It’s comes as no surprise that this weekly SEC coaches rankings series will be West-dominated until the East proves its worth on the field. A week after calling Mizzou’s Gary Pinkel ‘under-valued’, he responds by losing to Indiana at home. Yikes. Ranking coaches based on their 2014 seasons to date, here’s a quick glance at our picks heading into Week 5:

5. HUGH FREEZE, Ole Miss: Don’t screw this up, Rebels. Coming off its first bye week of the season, Ole Miss, ranked in the Top 10 for the first time since 2009, takes on Memphis on Saturday. A win pushes the Rebels to 4-0, something they haven’t accomplished in 44 years. Several outlets have reported that ESPN’s crew has already booked hotel rooms in Oxford for ‘The Alabama Game’ the following weekend, a matchup made for College GameDay. There’s still a game to play before the national spotlight burns brightly, however. Freeze will make sure this team doesn’t look ahead.

4. GUS MALZAHN, Auburn: Road wins don’t have to look pretty. To the casual fan, last week’s six-point victory at No. 20 Kansas State wasn’t appealing, an overall boring game with spotty play throughout. But the Tigers survived, an element indicative of last year’s success when Auburn won nine straight games  — including the SEC title — to cap the greatest single-season turnaround in league history. September wins don’t mean much in December, but losses mean everything when it’s crowded at the top. Malzahn’s team hasn’t yet hit stride, but it will. And when it does, multiple ranked teams dotting the schedule the rest of the way are going to feel the Tigers’ wrath.

3. KEVIN SUMLIN, Texas A&M: He’s not backing down from anyone, especially Steve Spurrier. The coaching pair’s verbal back-and-forth continued Tuesday when Sumlin fired back at the HBC after another ‘weak scheduling’ comment. What’s it going to take for Sumlin to gain respect out West? Apparently, winning by more than three touchdowns on the East favorite’s home field isn’t enough. The meat of the Aggies’ schedule begins Saturday against Arkansas, a squad that will test Texas A&M’s strength up front.

2. NICK SABAN, Alabama: The joke’s on you. Quite a few questioned Saban’s hiring of Lane Kiffin during the offseason, saying it would ruin the culture Saban’s established in Tuscaloosa. That’s far from what has transpired. Through a well-executed game plan by Blake Sims and Amari Cooper, Kiffin’s scheme picked up yards at a rapid pace against Florida over the weekend. The pair dominated the Gators and had it not been for four turnovers, the Crimson Tide could still be scoring points. Thus far, Kiffin’s in the running for national assistant coach of the year and that’s all Saban.

1. DAN MULLEN, Mississippi State: I’ll say this about the Bulldogs fanbase: y’all believed this could happen when most of us didn’t. It’s amazing how one weekend in the SEC can change the look of a program and that’s exactly what happened Saturday night in Baton Rouge when Dan Mullen took a confident bunch of Bulldogs into Tiger Stadium and manhandled eighth-ranked LSU. Suddenly, everyone forgot about Mississippi State’s 16-game losing skid against ranked teams under Mullen. That’s how it goes in college football. You’re only as good as your last big win or devastating loss. This year’s squad has the look of a Western Division contender.