Week 7 was a wild, wild week. Some of the SEC teams that are usually at the top of the class looked like summer school rejects, and a few that we were afraid were sniffing glue came to life in dramatic fashion. As usual, we grade every team and single out a couple for special honors or special attention. Here we go:

SEC West

LSU: A

Like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, we were thinking A+++++ on this one, but we’ll try to calm down. They put up 475 yards on Georgia, forced 4 turnovers and generally controlled this game all the way. Big-time win.

Texas A&M: A-

Solid victory that probably should have been more decisive. A&M outgained Carolina by 159 yards, forced 2 turnovers and held the football for more than 41 minutes. The secondary got a little dicey in the third quarter and made this interesting.

Alabama: A-

Favored by 28, won by 29. They outgained Missouri 564-212 but put the game in a second-half deep freeze after some injuries. This was fine, but not their best work.

Mississippi: B

The good news? 611 total yards and an impressive fourth-quarter win. The bad news? Gave up almost 500 yards and 33 points to Arkansas and led for only about six minutes of this game. Same old Mississippi.

Arkansas: C-

Well, they had a big-time offensive game, rushing for 299 yards and taking a 30-13 lead over another SEC team. But this team has no luck and very little depth, and the wheels all fell right off late when Jordan Ta’amu started torching their secondary.

Auburn: F

This was utterly inexcusable. Yes, Tennessee played its best game of the season so far. It shouldn’t have mattered. Allowing a UT offense that couldn’t run the ball (1.9 yards per carry) to light Auburn up with the deep ball like the 1970s Steelers was absurd. So was going minus-3 on turnovers. And losing this game.

Mississippi State: Incomplete

Like a Nick Fitzgerald pass. Teasing. Kinda.

East

Tennessee: A

We were as surprised as anybody. A Tennessee team that was beginning to make us wonder if they would ever win an SEC game stiffened its back on defense, hit some big passing plays and walked out of Auburn with their first SEC win since 2016. This game — and Jarrett Guarantano’s passing performance — was a culture changer.

Florida: A-

This was a game that ended up about where it was expected to … but nobody expected Florida to trail 21-3 in the middle of the second quarter. ESPN’s win probability had the Gators down to about 17 percent at that point. Florida’s offense was the story, gaining 284 yards in the air and 292 on the ground. That makes them plenty dangerous, even down 18.

South Carolina: C

Tough loss for the Gamecocks. They were basically getting the doors blown off in the mid third quarter — ESPN had them with a 6.8 percent chance of winning after Seth Small’s third field goal made it a 16-0  game. They came back to tie the game late in the third quarter but couldn’t quite hang with the Aggies down the stretch. Impressive burst, but not much else went right.

Missouri: C

Not a masterpiece (212 total yards, third straight ho-hum SEC game for Drew Lock), but they did hold Alabama to 4.1 yards per carry, which is a fairly strong endorsement. This game felt like it could have been 51-10, and Missou’s hard hitting (and the ensuing injuries) bears some credit for keeping it more respectable.

Vanderbilt: C-

Much like Arkansas above, we could grade the Vandy team that ripped to a big lead with a nice round A. The one that then got boatraced 34-6 over the rest of the game wasn’t so impressive. This defense isn’t where it has been, and that puts a lot of pressure on Kyle Shurmur and the offense.

Georgia: C-

This was the perfect storm that the last few weeks produced. You can play ugly, uninspired football when you’re up 3-4 touchdowns. But there’s more to the SEC than Tennessee and Vanderbilt. LSU took the fight to Georgia, who suddenly looked very, very young. Maybe this was the focus point that Kirby Smart needed.

Kentucky: Incomplete

Like a Terry Wilson pass. Kidding again. Sort of.

Honor Roll

Offense

LSU

Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

475 total yards against Georgia was a good day. Doing it without turnovers and putting up 36 points? Nice.

Florida

37 points and near perfect balance (284 yards passing, 292 rushing). That will play, Dan Mullen.

Defense

Tennessee

We considered the UT offense, but it was really just the passing game. The defense did give up some stat sheet padding stuff late in the game, but they forced 3 turnovers, including the pivotal fumble return score that basically broke the game open. Well done.

Alabama

They sometimes get forgotten as the less glamorous Alabama unit, but they’re doing good work. Two picks of Lock and only 142 yards passing allowed, and 70 yards (2.0 yards per carry) on the ground for a deceptively tough ground game gets the defense a shout-out. Could have picked LSU, but already singled out their offense.

Special Teams

Florida

Nice special teams work for the Gators, connecting on 3 field goals, having a decent punting day and converting a nice fake punt as well.

Texas A&M

When you win SEC games by 3, you probably helped yourself in the kicking game. These guys did. Seth Small had four big field goals, and Braden Mann is the best punter in the SEC and probably in the nation.

Summer School

Offense

Georgia

They couldn’t pass or run consistently, and they stuck with their beleaguered starter with a five-star backup watching from the sideline. Not a good look.

Missouri

Sure, Alabama will do this to anybody. But if you’d told Tigers fans their defense would hold Alabama to 39 points, they’d have been excited. If they watched Drew Lock try to move the ball, they wouldn’t have been.

Defense

Arkansas

Sure, the Rebels are tough. They’ll put up yardage on anybody. But when the offense spots you a 17-point lead, you hold on to it. Or you don’t if you’re Arkansas.

Auburn

Yes, Tennessee earned their win. But when Guarantano crushed the Tigers time after time with deep throws (328 yards on 32 attempts), it shouldn’t have been brain surgery to adjust. UT rushed for 1.9 yards per carry and still owned the day offensively.

Special Teams

Mississippi

Two missed field goals really could (should?) have cost the Rebels. They won’t get by with that against any other SEC team.

Georgia

No disrespect to Rodrigo Blankenship, who is still money. Passing on a game-tying first down to run a doomed fake field goal in the first quarter felt like it set the tone for the rest of the game. Not a great punting week, either.