6 takeaways from Week 10 in the SEC

Published: Nov 8, 2015 · 2:26 PM EST

It was a tumultuous week in the SEC, to say the least. The conference saw its share of triumphs, tragedy and protest in a Week 10 that will go down in the SEC annals.

Here are several takeaways from a great Week 10 in the SEC.

Quieted Critics – All of those Alabama detractors seemed mighty quiet on Sunday morning. The Crimson Tide were the head-scratcher pick for many “experts” after Nick Saban’s program was listed No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. Alabama proved their inclusion was legit by dismantling No. 2 LSU 30-16. With the thorough victory over the Tigers, in which the Tide shut down Heisman hopeful Leonard Fournette (see below), Alabama is easily the top team in the SEC and, barring a loss, should return to the playoffs for the second time in as many years.

Fournette’s Kryptonite – It turns out that Leonard Fournette is human after all. The LSU superstar rushed for just 31 yards and a touchdown in Week 10’s loss to Alabama. Saturday’s output was his lowest of the season by 119 yards, snapping a nine-game streak in which the sophomore rushed for 100-yards or more. Fournette did manage to pass Charles Alexander on the program’s all-time list for consecutive games with a touchdown (10). LSU and Fournette will look for redemption next week. That could be bad news for Arkansas, the Tigers’ Week 11 opponent.

Mourning Bulldogs – The takeaway from Mississippi State this week is that life is short and fragile and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Mississippi State found that out the harsh way this week with the death of freshman Keith Joseph Jr. and the defensive lineman’s father, Keith Sr., who also starred for the Bulldogs, ranking No. 10 all-time on the team’s sack list. The two were involved in a single-car accident on Friday night en route to a high school football game. Mississippi State won its game on Thursday over Missouri, but you get the feeling that the Bulldogs would trade all their wins and then some to have the Josephs back. Mississippi State hosts Alabama on Saturday. Expect the Bulldog program to honor the Josephs accordingly.

Socially-Minded Mizzou – The Missouri football team might not win again the rest of the season, but that won’t stop the Tigers’ 2015 squad from going down in history — albeit the school’s civic history. The team’s black athletes walked away from the program this weekend in protest of school president Tim Wolfe. The players unified in support to depose Wolfe, as tensions on the Columbia campus have escalated recently in wake of what the players believe is the questionable handling of several racially-charged incidents by the president. The players have head coach Gary Pinkel’s support and are learning a valuable life lesson away from the gridiron with their “Black Is Powerful” protest. The players have stated that they won’t practice or play in games until Wolfe steps down.

Tennessee Closers – Granted it was South Carolina, but Tennessee was finally able to close out a team that the Volunteers let creep back into a game after being down by 14 points or more. You could hear the entire Tennessee Vols Nation smack their collective foreheads when South Carolina tied its Week 10 contest at Neyland Stadium late in the third quarter, negating what had once been a 17-0 UT lead. It wasn’t pretty, but Butch Jones and the Volunteers needed a win over the Gamecocks and desperately needed a win in a game that was tight at crunch time. They’re now in a great position, with a favorable schedule, to challenge for second place in the SEC East.

RELATED: Butch Jones Postgame Comments

Groundhog Day Season – It’s Groundhog Day in Fayetteville as the Arkansas football team appears to be repeating its 2014 season. For two years in a row now, the Razorbacks started slow and finished as one of the best teams in the SEC. The latest incarnation of Bret Bielema’s second-half squad triumphed in Week 10 with Arkansas’ biggest win of the season, a 53-52 overtime thriller (again) to beat No. 19 Ole Miss. After starting the year 2-4, Bielema’s Hogs have won three straight and appear to be on track to duplicate the second-half of the 2014 season, in which the Razorbacks finished the campaign 4-2. Arkansas can really put a stamp on their season with a win over LSU in Week 11, a team they shut out 17-0 last season — holding Leonard Fournette to just 9 rushing yards on 5 carries.

Chris Wuensch

Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.