The Crimson Tide finished strong, scoring the last 20 points and getting the big win 33-14. The win will keep the Tide number one in the nation and on top of the conference power rankings. Despite the loss, the Aggies picked up some respectability and showed the experts this team is for real and could stay in contention for a berth in the NCAA Football playoffs, but only if a couple upsets occur to teams in the top-5.
Florida didn’t play this week, keeping their hold on the top spot in the East Division. The Gators play Georgia next weekend and a win will keep them in-line to play in the conference championship, but until they beat a strong team, Texas A&M will hold the second spot in the rankings and Florida will remain third.
After these three programs, the standings are jumbled. Auburn and LSU are both 5-2 and on winning streaks, pushing these two schools upwards in the rankings. Tennessee is also 5-2, but have dropped two straight football games and at this time of year, it not only hurts in the win-loss column, it could also damage recruiting as the top high school players in the nation get ready to sign with the college of their choice.
One of the best stories in the conference is Vanderbilt, who is 4-4 on the year and just a couple wins away from being bowl eligible. The Commodores are just 1-3 in the SEC, but proving to be tough to beat with a strong defense and solid running attack.
This was supposed to be a banner year for the conference and it could still be with Alabama favored to win a national title, but its clearly been a down year in the south and several schools will look for redemption when the bowl games get started in December.
