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 5 of the regular season.

  1. Competitive balance. This past week proved that any team, regardless of rank, can compete with their conference brethren. Two unranked teams, Arkansas and Tennessee, gave highly ranked opponents Texas A&M and Georgia, respectively, all they could handle in narrow losses. Missouri, who lost to Indiana a week prior, went on the road to shock South Carolina with a late comeback. No team is safe in the SEC. With a loaded conference slate in week 6, all of the favorites should be on upset alert.
  2. Young offensive talent abound. A trio of freshmen — Jalen Hurd for Tennessee and Brandon Harris and Leonard Fournette — all shined on Saturday, while sophomore Kenny Hill survived his biggest game of the season so far. Hurd played in his first SEC road game, Hill showed for the first time that he can lead the Aggies through some offensive struggles, while Fournette set a career high in rushing yards and Harris got his first real action of the season. All four face tough tests this coming Saturday, and fans should be excited to see how the next generation fares.
  3. Some of the best jerseys in the game. Mississippi looked incredibly sharp this past Saturday when they broke out a powder blue version of their helmet as they honored the late Chucky Mullins, a great departure from their usual navy blues. LSU also made a color change, trading in their usual all-purpose whites for purple jersey tops. The SEC has uniforms to match how well the teams play.
  4. Continued out-of-conference dominance. A 3-0 week against non-conference opponents puts the SEC at 36-4 in such games, including 5-2 against Power 5 conference teams. The conference’s dominance in the polls, with eight of the top-25 teams in the nation, goes even further in putting the SEC above it’s competition.
  5. Holding down ESPN’s College Game Day. For the second straight week, the most popular college football show on television will be setting up shop on an SEC campus. After visiting South Carolina’s historic Horseshoe in week 5, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and co. will make the trip to the Grove on Mississippi’s campus this weekend, giving SEC fans another chance to show the country how to tailgate properly.