Team Speed Kills - SEC Football Saturday, Week 8: Georgia, South Carolina, LSU and Texas A&M Go Down in Upsets; Missouri, Alabama CruiseSports are just better in the SEChttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52580/tsk_fav.png2013-10-20T20:56:01-04:00http://www.teamspeedkills.com/rss/stream/46187332013-10-20T20:56:01-04:002013-10-20T20:56:01-04:00BCS Standings: Alabama at No. 1, Missouri at No. 5
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<figcaption>Kevin C. Cox</figcaption>
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<p>The first set of rankings from the BCS are out, and there aren't a lot of surprises in the Top 10. Well, at least if you've been paying attention to the season</p> <p>The annual ritual has begun: The BCS standings were released Sunday night to a nation waiting to tear them apart and destroy them. And to fan bases waiting to see how much work their respective teams have to do to get into the national championship game. So, without further ado, your Top 10:</p>
<p><b>1. Alabama<br>2. Florida State<br>3. Oregon<br>4. Ohio State<br>5. Missouri<br>6. Stanford<br>7. Miami (FL)<br>8. Baylor<br>9. Clemson<br>10. Texas Tech</b></p>
<p>Just what we all expected at the beginning of the season, right?</p>
<p>I find the last two teams in the Top 10 to be utterly and completely laughable. Clemson has done very little to justify a Top 10 ranking of any kind, but that will probably take care of itself one way or another. People tend to forget that Texas Tech should have lost to TCU, and the Red Raiders haven't really played anyone just yet.</p>
<p>Beyond that, I'm a little bit surprised that Florida State beat out Oregon for the No. 2 spot. We'll take a closer look at the components in a bit here, but my guess is that the computers are high on the Seminoles even without seeing the margins by which FSU destroyed Maryland and Clemson. We'll see.</p>
<p>Nothing else here strikes me as patently ridiculous, though you could make an argument that Baylor should at least be ahead of Miami (FL), which hasn't done a whole heck of a lot to impress me yet. Those are quibbles, though. I have no problems with Ohio State being No. 4, just because they play in a weak conference and haven't really done anything that impresses more than Alabama, Florida State and Oregon.</p>
<p>Your other SEC teams are No. 11 Auburn, No. 13 LSU, No. 16 Texas A&M and No. 21 South Carolina. The latter two are ranked a touch lower than I might have thought, but just about on track with their spots among the humans, so you can't really call it a surprise. Here are your full standings.</p>
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<script src="http://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/sorttable/sorttable.js"></script></p>
<table class="sortable" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody>
<tr class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#EDF1F3">
<th colspan="2" align="center"></th> <th colspan="2" align="center">BCS</th> <th colspan="3" align="center">Harris Poll</th> <th colspan="3" align="center">USA Today</th> <th colspan="8" align="center">Computer Rankings</th>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">RK</td>
<td align="center">TEAM</td>
<td align="center">AVG</td>
<td align="center">PVS</td>
<td align="center">RK</td>
<td align="center">PTS</td>
<td align="center">%</td>
<td align="center">RK</td>
<td align="center">PTS</td>
<td align="center">%</td>
<td align="center">AVG</td>
<td align="center">A&H</td>
<td align="center">RB</td>
<td align="center">CM</td>
<td align="center">KM</td>
<td align="center">JS</td>
<td align="center">PW</td>
<td align="center">%</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">Alabama</td>
<td align="center">.9841</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">2615</td>
<td align="center">.9962</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">1544</td>
<td align="center">.9961</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">.960</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">Florida State</td>
<td align="center">.9348</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2401</td>
<td align="center">.9147</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">1410</td>
<td align="center">.9097</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">.980</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">Oregon</td>
<td align="center">.9320</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2520</td>
<td align="center">.9600</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">1482</td>
<td align="center">.9561</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">.880</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">Ohio State</td>
<td align="center">.8553</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">2321</td>
<td align="center">.8842</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">1382</td>
<td align="center">.8916</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">.790</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">Missouri</td>
<td align="center">.8219</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">2026</td>
<td align="center">.7718</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">1184</td>
<td align="center">.7639</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">.930</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">Stanford</td>
<td align="center">.7414</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">1952</td>
<td align="center">.7436</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">1117</td>
<td align="center">.7206</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">.760</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">Miami (FL)</td>
<td align="center">.7200</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">2008</td>
<td align="center">.7650</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">1186</td>
<td align="center">.7652</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">.630</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">Baylor</td>
<td align="center">.7120</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">2038</td>
<td align="center">.7764</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">1255</td>
<td align="center">.8097</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">.550</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">Clemson</td>
<td align="center">.6249</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">1616</td>
<td align="center">.6156</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">913</td>
<td align="center">.5890</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">.670</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">Texas Tech</td>
<td align="center">.6220</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">1662</td>
<td align="center">.6331</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">981</td>
<td align="center">.6329</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">.600</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">Auburn</td>
<td align="center">.5058</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">1105</td>
<td align="center">.4210</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">537</td>
<td align="center">.3465</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">.750</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">UCLA</td>
<td align="center">.4807</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">1323</td>
<td align="center">.5040</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">710</td>
<td align="center">.4581</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">.480</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">LSU</td>
<td align="center">.4552</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">1212</td>
<td align="center">.4617</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">688</td>
<td align="center">.4439</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">.460</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">Virginia Tech</td>
<td align="center">.4408</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">841</td>
<td align="center">.3204</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">499</td>
<td align="center">.3219</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">.680</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">Oklahoma</td>
<td align="center">.4204</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">1110</td>
<td align="center">.4229</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">695</td>
<td align="center">.4484</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">20</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">.390</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">Texas A&M</td>
<td align="center">.3666</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">1177</td>
<td align="center">.4484</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">622</td>
<td align="center">.4013</td>
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">.250</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">Fresno State</td>
<td align="center">.3379</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">920</td>
<td align="center">.3505</td>
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">532</td>
<td align="center">.3432</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">.320</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">Northern Illinois</td>
<td align="center">.3032</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">518</td>
<td align="center">.1973</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">298</td>
<td align="center">.1923</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">.520</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">Oklahoma State</td>
<td align="center">.2687</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">951</td>
<td align="center">.3623</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">688</td>
<td align="center">.4439</td>
<td align="center">28</td>
<td align="center">25</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">.000</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">20</td>
<td align="center">Louisville</td>
<td align="center">.2556</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">1046</td>
<td align="center">.3985</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">571</td>
<td align="center">.3684</td>
<td align="center">28</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">.000</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">South Carolina</td>
<td align="center">.2161</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">20</td>
<td align="center">673</td>
<td align="center">.2564</td>
<td align="center">20</td>
<td align="center">468</td>
<td align="center">.3019</td>
<td align="center">26</td>
<td align="center">24</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">23</td>
<td align="center">.090</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">Michigan</td>
<td align="center">.1637</td>
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">415</td>
<td align="center">.1581</td>
<td align="center">23</td>
<td align="center">268</td>
<td align="center">.1729</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">20</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">25</td>
<td align="center">.160</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">23</td>
<td align="center">UCF</td>
<td align="center">.1394</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">25</td>
<td align="center">238</td>
<td align="center">.0907</td>
<td align="center">25</td>
<td align="center">151</td>
<td align="center">.0974</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">23</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">23</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">.230</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table">
<td align="center">24</td>
<td align="center">Nebraska</td>
<td align="center">.1354</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">23</td>
<td align="center">414</td>
<td align="center">.1577</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">385</td>
<td align="center">.2484</td>
<td align="center">28</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">.000</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">25</td>
<td align="center">Oregon State</td>
<td align="center">.1042</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">168</td>
<td align="center">.0640</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">91</td>
<td align="center">.0587</td>
<td align="center">20</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">24</td>
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">.190</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p>More to come.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/20/4860296/bcs-standings-released-alabama-florida-st-missouriBrandon Larrabee2013-10-20T18:39:31-04:002013-10-20T18:39:31-04:00Anatomy of the Upsets: Why Saturday Happened
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2s5SR6qi4mSd_WoGQyWW_mNjMnw=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21477591/20131019_jla_bs1_048.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Each of the games had individual factors that tilted them in one direction or another. But there are also some common threads</p> <p>It's hard to take too much away from a Saturday like the SEC just had, or to try to come up with an overarching narrative for five games that all went haywire on the same week. After all, each of those games featured two teams that were distinct from the pair of teams that played in every other game, and each game is decided on its own merits.</p>
<p>That said, there were some similarities and trends within the conference that contributed to many of the upsets, and can help us understand a little bit more about the chaos that unfolded this weekend.</p>
<h4>All of the favorites had flaws</h4>
<p>It's easier to overlook a team's weaknesses as long as it keeps winning. And all of the favorites Saturday had either one loss or had faced a strong non-conference team that made it easier to understand why they had two losses. A lot of the fans of these teams knew the weaknesses, and we often pointed them out here, but most of those teams had managed to work their way around those flaws over the first seven weeks of the season. On Saturday, that didn't happen.</p>
<p><b>Georgia:</b> The Dawgs' loss to Clemson didn't look so bad until Clemson crashed and burned Saturday night against Florida State. The Missouri loss had a lot to do with how good the Tigers are now, and even more to do with the injuries that stacked up during the Tennessee game. But most people didn't expect those injuries to be enough to put the Bulldogs in danger of losing to Vanderbilt. Most people were wrong.</p>
<div class="read-more">
<b>More on the upsets</b>: <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4856066/missouri-36-florida-17-tigers-control-east/in/4618733" target="new">Missouri-Tennessee</a> <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4856084/tennessee-volunteers-vs-south-carolina-gamecocks-final-score-recap/in/4618733" target="new">South Carolina-Tennessee</a> <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4856334/vanderbilt-commodores-vs-georgia-bulldogs-final-score-recap/in/4618733" target="new">Georgia-Vanderbilt</a> <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4856674/auburn-tigers-vs-texas-a-m-aggies-41-final-score-recap/in/4618733" target="new">Auburn-Texas A&M</a> <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4857198/ole-miss-rebels-vs-lsu-tigers-final-score-recap/in/4618733" target="new">LSU-Ole Miss</a>
</div>
<p><b>Florida:</b> It should now be pretty clear to everyone that Florida has no offense. If that's an exaggeration, it's only a slight one. The Gators had 151 yards of total offense Saturday. They are 12th in the SEC in rushing, passing and scoring offense and last in red-zone offense and total offense. Even as good as Florida's defense has been -- and it was not particularly good Saturday -- you have to be able to move the ball more than that to win games.</p>
<p><b>LSU:</b> The Tigers are perhaps the one team that doesn't fall neatly into this category, but there are a few things that emerged in the Ole Miss game. First, LSU has at times struggled on defense against the best offenses; it allowed 44 points in the loss to pre-Alamo Georgia. Meanwhile, it's now fair to ask if Zach Mettenberger's success in the early part of the season was real, or a statistical anomaly powered in part by weak defenses and easy opponents.</p>
<p><b>South Carolina:</b> Going back to their first game against North Carolina, and with the only exception being last week's annihilation of Arkansas, the Gamecocks have gotten into a bad habit of seeming to take entire quarters off. It's almost bitten them a few times in the season, most notably against Kentucky and what was an underrated Central Florida team. On Saturday, it finally caught up to the Gamecocks; they allowed Tennessee to build up a 17-7 lead before appearing to wake up, and that was all Tennessee needed to give it a shot at a fourth-quarter comeback.</p>
<p><b>Texas A&M:</b> The Aggies are in many ways the opposite of Florida: They have absolutely no defense. The only FBS team not to top 450 yards of total offense against A&M this season is SMU -- and they came close, with 434 total yards. If you keep giving the other team the opportunity to score, it's eventually going to blow up in your face. It almost did against Ole Miss in Week 7. This past Saturday, it finally cost the Aggies a game.</p>
<p>You'll also note that most of those teams have also seen some of their wins (or losses, in the cases of Georgia, LSU and South Carolina) lose luster. About the only wins among the entire group that have aged well are the Gamecocks' road victory against UCF and LSU's win over Auburn. So when we thought these teams were overcoming their problems against quality competition, it might just be that the competition was not as good as we thought.</p>
<h4>Most of the favorites were on the road</h4>
<p>I used to be a huge skeptic of home-field advantage in college football. After all, it wasn't like baseball, where the dimensions of the field and how the ball flies and bounces literally changes from park to park. But I've started to think over the last few years that there's a bit more to home-field advantage than I originally thought.</p>
<p>Of the five teams that got upset Saturday, four were on the road. Only Texas A&M lost at home. And Alabama was also at home for the beatdown of Arkansas -- meaning that Auburn was the only road team that won this weekend. Maybe it only made a difference at the margins, and maybe it didn't play into some of the upset games at all, but we might have seen some very different outcomes if some of the games changed locations.</p>
<h4>Offensive games are more volatile</h4>
<p>Let's state what continues to be the case: <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/4/4802652/sec-football-offensive-statistics-2013">Offense is up in the SEC this year</a>. Whether it's the result of defensive attrition or improved schemes or the no-huddle or whatever, the conference's teams are moving the ball and scoring at an almost unforeseen clip. And that makes for a lot of fun games.</p>
<p>It also means that games can be a little more volatile. After all, if your focus is largely on outscoring your opponent and not as much on stopping them from scoring, you get the back-and-forth games that we've seen out of teams like Texas A&M and even Georgia before basically every skill player on the depth chart went down. The problem with back-and-forth games is that they often turn into a case of which team has the ball last, and your team is not always going to have the ball last.</p>
<p>Of the five upsets Saturday, four involved the underdog scoring the final points of the game. Three of them saw those points scored with less than two minutes to go, and two included game-winning field goals at the gun (South Carolina-Tennessee) or with two seconds left (LSU-Ole Miss).</p>
<h4>The worst teams in the SEC are getting better</h4>
<p>One of the things that's amazing when you look across the SEC is the quality of coaching that's now in place across the league. Some of the historically downtrodden programs in the conference have hired good or even great coaches that have dug them out of the ditch or are in the process of doing so. South Carolina under Steve Spurrier is maybe the highest-profile example of the trend, but it goes deeper than that.</p>
<p>Hugh Freeze has his faults -- some of his late-game decisions are nothing short of awful -- but his offense has very quickly turned Ole Miss from a punchline into a team that you have to take seriously. Butch Jones has done a great job in a short amount of time at Tennessee, and Gus Malzahn has done even better at Auburn, vindicating Auburn fans who insisted that coaching was the biggest problem they had in 2012, thus laying the groundwork for a quick turnaround. James Franklin has at least made Vanderbilt respectable.</p>
<p>All of those coaches have been helped by the record amounts of money the SEC has been pulling in from television deals. Now, facilities and recruiting tools that were once available only to the league's best teams are within the financial reach of the lower-tier programs as well. The rich are getting richer, but so are the poor.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Missouri was just flat out underrated. They never should have been an underdog at home to Florida in the first place.</p>
<h4>Intangibles</h4>
<p>Sometimes statistics, particularly in this age of advanced statistics, makes it easier for us to overlook the fact that teams are not constant, nor are they robotic. Particularly when it comes to 18- and 22-year-old college students, emotion and distractions can prove to be too much. When you have a group of players that has grown used to winning, which is the case in many of the programs that lost Saturday, it can be very difficult for them to focus when things aren't going their way. Take an injured team like Georgia that's playing more underclassmen than you might like, and it becomes even more of a factor.</p>
<p>And there's just dumb luck. Sometimes, you just don't have it or the other team does. A penalty gets called that shouldn't, or doesn't get called when it should, or a fumble bounces one way when it could have bounced another. It might not show up on the stat sheet, but that doesn't make it any less real.</p>
<p>Not everything can be explained. If there's anything that Saturday should have taught us, it's that.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/20/4859588/sec-football-upsets-missouri-florida-south-carolina-tennessee-auburn-texas-a-mBrandon Larrabee2013-10-20T14:48:58-04:002013-10-20T14:48:58-04:00Poll Watch for Week 8: How Things Shook Out
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/23mdqUzxbWmkuRw-xvQceqDd51M=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21467285/20131019_mbr_ai1_229.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As expected, some of the SEC teams took a bit of a tumble after losing to underdogs. A look at the fallout</p> <p>You had to know that the fallout in the polls for the SEC after Saturday's upset special was not going to be pretty. And it wasn't. Although, from the looks of things, at least some of the pollsters are as confused as we are. And the coaches, per usual, have taken leave of their senses completely. Let's get to it.</p>
<p>First, the relatively sane poll with the pretty table. The AP:</p>
<p>
<script src="http://www.kryogenix.org/code/browser/sorttable/sorttable.js"></script></p>
<table class="sortable" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody>
<tr class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#EDF1F3">
<th align="center">Rank</th> <th align="center">Team</th> <th align="center">Record</th> <th align="center">Votes</th> <th align="center">Previous</th>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">Alabama (55)</td>
<td align="center">7-0</td>
<td align="center">1,495</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">Oregon (3)</td>
<td align="center">7-0</td>
<td align="center">1,427</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">Florida State (2)</td>
<td align="center">6-0</td>
<td align="center">1,395</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">Ohio State</td>
<td align="center">7-0</td>
<td align="center">1,309</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">Missouri</td>
<td align="center">7-0</td>
<td align="center">1,197</td>
<td align="center">14</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">6</td>
<td align="center">Baylor</td>
<td align="center">6-0</td>
<td align="center">1,189</td>
<td align="center">12</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">7</td>
<td align="center">Miami (FL)</td>
<td align="center">6-0</td>
<td align="center">1,130</td>
<td align="center">10</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">8</td>
<td align="center">Stanford</td>
<td align="center">6-1</td>
<td align="center">1,118</td>
<td align="center">13</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">9</td>
<td align="center">Clemson</td>
<td align="center">6-1</td>
<td align="center">927</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">10</td>
<td align="center">Texas Tech</td>
<td align="center">7-0</td>
<td align="center">904</td>
<td align="center">16</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">11</td>
<td align="center">Auburn</td>
<td align="center">6-1</td>
<td align="center">867</td>
<td align="center">24</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">12</td>
<td align="center">UCLA</td>
<td align="center">5-1</td>
<td align="center">832</td>
<td align="center">9</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">13</td>
<td align="center">LSU</td>
<td align="center">6-2</td>
<td align="center">739</td>
<td align="center">6</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">14</td>
<td align="center">Texas A&M</td>
<td align="center">5-2</td>
<td align="center">683</td>
<td align="center">7</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">15</td>
<td align="center">Fresno State</td>
<td align="center">6-0</td>
<td align="center">550</td>
<td align="center">17</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">16</td>
<td align="center">Virginia Tech</td>
<td align="center">6-1</td>
<td align="center">509</td>
<td align="center">19</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">17</td>
<td align="center">Oklahoma</td>
<td align="center">6-1</td>
<td align="center">501</td>
<td align="center">18</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">18</td>
<td align="center">Louisville</td>
<td align="center">6-1</td>
<td align="center">428</td>
<td align="center">8</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">19</td>
<td align="center">Oklahoma State</td>
<td align="center">5-1</td>
<td align="center">382</td>
<td align="center">21</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">20</td>
<td align="center">South Carolina</td>
<td align="center">5-2</td>
<td align="center">381</td>
<td align="center">11</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">21</td>
<td align="center">UCF</td>
<td align="center">5-1</td>
<td align="center">345</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">22</td>
<td align="center">Wisconsin</td>
<td align="center">5-2</td>
<td align="center">258</td>
<td align="center">25</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">23</td>
<td align="center">Northern Illinois</td>
<td align="center">7-0</td>
<td align="center">220</td>
<td align="center">23</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">24</td>
<td align="center">Michigan</td>
<td align="center">6-1</td>
<td align="center">169</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
</tr>
<tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">25</td>
<td align="center">Nebraska</td>
<td align="center">5-1</td>
<td align="center">117</td>
<td align="center">NR</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table"><tbody><tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td align="center">Others Receiving Votes: Arizona State 108, Notre Dame 82, Oregon State 79, Michigan State 73, Georgia 30, Mississippi 27, Florida 17, Washington 4, Utah 4, Texas 2, Ball State 1, Brigham Young 1</td>
</tr></tbody></table>
<p>Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's SEC homerism or my hatred of Clemson. But when a team gets dismantled by 37 points at home after scoring a garbage-time touchdown and its only other win of any real note is beating a (far healthier) Georgia team by one fewer point than Vanderbilt did, that doesn't scream "Top 10" to me. But, again, maybe that's just me.</p>
<div class="sidebar">
<a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4854692/sec-football-week-8-scores-stats">
<h2>Results and analysis from Week 8 in the SEC</h2>
<img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21423075/185352526.0_standard_249.0.jpg"></a> <span>All but one of the favorites go down in one of the more bizarre weeks for the conference in recent memory</span>
</div>
<p>As for the SEC, Alabama and Missouri are the only Top 10 teams left after this Saturday's debacle, though Auburn is very close. I guess they're not Top 10 material because their loss is by 14 points on the road. You gotta get beat by five touchdowns to be truly elite. LSU -- which is ranked below Auburn for some reason -- Texas A&M and South Carolina all drop by at least seven places, with the Gamecocks plunging nine spots. And that's it. Georgia and Florida both drop out, and Ole Miss' win against LSU isn't enough to get into the poll yet.</p>
<p>Still, that's six SEC teams in the Top 25, compared to four for the ACC, four for the B1G, four for the Big 12, three for the Pac-12, and two for the American Athletic Conference. Fresno State and Northern Illinois are your non-AQ teams. Yes, the Pac-12 is clearly the better conference, given that it only has half as many Top 25 teams as the SEC.</p>
<p>Now, let's go to crazy town. SIDs -- I mean, coaches, your ballots:</p>
<p>1. Alabama (7-0) (57 first-place votes)<br>2. Oregon (7-0) (4)<br>3. Florida State (6-0) (1)<br>4. Ohio State (7-0)<br>5. Baylor (6-0)<br>6. Miami (Fla.) (6-0)<br>7. Missouri (7-0)<br>8. Stanford (6-1)<br>9. Texas Tech (7-0)<br>10. Clemson (6-1)<br>11. UCLA (5-1)<br>12. Oklahoma (6-1)<br>13. (tie) Oklahoma State (5-1)<br>13. (tie) LSU (6-2)<br>15. Texas A&M (5-2)<br>16. Louisville (6-1)<br>17. Auburn (6-1)<br>18. Fresno State (6-0)<br>19. Virginia Tech (6-1)<br>20. South Carolina (5-2)<br>21. Nebraska (5-1)<br>22. Northern Illinois (7-0)<br>23. Michigan (6-1)<br>24. Wisconsin (5-2)<br>25. Central Florida (5-1)</p>
<p>Ah, yes, there's Auburn, sitting two spots below the team it just beat. On the road. But it could be worse, Tigers. You could be like UCF, and be ranked nine places below the team you just beat on the road, for no discernible reason. (The AP made the same mistake, but at least it's only a three-spot gap in that case.) Missouri, which has yet to beat a team by less than 15 points, is behind Miami (FL), which almost lost to UNC on Thursday, because -- well, because Miami was ranked ahead of Missouri last week. But I'm sure the coaches thought very hard about this and can give you a better reason.</p>
<p>But, again, only 43 percent of SEC teams are ranked here in the top quarter of the nation. Clearly, this is a down year for the conference.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/20/4859026/college-football-rankings-sec-polls-week-8Brandon Larrabee2013-10-20T01:18:46-04:002013-10-20T01:18:46-04:00Topics for Discussion: Let's Try Figuring This Out
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eCaY7MVxtNY1YYH8Q153o-jRfsg=/0x147:2798x2012/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21439307/185361382.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Thomas B. Shea</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also: Which games from next week do you think are the big ones? And who's going to survive all of this to get to the postseason?</p> <p><b>So, what do we make of all that?</b> Saturday might have literally been one of the craziest days of SEC football I've ever seen. The comparison that springs to mind is the bizarre 2007 season -- if it were somehow packed into one week of football. Does that kind of a weekend help the SEC by showing its depth, or hurt it by making the conference look like a collection of average teams? Is it just a collection of average teams, with Alabama and Missouri the only members who look even vaguely elite? And would it hurt the efforts of a one-loss SEC team to get into the BCS National Championship Game if it comes to that?</p>
<p><b>Are we destined to see Alabama vs. Missouri in the SEC Championship Game?</b> Neither the Tide nor the other other Tigers have locked down their place in Atlanta, regardless of what it might have seemed like Saturday. There are still scenarios under which either could miss out on the title bout, though how good the odds are of any of those situations unfolding depends on your perspective. Are the division races all but over? Or should we have learned our lesson this week about making too many assumptions?</p>
<p><b>Who would you give the SEC Coach of the Year honors at this point?</b> Believe it or not, I came up with this question because of a <a href="https://twitter.com/SIPeteThamel/status/391708856952164352">Pete Thamel tweet</a> suggesting it should go to Gus Malzahn. He also mentioned the possibility of Gary Pinkel being in contention, which might make more sense to me, given that the Tigers of Columbia have gone from 5-7 to the front-runners in the SEC East. Are there any other viable candidates out there? And if not, which of those two gentlemen most deserves the award?</p>
<p><b>Which of the SEC games on Saturday will be closer?</b> Vanderbilt travels to Texas A&M to take on the Aggies. Alabama hosts Tennessee on the Third Fourth Saturday in October. And South Carolina will go to the other Columbia to try to rejuvenate their SEC East hopes by knocking off Missouri. Are any of these games going to be close? Are we looking at another week when some upsets could be sprung? Or are the favorites going to roll over the underdogs in a change from this weekend?</p>
<p><b>Who's headed to the postseason, and where?</b> Three teams have already locked up bowl eligibility: Alabama, Missouri and Auburn. Only Kentucky and Arkansas currently sit below .500. So which teams are going to make it to the six wins they need to play in December and January? And who has the inside track for the Capital One, Cotton and Outback bowls right now, once the conference claims its one or two BCS spots?</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/20/4857490/sec-week-8-recap-scores-statsBrandon Larrabee2013-10-19T23:17:53-04:002013-10-19T23:17:53-04:00Ole Miss 27, LSU 24: Just When You Think It's Over
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<figcaption>Stacy Revere</figcaption>
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<p>The Bayou Bengals become the last victim on a night when no one in the SEC seemed to be safe</p> <p>At some point, you run out of adjectives for a day like today. Not to mention nouns and verbs and prepositions ...</p>
<p>Just the early upsets would have been enough for a day in the SEC. Heck, just one of the early upsets would have tilted the balance of power in the conference and made the last few weeks of the season something to watch. But the underdogs kept winning, so that by the time LSU and Ole Miss kicked off, no one would had taken the field as a favorite had actually won their game Saturday.</p>
<p>Alabama would break the streak. LSU would not. The Tigers' defense got carved up multiple ways by Ole Miss, Zach Mettenberger seemed at times to regress back to the quarterback he was last year, and Hugh Freeze and the Rebels finished off a day of upsets with one more episode of chaos for the SEC.</p>
<p>Bo Wallace was 30-of-39 for 346 yards. Barry Brunetti came in to throw Ole Miss' only passing touchdown. Jaylen Walton ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. And Donte Moncrief was fed to the tune of five catches for 107 yards. And while the defensive performance was notable mostly for its three picks, it was enough to give the Rebels a chance to win the game.</p>
<p>LSU, meanwhile, seemed to make a baffling array of coaching decisions at times, especially when they relied heavily on the passing game even as it became clearer and clearer that Mettenberger was struggling. If you count Mettenberger's sacks as passing attempts, which they are, LSU called 36 passes and 32 runs. Given LSU's running backs and adding how bad Mettenberger looked most of Saturday night, that's just not a play-calling mix that makes a lot of sense. Then again, the longest run of the night for LSU was 12 yards. So it's not like the running game was making a lot more progress. And the defense, which gave up a total of 522 yards, wasn't helping anybody.</p>
<p>There was a point when the Bayou Bengals scored twice to tie the game and you thought maybe, just maybe the madness was going to end. But then Ole Miss got the ball with a bit more than three minutes left and marched right back down the field, with LSU looking powerless to stop it, and kicked the game-winning field goal.</p>
<p>Maybe it just wasn't LSU's night. They certainly were not the only team to go down in a season-changing upset Saturday. It seemed to be the rule rather than the exception. We're used to LSU games being crazy; for once, though, it seemed like just another game in the SEC.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4857198/ole-miss-rebels-vs-lsu-tigers-final-score-recapBrandon Larrabee2013-10-19T22:33:39-04:002013-10-19T22:33:39-04:00Alabama 52, Arkansas 0: A Rational Game
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<figcaption>Kevin C. Cox</figcaption>
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<p>Alabama will not be one of the teams upset tonight. It was never even close to happening</p> <p>It's nice to know that there are some things in life you can rely on. And even on this day, one of the most bizarre days the SEC has seen in recent years, there is one thing we can still apparently rely on: Nick Saban's Alabama is a very good football team.</p>
<p>They proved it again tonight, eviscerating Arkansas in convincing fashion. The Tide outgained the Hogs 532-256. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/78259/a-j-mccarron">A.J. McCarron</a> was 15-of-21 for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Two Bama players ran for 100 yards (Derrick Henry, six carries for 111 yards and a touchdown, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/158220/kenyan-drake">Kenyan Drake</a>, eight rushes for 104 yards and two touchdowns), and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/158209/t-j-yeldon">T.J. Yeldon</a> ran for 88 yards and a score on 12 carries.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Arkansas' overwhelmed offense continued to look, well, overwhelmed. Brandon Allen was 7-of-25 for 91 yards and two interceptions. The 165 yards on 39 carries wasn't terrible for the running game, but it wasn't enough to make up for a passing game that couldn't get off the ground.</p>
<p>So the craziness has subsided, at least as far as Alabama was concerned. The Tide continues to roll. Is anyone surprised?</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4857108/alabama-crimson-tide-vs-arkansas-razorbacks-final-score-recapBrandon Larrabee2013-10-19T20:41:06-04:002013-10-19T20:41:06-04:00Auburn 45, TAMU 41: String of Upsets Moves West
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<figcaption>Thomas B. Shea</figcaption>
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<p>Johnny Manziel and Co. go down for a second time this season as a new player emerges in the SEC West</p> <p>The SEC chaos machine kept spinning Saturday afternoon, delivering a likely knockout blow to Texas A&M's SEC West hopes and a warning to Alabama that LSU might not be the only team they have to worry about in the last month of the season. In what has to be one of the quickest turnarounds in the SEC in a long time, Auburn is back as a player in the SEC.</p>
<p>Auburn took down Texas A&M on Saturday in one of the topsy-turvy games that have become commonplace in the suddenly high-flying SEC. For those looking for the top-line numbers: 86 points, 56 first downs and 1,217 yards. And one battered quarterback who has to wonder how many of these razor-thin losses his Heisman campaign can take. Because <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/134696/johnny-manziel">Johnny Manziel</a> looked a lot like a Heisman candidate in College Station today, but his defense couldn't quite measure up.</p>
<p>For the most part, the game was an example of the power-running spread that Gus Malzahn brought back to Auburn after his yearlong exile at Arkansas State. Auburn ran for 379 yards and four touchdowns on 60 carries -- an average of 6.3 yards a run -- while Nick Marshall did just enough throwing the ball (11-of-23, 236 yards and two touchdowns) to balance things out. Marshall also had 100 yards rushing on 20 carries, while <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/131875/tre-mason">Tre Mason</a> ran the ball 27 times for 178 yards.</p>
<p>The Auburn defense had more limited success against Manziel and Texas A&M. The Tigers did largely shut down Johnny Football in the run game, limiting him to 48 yards on 18 carries. There were two sacks in the game for a loss of 21 yards, but even if you account for that, 69 yards on 16 runs is pretty good when you're dealing with Manziel. But Manziel was largely sterling in the passing game, going 28-of-38 for 454 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He made some of those throws on a shoulder that he landed on hard in a play that briefly knocked him out of the game.</p>
<p>The other star for Texas A&M was Mike Evans, who had a jaw-dropping 287 yards and four touchdowns on 11 catches. That's more than half the receiving yardage that the Aggies gained all day. For all the publicity that Manziel gets, there's a case to be made that Evans should get some consideration for the Heisman Trophy. He's been that good.</p>
<p>All those yards for A&M point to the problem that the Tigers face in turning their 6-1 start into something more -- like a trip to Atlanta. Auburn's defense was not much better today than Texas A&M's, with the rather large caveat that Auburn's defense was facing the better Aggies offense rather than the still-good Auburn offense. But if the Tigers are going to take a shot at Alabama, or even a shot at Georgia, they're going to have to do better than that.</p>
<p>Still, the fact that we're even talking about such possibilities is a sign of how quickly Gus Malzahn has brought the Tigers this far. And that's all that Auburn fans are really going to care about right now, or should care about right now. Given where they ended up last season, and how well they've done this year, any accomplishments from here on out are just icing.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4856674/auburn-tigers-vs-texas-a-m-aggies-41-final-score-recapBrandon Larrabee2013-10-19T17:30:57-04:002013-10-19T17:30:57-04:00Vanderbilt 31, Georgia 27: 'Dores Stifle Dawgs
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<figcaption>Frederick Breedon</figcaption>
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<p>The Commodores get a signature win against the team their coach loves to hate. And they move closer to a third straight trip to the postseason</p> <p>It was only a few weeks ago that James Franklin was being whispered about as a candidate for the head coaching job at Southern Cal, or Texas if the Longhorns decided to part with Mack Brown. There's not as much talk about that after the Commodores' cold start has continued, and that could be very good news for Vanderbilt. Especially after Franklin's team sprung a stunning upset Saturday against Georgia -- a team with whom Franklin has a history -- while playing much of the game with a backup quarterback.</p>
<p>It was the first time Vanderbilt defeated Georgia, Florida or South Carolina -- the closest thing the SEC East had to a "Big Three" before the entire trio wiped out Saturday -- since the 2008 game against South Carolina. It was Vanderbilt's first win against a team that was ranked at the time since beating Auburn later in the 2008 season. And it was the first time the Commodores have beaten the Dawgs since 2006, and the first time they've done so in Nashville since 1991.</p>
<p>That's a lot of significant boxes checked off with one win. And while there were some fluke plays that helped Vanderbilt -- as well as two terrible targeting calls -- it's not really like the Commodores won this game on the cheap. They outgained Georgia 337-221 and had 21 first downs to 16 for Georgia. The turnover game was a modest plus-one. It took a fake FG and a botched long snap by Georgia to give Vanderbilt some of its points, but if Georgia had won, we would have been looking at how they did it despite being outgained, etc.</p>
<p>But Georgia's offense without many of its key players continues to underwhelm. Aaron Murray was 16-of-28 for 114 yards and an interception; there's only so much a quarterback can do when he's essentially playing with the practice squad. The Dawgs' longest play of the day went for 17 yards. The average play went for 3.5 yards. This against a team that has allowed an average of 390 yards a game and 5.6 yards a play. With the skill positions manned almost entirely by backups, the offense that was Georgia's only hope this year is basically in a state of collapse.</p>
<p>In addition to what you could call a signature win for Franklin, the game also gives Vanderbilt a little bit of breathing room in their quest for a bowl -- breathing room the Commodores might need, especially with Austyn Carta-Samuels leaving the game with an injury in the first half. Home wins against Kentucky and Wake Forest would now lock Vanderbilt into a postseason, with Tennessee looking more dangerous than ever and trips to Texas A&M and Florida seeming to be unlikely to produce wins. Then again, beating Georgia with a backup quarterback didn't seem like a likely outcome before Saturday. So who's to say it can't happen again?</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/10/19/4856334/vanderbilt-commodores-vs-georgia-bulldogs-final-score-recapBrandon Larrabee