Our ESPN.com Top 25 ballots

October, 1, 2013
Oct 1
2:30
PM ET
By Edward Aschoff | ESPN.com
The ESPN.com Power Rankings are in so it's time to check out how Chris and I voted in our Top 25 polls this week:

Edward

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Stanford
4. Ohio State
5. Clemson
6. Georgia
7. Texas A&M
8. Louisville
9. Florida State
10. LSU
11. South Carolina
12. UCLA
13. Oklahoma
14. Miami
15. Baylor
16. Michigan
17. Florida
18. Washington
19. Northwestern
20. Texas Tech
21. Arizona State
22. Oklahoma State
23. Fresno State
24. Ole Miss
25. Maryland

Chris

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Clemson
4. Stanford
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia
7. Texas A&M
8. Louisville
9. Florida State
10. South Carolina
11. LSU
12. UCLA
13. Oklahoma
14. Baylor
15. Miami
16. Northwestern
17. Washington
18. Texas Tech
19. Florida
20. Michigan
21. Arizona State
22. Oklahoma State
23. Fresno State
24. Ole Miss
25. Northern Illinois

SEC lunchtime links

October, 1, 2013
Oct 1
12:00
PM ET
By Sam Khan Jr. | ESPN.com
From defensive struggles to quarterback quandaries to head coach hot-stove talk to even nature walks, there's plenty going on in SEC football this week. Here's a sampling of discussion points from around the league:

Why Mannion's record game was deceiving

October, 1, 2013
Oct 1
11:29
AM ET
By Sharon Katz, ESPN Stats & Info | ESPN.com
Week 5 featured the first full slate of conference games, and many matchups lived up to their pregame hype. Georgia outscored LSU in a back-and-forth game filled with big plays and superb quarterback play. Alabama found its defense and shut out Ole Miss at home. And Braxton Miller returned from injury to throw four touchdowns and lead Ohio State past Wisconsin.

With the help of ESPN’s new college football metrics (see explanations here), ESPN Stats & Information looks back on Week 5 and ahead to this weekend’s matchup between Northwestern and Ohio State.


Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY SportsSean Mannio threw for a school-record 6 touchdowns on Saturday in Oregon State's win over Colorado.


First, we look at how a record-setting performance could look rather pedestrian through the lens of our metrics.

Sean Mannion threw for 414 yards and a school record six touchdowns in Oregon State's 44-17 win against Colorado. But he finished with a middle-of-the-road 48.8 Total QBR.

At first glance, Mannion’s stats are outstanding. But he completed 52 percent of his passes, threw an interception and took two sacks, including one sack-fumble. In addition, a lot of Mannion's production came in garbage time: 117 pass yards and three touchdowns when leading by at least 21 points. In sum, that led to a below-average 48.8 Total QBR.

Best Individual Performances
Stephen Morris (97.0 Total QBR) completed 11-of-16 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an ankle injury in Miami's win against South Florida. Morris’ 97.0 Total QBR was the highest by a Miami quarterback against an FBS opponent in the last 10 seasons.

Nathan Scheelhaase (93.7 Total QBR) threw for 278 yards and a career-high five pass touchdowns as Illinois beat Miami (OH). Scheelhaase completed 79 percent of his passes, including five of seven passes in the red zone that resulted in four touchdowns.

Taysom Hill (93.1 Total QBR) became the second player in the FBS to pass for 150 yards and rush for 150 yards in a game this season as BYU beat Middle Tennessee 37-10. Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois is the other quarterback to accomplish the feat this season. Hill ran for 165 yards on 18 attempts, resulting in 5.2 expected points added on rushing plays. This season, Hill leads all FBS quarterbacks with 565 rush yards and has added almost twice as many expected points on running plays than any other quarterback.

Tyler Murphy (93.0 Total QBR) followed up his 98.1 Total QBR in his debut with a 93 QBR in Florida's win against Kentucky. Murphy completed all 11 of his passes in the first half and had a 98.9 Total QBR in the first 30 minutes of play. In 15 career starts, injured Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel has never had a single-game Total QBR of 93 or above or a perfect completion percentage in a half.

View the full list of Total QBR leaders for the season and Week 5.

Best Team Performances
Offense: East Carolina. The Pirates scored seven offensive touchdowns and averaged 4.2 points per drive in their 55-31 victory at North Carolina. They added 32.3 expected points on offense, which was the second-most offensive expected points added in a game against an AQ opponent this season (Oregon: +39.2 EPA against Tennessee on Sept. 14).

Defense: Alabama. The Tide’s defense added 24.4 expected points toward their 25-point victory. That means that if Alabama had an average defense, it would have basically been an equal matchup on Saturday. Ole Miss entered the game averaging 490 yards and 38 points per game, but the Rebels were held to 205 total yards and were shut out for the first time since 1998.

Special Teams: Georgia. Special teams is often overlooked, but it may have been the difference in Georgia’s win against LSU.

Georgia’s Expected Points Added
Saturday vs LSU

Offense +19
Defense -20
Special Teams +4
Contribution of each unit to team’s net points in game

The graphic shows the expected points added by each of Georgia’s units to the team's net points in the game. Georgia’s offense and defense basically canceled each other out, but its special teams unit added four expected points, which may have been the difference in the game.

On special teams, Georgia recovered a muffed punt and made all three of its field goals, including a 55-yard field goal by Marshall Morgan in the third quarter.

Looking ahead to Week 6
Ohio State travels to No. 16 Northwestern looking to knock off its second-straight ranked opponent on Saturday. College GameDay will be at Northwestern for the first time since a 1995 showdown against Iowa.

For Northwestern to pull off the upset, the Wildcats must stop Ohio State’s balanced offense. The Buckeyes have passed for 1,070 yards and rushed for 1,436 yards in five games this season. They are one of two teams (Texas A&M) that has added at least 50 expected points on passing and rushing plays.

Ohio State will have its own challenge on defense as it tries to stop Northwestern’s dual-quarterback system. Northwestern quarterbacks Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian are off to hot starts, with each player posting a Total QBR above 70 this season. The only other team that has two quarterbacks with at least 75 action plays and a Total QBR of 70 or above is Ohio State.

Is Alabama The Best In The Land?

October, 1, 2013
Oct 1
11:14
AM ET


video

Danny Kanell weighs in on whether Alabama is the best team in college football, let alone the SEC, and identifies his best under-the-radar team.

Georgia on a roll

October, 1, 2013
Oct 1
10:45
AM ET
By Gerry Hamilton | ESPN.com

Each week, Gerry Hamilton will take you inside the world of recruiting with a look at upcoming games recruits will be attending, committed players who could be on the verge of flipping, No. 1 overall recruit Leonard Fournette's production and much more.

Change is in the air

Until players sign on the dotted line, no recruitment is over. Even after verbal commitments, other schools remain in hot pursuit. Here are three committed players to keep an eye on between now and signing day.


To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Georgia's path to the BCS title game

October, 1, 2013
Oct 1
9:15
AM ET
By Chris Low | ESPN.com
If a one-loss team is going to play in the VIZIO BCS National Championship Game this season, Georgia might be as good a bet as any.

But hear this Dawgs fans: You need some help.

[+] EnlargeKeith Marshall, Aaron Murray, Kolton Houston
Daniel Shirey/USA TODAY SportsTo reach the BCS title game, Georgia will likely need more than just the scoring prowess of Aaron Murray and the Bulldogs' offense.
The good news for Georgia is that it moved up to No. 6 in the USA Today Poll, one of three components used in the BCS standings.

If the Bulldogs keep winning, they’ve got a great chance to move up even more, especially with a pair of wins over top 10 opponents.

Remember, too, that only twice during the SEC’s streak of seven straight national championships has the team winning it all finished unbeaten.

The Bulldogs are explosive enough offensively to beat anybody in the country. Obviously, they’re going to need a healthy Todd Gurley the rest of the way. He’s day-to-day for this weekend’s game at Tennessee with a sprained left ankle.

To the Bulldogs’ credit, they played without him for the final three quarters last Saturday and still managed to outlast LSU 44-41. But it’s difficult to see them winning out (and winning the SEC championship) if Gurley’s not close to 100 percent. Keith Marshall is a heck of a talent at running back, but Gurley gives that offense a different dimension when he’s on the field.

Georgia also must continue to grow up on defense if the Bulldogs are going to have a chance to navigate their way to Pasadena. They’ve played 10 true freshmen on defense this season, and three are starters. Of the 22 players listed on their defensive two-deep, 16 are freshmen and sophomores.

So it’s not exactly a surprise that they’ve given up an average of 32.5 points per game, which ranks last in the SEC in scoring defense. To be fair, they’ve also played three top-10 foes.

The key will be how much that defense improves over the next month because the offense, as good as it’s been, can’t be expected to score 35-plus points every game.

But what else needs to happen for the Bulldogs to get to where they came within a tipped pass of potentially getting to last season and playing for the national title?

Here’s a quick checklist:

  • They need to win out, and they probably need to do so impressively, particularly over the teams they’re expected to beat. Otherwise, some of the unbeaten teams behind them in the polls (Florida State, Louisville and Oklahoma) could easily pass them.

  • Clemson has to lose somewhere along the way. There’s no way Georgia gets into the BCS National Championship Game over an unbeaten Clemson team, which opened the season with a 38-35 win over Georgia. The best chances for Clemson to go down (and no, Dabo, I didn’t say pull a Clemson) are Oct. 19 against Florida State at home, Oct. 26 at Maryland and Nov. 30 at South Carolina. The Gamecocks have won four straight over the Tigers.

  • If Florida State were to beat Clemson, then Georgia would likely need the Seminoles to lose at some point. Florida State faces Maryland at home this weekend. Miami visits Tallahassee on Nov. 2, and Florida State closes the regular season on Nov. 30 with a trip to Florida.

  • Oregon and Stanford play each other on Nov. 7, so one of those teams is going to have a loss. Both are currently ranked ahead of Georgia. An unbeaten Pac-12 champion would be a lock to fill one of the spots in the BCS National Championship Game.
  • Having Ohio State stumble would also be helpful to the Bulldogs. The Buckeyes play at No. 16 Northwestern this weekend. If they get out of Evanston unscathed, it’s hard to see a loss on their schedule, although they do have to play at Michigan this season.

  • The ideal scenario for Georgia would be for Alabama to win out and be No. 1 in the country heading into the SEC championship game. That way, Georgia would have a chance to score massive points with the voters in the two human polls (and with the computers) by taking down the Crimson Tide on that last weekend before the final BCS standings are released. It’s supposed to be your entire body of work that voters consider when casting their ballots, but last impressions always seem to carry a little extra weight with those final ballots.

In sum, there’s so much football remaining before we get to that first weekend in December that it’s impossible to predict who will still be standing in the national championship race. But if Georgia is indeed going to make a run as a one-loss team, UGA fans probably need to root against Clemson, against Ohio State and for Alabama … at least until the SEC championship game.

UGA waiting for youth to mature

October, 1, 2013
Oct 1
3:00
AM ET
By David Ching | ESPN.com
video

ATHENS, Ga. -- There was never any mystery about where the question marks existed on this Georgia team. With the bulk of a record-setting offense returning, the progress of a wholly reconstructed defense would likely make the biggest difference in whether the Bulldogs reach their championship goals.

Georgia's first four games showed exactly why those questions were valid, as Todd Grantham's group that had glaring holes to fill at every level typically struggled mightily against the nation's most challenging September schedule. And yet even when statistics -- and the eyeball test -- might paint an ugly picture of Georgia's current defensive capabilities, Grantham's group has done just enough to help keep the Bulldogs' division, conference and BCS title hopes alive.

"I believe that we showed up at the crucial time when we really needed to," said Georgia defensive lineman Ray Drew, who had a key pass breakup on LSU's final drive during the Bulldogs' 44-41 win last Saturday. "There were some things that happened that if we could go back and change, we would. But I'm happy with the outcome."

That has been a common theme thus far. No. 6 Georgia (3-1, 2-0 SEC) has won three in a row -- including wins against then-No. 6 South Carolina and LSU, also ranked sixth when it lost to the Bulldogs -- following a season-opening loss at Clemson. In each of those victories, a defense that looked helpless for much of the game came up with key fourth-down stops on the opponent's final possession that helped put away the win.


(Read full post)


SEC lunchtime links

September, 30, 2013
Sep 30
2:05
PM ET
By Greg Ostendorf | ESPN.com
Everybody is still recovering from the weekend that was in the SEC. Let's see what people are saying about the top games and performances from Week 5.

Video: One Good Thing -- Georgia offense

September, 30, 2013
Sep 30
2:00
PM ET
By ESPN.com staff | ESPN.com
video
Chris Low discusses why Georgia's offense and the way the Bulldogs have performed against three top 10 teams is this week's One Good Thing in the SEC.

SEC players of the week

September, 30, 2013
Sep 30
12:35
PM ET
By Edward Aschoff | ESPN.com
Here are the SEC players of the week, as announced by the league Monday:

OFFENSIVE: Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia
  • Murray was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week following his performance in a 44-41 victory over No. 6 LSU.
  • He connected on 20 of 34 for 298 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for his third touchdown of the season. This marked Murray’s second victory over an SEC top-10 team in the last three games as he helped generate 494 yards of offense.
  • Under Murray’s direction, the Bulldogs have scored at least 35 points in all four of their games this season, including at least 41 vs. both South Carolina and LSU.
  • Murray moved into the No. 2 spot in school history in career passing yardage with 11,429 (former Bulldog David Greene holds the school and SEC records at 11,528); in total offense, Murray now has 11,659 yards, which is No. 2 in SEC history.
DEFENSIVE: C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama
  • Led the team with nine total tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup and two QB hurries.
  • Put the game out of reach when he made a tackle for a safety with 5:43 left in the game to make it 18-0. Also deflected a pass on a key fourth-and-2 from the Alabama 7-yard line in the third quarter to keep the 16-0 lead.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Marshall Morgan, PK, Georgia
  • Morgan scored 14 points during the 44-41 victory over LSU.
  • He was 5-for-5 on PATs and drilled all three of his field goal attempts, including a career-long 55 yarder that put Georgia ahead 27-20 in the third quarter.
FRESHMAN: Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida
  • Made his third interception of the season, the most by an SEC freshman and the third-most nationally among freshmen.
  • Intercepted a pass in the end zone from Kentucky’s Maxwell Smith.
  • Leads the Gators in interceptions.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Michael Sam, DE, Missouri
  • Was disruptive for most of the night in Mizzou's win over Arkansas State, as he had a career-best three sacks (for 19 yards of loss) and forced a fumble. He ended the game with four tackles.
  • The three sacks ties the NCAA single-game high this season, and Sam leads the SEC and ranks 18th nationally with his tackles-for-loss average of 1.5 per game.
OFFENSIVE LINE: A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
  • Cann led the charge for a Gamecocks' offensive line that helped amass 225 yards on the ground, including 167 from Mike Davis, and four rushing touchdowns. South Carolina added 265 passing yards.
  • Played all 80 offensive snaps, grading out at 86 percent with no sacks or pressures against him.

Hot and Not in the SEC: Week 5

September, 30, 2013
Sep 30
11:00
AM ET
By Chris Low | ESPN.com
Anybody hot … or not?

It’s that time again as we review the week that was in the SEC.

GLOWING EMBERS

Alabama’s intel: Alabama’s defense was already fired up thanks to what the Tide perceived as smack talk by some of the Ole Miss players leading up to the game. Let’s face it: There’s a fine line sometimes between a player answering a question honestly and his comments mushrooming into full-blown bulletin board material. Either way, the Alabama defense was amped by some of the things Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace was quoted as saying earlier in the week, even though what Wallace said was pretty tame. We’re not exactly talking about any “Archie who?” banter here. But where the Crimson Tide really stuck it to the Rebels was with a little inside intel thanks to Tyler Siskey, Alabama’s assistant director of football operations. Siskey was on the Ole Miss staff last season as director of recruiting development. He was in the Alabama coaches' booth for the game with a set of binoculars, and even though Ole Miss changed up its signals, there weren’t many times that the Tide were fooled by what the Rebels were doing offensively. As ESPN analyst Todd Blackledge noted during the broadcast, Siskey’s knowledge of the Ole Miss offense was a big asset to an already imposing Alabama defense in its preparation for the game. The Tide might not have had the Rebels’ signals, but they were sure locked in to the Rebels’ tendencies on offense and played lights-out in shutting out a Hugh Freeze-coached team for the first time in his college career.

[+] EnlargeKentrell Brothers, E.J. Gaines
Shane Keyser/Kansas City Star via Getty ImagesCB E.J. Gaines (31) leads Missouri in interceptions and solo tackles.
HOT

Missouri cornerback E.J. Gaines: When you start reeling off the top cornerbacks in this league, don’t forget about Gaines. He’s off to a terrific start to the season. In the 41-19 win over Arkansas State, he had nine total tackles, including one for loss, and his third interception of the season to set up Missouri’s final touchdown. Gaines is more than just a cover guy. He leads the Tigers with 19 solo tackles.

NOT

LSU’s defense: The Tigers have a way to go defensively. When you lose as many good defensive players early to the NFL draft as they have over the last couple of years, that kind of talent drain has a way of catching up with even the best defenses. Veteran coordinator John Chavis knew this defense would be a work in progress, but seeing all the blown coverages in the 44-41 loss at Georgia and wide-open receivers running free in the LSU secondary was difficult for anybody on that LSU staff to stomach.

HOT

Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray: So much for the “can’t win the big game” label. Murray has been fabulous in Georgia’s two wins over top-10 teams this season, with eight touchdown passes and just one interception. There’s no substitute for his experience, and it shows in the way he’s carving apart defenses right now.

NOT

SEC defenses: Only one SEC team (Florida at No. 2) is ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense this week. For that matter, only two are ranked in the top 20. Mississippi State is 20th. In scoring defense, Alabama is still among the national leaders at No. 13. The offenses have taken center stage this season in the SEC, and suddenly the defenses are trying to catch up. Keep in mind, too, that six of the seven national champions during the SEC’s streak have finished in the top 10 nationally in total defense.

HOT

South Carolina running back Mike Davis: He’s the SEC’s rushing leader heading into the month of October and seemingly gets better every week. He carried the Gamecocks in the 28-25 win over UCF after Connor Shaw went down, and finished with a career-high 167 yards and three touchdowns. He has had a run of 50 yards or longer in three of his four games.

NOT

Schedule balance: Talk about a contrast in October schedules. Alabama doesn’t play anyone that should come within 20 points of the Crimson Tide (and that’s being kind) until LSU comes to town on Nov. 9. Arkansas, meanwhile, has Florida, South Carolina and Alabama over the next three weeks, and Florida and Alabama are on the road. Tennessee gets Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama in October. Ole Miss also has a tough October stretch that will go a long way toward shaping the Rebels’ season. They travel to Auburn this weekend and then come back home for back-to-back games against Texas A&M and LSU. Georgia gets a little bit of a break, although the Bulldogs do have to go on the road to face both Tennessee and Vanderbilt in October. Given their September gantlet (three top-10 opponents), nothing should seem too daunting the rest of the way.

FREEZER BURN

Staying healthy: Geez, what a bad week on the injury front for a handful of SEC teams and players. Florida was already reeling after losing starting quarterback Jeff Driskel to a season-ending injury two weeks ago against Tennessee. And then last week in practice, star defensive tackle Dominique Easley was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Easley was playing as well as any defensive lineman in the league. This past weekend, we saw South Carolina quarterback Shaw go down with a right (throwing) shoulder sprain that will sideline him for two to three weeks. Alabama will be without starting center Ryan Kelly for two to three weeks after he suffered an MCL injury to his knee, and Georgia running back Todd Gurley injured his ankle in the win over LSU. Georgia coach Mark Richt said Gurley would be “day-to-day” in preparation for Saturday’s game at Tennessee and wouldn’t need any kind of surgery. The Bulldogs played the final three quarters without Gurley. Texas A&M defensive tackle Kirby Ennis had to leave the Arkansas game with a left knee injury. Depending on the severity of Ennis’ injury, he will have some extra time to recover. The Aggies are off this week before traveling to Ole Miss on Oct. 12.

Receiver by committee is working for UGA

September, 30, 2013
Sep 30
10:50
AM ET
By Edward Aschoff | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- When asked about Georgia's receiving corps following the Bulldogs' 44-41 shootout win over LSU on Saturday, redshirt sophomore receiver Justin Scott-Wesley didn't hesitate with his confident answer.

"Oh man, I think we have the best receiving corps in the nation," said Scott-Wesley, who caught four passes, including the game-winning 25-yard touchdown in Saturday's game. "You can quote me on that. Other [teams] might have one big standout guy, but when it comes to consistent guys, we have five or six guys we can put in and just keep rolling."

[+] EnlargeJustin Scott-Wesley
Scott Cunningham/Getty ImagesGeorgia wide receiver Justin Scott-Wesley had five catches for 55 yards and the game-winning touchdown on Saturday.
Anyone watching Saturday's score-fest might have a hard time arguing against Scott-Wesley. Against LSU, the Bulldogs had nine different players catch at least one pass. Four of them hauled in multiple receptions.

"We kept talking at halftime saying, 'Hey, your number is gonna be called, pick up the phone and answer it,' and I thought the guys did," offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said.

After star wide out Malcolm Mitchell went out with a season-ending ACL injury in the season opener, questions arose concerning who would be the guy out wide. Was a veteran like Chris Conley or Michael Bennett up for the job? How about an up-and-comer like Scott-Wesley? Or could tight end Arthur Lynch play the part?

The answer ended up being "yes" to all three. Through four games, those four players have reached double-digit receptions and have combined for 874 yards and eight touchdowns on 53 catches. The Bulldogs have had a different player lead the team in receiving in all four games and have had three players or more catch three or more catches in each game.

Scott-Wesley leads Georgia with 289 receiving yards, while Conley has a team-high 15 receptions. Add running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, along with speedy freshman Reggie Davis and tight end Jay Rome, and quarterback Aaron Murray's job has been made easy through the first quarter of the season.

"Murray's blessed in that he has a lot of guys who can make plays," coach Mark Richt said.

Not having that No. 1, go-to guy hasn't hindered this offense. Murray fell under 300 yards passing for the first time this year in the win over LSU. And even then, he threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns. His receivers succeeded against man coverage and succeeded against zone. They were precise in their route running and made sure-handed plays in critical situations.

Having one player to chuck it to on a regular basis is nice, but Richt said it's been nice for Murray to have multiple players to consistently rely on. It takes the pressure off constantly trying to find a main set of hands in crunch time.

More on Georgia

Georgia For full coverage of the Dawgs, check out the Georgia blog, part of ESPN's College Football Nation. Blog
More:
• Georgia's clubhouse page
• ESPN.com's SEC blog

"It's fun as a coordinator, it's fun as a quarterback to throw the ball to the guy based on the coverage, based on his read and not when you're trying to force it to one guy who might be double-covered because you feel like an idiot if you don't get A.J. Green the ball six times a game," Richt said. "You find yourself forcing the ball and you find yourself trying to figure out ways to get one guy one."

Murray isn't forcing the ball and the Bulldogs' offense is clicking right along. Murray knows he has multiple targets to work with, and he considers them all No. 1-type players.

"They've been awesome," Murray said of his receivers. "We knew that was going to be one of our biggest strengths offensively."

"You could say that any of those guys could be No. 1's at schools. It's a pleasure. They're really a hardworking group and all camp, all year, we really grind to be perfect in what we do. A lot, a lot of talent at that position."

SEC Power Rankings: Week 5

September, 30, 2013
Sep 30
9:00
AM ET
By Edward Aschoff | ESPN.com
Well, the top team in our Power Rankings certainly made sure everyone knew exactly why it was No. 1:

1. Alabama (4-0, 2-0 SEC; last week: 1): The Crimson Tide defense was tired of hearing how good it wasn't. It didn't like hearing that Ole Miss was going to score on it. So it shut the Rebels out and held them to just 205 yards of offense and 11 first downs. The Alabama offense rolled up 434 yards of offense as well, quieting a lot of doubters in the process.

2. Georgia (3-1, 2-0 SEC; LW: 4): Well, it's pretty clear that the SEC Eastern Division is now Georgia's to lose. After a thrilling 44-41 win over LSU, the Bulldogs showed that no matter how bad their defense plays, the offense will be there to rescue it. The only real defensive test remaining for this unit is Florida. But can Florida's offense keep up with the Dawgs if they score?

3. Texas A&M (4-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 3): Like Georgia, the Aggies are equipped with an offense that can bail out its struggling defense. The Razorbacks gave A&M quite the scare in Fayetteville over the weekend, but Johnny Manziel and Co. didn't have much trouble piling on points against a struggling Arkansas defense. Still, that rushing defense has to improve with SEC play heating up.

4. LSU (4-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 2): The Tigers' defense showed its youthful age against Georgia on Saturday, especially in the secondary. Georgia churned out nearly 500 yards and averaged 7 yards per play. It didn't help that the front seven didn't generate enough pressure on Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, who threw four touchdowns. But we learned that LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger is the real deal. He delivered some NFL throws and might have outplayed Murray between the hedges.

5. South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 5): I don't know what it is with this South Carolina team. It overcame the loss of starting quarterback Connor Shaw by scoring 28 straight points on UCF Saturday, but then turned around and let the Knights end the game on a 15-0 run. The good news for the Gamecocks is they might have one of the most underrated players in the SEC in running back Mike Davis, who leads the SEC in rushing yards per game (127).

6. Florida (3-1, 2-0 SEC; LW: 7): This is officially Tyler Murphy's team, and he's been solid since replacing Jeff Driskel at quarterback. No one really expects much from the passing game going forward, so the running game has to carry this team (again). It did just that with its 246 yards in the win over Kentucky. That defense might be missing Dominique Easley, but it was fantastic against the Wildcats.

7. Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 6): Quarterback Bo Wallace took some heat for saying the Rebels' offense would score some points on Alabama. Well, he ended up scoring for the Crimson Tide with his safety in the fourth quarter. The high-flying offense we saw in the first three games didn't make it to Tuscaloosa, and now the Rebels are gearing up for a crucial conference game at Auburn this weekend.

8. Missouri (4-0, 0-0 SEC; LW: 8): We still don't know a ton about this team, but the Tigers scored at will against their nonconference foes, averaging 45.5 points and 549 yards through the first four games. But SEC play starts now with a trip to Vanderbilt this weekend. We'll find out very soon if there was any substance to the Tigers' fast start to the season.

9. Auburn (3-1, 1-1 SEC; LW: 9): The Tigers had the week off after their loss to LSU. That gave this team time to rest and try to get the passing game in better shape for the Rebels. What Gus Malzahn and his running backs had to be excited about was seeing Ole Miss' defense give up 254 rushing yards and rushing touchdowns of 68 and 50 yards to the Tide.

10. Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-2 SEC; LW: 10): The offense is only getting better, and wide receiver Jordan Matthews is getting closer and closer to breaking SEC records for career receiving yards and career receptions. With eight catches for 115 yards and touchdown in Vandy's 52-24 win over UAB, Matthews has had 100-plus yards or a touchdown in four of Vandy's five games.

11. Arkansas (3-2, 0-1 SEC; LW: 11): After a rough loss at Rutgers, the Hogs made things interesting in their 45-33 loss to the Aggies. This running game bounced back against A&M with 201 yards, while Brandon Allen's return at quarterback led to 282 passing yards. Still, this team has to clean things up on defense. The Aggies averaged 7 yards per play.

12. Mississippi State (2-2, 0-1 SEC; LW 12): The Bulldogs were off after their 62-7 win over Troy. It was an impressive win for a team looking for more of an offensive spark at the beginning of the season. The way quarterback Dak Prescott is playing, this offense has to feel confident going into this weekend's matchup with LSU. But do the Bulldogs have the horses to keep up with an LSU team that has to be frustrated after its loss to Georgia?

13. Tennessee (3-2, 0-1 SEC; LW: 13): Somehow, the Volunteers tried to give it all away late against South Alabama on Saturday. Tennessee was outscored 17-7 in the second half of its 31-24 win and even blocked its own field goal. A win is a win, especially for a program with a new head coach, but the Vols now have to regroup and face a Georgia team capable of scoring 50 in Knoxville this weekend.

14. Kentucky (1-3, 0-1 SEC; LW: 14): The Wildcats' only real positive from Saturday's 24-7 loss to Florida was that their touchdown came on a fake field goal. Other than that, the Gators dominated Mark Stoops' team. When your kicker is your leading rusher in a game (25 yards), you know you have major problems in the playmaking department.

Weekend recruiting wrap: SEC 

September, 30, 2013
Sep 30
8:00
AM ET
By Gerry Hamilton | ESPN.com
With the college football season nearing the halfway point, there is plenty of recruiting news each and every weekend. From Georgia’s big win over LSU with several key visitors to some big-time performances by SEC commitments, here is the latest.

Biggest commitment: ESPN 300 defensive end Keyon Brown (Wauchula, Fla./Hardee County) committing to Georgia was a big one for the Bulldogs. With five-star outside linebacker prospect Lorenzo Carter (Norcoss, Ga./Norcross) being far from a lock for Georgia, adding a pass-rushing outside linebacker who fits Todd Grantham’s 3-4 was key after missing on Darrion Owens (Orange Park, Fla./Oakleaf) this summer. With Brown now in the fold, the Bulldogs can go after Carter, ESPN 300 Rashaan Evans (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) and Alabama commitment Christian Miller (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) with the comfort of having one very capable prospect at the position in the fold.

Best weekend performances: Many SEC pledges were in action this weekend. Here's a look at some of the top performances over the weekend.

  • QB Rafe Peavey (Bolivar, Mo./Bolivar), Arkansas commit: The four-star prospect passed for 195 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 260 yards and three scores on 18 carries in a 59-24 win over Marshfield.

  • RB Nick Chubb (Cedartown, Ga./Cedartown), Georgia commit: In what is becoming the Chubb Weekly Watch, the powerful ESPN 300 running back rushed for 370 yards and five touchdowns in Friday night’s 42-28 win over Southwest Whitfield. On his way to a 2,500-yard regular season, Chubb now has 1,359 yards.

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2013 SEC STANDINGS

EASTCONFOVR
#18 Florida2-03-1
#6 Georgia2-03-1
#13 South Carolina1-13-1
Missouri0-04-0
Tennessee0-13-2
Kentucky0-11-3
Vanderbilt0-23-2
WESTCONFOVR
#1 Alabama2-04-0
#10 LSU1-14-1
#9 Texas A&M1-14-1
Auburn1-13-1
#24 Ole Miss1-13-1
Arkansas0-13-2
Mississippi State0-12-2

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