What a week, huh?

Alabama lost to Tennessee and Vanderbilt in the same season for the first time since 1984. Tony Bennett retired from coaching college basketball, leaving the ACC without an active NCAA title winner for the first time since 1981. Duke beat Florida State — in football — for the first time, ever. Indiana destroyed Nebraska, also in football, and is about to jump into the Top 10. Say it ain’t so, Tom O.

At least a few things were normal: Auburn lost again, SEC refs did their thing, and Kirby Smart again proved why he is the king of college football.

Those are among the 10 things I’m overreacting to after a wild Week 8 in and around the SEC.

10. Dawgs on top …

As boring and underwhelming as Alabama-Tennessee was, Georgia-Texas lived up to the hype.

It had everything.

The stage. The stars. McConaughey. There were big plays, backup QBs, building drama and missed opportunities. It also had the wildest officials’ reversal you’ll ever see … and even another strange special teams decision from Kirby Smart. (Really, I thought we were past that.)

Ultimately, it ended like just about every game Georgia has played for the past 3+ seasons: With a statement performance from Smart’s Dawgs.

I hope everybody understands that the only thing that prevented Georgia from 3-peating last season was the selection committee’s decision to stage a tournament without them.

The Georgia Dynasty didn’t go anywhere.

Except to Austin, Texas, on Saturday night.

10b. … but give it up for good ol’ Texas justice …

I’ve never seen this. Yes, the refs absolutely blew the initial call, but they blow calls more often than Jalen Milroe airmails an open receiver. That’s why we have review, after all.

How often do they huddle up on their own and change it?

Well, it wasn’t all “on their own.”

Texas fans went nuts and started throwing debris on the field. While play stopped, Steve Sarkisian spent a good bit of it blasting every referee within earshot.

The refs then huddled, thought about it … and probably set an unintended precedent.

I laughed when they announced they’d reversed the call. I immediately thought I was watching a Saturday night version of “Friday Night Lights,” and tweeted this:

https://twitter.com/SatDownSouth/status/1847826581454033076

I’ve seen teams penalized for their fans’ poor behavior, but I’ve never seen one rewarded.

I’m sure no other fan base will try that …

9. The Playoff expanded, but not enough to include Alabama

It’s not even Halloween, and Alabama is done.

Miss me with arguments about how a 10-2 Tide team still could steal an at-large Playoff bid. This team ain’t winning 10 games, a’ight? Whatever remaining faith Tide fans had in Kalen DeBoer disappeared into the cigar smoke-filled haze — just like those Playoff hopes.

Wasn’t DeBoer supposed to be some kind of offensive whisperer? He’s setting a program record for incoming hero to hot seat. The fact that he arrived at this point faster than Hugh Freeze is remarkable.

Alabama’s offense is so lost it has put its entire future on the back of a 17-year-old true freshman wide receiver. Saturday, the Tide targeted Ryan Williams 19 times. Tide running backs ran it … 20 times for 64 yards. Unbelievable. That’s not balance; in a 1-possession game, that’s buffoonery.

No. 7 in the country? Are you serious? The Tide are closer to a 5-7 team without Williams.

The Playoff would have to expand to 64 before I’d put Bama in the field.

As for the Vols? Stay tuned. I mean, Vanderbilt had an easier time beating Alabama than Tennessee did.

8. Curt Cignetti is going to get a lot of coaches fired

Nick Saban used to be the serial coach-killer.

I always thought that was comical — firing coaches because they couldn’t overcome the greatest coach in the sport’s history. But that’s why Georgia fired Mark Richt, why Auburn fired Gus Malzahn, why LSU fired Les Miles, why Texas A&M fired Kevin Sumlin and Jimbo Fisher, etc., etc.

Want surreal? Watch what happens this carousel, where ADs at every underachieving/yet hopeful program look at their coach and wonder: If Curt Cignetti can win football games it at Indiana — In 49 states it’s just basketball … but this is Indiana — why can’t you get it done here?

Indiana’s rise is reaching historic heights. The Hoosiers are 7-0 for the 2nd time in program history. They could climb into the Top 10 as soon as today, a place they haven’t been in a full season since 1969.

With 7 wins, not only did they destroy Vegas’ projected win total (5.5) before Halloween, but they’ve already matched the combined total of Tom Allen’s final 2 IU teams.

There are probably 30 Power conference programs with furious boosters wondering how in the world they got passed by Indiana football, but it’s particularly terrible news for on-the-fence coaches Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Dave Doeren (NC State), Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Sherrone Moore (Michigan), Lincoln Riley (USC) and many others.

7. Speaking of Auburn and Freeze …

Tigers fans are over him, already and emphatically.

The questionable play-calling is bad enough, and losing to a team whose quarterback spent part of the game in the hospital is unique even by Auburn standards, but let’s remember this mess started with Freeze blaming what he inherited … which makes Cignetti’s overnight success at Indiana such a dramatic contrast point.

That is all factual. This is unnecessary roughness — and probably targeting.

6. Doubt he’d leave, but Florida’s first call has to go to Dan Lanning

Colleges have spent the past decade-plus picking Nick Saban’s tree trying to find the next Nick Saban.

Turns out, Georgia did, in Kirby Smart.

Florida also tried to find its next Saban — 3 times, in fact — but that hasn’t gone nearly as well.

It should try a different tactic in its next search: Find the next Kirby Smart.

Dan Lanning, everybody, is the next Kirby Smart. And, almost as important, he is everything that Billy Napier is not. (Yes, we know Lanning spent 1 season as a grad assistant under Saban, but he developed his defensive prowess for 4 years under Smart at Georgia.)

In Week 7, while Florida fans were pulling out their hair over Napier’s play-calling, Lanning was pioneering against Ohio State. Want innovation? How about intentionally putting 12 defenders on the field in the final seconds, thus mitigating the chance of a big play, and happily trading a 5-yard penalty for 4 precious seconds.

That’s Spurrier-like, on the other side of the ball. Ohio State was so miffed about being out-plotted that it complained this week to add a rule — now — preventing it from happening again.

Lanning has everything he needs in Oregon and has zero real need to leave, but if I’m whoever will be making the decision on Florida’s next coach, I’m beginning and hopefully ending the search with Lanning … not Lane Kiffin.

Unless, of course, Alabama beats them to it.

And, no, Gator Nation, Napier didn’t save his job by beating Kentucky at home. You don’t want to reach a level where that qualifies as a breakthrough moment.

5. Predicting the 5 automatic qualifiers for Playoff

The 5 highest-ranked conference champions will receive an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. After 8 weeks of ball, the picture is coming into focus:

  • ACC: Clemson
  • B1G: Oregon
  • Big 12: BYU
  • SEC: Georgia
  • Group of 5: Boise State (Mountain West)

4. The SEC’s 3 Playoff teams are …

1. Georgia, 2. Texas, 3. LSU

Saturday night merely confirmed the order … and established the gap between 2 and 3.

Texas A&M is right there. The Aggies play LSU next week in a Playoff elimination game.

Tennessee isn’t far behind. The Vols’ Playoff hopes hinge on their trip to Georgia in Week 12.

Getting 4 teams into the Playoff remains in play, but somebody else has to emerge as worthy.

3. Coaches say the craziest things …

Arizona State missed 2 more field goal attempts in its loss to Cincinnati. The Sun Devils are now 7-for-13 on the season.

But is that really the problem?

ASU QB Jeff Sims was just 12-for-23 for 155 yards. The Sun Devils have thrown just 8 TD passes all season.

When are QB tryouts?

2. Parting thought on Tony Bennett retiring …

First, congratulations on a Hall of Fame worthy career. Bennett won more basketball games than any Virginia coach and brought the only NCAA Tournament championship trophy to Ralph’s House.

Also, it’s admirable that Bennett had enough self-awareness to step aside after realizing he wasn’t built for this new era of college athletics.

But here’s the thing about that: Really?

Terry Holland never made even $200,000 a year as Virginia’s coach. Bennett made more than $4 million last season. He was scheduled to make $4.2 million this season, not including bonuses, with guaranteed 5% raises through 2030.

Coaches never mind that part about the changin’ times.

I can just picture all the recent multi-millionaire coaches who retired, at least in part, due to the dynamic power shift in college athletics, huddled around the pool at one of their multi-million-dollar lake homes, whistlin’ tunes about the good ol’ days.

1. Seriously, FSU? Even Danny Kanell beat Duke … twice

Not sure what’s worse: Falling to 1-6 on the season with a coach you just extended through 2031, losing to Duke for the first time in program history — which marred your “official” 20-0 perfect start in the series (2 other wins were vacated) — or taking another L in the state of North Carolina.

Maybe the ACC ain’t for you after all.