Perception vs. Reality: Week 9 in the SEC

Here’s a look at several perceptions in the SEC versus their realities when the conference kicks off Week 9 action on Saturday.

PERCEPTION: OLE MISS SORELY MISSED LAREMY TUNSIL

The Ole Miss offense took a major hit when the NCAA suspended standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil seven games for a slew of infractions. The return of Tunsil is welcome news in Oxford, because the Rebels have struggled mightily with its running game in the absence of the 6-foot, 5-inch 305-pound lineman. Look no further than Tunsil’s return last week in which he shut-down Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett and the Rebels rolled to a 23-3 win behind 230 yards rushing as a team. With the junior back in the lineup, Ole Miss can go about fixing its maligned offensive line and rushing attack.

REALITY: THEY MISSED HIM, BUT NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK

Don’t blame Hugh Freeze for feeling a tad giddy about adding arguably the best left tackle in the SEC to an offense that already ranks No. 1 in the conference. Despite Chad Kelly’s gaudy passing numbers, the Rebels running game isn’t as bad as it’s previously been made out to be, even with a rush-by-committee approach at times. Ole Miss had five players rush for more than 211 yards with Tunsil out — paced by Jaylen Walton’s 428 yards. The rushing unit ranks No. 5 in the SEC for yards (1,130), only three yards behind mighty Alabama. The Rebels’ 17 rushing scores only trail the Crimson Tide’s 18 for the conference lead. Freeze rushes the ball an average of 35.3 times per game, a number only higher than Missouri and Mississippi State. With Tunsil back in the lineup, the coach can rush more, as was evident against Texas A&M, when the Rebels kept the ball on the ground 51 times. If Ole Miss is going to make a push for the SEC West crown, it starts where opposing defenses stop: at the brick wall that it Laremy Tunsil.

PERCEPTION: PHAROH COOPER IS HAVING A DOWN YEAR

A year ago, South Carolina began showing the chinks in its armor that has led to the expedited demise of the program. The Gamecocks limped to a 7-6 record and won a bowl game, and while the team stalled majorly at times, no one could wag an accusatory finger at all-world talent Pharoh Cooper. Then a sophomore, Cooper rung up 1,336 all-purpose yards (1,136 receiving) and 11 touchdowns, en route to All-SEC First Team honors. The Havelock, N.C., native was as dynamic a force as there was in SEC in 2014. His junior campaign was supposed to be even better, but South Carolina’s struggles this season have restricted Cooper to one highlight-reel play all year — a 78-yard touchdown against Vanderbilt. The biggest casualty of the Gamecocks’ inefficient offense has been Cooper’s draft stock.

REALITY: PHAROH COOPER IS HAVING A BETTER YEAR

Thinking about what the South Carolina offense would resemble without Pharoh Cooper in the lineup releases a shudder down the spine. The Gamecocks have the penultimate offense in the SEC, but you wouldn’t know it from Cooper’s season stat sheet. The wideout (587 yards) has more yards through the first seven games than he did last year — 161 more, in fact. Cooper has as many 100-yard games in South Carolina’s last three contests as he did all of last season and has crested the century mark for receiving four times so far in 2015. He’s also found the end zone one more time (5 TDs) than he had at this point last year. One area where Cooper is struggling from last year? Passing. The junior was 5-for-8 for 78 and two touchdowns under center in gadget plays last season. This year, he’s connected on just one of his three passes for minus-6 yards. But you can’t fault him for that. Cooper is playing his way into a high NFL draft pick — especially (or because of) when you considered the shambled-state of affairs that is the Gamecock quarterback situation.

PERCEPTION: EVERYONE IS BOWL ELIGIBLE

With each SEC team having five or fewer game remaining on the 2015 slate, every team is still mathematically eligible to make the postseason (obviously, considering it takes six wins to become eligible). Last year the conference sent all but Vanderbilt and Kentucky to the postseason. With the Wildcats and Commodores both improved this season, the SEC will have just as many teams in bowl games this winter.

REALITY: SEC WILL HAVE FEWER BOWL TEAMS

The SEC already has five teams — Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss and Mississippi State — with the requisite six wins for postseason eligibility. With another two (Georgia and Texas A&M) needing one more win, the conference is looking at seven teams who are virtually a lock for a bowl game. That’s half conference, right there.

The bottom half of the SEC isn’t as clear-cut. Of the seven teams still fighting, the conference will be lucky to get 10 teams into bowl games — 11 with some lucky bounces, upsets, etc. Tennessee has the easiest path to the postseason, as Auburn and Kentucky should be able to pick up the two wins they need. After that, however, it appears Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt will be on the outside looking in — painting a picture, in the process, of an SEC East that has been below pedestrian this season. Tennessee has the relatively easiest route to an extra game, with each of the Volunteers’ final five tilts considered winnable versus teams with a combined 14-22 record.

Chris Wuensch

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