LSU, which entered the season with a downright disrespectful over/under 7.5 win total, already has beaten two top 10 teams — neither at home.

Alabama, which Trent Dilfer predicted would win every game 50-3 with Tua Tagovailoa under center, somehow has been more dominant than that. The Tide became the first team in SEC history to top 50 in three consecutive games to start the season.

Texas A&M nearly took down Playoff threat Clemson in the second game of the Jimbo Fisher era.

Kentucky beat Florida. In football. Before Week 2, the last time that happened, LeBron James was about to turn 2 years old and Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan and John Calipari had combined for exactly zero NCAA championships.

It was one thing when Georgia went to ranked Notre Dame last year and rallied to win with a late fourth-quarter drive. But it was something else entirely when Vanderbilt nearly did the same darned thing last week.

Look around the league. From Columbia (S.C.) to Columbia (Mo.), you can find something surprising about each SEC team. Alas, not all surprises are good. Sorry, Arkansas.

After three weeks of college football, what has been the most surprising development? That’s something we’ve been discussing all week.

How about Kellen Mond?

Connor O’Gara, senior national columnist: This was someone who a month ago, there was probably at least close to an even split of Texas A&M fans who wanted Nick Starkel to be the guy. Not only has Mond been the guy, he has been the man for that offense.

I thought it was a good sign in the opener that he looked far more comfortable in the intermediate passing game, and that he could operate out of a variety of looks, though that would have been for naught if he was a deer in the headlines against Clemson. That obviously wasn’t the case at all. He threw for a career-high 430 yards and nearly put the Aggies on his back for what would have been a stunning win.

Mond is one of 2 Power 5 quarterbacks with at least 800 passing yards and 0 interceptions. This is from the same guy who had 3 touchdown passes in 7 games vs. Power 5 teams last year. He had that against Clemson alone. Clearly, Jimbo Fisher’s first quarterback project is off to a roaring start.

Credit: John Glaser-USA TODAY Sports

No big-time QBs transferred?

Adam Spencer, SEC reporter: With the way the transfer rules are set up now, it’s a bit surprising that we haven’t seen any of the guys who lost starting quarterback jobs this offseason (Jalen Hurts at Alabama, Nick Starkel at Texas A&M, Kyle Trask at Florida, Keller Chryst at Tennessee and Myles Brennan at LSU) announce transfers yet.

Yes, LSU lost Lowell Narcisse and Justin McMillan, but there hasn’t been a mass exodus of quarterbacks who didn’t win the starting job, and that’s something many thought would be inevitable.

It’s still early, though, and some big decisions loom — particularly with Hurts. However, for the most part, it’s been nice (albeit a bit surprising) to see so many guys sticking it out this year.

Second vote for Mond

Michael Bratton, news editor: Kellen Mond for me. The biggest question mark I had regarding Texas A&M heading into the season was at quarterback. While I knew Mond had the talent to be a player in college football, he flashed as much as a true freshman, I didn’t know if that would even be in College Station under Jimbo Fisher. The A&M coach knows how to develop elite college quarterbacks as well as any coach in the nation, but I can’t recall him doing so with a mobile quarterback.

Not only has Mond seized that job, I’m confident saying he will contend for a Heisman Trophy at some point in his college career if he continues to progress in Fisher’s system. That’s quite the leap to make in only three weeks of play, but that’s how impressed I was with Mond Week 2 against Clemson. If the Aggies somehow find a way to beat Alabama this weekend, it will likely be due to the heroics of Mond.

If that happens, his run at the Heisman might start immediately — not a season or two down the road.

Big Ten collapse helps SEC’s multi-team Playoff hopes

Chris Wright, executive editor: Honestly, it’s the national media’s better-late-than-never realization that the Big Ten isn’t all that — and how that ultimately helps the SEC. I’ve been banging that drum for a decade, but it’s nice to finally have enough support to form a band.

Sure, we had the typical, annual, foolish preseason declarations that the Big Ten East was the best division in football, but I am genuinely surprised at how quickly most have walked back those thoughts and offered the mea culpa, however painful that must have been.

Granted, when you lose 7 games in one day to unranked nonconference opponents, unless you’re just screaming to scream, I’m not sure there was another choice.

Akron celebrates after defeating Northwestern. Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

The Big Ten’s collapse is exaggerated, of course, by the SEC’s complete domination of September. Even teams never considered contenders in this league have seriously threatened Playoff hopefuls Clemson and Notre Dame already. Auburn took out the Pac-12’s best team, Washington. LSU clobbered ACC Coastal favorite Miami. Nobody outside of Athens is even talking about Georgia, and how Mississippi State is still outside the Top 10 is criminal.

These blows are coming from every corner in the conference, too, a year after the last two standing were SEC teams. The SEC still runs through Tuscaloosa, but this isn’t an Alabama and Everybody Else thing. It’s an SEC and Everybody Else thing.

While that’s hardly a surprise to me, it is surprising that the national audience, reluctantly, is finally starting to admit it.

It’s all fun and games and Twitter rants, but these results ultimately help determine Playoff spots. It’s impossible to argue the SEC doesn’t deserve at least 2 of the 4.

I’ve had 3 SEC teams in my 4 Playoff spots each week. It’s part of my Sunday overreactions, but it’s not just for effect. There are 4 SEC teams that would be locks to win any other Power 5 conference championship. Remember that when the SEC starts eating its own.

It’s the SEC’s world … and they’re just losing in it.