Might as well be honest about it.

ODE TO AUSTIN ALLEN

I haven’t written much about Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen, but I have admired his work from afar and after watching a replay of the Ole Miss-Arkansas game (on ESPN’s skycam through their WatchESPN app … best way to watch a game IMO), I now have to ask is he the best quarterback in the SEC?

The conference hasn’t exactly set the world on fire with quarterback play this year (or last year for that matter), but a few guys like Allen, Trevor Knight, Chad Kelly (with the exception of some second halves), Jalen Hurts and occasionally Josh Dobbs are starting the resurgence of quarterback play in the conference.

Allen leads the SEC in yards (1,861), completions (138) and touchdowns (18). He’s second in passer rating with 156.0, and this is with games against TCU, Texas A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss with Auburn, Florida and LSU to come.

He’s also tough as hell. He has been sacked 17 times (tied for first with Dobbs), and he was even pulled down by his facemask against Ole Miss. But opponents are finding that Allen, listed at 6-foot-1, 209 pounds, is hard to keep down.

And he throws missiles.

WHEN WILL THE EAST WIN?

After Alabama beat Tennessee in the battle of “Best vs. Best,” it’s clear that the SEC West isn’t just the superior division, but the SEC East could be borderline depressing if it doesn’t salvage a few wins in interdivisional matchups this year.

The remaining interdivisional schedule is:

10/22 — Mississippi State at Kentucky
11/5 — Vanderbilt at Auburn
11/5 — Florida at Arkansas
11/12 — Auburn at Georgia
11/19 — Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
11/19 — Florida at LSU
11/25 — Arkansas at Missouri

Kentucky has a good shot to get the division in the win column this weekend taking on a road-weary Mississippi State team (more on that later).

Otherwise, the division is now being carried by Florida, and it’s curious just how much is everyone sold on the Gators. They have a very good defense and a great secondary. They also have an offense that is inconsistent at best. Luke Del Rio has shown to be not much more than a placeholder, and the team’s best win is North Texas, Kentucky or a road win at Vanderbilt depending on who you ask.

Either way SOMEONE needs to step up and defend the East.

MISSISSIPPI STATE PLAYED WHERE?

Mississippi State took a rare west coast, non-conference game Friday when the Bulldogs traveled to play BYU and lost in double overtime.

It was the farthest west the Bulldogs have traveled for a non-conference game since their 2002 season opener at Oregon. Jason Fife threw three touchdown passes that day as the Ducks won 36-13.

https://twitter.com/HunterLJohnson/status/787172292182679552

So with this info, I decided to see how far west the SEC teams have traveled in a non-conference game since 1980.

Alabama (at Hawaii, 2003, L, 29-37)
Arkansas (at Southern Cal, 2004, L, 17-70)
Auburn (at Southern Cal, 2002, L, 17-24)
Florida (at Southern Cal, 1983, T, 19-19)
Georgia (at Oklahoma State, 2009, L, 10-24)
Kentucky (at Oklahoma, 1980, L 7-29)
LSU (at Washington, 2009, W, 31-23)
Mississippi State (at Oregon, 2002, L, 13-36)
Missouri* (at Toledo, 2014, W, 49-24)
Ole Miss (at Wyoming, 2004, L, 32-37)
South Carolina (at West Virginia, 1991, L, 16-21)
Tennessee (at California, 2007, L, 31-45)
Texas A&M* (at SMU, 2014, W, 58-6)
Vanderbilt (at TCU, 2004, L-14-30)

* As members of the SEC. Texas A&M is at UCLA in 2017, and Missouri is scheduled to travel to BYU in 2020.

YARDS? WHO NEEDS YARDS?

Vanderbilt pulled off a 17-16 upset win over Georgia between the hedges this past Saturday and gained a whopping 171 yards, averaging an amazing 3.4 yards per play.

It was the only game won by an SEC team this year where it gained under 200 yards of offense, and it was a season-low in yards by a winning team in the FBS in 2016.

But the biggest number for the Commodores was 19. That’s how many tackles Zach Cunningham had, including the one that clinched the game when Georgia failed to convert a 4th-and-1.

And no, Georgia fans did not take this loss well.

But others had a blast trolling them.

https://twitter.com/Tomas_Verde/status/787372356058710016

Including our fearless leader.

NOW FOR THE MAIN EVENT

The SEC West could be decided on Saturday when Alabama hosts Texas A&M. While the Tide-Aggies SEC rivalry hasn’t even gotten to the first grade yet, it’s brought us a ton of good memories.

Like the coming-out party of Johnny Football.

And Derrick Henry destroying the Aggies last year.

So who gets the headlines this week? Does Jalen Hurts continue to be the perfect maestro for Alabama’s offense or will Myles Garrett and the rest of the Aggies’ ferocious line rattle the freshman?

Can Trevor Knight get one over on Nick Saban again?

https://twitter.com/jasonkersey/status/779902640419287041