Tennessee and Ole Miss are unbeaten. Alabama and Georgia have flaws.

A tight end is the most talented player in the SEC, and a transfer from Georgia Tech is the most explosive.

Welcome to the biggest, baddest conference in college football, where life ain’t what it used to be.

“The way you build a roster has completely changed in the last couple of years,” Florida coach Billy Napier said.

But we still grade ‘em the same way. Welcome to the SEC Midseason Report:

The argument

Georgia or Alabama?

Even when Georgia is misfiring (see: Kent State, Missouri), it is still a safer pick than Alabama — and not because of the uncertainty of Tide QB Bryce Young.

There’s too much unknown for Alabama at wide receiver, and on the offensive line with pass protection. Even when Young returns from a shoulder sprain (possibly this weekend vs. Tennessee), Alabama still struggles on the outside with OTs Tyler Steen (who has played better of late) and JC Latham.

On other hand, we’re 6 games into the season and Georgia still doesn’t have a go-to tailback and the wide receivers have been just serviceable. The best option for the offense is stud TE Back Bowers, and QB Stetson Bennett going off schedule and making a play.

Make no mistake, there are potential trap games for both in the second half of the season. Neither is immune to losing.

The injury

It’s the most talked about AC joint in college football. If there’s such a thing.

Anyone who watched Young wince in pain 2 weeks ago when he tried to throw after landing on his right (throwing) shoulder after a scramble against Arkansas knew what Tide coach Nick Saban was selling wasn’t reality.

I’m not questioning the AC sprain; I’m questioning the initial narrative put forward that Young has had sprains before, and in a couple of days, he’s back participating. Maybe that was the case in the past, it’s certainly not now — even if he plays this weekend at Tennessee.

And if Young does play, the idea of playing behind an offensive line that has struggled all season (and much of 2021) has to at least present a tenuous pause. In this era of protecting all things student-athletes (that’s a good thing), let’s hope Young is completely healed if he plays this weekend.

He has too much riding on his NFL future to play hurt, even if he wants to (because all elite competitors want to play).

The return

Tennessee hasn’t played in the SEC Championship Game since 2007, and hasn’t won at least 10 games since the same season.

Tennessee hasn’t played in a major bowl game since 2000, and hasn’t won a major bowl game since winning the national championship in 1998.

Of those 4 milestone marks, 2 appear to be near locks (10-win season, major bowl bid), a 3rd is reachable (winning a major bowl) and the road to the 4th (playing in the SEC Championship Game) begins Saturday in the biggest Vols game since the rescheduled 2001 Florida-Tennessee game.

All in Year 2 under coach Josh Heupel and QB Hendon Hooker. A remarkable run any way you look at it.

Since the last time Alabama and Tennessee met in 2021 (a 52-24 Tide win), the Vols are 8-2 and Hooker has accounted for 28 TDs (4 rush) and only 1 INT.

The coach

We can ignore it no longer: Lane Kiffin is a ball coach.

You may not like his style (he’s toned things way down), but there’s no denying his ability to coach quarterbacks and call plays. Kiffin has very few peers, if any, in college football.

He took a difficult job during a brutal first season (COVID), and turned a petulant and talented player (QB Matt Corral) into a star. A year later, he won 10 games — only the 4th time at Ole Miss since 1963 — and played in a New Year’s 6 bowl.

The Rebels are 6-0 for the first time since 2014 with a completely revamped roster, a patchwork group of transfer portal players and freshmen of impact. If Ole Miss wins 10 games again, it will be only the second time in school history that a coach has had back-to-back 10-win seasons — that last coming from legendary coach Johnny Vaught (1959-60).

3 more top coaching jobs: Josh Heupel, Tennessee; Mike Leach, Mississippi State; Nick Saban, Alabama.

Bottom 3 coaching jobs: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M; Bryan Harsin, Auburn; Brian Kelly, LSU.

Player of the Midseason

Alabama TB Jahmyr Gibbs. I’m not sure even the Alabama staff realized what they had with Gibbs, who was stuck on a bad Georgia Tech team for 2 years.

He has completely changed the way Tide OC Bill O’Brien has called plays over the past 2 weeks. Gibbs didn’t get more than 9 carries a game over the first 4 games of the season.

In the past 2 games against Arkansas and Texas A&M — a majority of those 2 games without Young — Gibbs has 39 carries for 360 yards (9.23 ypc.) and 2 TD. He’s the fastest player on the field, and the most dangerous.

Want to know how to protect Young moving forward: run Gibbs (the Tide O-line is solid in run block), and throw off play action.

The next 3: QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee; TE Brock Bowers, Georgia; QB Will Rogers, Mississippi State.

Team of the Midseason

Alabama (6-0) is unbeaten despite:

  • DE Will Anderson not having a Will Anderson-2021 year.
  • The loss of Heisman Trophy-winning QB Bryce Young (for a time TBD).
  • No true No.1 receiver, and no elite deep speed at receiver (Louisville transfer Tyler Harrell has missed the entire season with a foot injury).
  • An inconsistent offensive line, the overlooked key to Saban championship teams of the past.

Three more to watch in the second half:

  • Georgia (6-0): for obvious reasons.
  • Tennessee (5-0): Alabama and at Georgia are the only games remaining games that could trip up the Vols.
  • Mississippi State (5-1): Bulldogs are too good on offense — and wildly underappreciated on defense — to overlook.

Game of the Midseason

Admit it, you have the same gnawing feeling: If Texas QB Quinn Ewers wasn’t knocked out the Alabama game at the end of the first quarter, the Longhorns would have beaten the Tide.

As it is, it was the Game of the Midseason, complete with a classic game-winning drive by Young that included: completing 5-of-7 passes for 41 yards, and a 20-yard run — accounting for all 61 yards on the drive that led to a game-winning field goal.

Three other DVR-worthy games: Alabama 24, Texas A&M 20; Ole Miss 22, Kentucky 19; Tennessee 38, Florida 33

Midseason All-SEC team

Offense

  • QB: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
  • RB: Raheim Sanders, Arkansas
  • RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
  • WR: Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss
  • WR: Will Sheppard, Vanderbilt
  • TE: Brock Bowers, Georgia
  • OT: Warren McClendon, Georgia
  • OT: Kwatrivous Johnson, Mississippi State
  • G: O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida
  • G: Layden Robinson, Texas A&M
  • C: Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas

Defense

  • DL: Will Anderson, Alabama
  • DL: Derick Hall, Auburn
  • DL: Byron Young, Alabama
  • DL: Jalen Carter, Georgia
  • LB: Nolan Smith, Georgia
  • LB: Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri
  • LB: Drew Sanders, Arkansas
  • CB: Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
  • CB: Carrington Valentine, Kentucky
  • S: AJ Finley, Ole Miss
  • S: Jardin Gilbert, Texas A&M

Specialists

  • K: Harison Nevis, Missouri
  • P: Jay Bramblett, LSU
  • KR: Devon Achane, Texas A&M
  • PR: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

SEC bowl projections

  • Peach (Playoff semifinal): Georgia vs. Michigan
  • Fiesta Bowl (Playoff semifinal): Alabama vs. Ohio State
  • Sugar Bowl: Tennessee.
  • Citrus Bowl: Ole Miss.
  • ReliaQuest Bowl: Kentucky.
  • Music City Bowl: Mississippi State.
  • Gator Bowl: Florida.
  • Texas Bowl: Arkansas.
  • Liberty Bowl: Texas A&M.
  • Birmingham Bowl: South Carolina.
  • Las Vegas Bowl: LSU.