A typically wild and woolly SEC week ends with a fair share of both blowouts and nail-biters. We’re back to check in on the league and offer our current best guess on the final regular-season record of your favorite SEC squad. Here’s where we stack them up after 5 weeks.

West

Alabama: 12-0

After the Florida game, some thought the Tide were vulnerable. Maybe against Georgia in an SEC title game. On a bad day, to perhaps a half dozen other teams. But in general, not so much. And not to the rest of the SEC West.

Arkansas: 9-3

We weren’t shocked that the Razorbacks didn’t upset Georgia, but this Arkansas team leveled out very quickly in Athens. We were tempted to drop the Hogs to 8-4, just because at Ole Miss next week is a tall order. Similarly, at Alabama isn’t likely, but maybe Arkansas can win at home over Auburn and at LSU. We’ll give them the benefit of a doubt but another clunker of a week could drop this to 8-4 or even 7-5.

Auburn: 7-5

Winning at LSU was impressive. Auburn has a tough rest of the month, but playing Arkansas and Ole Miss is another shot for the Tigers to step up. Putting Auburn in the thick of the 2nd place hunt in the West feels premature, but if they keep earning it on the field, the recognition will follow.

LSU: 6-6

Auburn did all the right things to earn the road win, but if the Tigers can’t protect their home field better than that, road trips to Lexington and Oxford will be tall orders. LSU has plenty of talent, but the West is tougher than tough, and the nonconference loss to UCLA hurts.

Mississippi State: 7-5

Moving to 3-2 was a big victory for the Bulldogs. They’ll handle Vandy and Tennessee State, and other than Bama, they figure to have a punchers’ chance in the other 4 games (home vs UK and Ole Miss, and at Arkansas and Auburn). We’ll call for a split for now, but even a 1-3 mark will get State into a bowl game.

Ole Miss: 9-3

Saturday’s game with Arkansas is big. Lose, and the Rebels are looking at a long October. Win, and you’re solidly in the driver’s seat for 2nd in the West and might even reach 10-2. That said, road games at UT, Auburn and Mississippi State look more challenging than they did a few weeks back.

Texas A&M: 7-5

Losing at home to Mississippi State isn’t a great sign for the Aggies, because with some tough games left in the West, it’s hard to feel super comfortable about any of them. A&M does draw Missouri and South Carolina from the East, and that probably keeps them from completely bottoming out. But for now, we’re not particularly optimistic about this team.

East

Florida: 9-3

It’s hard to see Florida beating Georgia, but the rest of the schedule is fairly light. At LSU is the only other real potential stumbling block. So while we gave a thought to 8-4, for the moment, we’ll give the Gators the benefit of a doubt.

Georgia: 12-0

As we pointed out last week, we’d call for a 13-0 record in a 12-game season if we could. Georgia made Arkansas look like last year’s Arkansas, which they aren’t. They’ll probably make Auburn very frustrated this coming week. It’s hard to imagine any college offense having a good game against these guys.

Kentucky: 10-2

Is this real life? Georgia is still hard to imagine as a win, but outside of that, it’s there for the Wildcats. Home against LSU, at Mississippi State, and at home against Tennessee look challenging, but if the offense can stay out of the way, Kentucky actually can go 10-2.

Missouri: 5-7

When Tennessee’s offense absolutely shreds you, you’re not a bowl-quality football team. The Tigers should handle North Texas and Vandy, and as things stand, we’ll guess they grab another win somewhere along the way — home against South Carolina, maybe. But that 6th win just got really hard to see for Mizzou.

South Carolina: 5-7

Carolina’s path to bowl eligibility is to win 2 of 4 tough, but winnable games: at Tennessee, at A&M, at Mizzou, and home against Auburn. That said, 3 of those games are on the road, and with the exception of maybe Missouri, it’s not likely that Carolina would be favored in any of them. So for now, we’ll go 5-7.

Tennessee: 6-6

Win at home against South Carolina and the Vols look like a bowl team. It’s a brutal 4 after that (home vs. Ole Miss, at Bama, at UK, home vs. Georgia), but if the Vols can grab that 4th win next week, they can get the other 2 against South Alabama and Vandy to close the regular season.

Vanderbilt: 2-10

They’re lucky it isn’t 1-11. Squeaking past UConn doesn’t do much for the ‘Dores’ bona fides.