Not exactly 9-6, huh?

In September, I wrote that 9-6 might be the number of TDs LSU and Alabama score in their November clash. It ended up being 6-6.

What a game. I’m ready for Round 2 in the Playoff.

If you watched that instant classic after watching unbeaten Minnesota vs. unbeaten Penn State and found anything remotely comparable about the talent, styles or games, I’m not sure what to tell you except, I hear all the cool kids are playing soccer now.

Here are 10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to in and around the SEC after Week 11.

10. Selection Committee, you want to talk about Penn State over Clemson at No. 4?

Nah?

Good. You won’t have to anymore.

How about Ohio State over LSU for No. 1?

You’re going to correct that too, right?

9. Is Arkansas the worst SEC team of the decade?

It’s increasingly difficult to argue otherwise.

After watching Arkansas fall behind Western Kentucky 35-7, I had 3 immediate questions:

How did the Hogs win 2 games?

How can Chad Morris survive the weekend?

Would Lane Kiffin even want to risk his offensive reputation trying to restore this thing?

Morris’ buyout is $12.5 million if he’s fired this season. At this point, Arkansas can’t afford to keep him.

8. What the 8-team Playoff would look like

I starting proposing an 8-team Playoff 2 minutes after they switched to the 4-team format. Some day it’ll happen. It’s inevitable because it’s better. Bigger playoff fields always are. In the history of American sports, there isn’t one that has been harmed by expanding the playoffs. Or maybe you didn’t enjoy the Washington Nationals wild-card to World Series joy ride.

Alas, we’re still stuck with 4 for a bit longer. But how much fun would this 8-team quarterfinal round be under the 5-2-1 format (automatic bids to the 5 Power 5 conference champions and the best Group of 5, with 2 at-large bids). I adjusted the rankings ever so slightly to create the most intriguing storylines, but these are the top 8 teams that belong.

No. 1. LSU (SEC champ) vs. No. 8 Cincinnati (G5)

No. 2 Clemson (ACC champ) vs. No. 7 Oregon (Pac-12 champ)

No. 3. Ohio State (B1G champ) vs. No. 6 Georgia (at-large)

No. 4. Alabama (at-large) vs. No. 5 Oklahoma (Big-12 champ)

7. Isn’t it amazing how players are suspended during Cupcake Week?

I laughed when I saw the Chase Young news. Not because the violation was funny, but the timing was peak big-time college sports.

An incident that happened last year suddenly is revealed and dealt with after a huge game against Wisconsin and before a huge game against Penn State.

Kirk Herbstreit said the suspension is 4 games but Ohio State is appealing and he thinks it will be reduced to 2 (or maybe 3).

A potential 2-week suspension included missing Saturday’s game against Maryland and possibly next week’s against Rutgers.

My expectation? Like magic, order will be restored and Chase Young will be free again to crush Penn State.

(Meanwhile, Mizzou can’t get the NCAA to pick up the phone …)

You can’t make this stuff up. All you can do is laugh. Speaking of which …

6. Oh, UCF. Maybe Florida should schedule a home-and-home with Tulsa?

It’s easy to pile on UCF. I’ll resist this time. Except to say that Danny White’s arrogance and ego cost the Knights millions. Maybe more.

White should have happily accepted a 2-for-1 with Florida instead of taking the ridiculous stance that the programs were on equal footing.

It was a great 2-year run. But that’s all it was.

The worst part is UCF has come off like such a petulant brat that if and when another Power 5 opening occurs, would that league want to deal with that leadership?

5. Bottom 5 of Power 5

The worst of the weak, in order of ineptitude, because the alphabet is far too forgiving.

1. Arkansas (SEC): Ty Storey lit up his former team. This is just insane: Western Kentucky had 12 sets of downs in the first half that included a 3rd or 4th down. They converted all 12 — including 5-for-5 on 4th down. It’s one thing when Alabama doesn’t respect your defense. But when a mid-major just lines up without fear on 4th down? It’s time to get rid of everybody.

2. Penn State’s pass defense (Big Ten): After Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan (a 3-star from Union, Kentucky, by the way) torched the Nittany Lions for 339 yards and 3 TDs, I couldn’t help but think what Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow or Justin Fields would do to that defense.

3. Vanderbilt (SEC): 56 points allowed? Just 28 rushing yards for Ke’Shawn Vaughn? This is going to be a busy stretch for SEC athletic directors.

4. Wake Forest (ACC): Looking ahead to Clemson? The Demon Deacons came out flat and lost to an unranked Virginia Tech team. That means there’s a very good chance that Clemson won’t face a team still in the Top 25 until it reaches the Playoff.

5. South Carolina (SEC): If you can’t beat a Sun Belt team, at home, with your bowl hopes all but on the line … what makes you think you’re going to take out Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers in a game you now have to win? Give all the credit to App State, which earlier beat UNC to damage the Tar Heels’ bowl hopes and stake its claim as the 2nd best team in the Carolinas.

4. The 4 Playoff teams are …

It’s rare when I share the same thought as Danny Kanell, but we both had the same immediate takeaway after last week’s initial Playoff rankings were released: This committee scares me.

Why? It has no idea what it wants. It was a return to 2014 and 2015 when the rankings varied so wildly and the reasons were so random it made it appear as though the only criteria was whatever the heck the Committee thought mattered in that moment.

The reason the past 2 years were so much more predictable is that the Committee had narrowed its focus on what mattered. That’s the biggest reason my Playoff picks mirrored theirs, why I predicted and wasn’t the least bit surprised when Alabama made it over Ohio State 2 years ago. The Committee had been consistent, much to Kirk Herbstreit’s chagrin.

This committee? There was simply no way to justify Ohio State over LSU for No. 1. And putting Penn State in at 4 over Clemson? Equally scary. (I had Penn State No. 6, after Georgia.)

Thank goodness the games sort this out and already rendered the first poll completely meaningless. That doesn’t change the scary fact, however, that the Committee tried to be the smartest people in the room, overthought the obvious and looked foolish in the process.

As for how it should look this Tuesday?

No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Alabama.

3. Ed Orgeron, coach of the year

Orgeron continues to be the biggest bargain in college football. He’ll stay that way, too, because LSU is his dream job and he won’t leverage other openings into artificial raises.

Heck, after learning that his dad wouldn’t even listen to Bear Bryant’s recruiting pitch, I’m not sure any other school is even allowed to call Coach O.

Orgeron believed in LSU when many didn’t believe in him. It’s a great story of redemption that continues to get better every week.

2. Dear Alabama, nothing lasts forever

I wrote this summer that Dabo Swinney had supplanted Nick Saban as the best college coach in America, that Clemson had supplanted Alabama as the best program in America.

Wednesday, I predicted LSU would end its agonizing 8-game losing streak to Alabama and finish 13-0, and Alabama would finish the regular season 11-1.

Dynasties, like vacations, always end.

Did Alabama’s Playoff dream? I’m not so sure. I wasn’t convinced Alabama could withstand a home loss and claim to be the best 1-loss team in the country.

After watching the way they responded Saturday, I’m absolutely convinced the Tide are the best 1-loss team in the country. (And I’d also sit Tua the next 2 weeks to make sure he is 100% ready for Auburn.)

1. With the 1st pick in the 2020 NFL Draft …

The Miami Dolphins select, Joe Burrow, quarterback, LSU.

I suggested this possibility in September and am beginning to regret that I even posed it as a question. Instead of “Tanking for Tua,” I suggested they should be “Bailin’ for Burrow.” NFL GMs do a lot of dumb things when it comes to drafting quarterbacks, but this one is simple. There can be no doubt and not even much of a spirited debate.

Burrow delivered his best performance to date, exorcising LSU’s Alabama demons, just like you would expect a 1st-round QB to do.