Auburn
- Wow, that was ugly. Probably the second worst performance of the Chizik era behind the ugly blowout in LSU's version of Death Valley a couple years ago.
- The defense was atrocious, and no one is making excuses. Everyone knows it was terrible, and therefore it will be a focus of practice this week. Tackling is a nice way to start. Auburn continues to get little to no push from the defensive line, very poor play from the linebackers, and poor scheming in the secondary. I'm not going to harp on this, because if you watched the game or knew anyone who did, you have likely heard tale of the absolutely revolting performance.
- The Tigers will get better, but it may take a while. Auburn will have to get back to basics and essentially start from scratch.
- On the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers struggled to find consistency. Barrett Trotter had probably his worst game thus far, but it wasn't all his fault. Dropped passes, poor protection, and missed assignments plagued the Tigers. The only bright side...
- Mike Dyer was phenomenal. He hit holes, showed great speed, and reminded us all of the phenomenal ability he has to keep his legs churning after initial contact. Expect his role to be greatly expanded in the coming weeks.
- I can't say enough about the improvement punter Steven Clark has made. Clark was great again, pinning Clemson inside the 20 consistently and giving Auburn a frequent chance to swing the field position battle. Most importantly for Clark, he has yet to shank one.
- Clemson is much better than I anticipated. Tajh Boyd was great and the defense was sufficient.
- Sammy Watkins and Dwayne Allen are phenomenal playmakers. Allen may be the most dynamic tight end in the country, and Watkins is only a freshman. Dabo Swinney has done a great job recruiting since taking over at Clemson, and it is starting to pay serious dividends for the Tigers. They will only get better in the coming weeks and even the coming years.
- I really loved Urban Meyer in the booth. He brought a ton to the table, and half the time he called the offensive play before the snap. Auburn could have used him on the sideline.
SEC
- LSU's defense is probably the nation's best, and it might not be close. The Bayou Tiger D was stout against Chris Relf and company on Thursday night, and continue to carry the team as they search for an offensive identity. If they find it, this may be the best team in the country. I'm not ready to go there yet, however.
- How 'bout James Franklin and the 'Dores! Vandy dominated Ole Miss to improve to 3-0. We'll see how legit they are when they take on South Carolina this week in a battle of SEC unbeatens.
- Will Muschamp has done a pretty decent coach. What a turnaround for the Gators from last year's disappointing squad. Jeff Brantley looks much more comfortable, Chris Rainey is touching the ball as much as possible, and the defense is improving.
- Tennessee would be a really good team with a running game. Without it, they won't be a serious contender, no matter how good Tyler Bray and Da'Rick Rodgers are. Losing Justin Hunter for the season definitely doesn't help.
- Kentucky is terrible.
- South Carolina continues to manage to squeak by with narrow, unimpressive victories. I'm not near as sold on the Gamecocks as many in the national media seem to be. If they win the East this year, I will be quite surprised, and I imagine it would be quickly followed by another dismantling in the SEC Championship game.
- We might finally find out how good Arkansas and Alabama are when the face each other this week. Thus far, we really have no idea.
- Georgia won by many, many points in a game that means absolutely nothing.
- Oklahoma definitely solidified its spot atop the rankings by knocking off what I consider to be a very good Florida State team. Jimbo Fisher has the Noles getting close to a return to glory after several rough years in Tallahassee. If Oklahoma can handle Oke State and a sneaky good Baylor team, the Sooners should have a pretty good chance to be in the National Championship game.
- Paul Rhoads has Iowa State doing nice things. They'll get a couple tough tests against Texas and Baylor in the coming weeks.
- I probably spoke too soon on Central Florida. Expect them to bounce back from a disappointing loss to FIU.
- Ohio State is definitely feeling the losses of Terrelle Pryor and Jim Tressell. In a battle of teams with innumerable distractions, Miami looked much more prepared than the Buckeyes.
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