SEC Round-Up: Tide, Rebs & Ags vying for SEC's top spot at midway point

Midseason form is a state of performance that all sports teams strive to attain.

Mistakes and uncertainty may be rampant early in the season. Fatigue and frustration may set in late.

But midseason form implies a team is at its absolute best.

That brings up an obvious question. Now that the Southeastern Conference football schedule has reached midseason, which SEC team is the absolute best?

Is it Alabama, again? Or defending champion Georgia? Or unbeaten Ole Miss? Or unbeaten Texas A&M? Or one-loss Tennessee, LSU, Vanderbilt, Missouri or Oklahoma?

Well, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Georgia lost to Alabama, so throw them out. Then omit Tennessee, which lost to Georgia.

Throw out LSU, which lost to Ole Miss. And throw out Oklahoma, which lost to two-loss Texas, which isn’t even in the discussion.

That leaves Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

Will Huffman, TexAgs

At No. 4 in the AP poll, Texas A&M is currently the highest-ranked SEC team.

Let’s examine:

• Alabama is the only one of the three with a loss. The Crimson Tide fell in the season-opener to Florida State, 31-17.

After beating cream puffs Louisiana Monroe and Wisconsin, Alabama posted a big victory at No. 9 Georgia, which barely beat Tennessee and hard-luck Auburn.

The win was enabled by a dropped would-be touchdown pass. Also, Bulldogs’ coach Kirby Smart foolishly passed up a game-tying chip-shot field goal in the fourth quarter. A fourth-and-1 run at the Alabama 8-yard line failed.

Alabama’s win over Vanderbilt was aided by two Commodore turnovers in the red zone. Give the Tide credit for making the plays.

Alabama got its second interception to turn back Missouri, 27-24. Again, credit Alabama for making the plays.

• Ole Miss easily defeated “Group of Five” opponents Georgia State and Tulane.

However, their four wins over Power Four opponents Kentucky, Arkansas, LSU and Washington State were all won by a touchdown or less.

Just last week, Ole Miss rallied to defeat 3-3 Washington State, 24-21. The Rebels' most impressive victory was 24-19 over No. 10 LSU.

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

This is the second time Ole Miss has started 6-0 under Lane Kiffin. In 2022, the Rebels got off to a 7-0 start before slumping to an 8-5 finish.

• Texas A&M has the best non-conference victory with its 41-40 win at No. 13 Notre Dame.

But Notre Dame is currently ranked lower than Georgia and LSU. Therefore, rankings indicate that win may not be as impressive as Alabama’s over Georgia and Ole Miss’s over LSU.

Though both of those were home-field victories, A&M prevailed on the road.

The Aggies also have consecutive SEC victories over Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida. They were in complete control in all three games.

In conclusion: Ole Miss has the weakest resume. An argument can be made that Alabama, even with a loss, has the best resume by virtue of wins over three ranked opponents.

However, A&M appears most dominant but has the toughest remaining schedule with three road games against ranked opponents.

Still, at the midway point, I’d take A&M as the best team over Alabama.

The question may eventually be settled on Dec. 6 in the SEC Championship Game.

If that happens, hopefully both teams will be in midseason form.

David Leong-Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer has Alabama positioned to contend for what would be the school’s 31st SEC championship. The Crimson Tide last won the SEC in 2023, the program’s ninth under Nick Saban.

Around the SEC

This week’s games: No. 4 Texas A&M at Arkansas; No. 10 LSU at No. 17 Vanderbilt; No. 14 Oklahoma at South Carolina; No. 5 Ole Miss at No. 9 Georgia; Mississippi State at Florida; No. 21 Texas at Kentucky; No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama; No. 16 Missouri at Auburn

Who’s hot: Alabama QB Ty Simpson looked way overmatched in the season-opening loss to Florida State. That setback looks more mind-boggling every week. He has been on point since. He has completed 76 percent of his passes (111-of-146) in the past five games, for 1,424 yards (284.8 per game), 14 touchdowns and one pick. This week, he goes against a Tennessee unit that is last in the SEC in pass defense (257.8 yards per game, an embarrassing 66.5 completion percentage, nine touchdowns, four interceptions).

Who’s not: The aforementioned Tennessee defense certainly qualifies. The Vols are 5-1, but that’s because of their offense. Tennessee has allowed 31.8 points per game against its five FBS opponents. The number increases to 36.3 in its three SEC games. The run defense has been pitiful in SEC play — and that includes games against Arkansas and Mississippi State. Both exceeded 200 rushing yards, and they combined for five rushing touchdowns.

Keep an eye on: Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has gone from starter at Division II Ferris State last season to Heisman Trophy candidate. He has started and played well in four consecutive games for Ole Miss. However, he hasn’t yet thrown a pass in a road game. He’ll make his first road start at Georgia, which has won 34 of its last 35 games at home. Georgia’s pass rush has been weak, and its corners are vulnerable. However, it’s still Georgia, and it’s still “between the hedges.” Chambliss is facing his greatest challenge thus far.

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Trinidad Chambliss is considered a Heisman contender as he has helped the Rebels to a 6-0 record.

The pressure is on: LSU’s offense has not scored more than 20 points against any of its four Power Four opponents. The running game is lethargic  LSU is last in the SEC in run defense. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier hasn’t been able to compensate. Touted as a potential All-American and Heisman candidate, Nussmeier is merely sixth in the SEC in passing. He’s averaging 23.5 passing yards per game. He has thrown nine touchdown passes (three vs. FCS Southeast Louisiana) and five interceptions. As crazy as it sounds, he’ll need a much more productive showing for LSU to beat Vanderbilt. A loss to Vandy could start a downward spiral. Three ranked opponents — No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 6 Alabama and No. 14 Oklahoma — remain on the schedule. A 7-5 finish is a real possibility.

Best matchup: Missouri’s offensive line vs. Auburn’s defensive line. Mizzou leads the SEC and is sixth nationally in rushing. Auburn will be the best defense the Tigers have seen. The line is especially good. Nose tackle Bobby Jamison-Travis is a 322-pound load in the middle. Keyron Crawford and Keldric Faulk are an excellent pass-rush duo, and there is ample depth, experience and size up front. The linebackers generally run free and make a ton of tackles. Can Mizzou’s line carve out space for Ahmad Hardy, the nation’s No. 2 rusher?