SEC: Asked and answered

photo Alabama quarterback Blake Sims talks with offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, left, during what has become an unprecedented early-season offensive display for the longtime national power.
photo SEC Southeastern Conference

Man, talk about divisional differences. Not since the Southeastern Conference has split have we seen such disparity. In fact, if Vegas was forced to set a line for the SEC title game this morning it blindly would be West minus-14.5, and they'd take their chances.

Here's my ranking of the SEC with questions facing them this morning:

• 1. Alabama (4-0; at Ole Miss, 3 p.m.): Is Blake Sims ready for the road test at No. 11 Ole Miss? There's no reason to think otherwise, considering Sims has superseded everyone's expectations and continues to orchestrate an Alabama offense that is on a record pace. (P.S. Having Amari Cooper to throw to and T.J. Yeldon to give the ball to certainly helps.)

• 2. Auburn (4-0; vs. LSU, 7 p.m.): Are Auburn fans a little spoiled? If you are asking if the Auburn offense can find its rhythm, well, you may be a little spoiled. That seems like a strange question for a team that is in the top 20 nationally in points (15th at 42.3 per game) and rushing (18th at 260.5 per game). Granted, the pace and speed and flow that have been Gus Malzahn's hallmark are noticeably absent. And the Tigers must be better than the group that led Louisiana Tech 24-10 after three quarters Saturday. La. State is coming to town this week, and it is markedly better than La. Tech.

• 3. Ole Miss (4-0; vs. Alabama, 3:30 p.m.): Are Hugh Freeze and the Rebels ready for a shot at the title? The Grove will be nuts and "GameDay" will be in town for arguably the biggest game in program history. A win over No. 1 Alabama could be a program changer for the Rebels. Are they ready to put their hand inside the bag and pull out a stone and fling it? Most importantly, Ole Miss needs good Bo Wallace to be ready. Freedom indeed.

• 4. Texas A&M (5-0; at Mississippi State, noon): Does Texas A&M have an answer for versatile quarterback Dak Prescott? It's hard to believe so, considering the trouble the Aggies had against run-first Arkansas last week. Plus, Prescott will be much more dangerous through the air than Brandon Allen was last week. Prescott vs. Kenny Hill is an awesome quarterback matchup.

• 5. Mississippi State (4-0; vs. Texas A&M, noon): Are Dan Mullen and the Bulldogs ready for their chance to take a monster leap? Think of the stakes this week in the Magnolia State. The Rebels with a shot at No. 1 Alabama; the Bulldogs with a shot at No. 6 Texas A&M. A couple of wins this weekend and you'd have both Mississippi SEC teams in the top 10 and tickets for the Egg Bowl will be off the charts Monday on StubHub.

• 6. LSU (4-1; at Auburn, 7:30 p.m.): Is Brandon Harris the answer? He was awesome in relief against New Mexico State and Mississippi State the last two weeks -- going a combined 17-of-23 for 318 and five TDs and running for 55 yards and two scores on seven carries. Still, a true freshman making his first start at Jordan-Hare could be trouble. Here's saying Harris, who picked LSU over Auburn in the recruiting process, is up for the challenge.

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

• 7. Arkansas (3-2; off): How many beverages did Bret Bielema kick back after letting Texas A&M off the hook last week? We'd say more than a few, less than a keg. The Razorbacks were ever-so-close to a statement win and let the Aggies escape with two long TD passes in the fourth quarter and an OT failure. So it goes, but there's no denying these two facts: Arkansas is extremely improved in year two of Bielema; and it still may not be enough to even reach a bowl, considering that all eight SEC foes on the Razorbacks' schedule are ranked right now. Ouch-standing.

• 8. Georgia (3-1; vs. Vanderbilt, 4 p.m.): Is Hutson Mason going to be able to become a legitimate option? We're still waiting, not unlike Mason, who sat patiently behind record-setting Aaron Murray for four years, to look the part. Right now, dude has been way more Joe Cox than D.J. Shockley.

• 9. Missouri (4-1; off): Can anyone still explain the loss to Indiana? Maybe the Tigers struggled with the matchup zone and had a hard time getting off picks, but Missouri certainly bounced back in impressive fashion with a road win at South Carolina.

• 10. South Carolina (2-2; at Kentucky, 7:30): How long can Steve Spurrier put up with this schizophrenia? Spurrier is no spring chicken -- although a lot of folks may think he's something along those lines -- and losing and his team playing poorly are hardly the kinds of things that keeps legends around. Plus, remember that he left Florida because even good seasons were deemed failures because of soaring expectations. South Carolina could easily get to, say, nine wins and a good bowl and everyone deem it a monster disappointment.

• 11. Tennessee (2-2; vs. Florida, noon): Are the Volunteers ready for the next step? UT is favored over Florida, a team the Vols have not beat since W was running for re-election. So, regardless of history or moral victories (side question: are there immoral victories?) or competing and coming up short, there are hand grenade or horseshoe moments here. UT has to win Saturday.

• 12. Florida (2-1; at Tennessee, noon): Will Will Muschamp -- no that's not a nickname, like Mike-Mike or Jimmy Two Times -- make it through October? Speaking of "have-to win," meet Mr. Muschamp, who has a dysfunctional quarterback, a banged-up defense and the hottest seat in college football. The number we heard before the season was Muschamp needed to get to eight wins.

• 13. Kentucky (3-1; vs. South Carolina, 7:30 p.m.): Does everyone in the SEC East have a shot at the title? No, Vandy has no chance, and we think it would be tough for UK to win the division, too, but there's no doubt the Wildcats are improved. Funny, the two worst teams in the SEC from a year ago -- Kentucky and Arkansas -- are noticeably better and still may not see much of a bounce in the overall record. The SEC is a wicked-tough place to rebuild, you know?

• 14. Vanderbilt (1-4; at Georgia, 4 p.m.): Vandy kids are smart, right? See if you can follow this pattern for Georgia, the Commodores' opponent Saturday: Blowout win, three-point game, blowout win, three-point game .... What's next? You bet, a blowout win. Sounds right.

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.

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