Fun and Games Are Over, SEC West Will Finally Be Sorted out in Week 6
Week 5 served as the opening act, as the SEC East took its turn on the stage and began to sort itself out. In Week 6, it's the SEC West's turn.
In music terms, that's like Milli Vanilli opening for The Beatles.
Mississippi State will host Texas A&M, Ole Miss will welcome Alabama and LSU will travel to the Plains next week to take on Auburn in what will be a 12-hour marathon of football that will define the landscape of the toughest division in college football.
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Unlike the East, there isn't much margin for error in the West. One conference loss could eliminate teams from the chase for Atlanta depending on how the rest of the season shakes out and who that loss is to.
What can you expect in a crazy Week 6?
Texas A&M at Mississippi State
The Bulldogs sat back and watched the Aggies get a win in a Texas-sized overtime shootout with Arkansas in Jerry World on Saturday afternoon.
What they saw should make them smile.
Aggies quarterback Kenny Hill was great yet again, but he didn't get a ton of help from his running backs. Tra Carson led all Texas A&M rushers with just 55 yards on the ground, and the Aggies totaled 137 rushing yards against a Hogs defense that's eighth in the SEC in rush defense (139.4 YPG).
Mississippi State's just a little bit better—and by "a little bit," I mean a lot.
Head coach Dan Mullen's crew is giving up just 82.5 yards per game on the ground and an SEC-best 2.39 yards per carry. Mullen will force Hill to be the guy in this one, and while he's capable—after all, he's a Heisman candidate for a reason—that's still a tough proposition on the road in the biggest game of his career.
Yes, that's a subtle shot at South Carolina's pass defense, which pales in comparison to Taveze Calhoun, Jamerson Love and the crew in Starkville—where top-tier cornerbacks like former Bulldogs Johnthan Banks and Darius Slay have become staples.
"Jamerson is a real speed player for us," Mullen said. "Where Johnthan [Banks] and [Darius] Slay also had some size. I think he's up there with those guys as that type of player. He's still improving, and there are some things he can get better at, but he certainly has the talent to play at the next level."
Texas A&M's defense looked great early, but the tandem of running back Josh Robinson and quarterback Dak Prescott will put those fundamentals to the test. That nearly cost the Aggies against Arkansas on Saturday, and there's more to come this week in the form of the Bulldogs' multidimensional attack.
Alabama at Ole Miss
ESPN's College GameDay will be in Oxford for the Alabama at Ole Miss game for the first time ever.
The question to Ole Miss now becomes, "Is this really a good idea?"
Sure, it's great for recruiting and exposure, but it's not like Ole Miss has looked like a team that has earned that Top 15 designation.
Sure, the defense is great, but quarterback Bo Wallace has been a turnover machine. It got worse Saturday, when Wallace tossed two picks and fumbled once in a 24-3 win over Memphis that was much closer than the score appeared.
If "Dr. Bo" can cut down on the mistakes and not help Alabama out, this might be a fun game. After all, the Rebels—who rank first in the SEC in total defense (248.0 YPG)—are, by far, the best defense Alabama will face this year.
This isn't a game, however, that Ole Miss can skate by with its C-game offensively and expect to win.
The Crimson Tide have had two weeks to sit on their breakout offensive performance against Florida and scheme against that Rebels defense. Judging from what we've seen from offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, that's scary.
Kiffin has brilliantly brought along quarterback Blake Sims, got him into a rhythm early in each game and proved that he is the expert play-caller head coach Nick Saban expected him to be when Kiffin was hired during the offseason.
Alabama's offense versus Ole Miss' defense will be the dominant storyline, but this game will be decided when Ole Miss has the ball. If Wallace doesn't fix his turnover issues—he has six picks through four games—it'll be a long afternoon for the Rebels at home.
LSU at Auburn
It took LSU head coach Les Miles a while, but logic finally won the day.
Quarterback Brandon Harris entered the game in the second quarter against New Mexico State and provided the spark LSU's offense needed. The true freshman from Bossier City, Louisiana, finished the day 11-of-14 passing for 178 yards, three touchdowns, no picks, 36 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Assuming Harris becomes the unquestioned starter—which should be obvious to everybody including Miles at this point—this is a whole new ballgame on the Plains.
Head coach Gus Malzahn's crew boasts the SEC's third-best rush defense (90.75 YPG) and will force the quarterback to beat them through the air. Anthony Jennings didn't do a whole lot through five games to suggest that he's capable of doing that.
Harris has.
Meanwhile, Auburn's offense has been sort of disjointed over the last two games, struggling to get going in the first halves of games at Kansas State and at home versus Louisiana Tech. That trend can't continue against LSU with Harris at the helm.
If you're looking for great SEC atmospheres, this game will be one you can't miss. Auburn rarely gets to host LSU at night, which should make things difficult for Harris and those young LSU playmakers on offense.
"Anybody we play, having them here on a Saturday night is a big advantage for us," said Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs. "Our students, they're the best in the nation regardless of when we play, but that night atmosphere will make it a fun, exciting time for football on Saturday night."
Six teams. Three winners. One division. Twelve hours of can't-miss college football.
Get your popcorn ready.
Barrett Sallee is the Lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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