We’re now three weeks into the regular season, and already there has been significant movement in the polls and rankings.

In case you’re a first-time reader, here’s a mission statement of sorts for this piece.

At Saturday Down South, we enjoy the subjective nature of rankings. Who doesn’t love arguing in favor of your favorite player, or against that team whose fans always annoy you?

Each week, we rank the top quarterbacks, running backs and receivers in the SEC, not to mention the 10 best team and individual performances of the 2015 season. So why not rank the coaches as well?

We’ll update this list throughout the season. Essentially, this post will serve as a way to identify the 10 best SEC coaches of the year, irrespective of their title.

Here is our top 10 after each team’s first three games:

1. Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss head coach (last: No. 4)

The Rebels are No. 3 in the country for the second consecutive season, both times after beating Alabama. Lots of SEC head coaches have beamed on National Signing Day after inking tremendous classes. But few leverage those classes as well as Freeze has done with the 2013 group. Ole Miss’ road win against then-No. 2 Alabama arguably is the most impressive victory in the country this season.

The biggest question is, can Ole Miss sustain this success — both in the short term and once the elite players of the ’13 class presumably depart following the season?

As Grantland.com’s Michael Weinreb wrote, “It would be easy, given that Ole Miss wound up collapsing late in the season after last year’s victory over Alabama, to presume this is the sum of the Rebels’ persona, that they are essentially a high-speed fun-filled novelty act that will once again fall victim to the brute force of the SEC West.”

It’s up to Freeze to prove that won’t happen. But for now, he’s the hottest coach in the conference.

2. Barry Odom, Missouri defensive coordinator (last: No. 5)

Mizzou won’t be able to beat Georgia or Texas A&M by scoring just 9 points. But the Tigers (3-0) remain unbeaten precisely because of Odom’s defense.

Despite significant personnel losses — both planned (Markus Golden, Shane Ray) and unplanned (Marcus Loud, Harold Brantley) — the team remains stout, especially up front. Missouri is second in the country with 34 tackles for loss as players like Charles Harris, Kentrell Brothers and Walter Brady are producing.

Not bad for a unit dealing with significant transition among the players and coaches. Without such a strong defense, Missouri could be 1-2 right now.

3. John Chavis, Texas A&M defensive coordinator (last: No. 1)

The Aggies were not quite as judicious on defense against Nevada this week, but allowed just 10 first-half points and held the Wolf Pack to just 3.4 yards per carry.

Every game, Daylon Mack looks more like a player who will help out the middle of the Texas A&M defense during the heart of SEC play. And those linebackers are making incremental progress.

Overall, there’s this undefinable sense of aggression and confidence that has been missing, at least on this side of the football, for years.

4. Jeremy Pruitt, Georgia defensive coordinator (last: No. 3)

Granted, Georgia’s competition (Louisiana-Monroe, Vanderbilt and South Carolina) hasn’t been all that threatening. But so far, Pruitt has made good use of the overflow of talent at linebacker.

Most significant is the way the team is making opposing offenses earn every scoring trip. Georgia has allowed just one play of 30+ yards, behind only Missouri, Boston College and Oregon State. Jordan Jenkins is playing like an All-SEC defender.

If this success holds as the team faces some tougher SEC offenses, Pruitt could start to get buzz as a future head coach.

5. Frank Wilson, LSU running backs (last: No. 7)

Georgia’s Nick Chubb and Alabama’s Derrick Henry still could make a push for the mythical title of “best running back in the SEC” by season’s end. But through a combination of doggedness and dazzle, Leonard Fournette holds that title through three weeks of the season.

He’s gained 396 yards of total offense in two games, as LSU essentially has handcuffed the football to his wrists (like banks do with those briefcases full of money) and told him to beat Mississippi State and Auburn. Fournette obliged, of course.

The other LSU running backs have been productive as well. Wilson gets credit for a) helping Fournette tap into his other assets besides the strength he featured in 2014, and b) coaching up Darrel Williams and Derrius Guice, a pair of underclassman, to the tune of a combined 5.4 yards per carry.

6. Dan Werner, Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks (last: No. 10)

Is there a more lovable, exhilarating offense in the SEC right now than the one that resides in Oxford, Miss.? Honestly: if given the chance to watch any single quarterback operate, would you take anyone else ahead of Chad Kelly right now?

Give Werner and all of the Rebels’ offensive coaches heaps of credit. The team faced a pressure situation Saturday — several pressure situations, really — and did not wilt.

The Landshark defense thrives on takeaways and negative plays. The top scoring offense in the nation (64.0 ppg) gives the team a tremendous opportunity to take chances and stay aggressive on the other side of the ball.

7. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M head coach (last: No. 6)

Since this summer, the Aggies have migrated from a short underdog to a comfortable favorite in this game against the Razorbacks thanks to yet another strong start to the season.

Give Sumlin credit for wooing Chavis and also for signing another talented class that includes Christian Kirk, Daylon Mack, Justin Evans and Kyler Murray, all of whom have made early contributions.

In many ways, though, Texas A&M’s season is just beginning, as the team is 0-0 in SEC play.

8. Les Miles, LSU head coach (last: unranked)

Courtesy of a resounding win against Auburn, the Tigers are in the discussion as a potential College Football Playoff team.

Miles has rallied the program despite deep concerns at quarterback and what most folks have called a downgrade at defensive coordinator (John Chavis to Kevin Steele). But Brandon Harris looks better at quarterback, the defense remains good and the program hasn’t panicked, instead sticking with its conservative philosophy.

If LSU can break a four-game losing streak against Alabama, the team very well could enter the final three-week stretch of the regular season at 8-0.

9. Mark Richt, Georgia head coach (last: unranked)

Even if the Bulldogs win the SEC East, a sizable portion of the fan base — as well as the team’s rivals — will be waiting for a cringe-worthy performance in Atlanta.

But this season is different in that UGA crushed South Carolina in Week 3. Too many times in recent seasons, this team has fallen behind a division rival early in the season and then required help. Now the team is virtually guaranteed to enter an Oct. 3 showdown against Alabama at 4-0.

10. Brian Schottenheimer, Georgia offensive coordinator (last: unranked)

The Bulldogs aren’t going to take very many risks, and that’s OK.

Nick Chubb (8.4 yards per carry), Sony Michel (5.7) and Keith Marshall (5.4) are running behind a very good offensive line. The defense finally is good enough to maximize the team’s preferred style of offensive play. And there are enough targets in the passing game to keep defenses honest.

The most eye-opening development, though, is Greyson Lambert’s stat line from Saturday. The quarterback completed 24 of his 25 pass attempts. Even against South Carolina’s defense, that sort of accuracy lessens the need to take big chances to ensure offensive production.

Dropped Out: Nick Saban, Alabama head coach; Shannon Dawson, Kentucky offensive coordinator; Mario Cristobal, Alabama offensive line.