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Week 5 has reformed our opinions of numerous SEC teams and rearranged the MVP race, as well … to some extent, anyway. Leonard Fournette remains entrenched at the top and is only pulling away from the field right now.
For the first-time readers, here’s the mission statement for this little exercise:
We’re endeavoring to sort out the conference’s best players by taking into account all the things the Heisman Trophy voters tend to leave out. To top our list, you don’t need to be a household name playing for a national title contender — though, if we’re being honest, it doesn’t hurt. We aim to find the best player in the conference who is also his team’s most indispensable piece.
We consider a player’s track record because past results tend to be a pretty good predictor of future performance, but as we move deeper into the season, the reputation a player has developed over the course of a career will fade in the equation, replaced proportionately by what they’ve done for their teams lately.
On to top 10:
10. JONATHAN BULLARD, FLORIDA
Last week: Not ranked
Linebacker Antonio Morrison stole the show with 16 tackles on Saturday, but Bullard might be the Gators’ most consistent defender in the front seven this season. The former five-star recruit appears poised for a breakout senior season and is currently tied for the conference lead with 9.5 tackles for loss and fourth in sacks with 4.5 through five games.
9. ROBERT NKEMDICHE, OLE MISS
Last week: 4
Nkemdiche is absurdly talented. No right-thinking spectator could argue otherwise. But the future first-rounder could do nothing to prevent Florida from nearly scoring 40 points on the vaunted Rebels defense, and for that, he loses ground here.
8. CHRISTIAN KIRK, TEXAS A&M
Last week: 5
When an eight-catch, 77-yard night doesn’t move the needle, it’s a pretty good indicator that your freshman year is off to a good start. Kirk remains the SEC’s leader in receiving yards with 519 on the season.
7. CAM ROBINSON, ALABAMA
Last week: 10
Robinson and his teammates on the Crimson Tide offensive line turned in a stellar performance Saturday against a talented Georgia front, leading the way to a 38-10 victory in Athens. Even when the Alabama has offense has been less than dominant at times, Robinson has performed all season like the first-round talent he’s projected to be.
6. VERNON HARGREAVES III, FLORIDA
Last week: 8
The title of DBU might be up for debate, but Hargreaves is making a strong case that when it comes to individual cornerbacks, he stands alone. He picked off his third pass of the season on Saturday and has now racked up 132 return yards on interceptions.
5. DAK PRESCOTT, MISSISSIPPI STATE
Last week: 3
Look, if traditional drop-back passers with precision accuracy are your preferred quarterbacks, Prescott was never going to be your guy. He gets erratic from time to time, but the Bulldogs’ loss Saturday had very little to do with their senior quarterback. He passed for 210 yards and ran for 96 more, accounting for more than 75 percent of Mississippi State’s offense against Texas A&M.
4. DERRICK HENRY, ALABAMA
Last week: 10
Coming off a middling performance against a middling opponent, Henry turned in a career-best 148 yards on 26 carries in the Tide’s thrashing of Georgia. There are few in the country who can turn a corner with Henry’s speed and conviction when he gets a crease.
3. MYLES GARRETT, TEXAS A&M
Last week: 6
The Aggies’ improvement on defense is a big reason why they’re emerging as a true threat in the West, and Garrett is at the forefront. In Texas A&M’s win over Mississippi State on Saturday he led the team with seven tackles (five solo) and added two tackles for loss and one sack. That brings his conference-leading sack total up to 7.5 through five games.
2. NICK CHUBB, GEORGIA
Last week: 2
Chubb looked mortal for the first time all season (ever?) in the Bulldogs’ ugly loss to the Alabama. Still, he managed to extend his streak of 100-yard games to 13 straight with 146 on 20 carries, including an 83-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
1. LEONARD FOURNETTE, LSU
Last week: 1
Rarely in today’s era is a team that throws for less than 100 yards per game considered must-see TV. Such is the swelling influence of Leonard Fournette. He went for more than 200 yards for the third consecutive game in LSU’s win over Eastern Michigan, becoming the first player in SEC history to accomplish the feat. Perhaps the only thing surprising was that the Tigers needed that many yards out of their superstar sophomore. Despite having played one fewer game than the next 13 backs behind him, Fournette now leads the nation in rushing yards with 864 on 99 carries. That’s 216 yards per game, 56 more than any other back in the country.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.