Eight SEC teams went head-to-head in Week 6 while four teams were on a bye and the Mississippi schools played Sun Belt opponents. The division leaders did not change, but some winners got a bigger momentum boost than others. And there’s been a couple of other news stories since Saturday.
Uncle Mo watched the games, checked out the polls before and after and read all the beat writer breakdowns to figure out which SEC teams have the most momentum going for them right now.
There’s been a few changes from last week. Let’s see where everyone stands:
- LSU: The Tigers started gearing up for the Florida showdown and the rest of their conference schedule by giving QB Brandon Harris (18 of 28, 228 yards, 2 TDs) and RB Derrius Guice (16 carries, 161 yards, TD) increased involvement in the offense during the 45-24 win over South Carolina. RB Leonard Fournette has already crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the season (119 carries, 1,022 yards, 12 TDs) following his 158 yards gained in Week 6.
- Florida: The Gators were thought to be riding high when they snapped a two-game losing streak to Missouri on Saturday with a 21-3 win. Then, the Will Grier news hit and Florida’s season outlook became one big question mark. Even without Grier, UF is in the driver’s seat in the SEC East and the defense has yet to allow a touchdown on the road.
- Texas A&M: The Aggies won’t get penalized for having a bye week. Coach Kevin Sumlin’s squad has plenty of momentum from a 5-0 start. The winner of Texas A&M-Alabama will either be No. 1 or No. 2 in next week’s poll.
- Alabama: The Crimson Tide trailed Arkansas 7-3 late in the third quarter but eventually pulled away for a 27-14 win. Freshman WR Calvin Ridley (9 receptions, 140 yards, TD) is establishing himself as Alabama’s next great playmaker.
- Kentucky: Without even playing in Week 6, the Wildcats received quite a momentum boost. First, Missouri and Georgia dropped to two losses, establishing UK as the clear 2nd-place team in the division. On Monday, the SEC East race became wide open due to the Grier suspension. The ‘Cats are currently a home underdog going into Thursday’s contest with Auburn.
- Tennessee: Could the thrilling 38-31 come-from-behind win over Georgia turn UT’s season around? Maybe – the SEC East already has one team that turned the corner following an improbable win over a division rival. The Volunteers have Saturday off before traveling to face Alabama next week.
- Ole Miss: The Rebels re-calibrated their offense in a 52-3 win over New Mexico State and put up enough points to move on from the 38-10 loss to Florida. Ole Miss completes its non-conference slate this week against one of college football’s biggest surprises of the season, Memphis (5-0).
- Mississippi State: Just like their in-state rival, the Bulldogs bounced back from an SEC loss (30-17 to Texas A&M) with a Sun Belt tune-up (45-17 win over Troy). MSU is unlikely to gain notable momentum from playing Louisiana Tech in Week 7.
- Arkansas: The Razorbacks look a lot like last year’s team, which failed to beat SEC West teams early in the season but finished the year strong. The problem for Arkansas this season is that being 2-4 and becoming bowl eligible is an uphill battle.
- Auburn: The Tigers were on a bye in Week 6 preparing for a Thursday night showdown at Kentucky. Finally notching a conference win in October would give Auburn some momentum after a disappointing 3-2 start.
- Georgia: The loss of one of college football’s best running backs, Nick Chubb, for the remainder of the season is a momentum blow in and of itself. But back-to-back losses to Alabama and Tennessee have turned UGA’s season completely upside down. Georgia has gone from preseason favorite to potential afterthought. Saturday’s game against Missouri will provide a huge momentum swing for the Bulldogs – they can either stay alive in the SEC East or go into “wait until next year” mode.
- Missouri: All the momentum has MU moving in the wrong direction following a 21-3 loss to Florida. The Tigers have looked suspect since the start of the season, but the two-time defending SEC East champions were given the benefit of the doubt. Freshman QB Drew Lock is playing behind an offensive line that is struggling to protect him. Now, Mizzou faces a virtual SEC East elimination game this Saturday at Georgia.
- Vanderbilt: The Commodores were on a bye in Week 6 and will try for their first conference win on Saturday at South Carolina.
- South Carolina: First, South Carolina’s “home game” was moved to Baton Rouge. Next, LSU won the game 45-24. And then, Steve Spurrier resigned on Monday night. The Gamecocks don’t gain any momentum from the events of the past several days, but they may put together an inspired performance for interim coach Shawn Elliott on Saturday against Vanderbilt.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
