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The SEC is a wild place, with teams’ chances at a division crown or playoff berth, or a coach’s job security, can vary widely week to week. Whose stock is rising and whose is dropping this week in the SEC West? SDS takes a look.
RISING
- Josh Robinson. There’s a strong case to be made that Robinson has been the best running back in the SEC this season. Sure, it comes with the caveat that Todd Gurley has missed a month of the season, but Robinson has shined bright enough that he’d be mentioned right alongside Georgia’s star regardless. He’s just 23 yards off the conference lead, and is tops in the SEC with 11 rushing touchdowns. Robinson even showed off his hands against Arkansas, hauling in a couple of tough catches to demonstrate his versatility. There’s no way Mississippi State would be where it is without his emergence.
- Nick Marshall’s Heisman candidacy. Auburn’s quarterback is probably too far back in the race to win the prestigious trophy, but if Auburn keeps winning behind stellar play from its senior leader he’ll have a chance to be in New York. In Auburn’s two games since its only loss of the season to Mississippi State, Marshall has completed 75 percent of his passes, going 27-of-36 for 393 yards, 3 TD and 1 INT, and has also rushed for 139 yards and 5 TD. Marshall is making throws he wasn’t capable of a season ago, and making teams pay with his legs every opportunity he gets.
- LSU’s SEC West chances. The scenarios are still unlikely, but the Tigers have worked themselves back into position to sneak into the SEC Championship game. If LSU can defeat Alabama this weekend, they only have two games left in the SEC, both winnable, while the teams ahead of them are all due for slugfests. Not only would a win this weekend disrupt the national landscape, but it would have Les Miles’ crew ready to claw their way into the playoff picture.
FALLING
- Ole Miss’ passing game. The Rebels have seen the emergence of guys like Cody Core and Vince Sanders this season, but those two have gotten ample opportunities thanks to the stud they played alongside. Now that Laquon Treadwell is gone for the season, along with the double coverage he frequently drew, meaning more attention will be paid to the former secondary receivers. Bo Wallace’s numbers have benefitted from having a talent like Treadwell out wide; we’ll see if he can keep that up now that he’s down his favorite target.
- Arkansas as “best losing team.” At a certain point, you have to stop saying that Arkansas would dominate if they played elsewhere when they can’t get a single win in the SEC. Another narrow loss put them at 0-5 in the SEC, three tough games from a second straight winless season in the conference. Bret Bielema surely expected to go through growing pains, but he had to have expected to have a few wins under his belt by this point, while the Razorbacks should have come away with wins in one of their many close games this season by sheer luck alone. Arkansas may be talented, but they’re only the best at losing in the SEC right now.
- The Kyle Allen hype. There’s still plenty of time for Texas A&M’s touted freshman, a former five-star recruit, to make a fantastic impression as his team’s new starter. First impressions mean something, though, and Allen struggled in his first opportunity as the starter in College Station. For everyone clamoring for a quarterback change, thinking Kenny Hill was the big problem for A&M’s offense, the way the Aggies slogged through their narrow win over Louisiana-Monroe was a splash of cold water to the face. Allen’s stock could fall even farther if, as expected, the Aggies get wiped out by Auburn on Saturday.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
