansas is walking tall after a big helping of Gator stew. The bye week did them worlds of good, especially dinged up freshman QB Austin Allen. I've been hooting about him all season. Tough kid. Reasonably talented. Future heartthrob of Hogs fans everywhere.
14. My Lord, what a glorious win by Alabama. I observed all kinds of fans -- even professional commentators! -- whining that a 0-0 game is boring. Hell no! You could cut the tension with a knife. All it took was one missed assignment by a defender on either team, and everything would have changed. Alabama made no such mistake. The Tide allowed 25 yards after halftime. Yep, that was a crimson font. And look at this: In 2015 and 2016, Leonard Fournette has averaged 7.45 yards per carry against everyone else, just 1.85 against Bama. Swallow that whole.
FINAL COMMENT: Baylor's coaches and players continue their defense of former coach Art Briles. One easily understands the loyalty people feel toward a beloved leader. Last week Baylor's assistant coaches tweeted their support for Briles, while one player stated the team's black uniforms were chosen to honor the former coach. (He and the university later walked back that claim.)
Every time a Baylor public figure defends Briles, he (because it's all men, so far as I know) revictimizes the women on that campus. So says rape survivor and justice advocate Brenda Tracy in a public statement.
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