There were some prime opportunities for middle-of-the-pack SEC quarterbacks to take nice steps forward.

Jordan Ta’amu, Kellen Mond, Nick Fitzgerald and Jake Bentley all faced SEC defenses on Saturday. All of them could have made major statements with their performances. That didn’t happen.

Instead, I thought all 4 regressed. They combined for 1 touchdown pass and 6 interceptions. None looked like top-4 SEC quarterbacks, and the rankings reflect that.

Here are my latest SEC quarterback rankings heading into Week 6:

14. Ty Storey, Arkansas

Storey actually had his best game of the year against real competition and he gave Arkansas a chance against Texas A&M. As a 3-touchdown underdog, that’s worth something. But while Storey did float a nice touchdown throw into the arms of Michael Woods to make things interesting, it could’ve been even more interesting had he completed more than 54 percent of his passes. On the year, Storey is still a 51-percent passer for a 1-4 team with a struggling offense.

13. Terry Wilson, Kentucky

Lost in the shuffle of Kentucky’s rise has been that Wilson hasn’t had to do be an equal complement to Benny Snell. At least not from a usage standpoint. Wilson had his third consecutive game without a touchdown pass or even a completion longer than 25 yards. That’s a testament to how good Kentucky’s offensive line has been because the offense is relatively predictable, yet it still has 3 SEC wins by double digits. Wilson’s rushing abilities offset the passing limitations and make him a weapon, but it’s hard to rise on this list with a 2-5 touchdown-interception ratio and 6.4 yards per attempt.

12. Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee

Guarantano’s touchdown pass to Josh Palmer was a thing of beauty. He got an All-American in J.R. Reed all turned around and delivered a perfect ball. Guarantano played well against an extremely talented defense on the road. He deserves credit for that. Clearly, he’s improving by the game. The problem is that in 3 games vs. Power 5 teams, Tennessee is averaging just 16 points per contest. That won’t get it done.

11. Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt

It’s never a good sign when you’re in need of a late touchdown drive to beat an FCS team at home. Credit Shurmur for coming through late, but man, that wasn’t the offensive effort you wanted to see from Vandy. Shurmur and the Commodores did put up 553 yards of offense, but you can’t throw a pair of first-quarter interceptions against an FCS team at home. Saturday’s matchup at Georgia will be a chance for Shurmur to impress some NFL folks … or scare them away.

10. Jake Bentley, South Carolina

One step forward, two steps back. You keep waiting for Bentley to deliver that marquee performance against a quality opponent and he just can’t seem to get it done. His struggles against Top 25 foes continued in what turned out to be a forgettable performance against that stout Kentucky defense.

Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

A 3-interception effort was tough for South Carolina fans to watch. And even tougher was the fact that Bentley, who had been completing a lot of high percentage throws, was a 46-percent passer Saturday. All the preseason hype about the new offense seems all but gone after a game in which Bentley still didn’t look like an elite SEC quarterback. He’s banged up with a knee injury now, which surely won’t help South Carolina dig itself out of this offensive rut.

9. Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State

I don’t have any confidence in Fitzgerald throwing the ball right now. I just don’t. Against a quality defense, the Bulldogs’ passing game was virtually non-existent. I know he’s still figuring out Joe Moorhead’s system, but Fitzgerald isn’t the runner he was last year, and he’s not accurate enough to consistently sustain drives as a passer. The drops aren’t helping, but he’s completing just 49 percent of his passes for 6 yards per attempt. In a game in which he only finished with 32 rushing yards, that’s never going to cut it. He and the entire MSU offense needs to figure it out and fast.

8. Feleipe Franks, Florida

I was dead wrong. I thought Franks would struggle mightily in a hostile environment against a dominant Mississippi State defensive line. Instead, he delivered what I felt was the best game of his career. I don’t care that he didn’t even have a touchdown pass. Franks was decisive and precise. The sophomore signal-caller fit balls into some tight windows, but more important, he didn’t make the costly mistake that would’ve given MSU life to win that game. Franks finally beat a quality Power 5 team, and he deserves plenty of credit for that.

7. Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss

Ta’amu is doing his best 2017 Drew Lock imitation. That is, pile up huge numbers against weaker foes and then look completely different against elite defenses. Hence, why he’s in the middle of the pack. For the first time this year, Ta’amu was held without a touchdown pass. In games against Alabama and LSU, his numbers are, um, not great (43 percent passing, 5.2 yards per attempt, 1 touchdown pass, 3 interceptions, 11.5 points per game). Obviously that’s a small sample size against two elite defenses. Still, it’ll be hard to consider Ta’amu one of the conference’s best until he can show out against a decent defense.

6. Kellen Mond, Texas A&M

I thought that game was a step back for Mond. Against a defense that many expected him to light up, he reverted to some of his freshman year tendencies. The game looked too fast for him at times. If not for Trayveon Williams, that game easily could have gotten away from A&M. Mond had his second consecutive game with multiple interceptions and unlike last week against Alabama, the rushing lanes weren’t there. It won’t get an easier for Mond with that relentless Kentucky defense coming to town.

5. Joe Burrow, LSU

Take that, math nerds. Did nearly 400 yards of offense make you feel better about Burrow? Even against a porous Ole Miss defense, that game should have given you confidence in Burrow. He was spectacular.

Burrow is 5-0, including 3-0 vs. Power 5 competition, and he’s one of two Power 5 quarterbacks with 1,000 passing yards and 0 interceptions. Who’s the other? Tua Tagovailoa.

A huge, huge opportunity awaits Burrow in The Swamp.

4. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn

Man, it’s getting awfully tough to keep fighting off the Stidham doubters. Another offensive dud against Southern Miss continued a frustrating post-Week 1 run for the Auburn offense. It was a weird game with the long weather delay, so it’s tough to fault Stidham too much for not really getting into a rhythm — he only completed 58 percent of his passes — again. But at least Stidham had his first game this season with multiple touchdown passes and 0 interceptions. Stidham and that messy Auburn offensive line will have to play mistake-free against an MSU defensive line that can take over a game.

3. Drew Lock, Mizzou

A bye week for Lock was probably a good thing following the beating he took against Georgia. While Lock was dominant to start the season, the doubts will creep in if he starts SEC play 0-2 with consecutive lackluster performances. Lock needs Emanuel Hall to be healthy to stretch the field. Without him, Lock could have to use his legs even more to keep drives alive. He does have a rushing touchdown in each of his past 3 games. He’ll need every bit of his first-round talent against an angry South Carolina team on the road.

2. Jake Fromm, Georgia

I wasn’t a fan. That is, of Justin Fields getting non-red zone, non-blowout looks. I understand it was trying to spark a stagnant run game, but I think Fromm needs to stay in during those situations. He’s still Georgia’s best chance to stretch the field and open up the run game. While Saturday’s rather disappointing offensive showing marked Fromm’s first game without a touchdown pass of his career, he still completed 73 percent of his passes and didn’t turn the ball over. Well, thanks to Isaac Nauta (I realize Nauta’s missed block also allowed the fumble).

1. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

So I’m just gonna leave this here.

Tagovailoa is also leading the nation in quarterback rating, he’s yet to throw an interception, he’s only been sacked twice and he’s up to an absurd 13.2 yards per attempt. That’s good, I guess.

Heisman Trophy voters are going to have to value at Tagovailoa’s unprecedented efficiency, or else they’re doing a disservice to the award. Tagovailoa will face an Arkansas defense that looked pretty solid against Stidham and Mond the past couple weeks. Obviously Tagovailoa is on a different level, but on the road in his sixth game of the year, let’s see if anyone is capable of making adjustments to shut down the Heisman favorite.