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Four weeks into the season, it feels like the MVP race is starting to gain definition. The list remains malleable, and there are a handful of worthy candidates still on the outside looking in, but with each passing week it’s looking more and more like a two-man race at the top, with the next eight to 12 candidates simply jockeying for position behind them.
Then again, we’re still in September. At this time last year, Nick Chubb had never started a game and Dak Prescott was only just becoming a household name in SEC country.
For the first-time readers, here’s the plan:
We’re endeavoring to sort out the conference’s best players by taking into account all the things the Heisman voters tend to leave out. To top our list, you don’t need to be a household name playing for a national title contender — though, if we’re being honest, it doesn’t hurt. We aim to find the best player in the conference who is also his team’s most indispensable piece.
We consider a player’s track record because past results tend to be a pretty good predictor of future performance, but as we move deeper into the season, the reputation a player has developed over the course of a career will fade in the equation, replaced proportionately by what they’ve done for their teams lately.
On to top 10:
10T. CAM ROBINSON, ALABAMA
Last week: 10
The Crimson Tide offensive line hasn’t quite been the dominant unit Alabama fans would like to see, but Robinson remains Mr. Reliability on the left side. He held up against Ole Miss’ talented front seven two weeks ago and will get another test at Georgia this week. It will be interesting to see if the Bulldogs choose to challenge Robinson with their bevy of athletic edge-rushers.
10T. DERRICK HENRY, ALABAMA
Last week: 8
Henry had his lowest rushing total of the season against ULM, carrying 13 times for 52 yards, but he gets a pass for a less-than-spectacular performance after dealing with tonsillitis in the week leading up to the game.
9. KENTRELL BROTHERS, MISSOURI
Last week: 6
Brothers leads the nation in tackles with 52 through four games, and we could get a true picture of how much he means to the Tigers’ defense on Saturday as the senior linebacker is battling an ankle injury and is considered questionable against South Carolina.
8. VERNON HARGREAVES III, FLORIDA
Last week: 9
Hargreaves hardly made a peep in Florida’s win over Tennessee, only because the Vols’ wisely chose not to test the Gators’ highly skilled cornerback. Not that it helped much. Florida held the Vols to 165 passing yards, nearly half of which came via a pair of gadget plays.
7. CHAD KELLY, OLE MISS
Last week: 7
Kelly threw a pair of interceptions against a sneaky dangerous Vanderbilt defense, but when an off night still goes for 321 yards and a win, that says something about the standard the JUCO quarterback has set for himself. He’s now topped 300 yards in three straight games and leads the conference in passing by nearly 20 yards per game.
6. MYLES GARRETT, TEXAS A&M
Last week: 5
Garrett was kept quiet for much of Saturday’s game against Arkansas, and more than once the Hogs took advantage of his aggressive rushing up the field with runs inside. But with Arkansas in possession and driving toward what could’ve been a game-winning field goal, Garrett blew by the opposing lineman for a strip sack, giving the Aggies possession and eventually sending the game to overtime. He’s now up to 6.5 sacks on the season and 16 sacks in 16 career games.
5. CHRISTIAN KIRK, TEXAS A&M
Last week: Not ranked
Last week, Garrett was the big mover on the board. This week, another Aggie gets the honors. Kirk has shown dynamic ability from the first time he touched the ball in Texas A&M’s season-opening win against Arizona State. But he cranked up the heroics to another level on Saturday, snagging eight passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. That gives the true freshman three 100-yard receiving efforts in four collegiate games. With 441 yards, he’s leading the conference in receiving by more than 10 yards per game.
4. ROBERT NKEMDICHE, OLE MISS
Last week: 4
Just four tackles for the Rebels’ freakish defensive lineman against Vanderbilt, but he barreled into the end zone on a short run for his third offensive score of the year. While the first two touchdowns came against lesser competition and had the whiff of Hugh Freeze simply showing off one of the nation’s best athletes, the 1-yard plunge against Vanderbilt was need-based. One of Ole Miss’ few weaknesses on offense could be their short-yardage running game, but giving it to Nkemdiche near the goal line does a good deal to alleviate that.
3. DAK PRESCOTT, MISSISSIPPI STATE
Last week: 3
Unless the Bulldogs go on another run similar to last year’s nine-game winning streak, Prescott may not get the attention he deserves for what he’s being asked to do this year. Through four games, a true replacement for Josh Robinson has yet to materialize, and the rebuilt offensive line isn’t quite as stout as last year’s group. So the onus to make the offense go is even more on Prescott and the Bulldogs receiving corps, and other than a lackluster first half against LSU, they’ve responded. In Saturday’s win over Auburn, Mississippi State managed just 56 rushing yards but came away with a win thanks to some key defensive stops and Prescott’s 29-for-41 passing effort with 270 yards and two touchdowns.
2. NICK CHUBB, GEORGIA
Last week: 1
Chubb has literally done nothing but be excellent. With 131 yards on 15 carries against Southern, the sophomore tied Herschel Walker’s school record with his 12th consecutive game of more than 100 yards on the ground. He’s run for 599 yards (8.4 per carry) with six touchdowns through four games, and there’s maybe only one player in the country playing better right now. That player just happens to make his home in the SEC, as well.
1. LEONARD FOURNETTE, LSU
Last week: 2
It’s hard not to gush when describing what Fournette is doing this season. Hyperbole is almost impossible to avoid. Bo Jackson, Herschel Walker, Earl Campbell, Adrian Peterson. All these names have been tossed out in comparison to a sophomore running back who didn’t really begin to display his gifts until the final two games of last season.
It might sound like heresy, but only if we hadn’t borne witness to Fournette’s weekly feats. Consider: With 244 yards last week against Syracuse, he’s now up to 631 rushing yards on the season. That puts him third in the country, despite the fact that he’s played one fewer game than every other rusher in the top 10. Per game, he’s leading the country by an average of more than 40 yards — and that’s with an 87-yard touchdown wiped off the books due to a penalty.
Just to put it in further context, his 210 yard-per-game average would give Fournette more than 2,500 rushing yards at the end of the regular season. That might seem unlikely, but then again most of what the Tiger tailback has already done could be described the same way.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
