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With Week 8 of college football action in the books, we decided to take a look at what the media buzz is around the nation regarding the SEC:
ANDY STAPLES, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Staples took a look at each of the major conferences in college football and the College Football Playoff outlook for the teams in them. He brings up the fact that if LSU remains unbeaten, then the selection committee won’t have too much thinking to do, but if they lose, say to Alabama on Nov. 7, then things become pretty complicated.
In the SEC West, LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss could all feasibly make the College Football Playoff, while in the East, Florida appears to be the only team with an actual shot at landing in the nation’s top four.
When it came to his predictions, Staples put LSU as the lone SEC team that will compete for a national championship at the end of the year.
Staples writes:
“If you look at my previous few projected playoffs, you’ll notice LSU isn’t in there. Upon further consideration of what the Tigers can do when sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris is on, I’ve decided to place them here, which is essentially the spot reserved for the least flawed team in the nation (this week). And if you’re reading between the lines, you’ve probably also guessed who I’m picking in the LSU-Alabama game on Nov. 7. If the Crimson Tide prove me wrong, I’ll swap them right back in.”
SAM KHAN JR., ESPN
As he does each week, Khan revealed his SEC power rankings. LSU and Alabama come in at No. 1 and 2, followed by Florida and Ole Miss. But the biggest drop comes from Texas A&M, which now finds itself at No. 6 after a 23-3 loss to the Rebels this past week. Mississippi State has made up some ground and now finds itself at No. 5.
Khan wrote this about the Bulldogs:
“The Bulldogs’ 42-16 win over Kentucky is their third in a row and the third straight game Mississippi State scored at least 40 points. The Bulldogs evened up their conference record (2-2) and get next weekend off before a Thursday-night battle at Missouri on Nov. 5.”
On the other hand, he didn’t have flattering things to say about the Aggies:
“The Aggies look like a mess after their 20-point loss at Ole Miss. The quarterback play was poor and the offense was inept. If not for a solid defensive performance, Saturday’s loss would have been worse. Back-to-back defeats to Alabama and Ole Miss make this team look nothing like the squad that started 5-0. They beat Mississippi State three weeks ago, but the way the Aggies look now, they wouldn’t beat very many SEC teams.”
Vanderbilt found itself in last place in Khan’s rankings last week, but the Commodores’ 10-3 win over Missouri in Week 8 has caused those teams to switch spots, and now the Tigers are ranked No. 14 in the SEC.
TOM FORNELLI, CBS SPORTS
“Prescott did everything for Mississippi State,” is how Fornelli quickly describes the Mississippi State quarterback’s performance against Kentucky. Because Prescott accounted for all 6 of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns against the Wildcats, the CBS Sports staff decided to make him their SEC Spotlight Player of the Week.
Pat Donohue is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @SportsDownPat.
