Saturday was not a good day for Texas A&M fans. The Aggies, swaggering into their match-up with a struggling South Carolina program with an undefeated SEC record and fresh off a great win over LSU, were sent home thoroughly spanked thanks to a 24-point loss in Williams-Brice.
Where does that leave us? With five teams with one loss in the SEC.
Week 11 is sure to not only bring us plenty of great football to watch, it's sure to clear up this mess at the top of the SEC standings.
I'm not going to mess with the national scene this week - although if you didn't see it, hunt down a clip of Penn State's James Franklin standing-down a heckler following the loss to Ohio State.
Let's take a look at the Top 5 in the SEC, how they did in Week 10 and how things could iron-out Saturday.
Georgia (7-1, 5-1)
Georgia didn't look very crisp against Florida...and poor Carson Beck looked like he had been in a fight with Mike Tyson after throwing 3 interceptions. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs survived. Next up is one of those two-loss teams who would love some mayhem to happen: Ole Miss, which looked like the team we saw at the beginning of the season. Jaxson Dart threw for 500 yards and 6 touchdowns as the Rebels scorched Arkansas for 63 points in a 32-point victory. One thing is for sure, if the Bulldogs have the same struggles against the Rebels as they did against Florida, the visit to the Grove will turn into a visit to the grave for Georgia's SEC title hopes.
Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1)
What a mess. The good news for A&M is that they are off this week and one of their two remaining SEC contests are with Auburn - which may not even make it to a bowl game. The bad news? The final game of the regular season is against Texas. You remember them don't you Aggies? They're your ancient arch-enemies you left the Big-12 for the greener pastures of the SEC....only you're both now in the SEC and going to play each other with potentially an SEC title game berth and possible playoff spot on the line. Enjoy that off week.
Tennessee (7-1, 4-1)
The Vols' 28-18 win over Kentucky looked about as impressive as their new "dark mode" uniforms. Mississippi State might be positively laughable this year, but the Bulldogs handled their business much better against UMass than the Vols did against the Wildcats. Should Tennessee get past Mississippi State, then congratulations Vols, you win a trip to Athens the following week.
LSU (6-2, 3-1)
LSU, like this week's opponent, the Alabama Crimson Tide, had Week 10 off. How it affects both teams is an interesting conversation. 'Bama looked like the Crimson Tide we saw against Wisconsin and in the first half against Georgia in their shutout of Missouri. LSU suffered their first loss in SEC play against Texas A&M going into the break. Advantage Crimson Tide? Not against a night game in Baton Rouge - which is the stuff of nightmares in the college football world. Bama's defense has been playing very well for the past couple of weeks, which could be enough if the offense has an average day....but if the struggles persist? LSU's playoff chances look pretty good in the last 3 weeks.
Texas (7-1, 3-1)
The Longhorns, off in Week 10, have an easily defined path to the SEC title game: Take care of business against Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky before you play those Aggies. Ah yes, them. So it could end up with a title shot on the line against...them.
Until next week, prep football season is in playoff mode, while basketball and wrestling are getting underway: support your local athletes!
