Bowl season is nearing, rivalry week is looming, and where does your team stand? Here in our weekly edition of the old-school SEC progress report, we’ll sort that out. We grade each team, then single out a few high achievers and a few study hall lunkheads who need to spend some time cleaning erasers.

SEC WEST

Alabama: A

The focus from the Crimson Tide was impressive, especially coming on the heels of the biggest game of their regular season. Gaining 265 yards rushing and 265 yards passing sounds like a team trying to make a statement about balance. Can we just skip ahead to Saturday already?

GPA: 3.591 (↑0.041)
YTD: A ¦ A- ¦ B ¦ A ¦ A ¦ B- ¦ A- ¦ A- ¦ I ¦ B+ ¦ B+ ¦ A

Texas A&M: B+

Like A&M’s season, this wasn’t pretty, but the end result was positive. After a half in which Jordan Ta’amu sliced and diced the A&M defense, the Aggies shut out the Ole Miss QB in the second half and produced just enough offense to win 31-24.

GPA: 2.409 (↑0.084)
YTD: F ¦ D- ¦ C- ¦ B+ ¦ B ¦ A- ¦ B+ ¦ I ¦ C ¦ C+ ¦ B+ ¦ B+

Auburn: B+

It took the Tigers until around halftime to awaken, but once they did, they looked like who we thought they were. It’s alarming simply because next week, there’s no room to take a quarter and a half off. On the other hand, running for 317 yards bodes well.

GPA: 3.159 (↑0.009)
YTD: A- ¦ C ¦ C ¦ A- ¦ A- ¦ A- ¦ D ¦ A ¦ I ¦ B+ ¦ A+ ¦ B+

LSU: B

Hard to believe that there are days when a 20-point win in Knoxville rates a middling grade, but this isn’t your father’s Tennessee team. UT actually outgained the Tigers, who looked fairly pedestrian and punchless on offense but were superb in stopping the run.

GPA: 2.909 (↑0.009)
YTD: A ¦ A- ¦ D+ ¦ B- ¦ F ¦ A ¦ A ¦ B+ ¦ I ¦ B- ¦ B+ ¦ B

Arkansas: B-

The effort was superb. In a game that they had little chance of winning, with little to play for in the 2017 season, the Razorbacks nearly pulled off the upset. Why Bret Bielema decided to go for a fourth-and-2 at his own 44 in a tie game is a mystery best pondered after his firing.

GPA: 1.568 (↑0.118)
YTD: B- ¦ D ¦ I ¦ D ¦ C+ ¦ F ¦ C- ¦ F ¦ B+ ¦ D- ¦ C- ¦ B-

Mississippi State: C+

This was a survive-and-advance special. An ugly game offensively, a less than focused defensive effort, but State found a way to avoid laying an embarrassing egg. The guess is they’ll also avoid that fate next week in the Egg Bowl.

GPA: 3.045 (↓0.080)
YTD: A- ¦ B+ ¦ A ¦ C- ¦ C- ¦ I ¦ B+ ¦ A ¦ A ¦ C- ¦ A- ¦ C+

Ole Miss: C

The Rebels just couldn’t quite make the second-half plays to win. A big factor was penalties — 13 flags for 102 yards hurts anybody, and particularly this team that finally looked human, rather than supernatural, offensively in the second half.

GPA: 2.182 (↓0.018)
YTD: C+ ¦ C+ ¦ C- ¦ I ¦ D+ ¦ C+ ¦ B+ ¦ C ¦ D- ¦ B+ ¦ B ¦ C

SEC EAST

Georgia: A-

The Bulldogs are who we thought they were. Georgia got off stride last week but came back strong with 381 rushing yards against Kentucky. There were a few sloppy moments, but nothing to alarm Bulldogs fans as they get ready for the SEC title game.

GPA: 3.523 (↑0.023)
YTD: B+ ¦ B+ ¦ B+ ¦ A ¦ A ¦ A ¦ A- ¦ I ¦ A ¦ A- ¦ C- ¦ A-

Missouri: A-

For a program that hadn’t won a road game in the SEC since 2015, going to Vandy and waxing the Commodores was impressive. The Tigers did give up a bunch of yardage late, but the defense might be the most shocking part of their mid-season improvement. This is a pretty good team (steps back from keyboard, picks up jaw). That’s three straight weeks with As (following two solid Bs) for the Tigers.

GPA: 2.205 (↑0.155)
YTD: C ¦ D+ ¦ F ¦ F ¦ I ¦ C ¦ D ¦ B+ ¦ B ¦ A ¦ A ¦ A-

Florida: B+

The offense still makes your brain hurt, but that defense … holding a bowl-eligible UAB team to 3 rushing yards and 8 first downs should count for something. If only this effort had shown up a couple weeks back.

GPA: 1.825 (↑0.158)
YTD: D ¦ I ¦ C+ ¦ B+ ¦ A- ¦ C+ ¦ C- ¦ I ¦ F ¦ F ¦ D- ¦ B+

South Carolina: B

A solid, if unconvincing win over an FCS running team was this weekend’s result. It doesn’t bode well for Saturday night’s matchup against Clemson that USC led Wofford only 14-10 midway through the third quarter.

GPA: 2.795 (↑0.020)
YTD: C+ ¦ B+ ¦ C- ¦ C+ ¦ C- ¦ A ¦ A- ¦ I ¦ B+ ¦ C+ ¦ B+ ¦ B

Kentucky: C-

This week was destined to be uphill sledding for the Wildcats, but they didn’t help themselves by failing to cash in on some UGA errors — an early interception on Georgia’s end of the field, a three-and-out that UK gave away by roughing the punter, and some costly pass drops. They’ll need better execution next week against Louisville.

GPA: 2.273 (↓0.052)
YTD: C+ ¦ C- ¦ A- ¦ C ¦ C ¦ C+ ¦ I ¦ F ¦ A- ¦ C- ¦ A- ¦ C-

Tennessee: D

The Vols haven’t quit. That’s really about the only good news. The flaws on this team have become so apparent that LSU can sleepwalk through a game in Knoxville and win by 20 without breaking a sweat. Who would’ve thought UT and Vandy next weekend with the sole winless league record on the line.

GPA: 1.205 (↓0.020)
YTD: C ¦ B ¦ D ¦ C- ¦ F ¦ I ¦ F ¦ C- ¦ F ¦ B- ¦ F ¦ D

Vanderbilt: D-

Their season rested on winning out, and instead, the Commodores trailed Missouri 35-0 at halftime. The running game for this Vanderbilt team has been putrid, and Kyle Shurmur finally started coughing up turnovers at quarterback. This wasn’t good, and it’s not hard to see this team being at the bottom for awhile.

GPA: 2.114 (↓0.146)
YTD: B+ ¦ B ¦ A- ¦ D ¦ C- ¦ D ¦ D+ ¦ I ¦ C- ¦ A- ¦ C ¦ D-

Class ranking through Week 12

GPA calculation: On a 4.0 scale, A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. We add or subtract a quarter point (0.25) for pluses/minuses, tally up the season-to-date points and divide by the number of games.

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This week’s hall passes

OFFENSE

Missouri: The Tigers racked up 426 yards and controlled the game by the second quarter. Impressive work.

Georgia: Sure, Kentucky isn’t the mid-70s Pittburgh Steelers, but anytime you run for 381 yards, you did some things right.

DEFENSE

Texas A&M: The numbers aren’t sterling, but a shutout in the second half with Kevin Sumlin’s job on the line was gutsy.

Florida: The Gators went back to what they do — making life hell for offenses.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Florida: The Gators again? Five field goals will do that.

Missouri: Punt return touchdown and a good kicking day? Yes, please.

In detention this week

OFFENSE

Tennessee: It just hurts to watch. Ten points, 1.1 yards per carry, 12 first downs.

LSU: Just sleepy and pedestrian. Sure, they won, but the Tigers were outgained by the team they held to 10 points and 12 first downs.

DEFENSE

Kentucky: You can’t miss tackles the way the Wildcats did. Well, or you get burned for almost 400 yards rushing.

Vanderbilt: Couldn’t stop the pass, couldn’t stop the run, couldn’t keep from getting blasted.

SPECIAL TEAMS

LSU: Two missed field goals and a missed extra point? If LSU ends up in a game where kicking matters, it is in trouble.