The Big Lead

After College Football's Week 13, are there any actually good teams?

By Sam Westmoreland

Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on against the Florida Gators during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on against the Florida Gators during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
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THE SEC

Kirby Smart looking at the average SEC team's resume this season.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart reacts during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Massachusetts in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The vaunted SEC. The league where it Just Means More. A conference stacked with historic blue bloods and powerhouses, where the conference strength of schedule should be more than enough to power a two, or dare we say, a three-loss team into the playoff field, right?

While it's true that the SEC will probably still get their cadre of teams into the field, no one should feel good about that this season, because this conference has spent their time hitting each other in the head with bricks. The top of the SEC has become the ultimate game of Rock, Paper, Scissors where it's impossible to parse who the best teams are.

Georgia owns wins over Clemson, Texas, and Tennesee, all impressive victories. But the Bulldogs looked awfully mortal in a loss to Alabama, even worse in a loss to Ole Miss, and only escaped Kentucky with a win because the Wildcats' offense is a fully inert substance. Carson Beck throws picks left and right, the defense looks vulnerable for the first time in ages, and while Georgia is likely still in the field, they're hardly a juggernaut.

Mighty Texas is the number three team in the nation, with a singular loss to their name. But the Longhorns were gifted a cakewalk schedule in their debut SEC season. They battered a woeful Michigan on their non-conference slate and absolutely routed their reeling rivals Oklahoma in Red River, which are the Longhorns' most notable victories of the year. And Texas was thoroughly thrashed by Georgia in their singular marquee matchup, and have looked wobbly against both Arkansas and Kentucky ahead of their rivalry revival againstTexas A&M.

And how about those resurgent Aggies? After opening the year with a loss to Notre Dame, Texas A&M ripped off seven straight wins, including an annihilation of then number nine Missouri. But the Aggies have proceeded to get vaporized by South Carolina and then stumble again against a very bad Auburn team.

Ole Miss' long-awaited return to glory seemed all but assured after the Rebels blasted Georgia. But Lane Kiffin's team has been infuriatingly inconsistent, dropping winnable games against Kentucky early in the season, LSU in the middle of the year, and most recently, Florida this week.

Tennessee knocked off Alabama for the second time in three years, but found themselves upset by a punchy Arkansas team, and were outclassed by Georgia. The offense looks inconsistent under first-year signal-caller Nico Iamaleava, and the Vols are probably a year away.

Alabama's first year under Kalen DeBoer has been chaotic, to say the least. The Crimson Tide took down Georgia, but immediately followed that with a loss to perennial doormat Vanderbilt, lost to Tennesee, and this week managed to succumb to a woebegone Oklahoma team that has looked offensively incompetent all season long.

South Carolina have three losses, to LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss, but have also beaten Texas A&M and Missouri, and might be the most chaotic outcome team in the league.

As for LSU, we've already discussed their mess of a season.