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SEC Recap: What we learned about every SEC West team in Week 13
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Here’s what we learned about every SEC West team following Week 13 action.
RELATED: AP Poll | Coaches’ Poll
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
Week 13 result: Defeated Western Carolina 48-14
What we learned: The Crimson Tide entered Week 13 as the No. 1 team in the land, and it played like it in a 34-point win over Western Carolina on Saturday. Alabama did suffer a slew of concerning injuries in the win, including a leg injury to Amari Cooper that sidelined him for most of the game (likely for precautionary reasons), forcing us to wonder about this team’s durability as it moves on to next week’s Iron Bowl showdown against Auburn with an SEC West title on the line. However, at the end of the day we didn’t learn much about a dominant team that had little trouble taking care of an FCS foe on Saturday.
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
Week 13 result: Defeated Ole Miss 30-0
What we learned: We learned more about Arkansas than any other team in the West following the Razorbacks impressive 30-0 win over Ole Miss in Week 13. We learned their defense is one of the best in the conference following its second straight shutout against a ranked opponent, and we learned this team is far better than its 6-5 record indicates. Four of the Hogs’ five losses this year came by 13 points or fewer, and coupled with Arkansas’ impressive wins the last two weeks we learned this team is indeed a force to be reckoned with moving forward, even if it remains in the basement of the SEC West standings.
AUBURN TIGERS
Auburn Week 13 result: Defeated Samford 31-7
What we learned: The Tigers may have beaten FCS foe Samford by 31 points, but they looked far from impressive in doing so. This game was tied 7-7 midway through the second quarter, and it wasn’t until the second half that Auburn truly began to pull away on the scoreboard. This ugly win came one week removed from the Tigers’ two-game losing streak in the SEC, and we learned this team’s issues run deeper than we thought based on the way they struggled against the Bulldogs. Anything can happen in a rivalry game like the Iron Bowl, but this Auburn team is in far greater trouble than we initially realized following Saturday’s uninspiring win.
LSU TIGERS
LSU Week 13 result: Bye
What we learned: The Tigers enjoyed a much-needed bye in Week 13, so there wasn’t much to learn about the Bayou Bengals over the weekend. LSU has one game remaining against Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night, and that game could decide whether this season ends with promise or in disgrace. The Tigers have both impressive wins and embarrassing losses on their resume this season, and their finale against the Aggies could teach us all we need to know about this team entering the bowl season this winter.
MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
Week 13 results: Defeated Vanderbilt 51-0
What we learned: Mississippi State reminded us why it is still a top 5 team with Saturday’s 51-0 nothing rout of Vanderbilt. The Commodores are far from the toughest opponent on Mississippi State’s SEC schedule, but the way the Bulldogs won showed they’re not suffering from a hangover following a Week 12 loss to Alabama. Mississippi State remains more experienced than most of their opponents in the West, and they continue to approach every game with the mentality of a title contender. Saturday’s win taught us Mississippi State is a worthy playoff contender after all, and if they can win this week’s Egg Bowl they’ll have a great case to reach the playoff even if they don’t win the West.
OLE MISS REBELS
Week 13 results: Lost to Arkansas 30-0
What we learned: The Rebels’ humiliating loss to Arkansas taught us this team is just an average squad with deficiencies masked by a win over Alabama eight weeks ago. Ole Miss continues to boast the SEC’s No. 1 scoring defense, but it has lost three straight SEC games and has allowed 30 or more points in two of those games, The Rebels are 2-2 against teams currently ranked in this week’s AP poll, but they’ve lost their last two games to ranked foes and have little to hang their hat on entering this week’s showdown with Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. The defense remains as good as any in the country, but Bo Wallace’s inconsistencies coupled with Laquon Treadwell’s absence has this team reeling down the stretch. Ole Miss is a good team, but Saturday’s loss taught us this team is not as elite as we once thought.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Week 13 results: Bye
What we learned: Speaking of teams that aren’t as elite as we once thought, Texas A&M was on a bye last week, leaving us no opportunity to learn anything new about the Aggies in Week 13. A&M could end its season on a high note with a win over LSU on Thursday, but it could also lose and drop to 7-5 on the year after beginning the season 5-0. Whether A&M wins or loses in its finale against the Tigers will decide whether the season at hand was a success or not, so we will learn a lot more about this team on Thanksgiving night when it shows what it is capable of when given two weeks to prepare for an opponent.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.