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We’re almost halfway there.
No, that doesn’t mean that the polls technically matter yet. But we are only 30 days away from the first College Football Playoff poll, which actually has significance.
Having said that, there were still a handful of takeaways from the Week 6 Associated Press poll.
1. Finally, two SEC teams in the top five
Wait, it can’t be. Let me clear my eyes and take a closer look. Is that…two SEC teams in the top five?!? Yes, my goodness it is.
Georgia is doing its best work to buck the “Alabama and everyone else” narrative the SEC has had for the last year. It actually makes sense when you look at the numbers. The SEC hadn’t had a second team in the AP top five since LSU started the 2016 season at No. 5. Then, of course, the Tigers lost the opener and fired Les Miles a month later.
So yes, the Bulldogs’ rise into the top five has some actual significance. It also marked Georgia’s first midseason top-five ranking since it earned a spot in the 2012 SEC Championship game. It’s early, but nobody would be surprised if this top-five Georgia team had a similar fate.
2. But…the SEC no longer owns the AP poll conference supremacy title
Yes, Georgia moved into the top five, but the SEC lost two top-25 teams. LSU and Mississippi State both lost their top-25 spots after losing in embarrassing fashion (albeit to different competition).
That meant the SEC didn’t have the most top-25 teams for the first time all season. NC State earned the ACC’s fifth spot. Ironically enough, the Wolfpack’s one loss was to South Carolina.
- ACC: 5
- SEC: 4
- Big 12: 4
- Big Ten: 4
- Pac-12: 4
The question is how long it’ll take the SEC to earn another top-25 team. LSU and MSU don’t appear like they’re in any shape to make a push back into the top 25. Is the SEC’s hope for a fifth team really Texas A&M? As of right now, it looks like it.
3. Was Auburn a bit underrated?
Call me crazy, but I thought there was a decent chance that the Tigers would crack the top 10. It was almost like voters decided that Auburn’s blowout victory said more about MSU. The Tigers had a chance to move into the top 10, especially if Ohio State looked lackluster against Rutgers.
For now, Auburn is still on the outside of the top 10. On the surface, a one-possession road loss against a team as battle-tested as Clemson shouldn’t be that costly. But it was the physical domination that people remember. The Tigers looked overmatched at the line of scrimmage.
If Auburn keeps blowing out SEC opponents, though, it won’t need to worry about some Week 2 loss to a legitimate national title contender.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
