5 things I can't wait to see today in Week 6

Good morning.

I hope you’re dry. I hope you have power, food and a roof over your head. I hope your friends and family are safe and your dogs are barking happily in the back yard.

If so, you are among the lucky ones.

What I really want to see today is everybody thinking about those who aren’t so lucky, so safe.

Week 6 was changed and in some ways defined by Hurricane Matthew. Frankly, I’m a little stunned at the insensitivity some have shown toward postponing the Florida-LSU game — as if that mattered more than public safety.

SEC football matters more when everything else is fine. Clearly, not everything else has been fine this week for much of the East Coast.

If you’ve never been through a natural disaster, it’s impossible to look beyond the sunny skies you’ll no doubt see today in Miami and Gainesville and perhaps even Athens and Columbia and wonder why the fields are empty.

It’s not about the weather at kickoff, folks. People have lost … everything.

This is what parts of St. Augustine looked like Friday.

Credit: Andrew West/The News-Press via USA TODAY NETWORK

OK, I’ve said enough.

Week 6 is here. The season moves on and there is some meaningful football today. Sports has a way of taking our mind off terrible things, and with that hope in mind, here are 5 things I can’t wait to see today.

1. How good is Austin Allen? We’ll find out. Statistically, he’s been superb, better than anybody could have reasonable expected given he’s a first-year starter and the Razorbacks were replacing so many important pieces around him. He’s also proven to be as durable as brick, picking himself up time and again after taking big shots.

Alabama’s front seven is an entirely different animal. And the rate the Tide are going, it will be a mild upset if Allen manages to keep Alabama’s defense out of the end zone.

Allen has an impeccable stat line — 1,232 yards, 12 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions.

Ball security will be paramount tonight.

2. Can Arkansas run the ball against Alabama? Allen can’t do this by himself. Arkansas is sixth in the SEC in rushing — again, higher than anybody expected considering they essentially were starting from scratch.

Rawleigh Williams’ comeback is a candidate for story of the year.

Alabama has played five games and allowed 342 rushing yards. Total. You might want to read that again: 342 yards combined in five games.

LSU ran for 418 last week against Missouri.

Ole Miss is the only team to crack 100 yards against the Tide, and the Rebels barely sneaked over the line, finishing with 101.

3. Josh Dobbs vs. Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall: The Volunteers are back on the road and today it looks like they’ll be without Jalen Hurd.

Texas A&M is talented enough to beat Tennessee when the Vols are at full strength, but clearly they won’t be today, not with three All-SEC types hobbled or out completely.

Tennessee still has Joshua Dobbs, though. Dobbs is the best dual-threat the Aggies have faced. It will be fun to watch him try to do his thing against two of the SEC’s best edge rushers, and maybe the best in Garrett.

Will Garrett crash and be susceptible to Dobbs keeping it on the zone read and getting outside? That’s one of the little chess matches to watch.

4. Trevor Knight vs. Derek Barnett: Tennessee’s defense is banged up, but there’s nothing wrong with Barnett.

He and Garrett have been battling for sack honors since both arrived in the SEC three years ago.

Barnett enters today’s game with 4.0 sacks, one ahead of Garrett, who has missed some time but insists he’s playing today on a sprained ankle.

Barnett likely will get more chances to add to that total, too. Knight has thrown 181 passes, second-most in the SEC, and almost 50 more than Dobbs.

A&M, in part due to a quick-read and release scheme, has allowed just 5.0 sacks, however.

5. Is Miami a legitimate playoff threat? Mark Richt has the Hurricanes up to No. 10 entering their most important home games in years.

The Hurricanes are the fourth ACC team to appear in the top 10 this season. Clemson and Louisville are still there and are legitimate playoff threats.

Florida State jumped up to No. 3 after knocking off Ole Miss in the season opener. The Seminoles subsequently lost twice and enter tonight’s game at Miami ranked No. 23.

No. 8 Texas A&M plays No. 9 Tennessee, so even if Miami wins convincingly tonight, it won’t move higher than the winner of that SEC game.

But that could change the following week, when UNC visits the Hurricanes.

Miami, unbelievably, has never appeared in the ACC championship game. Wake Forest has. Duke has. Boston College, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech have, too. But never Miami.

These next two games — both at home against ranked opponents — will determine whether Richt can change that just months into the job.

Could the ACC put two teams in the playoff? It’s unlikely, but Miami’s resurgence gives the league a third option.

With only four spots available, that development is certainly worth watching for every SEC fan.

Chris Wright is Executive Editor at SaturdayDownSouth.com. Email him at cwright@saturdaydownsouth.com.