They partied like it was 1998 in Knoxville this weekend, and yes, that is “Rocky Top” still ringing in your ears. The Volunteers are 6-0 after collecting their first win over Alabama since 2006, ending a 15-year run of futility and heartbreak and positioning themselves for a run at the College Football Playoff.

You have to like Tennessee’s chances of making the Playoff field. Even if the Volunteers lose at Georgia on Nov. 5, the path to 11-1 is clear and if the choice is between them and a 1-loss Alabama as a second SEC team in the field, the Vols won the head-to-head. That should matter. There is, of course, a half of season of football to be played to figure all that out. That said, isn’t it great for the sport to see an old blue-blood rise from the ashes?

Speaking of rising from the ashes, all the focus on Tennessee’s renaissance has obfuscated what Ole Miss is doing. The Rebels are 7-0, feature the Power 5’s best rushing attack, a dominant offensive line, and they host Alabama Nov. 12 in a game that could decide the SEC West. The list of programs that have never advanced to the SEC Championship game isn’t long. It can be shortened by 1 institution if the Rebels slow the Tide in 3 weeks.

The list of players who have been ranked No. 1 in this list isn’t long either, but there is a new No. 1 (and a new No. 2) this week. That makes life fun and sets up a great battle down the stretch to see who joins Nakobe Dean and DeVonta Smith as an “SDS List” champion. Last week’s list is here. As usual, 2 honorable mentions, maximum, per school.

Honorable Mention: Darrian Dalcourt, C (Alabama); Bryce Young, QB (Alabama); Beaux Limmer, OG (Arkansas); Dwight McGlothern, CB (Arkansas); Tank Bigbsy, RB (Auburn); Owen Pappoe, LB (Auburn); O’Cyrus Torrence, G (Florida); Austin Barber, OT (Florida); Stetson Bennett, QB (Georgia); Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB (Georgia); Jordan Wright, LB/Edge (Kentucky); Barion Brown, WR/Returner (Kentucky);  Micah Baskerville, LB (LSU); Jayden Daniels, QB (LSU); Emmanuel Forbes, CB (Mississippi State); Will Rogers III (Mississippi State); Isaiah McGuire, DE (Missouri); Nick Broeker, OL (Ole Miss); Zach Evans, RB (Ole Miss); MarShawn Lloyd, RB (South Carolina); Jordan Burch, Edge (South Carolina); Chris Russell Jr., LB (Texas A&M); Layden Robinson OT (Texas A&M); Trevon Flowers, CB (Tennessee); Cooper Mays, C (Tennessee); Anfernee Orji, LB (Vanderbilt).

10. DeAndre Square, LB (Kentucky)

The senior was a monster in the Wildcats’ win over No. 16 Miss State. Square tallied 11 tackles, 3 hurries and continued to impress in coverage, with a pass breakup and an interception. The interception was a game-clincher, and it helped the linebacker capture SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Square ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in tackles (52), and his coverage rating as a linebacker is in the top 10 in the country, per Pro Football Focus. He’s a complete player on one of the nation’s best defenses.

9. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB (Alabama)

Gibbs posts up on the list for the first time this season after a tremendous game in defeat at Tennessee. The Georgia Tech transfer gained 159 yards on 29 touches (24 carries, 5 receptions) and scored 3 touchdowns in Tennessee’s 52-49 victory.

The Crimson Tide runner now leads the SEC in all-purpose yards per game at 152.4, and he’s far and away the best weapon Bryce Young (Honorable Mention) and the Alabama offense have at their disposal in 2022.

8. Raheim Sanders, RB (Arkansas)

One of 3 running backs on this week’s list, Sanders continues to lead the SEC in rushing with 870 yards on the ground this fall. Sanders’ average per carry of 6.2 is also among the SEC’s best, ranking 7th among players with enough carries to be eligible. Arkansas has a tremendous 61% success rate on Sanders’ running plays, which has helped the Razorbacks to an impressive ranking of 11th nationally in rushing offense, per CFB Stats. In Saturday’s upset win at BYU, Sanders was magnificent, running for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The victory helped Arkansas end a 3-game losing streak and get back on track in their march toward a New Year’s Day bowl game under Sam Pittman.

7. Will Anderson Jr., Edge (Alabama)

Anderson Jr. and the Crimson Tide defense took a beating in Knoxville on Saturday, giving up the most points they’ve allowed since the 46 allowed to Florida in the 2020 SEC Championship game and allowing an opponent to break 50 for the first time since the Mike Shula era. Those statistics are frighteningly bad, and when you are the captain of the defense, you have to take some ownership of that. Anderson is still a midseason All-American, but he was quiet Saturday, collecting just 3 tackles and 1 tackle for loss on the afternoon. The Crimson Tide need more from their star if they are to win the SEC championship for the 3rd consecutive season.

6. Drew Sanders, LB (Arkansas)

Sanders continues to lead the SEC in sacks (7) and slots in at 4th in tackles (63). Sanders had a team-high 5 pressures and 2 hurries in Arkansas’ win over BYU on Saturday night. He grades out as the team’s best linebacker, per Pro Football Focus, and his penchant to make the big play landed him on several midseason All-American lists this week. Sanders would need a monster finish to eclipse Henry Ford’s Arkansas record for sacks in a season (14), but he has a very good chance at breaking Jamaal Anderson’s record for tackles for loss in a season (21). It’s been a special season for the Alabama transfer in Fayetteville.

5. Quinshon Judkins, RB (Ole Miss)

The true freshman continues to be the Rebels’ bellcow. Judkins carried the ball 25 times for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Rebels’ 48-34 win over Auburn. On the season, Judkins is cruising to SEC Freshman of the Year honors with 720 yards and 10 touchdowns, including this run on Saturday afternoon.

Judkins averages 5.9 yards per carry, so the big-time touchdown and yardage numbers aren’t just about high volume. In fact, he shares the backfield with Zach Evans, the TCU transfer who could easily be on this list. That makes his outstanding production even more impressive. Ole Miss has the nation’s most dynamic running attack, and Judkins is the leader of that unit.

4. Christopher Smith, S (Georgia)

It’s amazing to me that Kirby Smart’s teams just keep chugging along and when you search for superstars, they are almost always just guys who excel at their role and whose leadership and dominance is more about film study than numbers. Smith is such a player. The Power 5’s best safety, per PFF grades, Smith’s numbers on the year aren’t gaudy: 21 tackles, 3 passes defended, 2 interceptions. But then he has games like Saturday, where he recovers 2 fumbles, has a 15% completion percentage against in 1-on-1 coverage situations, and captains the defense to a shutout of a Vanderbilt offense that has been vastly improved in 2022.

Smith is the classic Smart All-American: It takes a deeper look to see how dominant he is, but you’d pick him in the first 2 rounds if you were drafting your own team. As Alabama’s defense struggles, it is increasingly clear that Smith is the best player on the SEC’s best defense, and perhaps the best defensive football player in the SEC.

3. Jalin Hyatt, WR (Tennessee)

Welcome to the list, Jalin Hyatt!

The Tennessee junior has stepped into the place of the injured Cedric Tillman and become a superstar, and he’s now leading the SEC in receiving after a day they’ll talk about for decades against Alabama. Hyatt smoked the Crimson Tide for 5 touchdowns, at least 2 of which saw the junior simply run by Alabama’s safety help.

Hyatt is lethal anywhere on the field, but his 9 touchdown catches out of the slot lead the country — by 4 touchdowns.

Hyatt is perhaps the nation’s most improved player, and he’s now the go-to receiver on the SEC’s most explosive offense.

2. Brock Bowers, TE (Georgia)

Speaking of players who just dominate games schematically, Bowers, like Christopher Smith, is a problem for opposing coordinators. You have to account for where Todd Monken deploys him on each snap, and that’s become all the more evident as Darnell Washington, a “freak of the week” blend of size and athleticism, plays as Georgia’s “other” tight end and excels this season. Bowers leads the Dawgs in catches and receiving yards (26, 393), has added 3 touchdowns in the run game, and grades out as the SEC’s 2nd-best tight end, per Pro Football Focus, behind Washington. The best player on a great offense, which trails only Tennessee (7.35) nationally in yards gained per play (7.26).

1. Hendon Hooker, QB (Tennessee)

Hooker returns to the top spot after a Heisman-type outing against Alabama that saw the super senior account for 441 total yards of offense and throw for 5 touchdowns (all to our No. 3, Jalin Hyatt). Hooker’s ability to deliver accurate deep throws makes this offense one of the best we’ve seen in a decade in the sport:

It has also made Hooker, along with Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, a top Heisman candidate. And while there’s plenty of football to be played, Hooker’s “second-year transfer, second-year starter, blows up” arc is reminiscent of another recent national champion:

Is Hooker, who should play no more than 2 quarters this weekend against UT Martin, capable of the finish Burrow had? Time will tell. But for now, he heads into the second half of the season atop this list.