The Day After: What we learned from Week 10 in the SEC

1. Alabama is that damn good

The Crimson Tide proved yet again why they are the No. 1 team in the land, and why they’re deserving of such a ranking. Alabama pitched a shutout against their archrival LSU in Baton Rouge, winning 10-0 in a game that was scoreless for three of the four quarters of action. The Tide defense was as dynamic as ever, frustrating the LSU offense continuously. Jalen Hurts and the offense would eventually wear down the terrific Tigers defense and put points on the board off a field goal and a Hurts rushing TD. ‘Bama will likely continue to cruise through the month of November with one big test remaining at the end, but for now, they proved why they’re that damn good.

2. Auburn is now ‘Bama’s biggest test

At the risk of getting burned on this with the Tide playing Mississippi State next week, the Auburn Tigers notched another win on Saturday. It was far from easy, as pesky Vanderbilt played hard right up until the final whistle. However, the Tigers managed to make it out unscathed with a victory and are primed to be a major mountain for Alabama to climb at the conclusion of the regular season. Who would’ve expected that?

3. Texas A&M picked a terrible time to have a clunker

Much of the hullabaloo going into the week was centered around the Aggies and their ranking as the #4 team in the country in the first edition of the 2016 College Football Playoff rankings. Well, after this weekend, A&M will certainly not be in the Top 4 and maybe not even the Top 10. The Aggies still have time to rebuild and repair but this was simply a poor effort at the wrong place at the wrong time.

4. #NovemBERT is here

Arkansas treks into November with yet another big win on their record as they took down SEC East-leading Florida in Fayetteville. Arkansas has had an accord for geteting big wins in November under Bret Bielema, and it doesn’t look like that trend’s stopping any time soon. Brace yourselves, everybody. #NovemBERT has arrived.

5. The state of the SEC East is less than ideal

The aforementioned loss by Florida put them at 4-2 in the standings. While they’re still in first place, it didn’t do so well for perception of the division, which has been one of the poorest in the country with the play of the Gators, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Not to mention lowly Mizzou and Vanderbilt, too. We’d expect that even if the Gators do to go to Atlanta, with their tough defense and all, Alabama will likely be a heavy favorite anyway.