12 biggest takeaways from the SEC's Week 8

Following Florida State’s narrow victory over Notre Dame, will the Noles jump Mississippi State in today’s AP Poll? The SEC should land four of the top five teams in the country, including MSU still at No. 1.

Here are the biggest takeaways from an odd Saturday Down South:

Blowout Saturday: Aside from the Georgia-Arkansas game, blowouts took center stage around the SEC. South Carolina, Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU beat Furman, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky by a combined score of 217-29, with the worst coming from Alabama’s 59-0 destruction over Texas A&M.

Now or later? The bigger question now is whether Florida will wait to fire Will Muschamp at the end of the season, or whether Jeremy Foley will pull the trigger now. Florida turned it over six times against Missouri, and it’s clear after Saturday that Florida is trending in the wrong direction, again. Following the tough loss to LSU, Muschamp had to deliver a win Saturday night against Missouri. That didn’t happen, and it wasn’t even close. Quarterback play has been a disaster, but that’s only part of it, and it ultimately falls on Muschamp’s shoulders. With the upcoming bye week, it does make it interesting whether Florida will make the announcement now or wait.

How ugly was it? Missouri isn’t a good football team, and they blew out Florida 42-13. The box score is quite, well, hilarious. The Gators had more first downs (17-7), more total yards (283-119), fewer penalties (3-11) and still got hammered. Six turnovers and special teams were the difference. Mizzou’s Maty Mauk completed 6 of 18 for 20 yards and one INT. Jeff Driskel completed 7 of 19 for 50 yards and two INTs, and Treon Harris completed 8 of 12 for 98 yards, one touchdown and one INT. Quarterback play. Gheesh.

Alabama played angry: That’s the kind of game that can inspire a team and set them on fire for the remainder of the season. The Tide racked up 602 yards of total offense, including 298 rushing yards, committed no penalties and didn’t turn it over once. That’s about as close to a perfect game as you can get. The Alabama-Mississippi State game is going to be fabulous, and the Crimson Tide delivered a statement Saturday and could be catching fire for the home stretch. Amari Cooper delivered a gem with his 140-yard, two-touchdown performance, and he’s right back in the Heisman race.

Overrated? Kevin Sumlin makes $5 million per year, but will he ever be more than an eight- or nine-win coach when he doesn’t have the best player in the country? I like Sumlin, and Texas A&M is making some serious noise off the field, but when will that start to turn into real wins? You have to wonder how long Sumlin will continue to be okay with Mark Snyder’s defense letting offenses torch them week-in and week-out? But Sumlin’s offense mounted just eight first downs and 172 total yards, including 31 rushing yards. Auburn, Missouri and LSU all lie ahead on the schedule. It’s not getting easier. Texas A&M had a chance to turn Saturday into a statement and salvage the season, but it turned into a complete embarrassment rather quickly.

Does UGA have the SEC’s top two running backs? Shhh. Don’t tell Georgia Todd Gurley isn’t playing – or is it because they know Gurley isn’t playing the reason they’re playing so well? It doesn’t really matter: with or without Gurley, Georgia is a College Football Playoff contender. Hutson Mason’s playing better, and Nick Chubb will light you up. With that being said, the defense has everyone excited. Mason was an efficient 10 of 17 for 179 yards and two touchdowns, while Chubb may be the second best running back in the SEC, rushing for 202 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ defense forced four turnovers against Arkansas, and don’t look now, but UGA could be the biggest playoff sleeper.

They are what they are: South Carolina smacked around Furman, but the Gamecocks’ defense reminded everyone why USC entered Saturday 3-3 and has the worst defense in the league. Facing Auburn next week, the Tigers may run for 300-plus yards, especially if Nick Marshall gets loose. Mike Davis had a big day, and Dylan Thompson did, too. But looking ahead on the schedule, with Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, South Alabama and Clemson all remaining, only South Alabama is a win. That gives the Gamecocks five. Then, things get interesting. Do you see six wins for this team? Perhaps you see seven or eight.

Don’t forget about LSU…yet: The Tigers aren’t going to win the SEC West, but they could sure ruin somebody’s season. Doesn’t that LSU-Ole Miss game look much more intriguing now that LSU has won two straight and is trending up? Kentucky was no match for LSU, and it’s clear the Tigers will make noise with these young players next year and the year after. UK averaged just 2.6 yards per carry and was held to 217 total yards.

Another dominant defensive showing: It’s becoming a broken record for Ole Miss. The Rebels’ defense forced four turnovers and held Tennessee to ZERO rushing yards. While the defense has been nasty this year, Bo Wallace is improving as a quarterback. He finished 13 of 28 for 199 yards and two touchdowns. It’s not the passing efficiency or the completion percentage that’s impressive. It’s the zero turnovers. Wallace has thrown seven touchdowns and zero INTs in four SEC games. That’s impressive. And that’s good enough to lead the Rebels to a national championship.

0-12: After an emotional loss to Alabama last week and Bret Bielema’s emotional press conference, are the Hogs just drained from another rough season? So, where does Arkansas go from here? Looking at the schedule, the Hogs play UAB, at Mississippi State, LSU, Ole Miss and at Missouri. How many wins do you see? Arkansas may be the best 4-8 football team, perhaps ever. The Hogs just need a win, and outside of Missouri to end the season, Georgia may have been the best shot. Arkansas is now 0-12 in the SEC under Bret Bielema.

Kentucky has its goals: LSU is the type of team Mark Stoops is trying to build in Lexington, but they’re just not close yet. Kirk Herbstreit picked the Cats to pull the upset, but UK was just outclassed in Baton Rouge and outdone by poor special teams play. With a young team heading into such a hostile environment, it was way too soon to think the Cats could pull the upset. Let’s pump the breaks on Kentucky. They’re an improved football team, but the real reason they’re in the SEC East race is because the East — outside of UGA — is a hot mess.

True to form: Tennessee has the SEC’s worst rushing offense, and the Vols didn’t disappoint. They have averaged just over 109 rushing yards per game, and that will decrease, as Tennessee mounted zero rushing yards against Ole Miss. The offensive line was outclassed, and Justin Worley had a bad football game, throwing three INTs. Can Tennessee scratch together six wins? I just don’t see it.