To quote Diego Pavia, “it’s turnt” at “The List” this week.

Has there been a college football Saturday in recent memory more chaotic than last weekend?

Five of the top 11 teams in the country lost, including 2 of the 4 teams in last year’s College Football Playoff, including the defending national champion. Another, Miami, should have lost, but apparently the targeting rule works differently if you are the ACC’s best chance at a top 4 seed in the College Football Playoff.

That alone would be enough, but then there’s the matter of what happened in Nashville, Tennessee.

“The List” hasn’t been this mesmerized by something so wonderfully unpredictable since the Wu Tang Clan released Enter the 36 Chambers.

Sure, “The List” took a whole lot of grief from SDS readers for ranking Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia in “The List” in 4 of the season’s first 5 weeks. But here at “The List,” we’d rather search out good football, anywhere we can find it, and thank the good Lord for it in our morning prayers than revel in schadenfreude. We’ll take an epic game for a player to prove they belong over weeks of readers thinking “The List” is loony anytime.

Speaking of loony,  who had “Jalen Milroe’s first loss as a SEC quarterback came when he committed 2 costly turnovers against Vanderbilt” on their bingo card?

Speaking of loony, who had Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers as the biggest mismatch on the field in Saturday’s Commodores-Crimson Tide game?

Are we starting to understand the scale of exactly what happened in Nashville in front of a FirstBank Stadium crowd packed to the gills with visiting Crimson Tide fans?

That story is even zanier than Hugh Freeze, and honestly, would the last Auburn defender of Hugh Freeze please turn out the lights?

After running over his quarterbacks with a freight train after a loss to Arkansas and claiming his team would beat the Hogs 9 times out of 10 (Tennessee begs to differ, Hugh), Freeze was at his full narcissistic maniac again this week, threatening to turn Georgia in to the league office because … (checks notes) … their defensive front’s stemming was too aggressive? Good luck with that, Hugh. All “The List” knows is that Freeze is 8-11 through 19 games at Auburn. Not all schedules are created equal, but that 8-11 record is worse than Bryan Harsin, who was 9-10 through 19 games and fired just 2 games later.

Arkansas, by the way, beat Tennessee 19-14 in Fayetteville on Saturday night in the “other” SEC top-5 upset. The Vols fought until the final play, which unfortunately for Josh Heupel’s team ended when freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava made the bizarre decision to run instead of throwing the ball into the end zone toward an orange and white jersey. Iamaleava will learn and get better, and Razorback Stadium is not an easy place to play — but what a disappointing finish for the Vols, who played like the nation’s best team throughout much of September.

“The List” moves on like Vanderbilt must. There will be more upsets and more games and more Saturdays. It just may take a while to find one as surprising and compelling as last Saturday.

As always, “The List” begins with “Honorable Mentions,” limited to 2 per school. Last week’s list is here, and yes, after an epic week where 3 SEC teams ranked in the Top 10 lost, there is plenty of movement. And yes, for the first time in “The List” history, a Vanderbilt player is on top.

Alabama: Jihaad Campbell, LB; Jalen Milroe, QB. Arkansas: Ja’Quinden Jackson, RB; Xavian Sorey Jr., LB. Auburn: KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR; Keldric Faulk, LB. Florida: Jason Marshall Jr., DB, Jeremy Crawshaw, P. Georgia: Monroe Freeling, OL; Malaki Starks, S. Kentucky: Deone Walker, DT; Jamon Dumas-Johnson, LB. LSU: Will Campbell, OT; Garrett Nussmeier, QB. Mississippi State: Stone Blanton, LB. Missouri: Luther Burden III, WR; Chris McLellan, DT. Oklahoma: Robert Spears-Jennings, S; R Mason Thomas, DL. Ole Miss: Jared Ivey, Edge; Princely Umanmielen, Edge. South Carolina: Dylan Stewart, Edge; Nick Emmanwori, S. Tennessee: Joshua Josephs, Edge; James Pearce Jr., Edge. Texas: Vernon Broughton, DT; Andrew Mukuba, DB. Texas A&M: Reuben Fatheree II, OL; Shemar Stewart, DL. Vanderbilt: Gunnar Hansen, OL; Steven Hubbard, OL.

10. Trevor Etienne, RB (Georgia)

The Florida transfer busted loose in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, tallying 124 yards on 22 touches (88 rushing, 36 receiving) and scoring 2 Georgia touchdowns in the Dawgs’ 8th consecutive win over Auburn. Etienne graded out as the best running back in the country in Week 6, per PFF, showing vast improvement as a pass blocker, a weakness that held him behind Florida’s All-SEC running back Montrell Johnson Jr. during his tenure in Gainesville. On the year, Etienne has 372 total yards of offense and a success rate of 72% per touch, the highest of any Georgia player on offense. Electric with the ball in his hands in open space, the Auburn game should only be the beginning of Etienne’s emergence as a focal point of the offense.

9. Landon Jackson, Edge (Arkansas)

Jackson recorded 7 pressures, including 1 sack, in the Razorbacks’ 19-14 win over Tennessee. Jackson grades out as the best defender on a solid Arkansas defense that now ranks 23rd nationally in sacks, 20th in quarterback pressures and 39th overall in total defense. Jackson led the Razorbacks in pressures and helped limit Tennessee’s pass game to 5.4 yards per pass attempt and 5.1 yards per play overall, both season-lows for the Volunteers. On the season, Jackson has a team-high 19 pressures, 14 quarterback hurries and 3 sacks.

8. D’Eryk Jackson, LB (Kentucky)

Kentucky had a bye, but its star linebacker remains in the top 10, leading the Kentucky defense with 27 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss. Jackson also has 3 pass breakups, making him a 3-down mainstay for Mark Stoops’ salty defense. After shutting down Georgia and Ole Miss this season, the Wildcats ready for Vanderbilt’s balanced attack, which should be either flying high or the most hungover team in the history of sport — no possible in-between.

7. Walter Nolen, DT (Ole Miss)

Playing without Princely Umanmielen, who was on “The List” a week ago, Ole Miss pitched a near perfect game at South Carolina. Nolen was in the center of everything, collecting 5 tackles, including 3 for loss and 2 sacks. Nolen also registered 6 quarterback pressures and 4 hurries while grading out as the Rebels’ 2nd-best defender on the day (Trey Amos), per PFF.

On the season, Nolen has 24 tackles, 6 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. More important, he commands the attention of opposing defensive coordinators, freeing up Ole Miss’ brilliant edge players to win 1-on-1s consistently. The former 5-star recruit will face his toughest test of the season Saturday against a high-octane LSU offense.

6. Nic Scourton, Edge (Texas A&M)

Mike Elko knew he hit it big when he landed Scourton, the 2023 B1G leader in sacks, in the portal this offseason.

“We think Nic has a chance to be a force for us, both as a pass rusher and as an edge setter against the run, where he’s underrated. Teams have to scheme around him. That’s a huge advantage when you are as talented as we are up front,” Elko told SDS at SEC Media Days.

After a slow start, Scourton has delivered. He has 20 pressures on the campaign, 15 hurries, and has now tallied 4 sacks after adding 1.5 to his tally in Texas A&M’s rout of No. 9 Missouri. Scourton is commanding double teams on 28% of his snaps, too, per Stats Solutions. The impact of that is less focus on the Shemars (Turner and Stewart), who wreaked havoc together against Mizzou on Saturday.

The secondary is still a work in progress, but the Aggies now rank 17th in SP+ defense, 15th in success rate defense and 20th in scoring defense — the kind of numbers that make you a College Football Playoff contender.

5. Kelvin Banks, OT (Texas)

The Longhorns had a bye before the Red River Rivalry this weekend in Dallas. It was a productive bye, as Texas became the nation’s top-ranked team after Alabama’s loss at Vanderbilt. With Banks anchoring the Longhorns up front, Texas ranks 7th nationally in total offense, 3rd in offensive success rate and 2nd in SP+ offensive efficiency (adjusted offensive efficiency based on opponent strength and tempo). Now Banks will be trusted with protecting either Quinn Ewers or Arch Manning from a tenacious OU defensive line.

4. Tre Harris, WR (Ole Miss)

Harris was held in check, relatively speaking, in Ole Miss’ 27-3 rout of South Carolina. Harris still managed a 57-yard reception in the win, but caught a season-low 3 passes on 6 targets. Despite an “off night” by his prodigious standards, Harris still has 14 more receptions (52) than any other receiver in the SEC and leads the SEC in receiving by over 300 yards. Harris is a bona fide star who will get his moment on Saturday against LSU.

3. Ryan Williams, WR (Alabama)

The Alabama freshman did his best to bail the Crimson Tide out on Saturday in Nashville, turning a second consecutive eye-opening, crunch-time touchdown reception in Alabama’s 40-35 loss.

On a night when Jalen Milroe wasn’t entirely himself (fumble, interception), Williams did enough to win, despite commanding safety help on over 50% of the snaps he played, per Stats Solutions. On the season, Williams is averaging a staggering 28.6 yards per reception and has 6 touchdowns.

2. Dylan Sampson, RB (Tennessee)

The SEC’s best running back falls from the No. 1 spot after Tennessee’s loss at Arkansas, but he did as much as he could to retain the top ranking. Sampson had 138 yards rushing at a 6.3 yard per carry clip and scored both of Tennessee’s touchdowns. The junior from Baton Rouge also caught a pass, adding to his SEC high in first downs gained in the process. Sampson trails only Le’Veon Moss in rushing yards in the SEC through 6 weeks and his 12 touchdowns lead the conference. A rivalry game against a weak Florida run defense waits in the wings, where Sampson can reclaim the mantle as best player in the state of Tennessee and the SEC because …

1. Diego Pavia, QB (Vanderbilt)

We tried to tell y’all. Auburn fans tried to tell y’all, too. Finally, Diego just told y’all himself.

It’s hard to write a better script than a 2-star JUCO kid from Albuquerque who grew up idolizing Johnny Manziel going the full Manziel against Alabama on national television, but that’s what Pavia did on Saturday. A near perfect game, completing 16-of-20 passes (there were 2 throwaways and a drop) for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns and adding 56 hard fought yards on the ground on 20 rushing attempts. Pavia played turnover free football on a day Jalen Milroe did not, and made throws like this under intense pressure throughout the afternoon.

Pavia graded out at a 92.1, a national high this weekend, per PFF, and made 0 turnover worthy plays. On the season, Pavia’s 90.2 PFF grade is the 2nd-best in the SEC (Jaxson Dart) and he’s the only player in the SEC to lead his team in passing (973 yards, 8 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) and rushing (335 yards, 2 touchdowns).

Perhaps most magically, Pavia has made Vanderbilt football interesting.

Here at “The List,” we don’t care about the logo or brand. We rank the best players — and through 6 weeks of SEC football, Diego Pavia has been the best player in the SEC.