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SEC fans are a prideful bunch. From historically great programs to wonderful fan traditions to the conference’s recent dominance over the college football landscape, there’s plenty to chant “S-E-C!” about. Here’s a look at five things the conference’s fans can point to after week 6 of the regular season.
- Top teams passing their tests. Auburn and Mississippi State, both entrenched in the College Football Playoff picture, each survived nail-biting affairs on Saturday. Both the Tigers and the Bulldogs forced turnovers late in the fourth quarters of their respective wins to preserve their slim margins (although Auburn’s was a bit controversial). Those are the kinds of plays championship-caliber teams need to make.
- Resilient players. A host of SEC players, both big names and role players alike, have suffered ugly and career-threatening injuries this season. From Kenyan Drake to Dwayne Thomas and now Laquon Treadwell, those players have sent out overwhelmingly positive messages on social media and have served as inspirations to their teammates. While Treadwell will be missed on the field, but hopefully he can fire up his teammates from the sidelines.
- Humble heroes. Florida knocked off Georgia in stunning fashion on Saturday, with one of its biggest plays of the afternoon coming on a fake-kick touchdown. The player who scored, fifth-year senior and former walk-on Mike McNeely, still showed up to his part-time job at a local Publix grocery store on Sunday. McNeely even signed autographs and gave out high fives and hugs while working his usual shift.
- Proud alumni. AJ McCarron made some controversial comments about his former Alabama teammates earlier this season, but it’s clear the current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback still cares. The same can be said for former South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw, who jumped to the defense of the struggling Gamecocks on Twitter Saturday night. If you check on social media on any given Saturday, you’ll see players tweeting out their support for their alma mater.
- Incredible rivalries. Here. We. Go. All week, SEC fans can get excited about the primetime tilt between LSU and Alabama on Saturday night. These two stories programs have a great history against each other, especially in recent years, and Tiger Stadium will be as loud as ever with the eyes of the nation on it Saturday night.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
