Ready or not, here comes the SEC.

LSU is done with its non-conference schedule after a solid but uninspiring 42-6 victory against Utah State on Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium.

The No. 5 Tigers have won their first five games, including the SEC opener against Vanderbilt. But the meat of the conference schedule is coming – Florida, Mississippi State, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas A&M.

Is LSU ready to handle that gauntlet, to seriously contend for the SEC West title and put itself in position to possibly qualify for the CFP?

Who knows?

The victory against Utah State was much like the other four games the Tigers have played – very impressive for the most part but featuring just enough blemishes to make one wonder if this team is elite or not.

Maybe it is.

Maybe it isn’t.

The 45-38 win at Texas was outstanding, but it too was flawed.

The other wins were all by comfortable margins, but they came against outmanned opponents and featured sloppy moments as well.

It’s hard to criticize a 5-0 record, especially when all but one of the games was decided well before time ran out and when the one exception was on the road against a team ranked No. 9 in the country at the time.

But the Tigers have had enough shortcomings to raise questions about whether they are a complete enough team to continue their undefeated run well into the fall.

Against the Aggies they showed signs of shoring up the areas of concerns that had shown up most frequently during the previous four games.

During the open date last week, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and his staff focused on those areas – primarily tackling and the running attack.

The defense played better, slowing quarterback Jordan Love and the Aggies’ fast-paced passing attack and smothering the run. Freshman Derek Stingley Jr. made his second interception in as many games and the Tigers got two more.

The tackling was better than it had been for much of the September and Utah State could not generate any consistent offense.

LSU has had a series of injuries up front, which contributed to inconsistent defensive play, especially the lack of a pass rush. But the Tigers are getting healthier up front.

The fast pace at which the revamped offense is playing has forced the defense to adjust to quicker turnarounds. Perhaps coordinator and Dave Aranda and the players are figuring that out.

Only time – and better opposition – will tell for sure, but there were encouraging signs with the way LSU slowed down Utah State.

Speaking of slowing down, it shows how far the offense has come with Joe Brady’s passing game that a first half featuring 21 points and well over 300 yards can be considered an off day. But that’s what this felt like.

The passing game wasn’t as sharp or as explosive as it has been for most of the season, but it was still sharp and effective. The Tigers seemed devoted to running the ball more effectively early and they had some success doing so.

They drove 75 yards to a touchdown on the first possession of the game and in the second quarter they drove 99 yards to another touchdown.

So the Tigers were balanced and methodical on offense and much harder to move against on defense – two traits absolutely essential for success in the coming weeks.

The pass rush is still a work in progress, especially from the front, and the offensive line has yet to show it’s prepared to go toe-to-toe with SEC heavyweights and come out on top.

If LSU is going to get to where it wants to go it is going to have to be better than it has been so far on both lines of scrimmage.

The passing game is fun to watch — Joe Burrow had five more touchdown passes — and it gives the Tigers a new and very important dimension.

But winning an SEC championship is going to require exceptional line play on both sides of the ball.

We haven’s see that from LSU – yet.

It may be capable of it.

We’re about to find out.