SEC Football Topics for Discussion: Give Us a Midseason Report. Is LSU the Front-Runner?

Midseason report. Every team in the SEC has now played at least half of the 12 regular-season games, though a few have already played seven. A blanket question: What do you think of the first half of the year? Which team has surprised you the most, for better or for worse? What player or development did you not see coming this year? And which of the many early-season news stories is the most shocking?

Is LSU the favorite to win the conference now? With its win Saturday against SEC East leader Florida, the Tigers are now the only undefeated team in the conference, and is one of only two teams in the West that controls its own destiny. (More on the other in a moment.) There are still some tough games ahead -- including the season-defining tilt at Alabama and the finale against Texas A&M. But do you see any team other than Alabama having the ability to keep up with the Tigers? And can Nick Saban and Co. defeat LSU in what might be the most important edition of THE GAME OF THE CENTURY since the original?

SEC Football, Week 7 Results

LSU 35, Florida 28: Tigers triumph in battle of unbeatens Alabama 41, Texas A&M 23: Tide dispatches another would-be challenger Memphis 37, Ole Miss 24: Fuente's team stuns the Rebels Georgia 9, Missouri 6: Offense set back 50 years in Dawgs' win South Carolina 19, Vanderbilt 10: Shawn Elliott wins first game as head coach Photo by Jim Dedmon -- USA Today Sports

What do we make of Ole Miss now? The Rebels do technically still control their own destiny in the SEC West, despite the embarrassing loss at Memphis on Saturday. Ole Miss gets three of its last five SEC games at home, including the match-ups against LSU and Texas A&M. Does the loss at Memphis, combined with the demolition at Florida two weeks ago, undermine your opinion of the Rebels? Can they still contend in the SEC West, or is the fact they're still alive little more than a mathematical curiosity? What is the floor and ceiling now for the Rebels?

Who's the best QB in the SEC? It's already been pretty well established that this is the Year of the RB in the SEC. The quarterback play has been a little bit more -- let's go with uneven -- this season. One signal-caller seems to have a breakout game, only to stumble in his next big contest. Most of the teams that are doing well seem to be doing so despite their quarterbacks, or at least not because of their quarterbacks. So who's doing the best job under center this season?

Who's No. 14 in the SEC Power Poll? If you were looking for a clear-cut winner in the Vanderbilt-South Carolina game, you were disappointed. It was just as sloppy and unsatisfying as you might imagine; I could write a paragraph about the game that makes you think the best team won the game, and then write another paragraph that makes you think the Commodores lost despite outplaying the Gamecocks. So, should South Carolina keep its spot as the worst team in the SEC Power Poll (and my personal ballot, where it's been for the last couple of weeks)? Or does Vanderbilt now deserve to be the Worst of the Best?