Separation Saturday provided a couple coaching frontrunners in what’s expected to be a down to the wire finish in the SEC West this season. Steve Spurrier’s play-calling malfunctions at Kentucky put his team out of the title picture and into the most overrated category. He has certainly failed his team this season, not quite on the level of Derek Mason at Vanderbilt.

Ranking coaches based on their 2014 seasons to date, here’s a quick glance:

5. NICK SABAN, Alabama — Trending down, Saban lost his third straight game to a ranked team last week in Oxford after the Crimson Tide squandered a 14-3 halftime lead to a team he had previously never lost to at Alabama. His team’s still very much alive in the College Football Playoff race shouldn’t be undersold, but anyone claiming Saban is the SEC’s best coach right now is misinformed.

4. MARK STOOPS, Kentucky — The least likely candidate to be in the coach of the year mix nearing the midway point this season, Stoops turned water to wine Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium, leading the Wildcats to a comeback victory over South Carolina. Kentucky’s 4-1 and very much in the thick of the Eastern Division title race with a pivotal stretch coming after this weekend’s bout with Louisiana-Monroe.

3. GUS MALZAHN, Auburn — Don’t forget about (G)us. Auburn looked like 2013 Auburn Saturday night against LSU, pounding Les Miles with a balanced offense and attacking defense that constantly frustrated quarterback Brandon Harris. For the first time this season, the Tigers appeared to play with the ‘underrated’ chip on their shoulder and could further prove their worth in a Starkville showdown Saturday. With a win, Auburn should move into the No. 1 spot, passing Florida State.

2. HUGH FREEZE, Ole Miss — It was tough keeping Freeze out of the top spot after the biggest win of his career against Alabama, but the Rebels believed they would be here at this point. His job now becomes increasingly difficult as a Top 5 team with a target on its back beginning with Saturday’s game at Texas A&M. Ole Miss has already beaten arguably its toughest opponent, but stringing together a couple more wins over comparable ranked teams is what it will take to reach the College Football Playoff.

1. DAN MULLEN, Mississippi State — Could the Bulldogs win a program record third straight game against a Top 10 team this week? They’ll get the chance — cowbells and all — against Auburn at home, another national spotlight for Dan Mullen and Co. What he’s done has been nothing short of spectacular considering third-ranked Mississippi State wasn’t even mentioned in the Top 25 to begin the season. He’s instilled a quiet confidence over his team, a group that’s played with poise and precision each time out this season.