13 biggest takeaways from the SEC's Week 5

Over 35 percent of the college football season is now in the books, and things are about to get really crazy in both divisions. Of the SEC’s two biggest games Saturday, favorite Texas A&M made a big comeback against Arkansas to win in overtime, while underdog Missouri made a big-time comeback against South Carolina.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Week 5:

SEC East is a mess: Following South Carolina’s loss against Missouri, the SEC East was turned on its head even more. One-loss Georgia and undefeated (SEC) Missouri are in great positions, and the two play each other October 11 in Columbia, which could decide the SEC East. Two-loss South Carolina just moved into the muck that consists of one-loss Florida, one-loss Kentucky and one-loss (SEC) Tennessee, but the Gamecocks still have the head-to-head over UGA should that come into play. Could we see a three-loss SEC East division winner in Atlanta? I don’t even…

Two West teams: Kirk Herbstreit said Saturday what we’ve been saying for a couple weeks: there’s a great chance the SEC West gets two teams in the College Football Playoff. One will be the SEC Championship winner, assuming it comes from the West, and the other could be a one-loss Western Division team as well. Obviously, this discussion is way too premature, but the selection committee should reward teams for playing in the toughest division in college football history.

Aggies’ comeback: This team just knows how to win. Just when it looked like Arkansas was settling in and controlling the game, Texas A&M came roaring back in the fourth quarter. Down 14 with 12 minutes left, Texas A&M put two massive plays together to close out regulation. Kenny Hill hit Edward Pope on an 86-yard touchdown, and Hill then hit Josh Reynolds for a 59-yard score to tie the game with 2:08 left. Talk about clutch. The talk this week was about Arkansas dominating the time of possession and playing keep away, but that didn’t even matter. The Aggies have big plays in their back pockets, and the explosive plays bailed them out. Texas A&M passes its first SEC West test against the Hogs, a possible top 25 team, and the Aggies are a legit contender in college football’s nastiest division.

Todd Gurley took over: There’s no doubt why Georgia won that football game against Tennessee: Todd Gurley. Gurley took over the second half. He finished with 28 carries for a career-high 208 yards and two touchdowns, and he even had a Heisman hurdle. However, questions remain about Hutson Mason and whether he can lead the team to victory — if called upon — when the running game isn’t on. Mason’s arm strength is noticeably lacking. Georgia’s edge defense was very average, and the secondary made Justin Worley look like an All-American.

When it mattered most: Mizzou’s offense was very below average for much of the game against South Carolina, and even though the Tigers pulled it out, the numbers aren’t pretty. Mizzou finished 2-16 on third downs, managed just 280 total yards and had the ball just 24:05 of the game. But two scoring drives to finish the game erased the entire game struggles. Maty Mauk led the offense on scoring drives of three plays for 68 yards and nine plays for 51 yards. Running back Russell Hansbrough managed only 43 rushing yards, but he scored all three touchdowns. Despite last week’s ugly loss against Indiana, the Tigers hung around with South Carolina and edged them out when it mattered most.

Survive and advance: Memphis was the perfect trap game for Ole Miss, who could have been looking ahead to next week’s showdown against Alabama, but the Rebels hung tough and won by three touchdowns. Laquon Treadwell caught two touchdowns (63 yards and 17 yards) and finished with 123 yards receiving. Bo Wallace threw two picks, and he has to quit his average play against teams like Alabama. The Rebels’ defense once again smothered another offense, and now, the Rebels will tangle with perhaps the best player in the country in Alabama’s Amari Cooper, who’s having a record-setting season.

Collapse: That’s what South Carolina did. The Gamecocks blew a 20-7 lead with 7:00 left to play. Steve Spurrier’s questionable fourth-down play call in the first half backfired, and the Tigers scored early. The offensive line struggled to keep Dylan Thompson upright. Instead of sitting 3-1 in SEC play and ranked in the top 20, the Gamecocks could fall out of the top 25 altogether and lose control of the Eastern Division.

Worley the Warrior: Worley kept Tennessee in it during the second half against UGA, and he even missed about a quarter with a right elbow injury. Worley finished 23 of 35 for 264 yards and three touchdowns. He was really good, maybe the best of his career. He was crisp and accurate, and his second half oozed with confidence. Jalen Hurd had another big day, rushing for 119 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries, and Josh Malone got into the action with five catches for 43 yards. Tennessee isn’t far from where they feel they should be in rebuilding the program, and with Florida coming to town Saturday, things are about to become make or break with bowl implications.

LSU has found its quarterback: And his name is freshman Brandon Harris. Starter Anthony Jennings turned it over three times in the first quarter alone before Les Miles inserted Harris into the game, and he didn’t disappoint. Harris finished 11 of 14 for 178 yards, three touchdowns passing and two rushing. He was brilliant, and he gives the offense promise for this season and the future. Running back Leonard Fournette was just as good or better, and he rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Auburn comes calling next week, and they’re not exactly firing on all cylinders. Harris against Auburn’s defense will be fun to watch.

AU needed a better offensive game: Heading into LSU Saturday, you get the sense that Auburn’s offense just isn’t clicking yet. While Quan Bray was electric, the rest of the attack was sluggish. And sluggish will get you beat against LSU. Cameron Artis-Payne and Nick Marshall both tallied over 100 yards rushing, but the dominant run game just hasn’t started pushing defenses around yet. LSU is physical enough to handle the Tigers’ offense right now, too. Saturday will be an interesting test between the two SEC West powers.

Could Arkansas win the SEC East? The Hogs remind me a lot of Georgia, but they’re perhaps even better. Alex Collins paced the offense with 131 yards rushing and one touchdown. Left tackle Dan Skipper cost two scoring plays with careless penalties, and he won’t have fun watching this game film. Brandon Allen is better than UGA’s Hutson Mason and finished with 199 yards and one touchdown, but the numbers could have been much bigger had penalties not erased scoring plays. But the bad news is the schedule gets even tougher from here. Arkansas plays six ranked teams ahead, assuming Mizzou jumps back into the top 25. That’s just brutal, especially when Arkansas needs three more wins to become bowl eligible.

First since 2011: It wasn’t pretty, but Kentucky got it done against Vanderbilt. As a matter of fact, it was rather ugly. That’s how you know you’re improving as a team. The Commodores’ only score was a pick-six, and the ugly comes from Kentucky turning it over three times. The Wildcats can get to a bowl game this season, with two more non-conference games against Louisiana-Monroe and Louisville, and another winnable game against Tennessee.

No offense: Vanderbilt cornerback and kick returner Darrius Sims is the Commodores leading scorer, and he’s never even taken an offensive snap on the season. Sims has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, and he recorded a pick-six against Kentucky. Yikes.