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Topics for Discussion: The Race for the SEC West and Leonard Fournette's Heisman Hopes

Plus: Which team in the most disappointing in the SEC this year? And could Vanderbilt actually win a conference game?

Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

Who's the class of the SEC West? With Alabama's loss to Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa, the division is as wide-open as it's ever been. And hours before the Rebels won their back-and-forth meeting with the Tide, LSU walloped Auburn in a game that was even more lopsided than the 45-21 score suggests. So is Ole Miss the team to beat under the "to be No. 1, you have to beat No. 1" theory, or are the Bayou Bengals the favorites right now? Or do you still think the Tide has the inside track on the ticket to Atlanta?

Where does Leonard Fournette stand in the Heisman race? Week 3 is ridiculously early to start talking about college football's most controversial reward, but when you run for 228 yards against an SEC West opponent, even one as defensively-challenged as Auburn, you're going to start getting mentions. And nobody in the division is looking like a defensive juggernaut this season. Is Fournette or Nick Chubb more likely to get an invite to NYC, or will they both end up vying for the trophy?

More disappointing team: Arkansas or South Carolina? It's not like either of these teams started out with sky-high expectations, but the Razorbacks were at least seen as contenders for a nice bowl berth, and the Gamecocks were someone you could see sliding in with a .500 record or so. Now, it's not hard to see either of them ending up at 4-8 or perhaps even (gulp) 3-9. Arkansas got beat up by Texas Tech and a gleeful Kliff Kingsbury, while South Carolina got its doors blown off by Georgia. Does either of these teams make a bowl? And what are the odds that either Steve Spurrier or Bret Bielema are walking the sidelines at their respective schools in 2016? And is there someone more disappointing in the conference this year?

Could Vanderbilt get an SEC win this year? The Commodores' defensive effort against Georgia looks even better after seeing what Greyson Lambert did to a truly bad defense, and Vanderbilt finally blew out a cupcake like an SEC team should, beating Austin Peay 47-7. The team's league schedule is not terribly easy, but the trip to Columbia (SC) in mid-October looks like an inviting target for a conference victory. Or is there another team that might end up getting stunned by Vanderbilt?

What are you watching next week? The SEC slate isn't exactly great next Saturday, but it has some games that could be sneaky good. Tennessee-Florida is back at 3:30 p.m. on CBS, and it could help sort out which of those teams is a true contender in the SEC East. Vanderbilt will go to Oxford for the Rebels' potential letdown game. Mississippi State visits Auburn, Arkansas hosts Texas A&M and Missouri faces Kentucky in Lexington. The only match-up with a Power 5 non-conference team is LSU's trip to Syracuse. What's the best game on the docket?