The Sleeper Teams of the SEC
When we went on the record for our preview videos in August, I had Ole Miss and Texas A&M as 10-2 teams.
However, I did not think we'd be sitting here in Week 4 with those two teams as two of the three unquestioned SEC West front-runners.
That's how crazy this season has been so far.
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With that said, which teams in the SEC are sleepers to make the College Football Playoff after Week 3?
Florida Gators
Very quietly, all Florida has done is post a 3-0 record, win a tough game on the road and done something they haven't done in a very long time—stretch the field vertically.
The Gators rank fourth in the SEC in passing completions of 20 or more yards with 12. Sure, some of those have been catch-and-runs from receivers and running backs, but quarterbacks Will Grier and Treon Harris seem much more comfortable this year than any Florida quarterback has felt in the pocket since Tim Tebow took the snaps.
Grier took all the snaps last week in the 14-9 win over Kentucky, but first-year head coach Jim McElwain is still keeping his options open under center.
"Yeah, we're going to play the way we play it," McElwain said in quotes emailed by Florida. "We just felt like in the last game, Treon, we had some opportunities where maybe we should have put him you know, that's the way it goes. We kind of get a feel for it and that's what we talked about and yet there's some things we really have to work on that position."
The two-man rotation at quarterback, however it works out game-to-game, is working, though. As long as that consistency continues, Florida is going to be a tough out in the SEC East. Its defense is scary-good, the offensive line is continuing to improve and the last piece of the puzzle is actually a more consistent running game.
"Obviously you would love to have a 10-yard average when you run the ball," McElwain said. "I think where I'm more concerned is our explosive runs; they haven't been there. We've got to somehow create that with a little bit of movement, snap up front and then we've got to hit that crease when we have it."
Don't sleep on Florida.
No, the Gators aren't sexy and have an uphill battle simply to legitimately contend for the SEC East title. But one hurdle—Grier's first SEC road start—is already in the rearview mirror, and a win over Tennessee this weekend could vault them out of anonymity.
Tennessee Volunteers
Yes, the 31-24 double overtime home loss to Oklahoma in Week 2 hurt Tennessee's chances of making the College Football Playoff. But that wasn't the most realistic goal on Rocky Top anyway, right?
The SEC East is the logical next step for head coach Butch Jones' crew, and the quest to get back to the Georgia Dome for the first time since 2007 starts this week against Florida.
As I wrote earlier this week, it's the biggest game of Jones' Tennessee coaching career.
It's also a chance for Jones to get the 10-year-old monkey off of Tennessee's back, finally top the Gators and announce to the world that the Vols are the biggest threat to Georgia in the division.
"This game is important because it's the next game," Jones said in quotes emailed by Tennessee. "Does this game mean a lot to a lot of individuals? Absolutely. But again, everything is about our preparation. Everything is about our approach."
The approach should be to learn how to close. If that happens against the Gators, why not Tennessee in the SEC East?
The cross-division schedule doesn't look nearly as daunting now thanks to Arkansas' struggles and Alabama's quarterback issues, they get Georgia at home, and a win over Florida would vault the Vols to the unquestioned No. 2 spot in the SEC East late in September.
The playoff is a long shot, but it's not a "no shot" if they get hot and gain much-needed confidence this weekend versus the Gators.
Texas A&M Aggies
While the rest of the college football world is smitten with Top 10 teams like Ole Miss, Georgia and LSU, all Texas A&M has been doing is going about its business, taking care of lesser opponents and building off of the season-opening win over Arizona State.
Kyle Allen has locked down the starting quarterback job, is tied with Ole Miss' Chad Kelly for the SEC lead with nine touchdown passes and is third in the SEC in passing efficiency (169.43). The sophomore from Scottsdale, Arizona, has earned high praise around the country, including from SEC Network analyst Booger McFarland:
"Texas AM- Kyle Allen is the best qb in SEC right now, Mack flashes at DT , Carson over 100 yards changes how we see them got 2 keep it up
— Booger (@SECbooger) September 20, 2015"
Defensively, ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall were the toast of the town after the Aggies produced nine sacks in the opener against the Sun Devils. Since then, though, freshman tackle Daylon Mack has emerged as a force inside and the much-maligned pass defense has improved to a point where it currently ranks fifth in the conference (175.3 yards per game).
The cross-division slate is a breeze with games against Vandy and South Carolina on the docket, Arkansas and Auburn don't look very challenging, Alabama's defensive back problem still exists and the Aggies certainly look like they can take advantage.
Texas A&M is ranked 15th in the coaches' poll and 14th by the Associated Press, but as I tweeted on Sunday morning, I have the Aggies sixth in my Bleacher Report Top 25 ballot.
They're very much a contender not only in the SEC West, but in the race for the College Football Playoff.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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