It’s been a couple of seasons since “The List” had to deal with a significant injury to one of the league’s best players.

First things first, though — here is to a speedy, clean recovery for Brock Bowers, one of the most dominant football players I’ve seen covering the sport here at SDS. It’s a thrill to watch a young man like Bowers play and hopefully, he’s back and better than ever soon. We’ll treat Bowers’ injury the same way we did Tua and Jaylen Waddle for “List” purposes — Bowers remains in the list for the first week after the injury and is immediately back in the rankings when he returns to the field. Hopefully that date comes sooner rather than later.

Getting back to the football on the field, Jimbo Fisher’s retirement creeps closer after a dismal performance by the Aggies at Tennessee. The Vols’ front 7 is one of the SEC’s best and they dominated the game, with 2 sacks and 12 pressures. This raises the question: What exactly did Fisher and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino see on film this week that led them to use 40% of their offensive snaps in formations where Tennessee was playing 7 on 5 up front? These are the kinds of choices Fisher was supposed to remedy when he was hired, and why there’s a $76.8 million-dollar penalty to dismiss him now that he’s shown he can’t fix them.

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Elsewhere in the league, Florida won a road game at South Carolina, rallying from 10 points down with 2 touchdowns in the game’s final 5 minutes. Remember when SDS was ranking Graham Mertz the 12th best quarterback in the league (less than 4 weeks ago) or when SEC programs like The Spurs Up Show were ranking Mertz the worst quarterback in the league in the preseason?

Graham Mertz remembers. The Florida quarterback threw for 423 yards and 3 touchdowns on his way to SEC Player of the Week honors in Florida’s win, and if SDS did helmet stickers, he’d get one. My colleague Matt Hinton has Mertz ranked 7th in his SEC quarterback rankings this week — still disrespectful of the Mertz’s statistical reality, but better. Billy Napier’s slow build is getting plenty of grief around the league. His evaluation of Mertz, who many wrote off to the island of misfit toys after a tumultuous 4 years at Wisconsin, deserves more praise.

Another team that deserves more praise? LSU, which just beat Missouri and roasted Auburn and probably has the best offense in the sport. And how about Missouri? Why is it that whenever Mizzou beats someone the usual reply is, “Well, (insert team that lost to Missouri here) isn’t that good.” When Georgia blasted Kentucky at home 2 weeks ago, the Dawgs were headed for a 3-peat. When Eli Drinkwitz, Brady Cook and Missouri beat Kentucky to a pulp in Lexington over the weekend, suddenly Kentucky is not good? 

How about this? Missouri is really good. Like “Win the SEC East and start lamenting shooting themselves in the foot against LSU ruining a Playoff spot” good. Tennessee will have its say, as will Florida. But Missouri should beat both, meaning the SEC East will be decided in Athens, Georgia on Nov. 4. Georgia, unlikely to have Brock Bowers, will be pushed.

Finally, the play of the week (year?), from KJ Jefferson, presented without comment.

Here’s last week’s “List.” As always, honorable mentions come first. There’s plenty of movement this week, too.

Honorable Mention: Alabama: OT JC Latham, K/P Will Reichard; Arkansas: DL Landon Jackson, QB KJ Jefferson; Auburn: DB Jaylin Simpson, LB Eugene Asante; Florida: QB Graham Mertz, DE Princely Umanmielen; Georgia: C Sedrick Van Pran, QB Carson Beck; Kentucky: LB D’Eryk Jackson, DB Maxwell Hairston; LSU: LB Harold Perkins Jr., C Charles Turner III; Missouri: RB Cody Shrader, OT Javon Foster; MSU: OT Percy Lewis, LB Jett Johnson; Ole Miss: QB Jaxson Dart, RB Quinshon Judkins; SC: QB Spencer Rattler, WR Xavier Legette; Tennessee: LB Aaron Beasley, RB Jaylen Wright; Texas A&M: DB Josh DeBerry, DL Shemar Turner; Vanderbilt: S CJ Taylor, OL Bradley Ashmore.

10. Ricky Pearsall, WR (Florida)

The Florida senior lines up everywhere: inside of a bunch formation, on the perimeter, in the Wes Welker slot– and makes plays everywhere. Pearsall was a monster in Florida’s comeback win at South Carolina, hauling in 10 of his 11 targets for 166 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

Pearsall has already made perhaps the catch of the year in college football, and this week was deservedly added to the Biletnikoff Award list. On the season, Pearsall ranks in the top 5 in the SEC in receptions, yards and percentage of targets caught, grading out as 1 of the SEC’s top 5 receivers, per PFF. As Florida readies for a brutal home stretch,  Pearsall will have plenty of opportunities to prove his stay on the “List” won’t be a short one.

9. Malaki Starks, S (Georgia)

Starks produced the lowest PFF grade of his Georgia career on Saturday (57.2), but the Georgia sophomore remains one of the top 2 safeties in the sport, per PFF. He also ranks 3rd on the team in tackles, 1st in pass breakups and 2nd in interceptions. Kirby Smart’s captain on the field, Starks calls the coverage checks and audibles for the best defense in the SEC. 

8. Dallas Turner, LB (Alabama)

The Crimson Tide star had 3 tackles and a sack in Alabama’s 24-21 win over Arkansas. Turner leads the SEC in sacks with 7 and his 33 pressures are 2nd in the SEC. This isn’t quite Will Anderson Jr. production, but it is awfully close. Turner’s Crimson Tide defense ranks No. 3 in the SEC in total defense, success rate defense and yards allowed per play and currently stands 2nd in sacks (behind Texas A&M).

7. Connor Tollison, C (Missouri)

The nation’s best run-blocking center through midseason, Tollison paved the way for 2 Missouri rushing touchdowns in the Tigers’ 38-21 win at Kentucky. While Tollison allowed 3 pressures (a season-high), he is the leader of a Missouri offensive line that collectively grades out as the SEC’s best through 7 games. The Tigers are 6-1, with all their goals ahead of them, as they ready for a porous South Carolina defense at Faurot Field this weekend.

6. Luther Burden III, WR (Missouri)

Burden was held largely in check by Kentucky, which threw the kitchen sink at him in coverage, deploying 2-high help over the top, bump and run coverages at the line, and double coverage on routes underneath. The result was a modest 2 catches for 15 yards. Still, Burden remains the SEC leader in receptions and trails only fellow “List” receiver Malik Nabers in receiving yards. His 5 touchdown receptions rank 5th in the SEC.

5. James Pearce Jr., Edge (Tennessee)

Pearce was all over the field in Tennessee’s win over Texas A&M, registering 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack, and a whopping 8 pressures. Pearce also continues to be stout in run defense, grading out at a solid 74.7 against the run this season, per PFF.

No longer just a pleasant surprise, Pearce is blossoming into one of the nation’s best edge defenders, and a key cog in Tim Banks’ defense, which features one of the best front 7s in the country.

4. Malik Nabers, WR (LSU)

The LSU star caught 6 passes for 89 yards in LSU’s rout of Auburn on Saturday night in Death Valley. Nabers leads the SEC in receiving yards and receptions and is 3rd in touchdowns, adding a 7th this season on this beautiful catch and run for 6 in the win over Auburn.

Nabers also trails only Pearsall this season in percentage of targets caught, a testament to his steady hands, which are overshadowed a bit by his explosive play capability. Mentioned almost universally in midseason All-American discussions, Nabers should contend for postseason hardware as one of the nation’s best wide receivers.

3. Edgerrin Cooper, LB (Texas A&M)

Cooper showed up Saturday at Neyland Stadium even if Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino’s offense did not. The junior linebacker added another sack (6 overall) and he continues to lead the SEC in pressures this season with 35, adding 5 in defeat at Tennessee. Cooper leads the country with 13.5 tackles for loss.

2. Brock Bowers, TE (Georgia)

The Dawgs’ All-American was off to a terrific start in Georgia’s win over Vanderbilt, gaining 43 yards on 6 early touches (4 pass, 2 run) before he injured his ankle. On the season, Bowers has 41 catches for 567 yards and he’s scored 5 touchdowns (4 receiving, 1 rushing) to lead a Georgia offense that heads to the Cocktail Party and the Florida game ranking 2nd in the SEC in yards per play.

1. Jayden Daniels, QB (LSU)

Daniels reclaims the top spot after a sensational performance against a quality Auburn defense. The LSU senior threw for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win over the other Tigers and added 93 yards rushing and a touchdown as a bonus.

Daniels’ numbers, which the graphic above notes are positively Burrow like, would likely command more attention if the LSU defense had been able to stop Ole Miss and the Tigers were just a 1 loss team with Playoff aspirations. Instead, Daniels may have to command Heisman buzz the old fashioned way: with gargantuan production. I wouldn’t bet against him.