With only two games remaining before the college football postseason, perceptions have already been cemented about teams around the country.

Fair or not, these perceptions are made from national reputation, glimpses of play and statistical performance.

Sometimes these evaluations are spot-on, but not always. Let’s take a look at each SEC team and see which ones are better than the public believes they are and which ones are worse, relative to what we thought during the SEC Media Days in July.

Alabama (10-0, 7-0 SEC)

Best win: 10-0 at No. 13 LSU (per ESPN’s FPI)

Worst loss: None

Preseason pick: No. 1 in West, SEC champion

It’s hard to overstate just how good Alabama has been this season. The Crimson Tide are the top-ranked team in nearly every rating system, including FPI, Football Outsiders’ S&P ratings and were just unanimously voted No. 1 in the AP Poll.

Alabama has proven it can win in a variety of ways and matches up with any opponent. The Crimson Tide stormed back on the road against Ole Miss in September, dominated a string of Top 20 foes in October and November and are fresh off a 51-3 drubbing of Mississippi State.

Alabama is No. 2 in scoring defense, allowing just 12.2 points per game, and in total defense, giving up 259.5 yards per game. The Crimson Tide are the best team in college football at getting after the quarterback and have a staggering 10 defensive touchdowns this season.

Another incredible defense isn’t surprising for Alabama, but this year’s squad has an offense to match. The Crimson Tide are averaging over 40 points per game for the first time since Nick Saban took over. Jalen Hurts has become lethal at quarterback and is surrounded with weapons. Alabama’s offense looks eerily similar at times to the Clemson one that it played in last year’s title game.

Verdict: Slightly better

Arkansas (6-4, 2-4)

Best win: 34-30 vs No. 12 Ole Miss

Worst loss: 56-3 at No. 21 Auburn

Preseason pick: No. 5 in West

Arkansas has had an interesting season. On a weekly basis, the Razorbacks feel like a team prone to big inconsistencies. They can play extremely well and look like a legitimate team, but they can just as easily fall flat.

Looking at the bigger picture, however, Arkansas did about what was to be expected this season. The Razorbacks have three wins over Top 15 teams and every loss has come to a ranked opponent. They are one of the few teams to give Alabama a competitive game and have shown plenty of resiliency.

But some of the bigger games have masked a lot of the team’s flaws. The defense needs to improve, especially against the run, and the Razorbacks haven’t been able to run the ball as consistently as in previous years. They are a good team, but not as good as some of their wins might suggest.

Verdict: Slightly worse

Auburn (7-3, 5-2)

Best win: 18-13 vs No. 18 LSU

Worst loss: 13-7 at Georgia

Preseason pick: No. 6 in West

Since Rhett Lashlee took over play-calling duties, Auburn’s offense has once again become a force to be reckoned with. Injuries have taken their toll, however, most notably Kamryn Pettway’s absence leading to the Tigers’ abysmal showing at Georgia.

Following the Tigers’ win against LSU, Auburn averaged 48 points per game over a four-game span, three of which were against SEC teams. At full strength, this was a potential playoff team.

Verdict: Signficantly better

Florida (7-2, 5-2)

Best win: 24-10 vs Georgia

Worst loss: 31-10 at Arkansas

Preseason pick: No. 2 in East.

Florida’s defense remains one of college football’s best, but it has been slowed slightly by injuries to its front seven. Regardless, it is still capable of making life hard on nearly any offense it faces. The offense, however, has yet to play at a consistently high level. There is potential but not enough talent to make the Gators an offensive threat this season.

Florida has benefited from a relatively easy schedule and playing in the SEC East. The next two games against LSU and Florida State will reveal a lot about how good the Gators actually are.

The Gators still can win the East — which would surpass preseason expections — but their record looks a little better than the on-field product might indicate.

Verdict: Slightly worse

Georgia (6-4, 4-4)

Best win: 13-7 vs No. 9 Auburn

Worst loss: 17-16 vs Vanderbilt

Preseason pick: No. 3 in East.

Kirby Smart has seen his share of bumps during his first season at Georgia, but an upset victory against Auburn is exactly the type of win fans had hoped to see. The Bulldogs still look to be a year or two away from becoming a legitimate contender, but the growth of the team’s youth is encouraging.

Defensively, Georgia’s performance against Auburn was one of the most impressive efforts of the season. Jacob Eason’s growth provides reasons for optimism and the young skill players surrounding him are starting to make impact plays. Georgia is likely about as good as its record indicates, but inexperience still leads to too much inconsistency at times.

Verdict: Slightly worse

Kentucky (5-5, 4-4)

Best win: 40-38 vs Mississippi State

Worst loss: 44-35 vs Southern Mississippi

Preseason pick: No. 4 in East.

Kentucky turned its season around after a poor start and even had a chance to capture the SEC East division title. That rebound was spurred by a strong rushing attack that is one of the best in the conference. It was also helped, in part, by a sub-par schedule.

Against teams ranked No. 50 or below in ESPN’s FPI, Kentucky is 5-1. Against teams higher than No. 50, the Wildcats are 0-4. Simply put, Kentucky has taken advantage of its favorable schedule, but it isn’t yet capable of hanging with better teams. The goal this season was to exceed six wins but at least qualify for a bowl.

Verdict: Slightly worse

LSU (6-3, 4-2)

Best win: 38-21 vs No. 23 Ole Miss

Worst loss: 16-14 vs Wisconsin

Preseason pick: No. 2 in West, second-most votes to win SEC title.

Since Ed Orgeron stepped in as interim head coach, the Tigers 4-1 with a 10-0 loss to Alabama the lone blemish. LSU looks like an entirely different team than the one that started 2-2, and the offense is finally looking a little more balanced.

ESPN’s FPI has the Tigers at No. 6, which is indicative of the talent LSU currently has. It’s unfortunate that two of the Tigers’ losses came so early, because this team has played like a Playoff contender from that point on.

Verdict: Better

Mississippi State (4-6, 2-4)

Best win: 35-28 vs No. 4 Texas A&M

Worst loss: 21-20 vs South Alabama

Preseason pick: Last in the West.

Most expected a huge drop in Year 1 after Dak Prescott. Indeed, Mississippi State has taken a big step back. Outside of the Bulldogs’ stunning upset over Texas A&M, positive moments have been sparse this fall.

Except … the Bulldogs still have a chance to qualify for a bowl, and few gave them that chance back in July.

The offense has potential, but isn’t as consistent as it needs to be to win in the SEC, and the defense is among the worst in the conference. Dan Mullen has proven he can do big things at Mississippi State, but now he must prove he can do so without Prescott.

Verdict: Slightly better

Missouri (3-7, 1-5)

Best win: 26-17 vs Vanderbilt

Worst loss: 51-45 vs Middle Tennessee

Preseason pick: No. 6 in East.

Offensively, Missouri has had games where it looked capable of scoring against anyone. Unfortunately, those games have become much less frequent. The Tigers’ defense has been consistently problematic, however. Unfamiliarity with a new scheme caused Missouri’s defense to take a big step back early in the year, and injuries have crippled it down the stretch.

Barry Odom’s first season has been a bigger rebuild than many expected, and there are too many holes on this team to expect Missouri to have success against a decent team.

Verdict: Worse

Ole Miss (5-5, 2-4)

Best win: 29-28 at No. 8 Texas A&M

Worst loss: 34-30 at No. 22 Arkansas

Preseason pick: No. 3 in West.

Despite what the record indicates, Ole Miss is still one of the most talented teams in the SEC. Three of its four losses were against teams ranked in the Top 10 of ESPN’s FPI. In each of those losses, the Rebels were in the game.

Shea Patterson’s debut revealed that the Rebels’ offense isn’t likely to take a step back next season. Ole Miss is No. 16 in the FPI and No. 20 in Football Outsiders’ S&P ratings, indicating that this team is every bit as good as we though at the beginning of the season. A brutal schedule took the Rebels out of the mix.

Verdict: Better

South Carolina (5-5, 3-5)

Best win: 24-21 vs No. 18 Tennessee

Worst loss: 17-10 at Kentucky

Preseason pick: Last in the East.

After a lengthy trial-and-error process, it appears South Carolina finally has its quarterback of the future. Jake Bentley is 3-1 as the starter and has looked good in the process. The Gamecocks’ defense has been an asset for much of the season, and the offense is starting to come around.

Will Muschamp looked to be in for a long season after a 2-4 start, but a 3-1 stretch in the second half of the schedule has given fans plenty of reason for optimism. The Gamecocks need only to beat FCS Western Carolina on Saturday to become bowl eligible. Few, if any, predicted that in July.

Verdict: Better

Tennessee (7-3, 3-3)

Best win: 38-28 vs No. 19 Florida

Worst loss: 24-21 at South Carolina

Preseason pick: No. 1 in East, third-most votes to win the SEC title.

Tennessee’s late-game magic feels like a distant memory. No matter how difficult some of the wins were, the Vols took care of business against most of the teams they were expected to beat. The loss to South Carolina could ultimately cost Tennessee its chance to win the division, though.

Injuries have greatly affected Tennessee this season, which entered 2016 with a strong blend of talent and experience. They were preseason darlings. Many have forgotten about the Vols after their 3-game swoon in October, but they still have a chance to get to Atlanta. The road has just been bumpier than we expected.

Verdict: Slightly worse

Texas A&M (7-3, 4-3)

Best win: 45-38 vs No. 9 Tennessee

Worst loss: 35-28 at Mississippi State

Preseason pick: No. 4 in West.

The Aggies’ once-promising season has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks. After a 6-0 start, Texas A&M is now in a 1-3 slide with that one win coming against New Mexico State.

Trevor Knight’s absence has impacted Texas A&M’s offense, and the Aggies lack the same firepower they had in the first half of the season. This is still a good team, but it isn’t at the level many believe them to be.

Verdict: Worse

Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-5)

Best win: 17-16 at Georgia

Worst loss: 20-13 at Kentucky

Preseason pick: No. 5 in East.

Vanderbilt has played several close games against some pretty solid teams. Beating Georgia in Athens was a highlight.

The Commodores have often been a doormat in the SEC East, and the record indicates much of the same this season. Context is important when looking at Vanderbilt’s journey in 2016, though, and this is a squad that has given good teams a hard-fought battle.

They’re still fighting for a bowl bid, too.

Verdict: Better