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Week 12 provided all the shakeup that was promised at the outset, with two highly ranked teams falling and a coach losing his job. Who is heating up in the SEC? Who is cold? Here’s a rundown of the conference.
HOT
- The SEC’s postseason hopes. Thanks to Alabama’s win, there’s still a real chance of two SEC teams making the College Football Playoff. Beyond that, though, the conference could have as many as 13 of its teams make a bowl game, with the lone exception being Vanderbilt. That would be a record
- Tennessee’s offense. The way Josh Dobbs has been playing since taking over as the starting quarterback begs the question of why he started the season as the third stringer. The Volunteers put up 45 and 50 points, respectively, in his two starts and gave Alabama fits when Dobbs came on in relief in his first action of the season. With the way Dobbs has played, the Volunteers are looking like a good pick as the early favorite in the East next year.
- South Carolina’s special teams. Earlier this year, after getting burned by Vanderbilt, Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier bemoaned his team’s special teams performance. South Carolina clearly tightened things up, and for one of the only times in Spurrier’s time in Columbia the Gamecocks won a game thanks to special teams play. They blocked a field goal and a punt in the fourth quarter, allowing them to overcome a touchdown deficit to tie the game in regulation and win it in overtime.
NOT
- Auburn’s run defense. Once again, the Tigers were gashed, this time by Georgia. Nick Chubb and Todd Gurley combined to rack up 282 yards on the ground, steamrolling a defense that has fallen apart in recent weeks. Ellis Johnson, Auburn’s highly regarded defensive coordinator, has overseen a unit that has gotten progressively worse as the season has gone on.
- Mississippi State’s offense. In the Bulldogs last two SEC games, they’ve looked rather mediocre on the offensive side of the ball. Dan Mullen’s play calling left much to be desired against Alabama as MSU racked up 428 yards of offense, just the third time all year they’ve been held under 500 total yards. Dak Prescott has fallen out of the Heisman lead with lackluster performances over the last month and change.
- Mark Snyder’s hopes of keeping his job. Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator has flopped for the second straight year, and Saturday might have been a new low point. Sure, the Aggies got spanked by Alabama 59-0 last month, but giving up nearly 600 yards to a Missouri team that had been averaging just 250 yards per game in SEC play might be even more embarrassing.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
