5-at-10: SEC asked and answered, NFL power poll, fixing contracts and Rushmore of Luthers

Gang, remember the mailbag.

From the "Talks too much" studios, big week on the horizon.

photo SEC Southeastern Conference

SEC Asked and Answered

Ole Miss (7-0, 6-0; at LSU, 7:15 p.m.): Is this toughest test for Ole Miss to run the table? We say yes, because going to Death Valley at night - especially this close to Halloween - is begging for some Les Miles voodoo. And how bad is this current run for CBS. Speaking of that...

Mississippi State (6-0, 3-0; at Kentucky, 3:30 p.m.): How big a statement is it for the ascension of the Bulldogs that they are playing Kentucky and CBS picked up the game? The fact that it's less than a good week and CBS is starving to get the nation's top-ranked team - your MSU Bulldogs (admit it, even for Johnny Cowbell Ringer, the phrase top-ranked Mississippi State feels a touch strange) - on that it has MSU-UK this weekend. That means, CBS had the ratings-killing blowout that was Alabama-A&M, then MSU-UK and then UGA-Florida. Ouch-standing.

Auburn (5-1, 2-1; vs. South Carolina, 7:30 p.m.): What should Auburn fans hope the Tigers did during the off week? Gus Malzahn has said the timing in the passing game needs work. And we trust in Gus, so yes, it needs work. Here's hoping, too, that AU offensively watched some film from last year's run-and-run-and-then-gun approach and gets back to being a power running team.

Alabama (6-1, 3-1; at Tennessee, 7:30 p.m.): Was that more Alabama or Texas A&M in that 59-0 destruction? A lot of both to be sure, but here's saying it was the Aggies defensive nightmares and the fact that Alabama is infinitely more comfortable at home. And yes, every team is, but the difference between the offense that scored 14 points at Arkansas and scored at will against the Aggies - and those teams were evenly matched when Arkansas and Texas A&M played - was staggering.

Georgia (6-1, 4-1; off): At this point in the season, who's your SEC coach of the year? Great question, right, because the two Mississippi schools are doing historic things. But you'd have to give hard consideration to the job Mark Richt has done. New quarterback, new defensive coordinator, all-but-new secondary, lose the nation's best player five games into the season. Now that's a laundry list of issues. Still, if Richt's got 99 problems, the itch ain't one. Dude stays calm and collected and that demeanor - while it has bothered some fans longing for more sideline emotions - has served him and his program and its fans exceedingly well.

LSU (6-2, 2-2; vs. Ole Miss, 7:15 p.m.): Could you pick a Mark Twain quote for these Tigers? Let go with, "The reports have been greatly exaggerated" of the Tigers demise. LSU has offensive issues - hey, playing in the SEC with quarterback questions makes it a week-to-week roller coaster - but we some times can forget the army of athletes assembled in Baton Rouge. These Tigers are going to be salty - two seniors on the two-deep defensively and just three senior starters on offense - sooner rather than later, and when you are 6-2 and ranked in a rebuilding year, well, kudos to your program Mad Hatter.

Missouri (5-2, 2-2; vs. Vandy, 4 p.m.): Are these Tigers good, bad or lucky? Don't know, possibly, and certainly yes. Missouri has run the gamut. The good was a fourth quarter in South Carolina and a schedule that has allowed them some opportunities. The bad was the entire home debacle against Georgia. The lucky, well, scoring 42 points on less than 120 yards of offense like it did against Florida certainly is making the most of its chances. Now comes five SEC games against unranked teams, including three of them at home.

Texas A&M (5-3, 2-3; off): What was that? It's impossible to know after a complete and total pantsing at Tuscaloosa. OK, do you think Texas A&M even practices defense or just lets those guys run around while the offense does some things? Because how you let Blake Sims make short throws to Amari Cooper screams of ill-preparedness.

Arkansas (3-4, 0-4; vs. UAB, noon): Should we feel sorry for the Blazers? Arkansas is starving for a win, and while beating UAB will not fill the SEC void for Bret Bielema and Co., it will be a win. Arkansas is 3-0 outside the league and has won those games on average 58-16.3. Man, Arkansas would own Conference USA.

South Carolina (4-3, 2-3; at Auburn, 7:30 p.m.): How much a difference could a healthy Mike Davis make for these Gamecocks? In short, a world of difference. Yes, it was against an overmatched Furman bunch last week, but the Gamecocks looked more like what we expected to begin the season. Not sure if it will be enough against an Auburn bunch that is coming off a bye after losing at Starkville, but it's certainly a start.

Florida (3-3, 2-3; off): Was there anything good out of Saturday's 42-13 loss to Missouri? Well, actually, as a Gators fan, you get the silent affirmation that the Will Muschmap experiment is finished. And while Jeremy Foley has said there will not be any action until after the season, he did not say if he was being literal or figurative, because the season is over for these Gators.

Kentucky (5-2, 2-2; vs. Mississippi State, 3:30 p.m.): What do you take from the 41-3 beatdown at LSU the rebuilding Wildcats suffered? Not much because this was the first time this season the Wildcats were overmatched, and UK's receivers' inability to create separation was clear. UK has added pieces and is still recruiting at a lofty level. Now Cool Mark Stoops and the Gang need to add playmakers.

Tennessee (3-4, 0-3; vs. Alabama, 7:30 p.m.): What do you take from the 34-3 beatdown at Ole Miss the rebuilding Vols suffered? Not much, but we have to say this: Everyone in the Volunteer State - even our 4-year-old daughter - is well-aware of the lack of bricks Butch Jones had up front. Did you know they had to replace all five starters? Well, we're now picking out Halloween costumes and none of those five new starters has shown even the smallest strides of improvement.

Vandy (2-5, 0-4; at Missouri, 4 p.m.): Can the Commodores play Charleston Southern again? Here's saying that CSU, which lost 21-20 to the 'Dores is up for it.

---

photo Football tile

NFL Power Poll

The NFL is paradigm of parity and that, in part, makes it as popular as it is.

Gamblers love that fact. Fantasy football players embrace that knowledge. Heck, the drama and unpredictability from a TV standpoint make it the best reality TV going.

That said, this year, there seems to be a cream rising and the dead-weight falling more pronouncedly than in previous years. And with that divide comes clarity.

And cause for TV trepidation.

Since the NFL is territorial in its broadcast patterns and since the Falcons and the Titans - the two closest franchises to the 423 and the ones that we get shown weekly on Sundays - stink, we are going to be delivered a steady diet of meaningless games for the foreseeable future.

Hey, at least there's Sunday night football, right?

On to the power poll (filled with teams that we likely won't get to see all that often):

1) Dallas. Yep, just like we all predicted, right? The Cowboys had one of the five worst defenses in NFL history a year ago and they have flipped their script by becoming the best running team in the NFL with a defense that makes enough plays to win. Who knew? Still, even if the Cowboys win 14 games this year, the measure of this bunch in general and Tony Romo in particular will be in January.

2) Denver. Peyton Manning set the NFL record for TD passes. You may have heard about it. It made the papers. Did you know that he threw those touchdowns to 45 players and Marvin Harrison caught the most of them with 112. And according to spotrac.com Manning has earned a shade under $230 million during his NFL career, while the 45 chaps who collected TD passes from him has earned more than $600 million.

3) Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers told Packers Nation to relax a month ago. Five straight wins make that much easier. Heck, win Sunday night in New Orleans, and the Discount Double Check may need to incorporate some sort of "Relax," M.O. in their next commercial.

4) Indy. We've said this before and we believe it more now than ever: If the NFL reshuffled every player and had a re-draft, Andrew Luck is the No. 1 overall pick. Period.

5) San Diego. Tough loss in a divisional road game. It happens. Let's see how the Chargers - a team that has been a personification of a political election in that they are big news in September and October and forgotten after the middle of November - react to it.

Bottom 5

28) Tennessee. OK, Titans fans, raise your hand for the rallying cry that is, "Is that Charlie Whitehurst's entrance music?" Man, the trip of Whitehurst-Hunter-Sankey is a little less intimidating than the Aikman-Irvin-Smith triplets, huh?

29) Minnesota. Teddy Bridgewater has shown flashes. You know who else has flashes? Your mom. And old-school cameras. So take that for what it is. Still, the Vikings get a pass considering their offensive centerpiece is in timeout and being punished. We'll stop talking now.

30) New York Jets. The worst offense in the league trades for a dynamic playmaker who may have the worst attitude in the league. Side question: Who gets a defensive coordinator job first, soon-to-be-fired Jets coach Rex Ryan or soon-to-be-fired Florida coach Will Muschamp?

31) Jacksonville. The Jags win a game. The Jags win a game. We don't know if rookie Blake Bortles will be a franchise guy, but he's certainly better than the bumbling buffet that has been Jacksonville quarterback play highlighted by Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert.

32) Oakland. The Raiders are winless and it could be after Thanksgiving before they are less than a TD underdog. Oakland is a 7-point underdog this week at Cleveland and then goes to Seattle, vs. Denver, at San Diego, vs. Kansas City, at St. Louis, vs. San Fran. Ouch-standing. At least Al Davis is not alive to see this. If he was, he'd blame Lane Kiffin.

---

Salary caps

We believe in salary caps in sports. (Although the Royals could win it all, starting tonight with Game 1 of the World Series, and really change the spectacle and perception of potential salary caps in baseball. So it goes.)

One of the crippling aftershocks of the salary caps is the realization that in American sports, teams pay athletes for past performance. It's nonsensical of course and the circle is flipped - teams get the best deals on the front end, then are forced more times than not to overpay for guys who are good but are starting to move beyond their prime.

Now, to be fair, there are plenty of aging superstars that are paid handsomely but still are not overpaid because they have legions of fans who buy tickets, jerseys and everything else that makes them valuable to their teams. Can those teams win with salary cap space consumed by aging stars? Of course not, but there still is value there.

It happened with Derek Jeter this year, and while baseball in general and the Yankees in particular are seldom worried about money or cap space, paying Jeter $20 million to hit .260 was worth every penny because of the number of tickets his farewell tour generated.

The Lakers are dealing with something similar with Kobe.

And since we are dealing with once in a generation talents, we think there should be a Hall of Fame exemption for teams that can extend true superstars (and those players would have to be approved by the league and the players unions) to continue their Hall of Fame careers with the organizations that the have helped carry. Pay them the max, but only half of it would count against the cap/.

Kobe Bryant still has value. Plus, why should we expect Tim Duncan to take half the money he could get on the open market. It's not like the owners are taking half the profits.

Thoughts?

---

photo Oscar Pistorius rubs his eye in court in Pretoria, South Africa, in this April 15, 2014, file photo .

This and that

- Oscar Pistorius received a five-year prison sentence. That is all.

- The Steelers saved their season with a Monday win over Houston that featured three TDs and a field goal in three minutes. Crazy indeed how a year's worth of work can hinge on three minutes on a Monday night in October. Go figure.

- Jimbo Fisher halted an interview Monday because he got his panties in a bunch when he was asked if his reputation was taking a hit because of the handling of the Jameis Winston stuff. Buckle up Jimbo, this is only the beginning.

- The World Series starts tonight. We are completely stunned about little that moves our meter. It vexes us. We are deeply vexed.

----

Today's question

Rushmore of Luthers. Go.

Upcoming Events