A wild weekend put Florida back into the race for the SEC East and LSU and Auburn in serious trouble in SEC West. Meanwhile, Alabama continues to toy with their opponents.
Watching the Alabama offense and QB Tua Tagovailoa this weekend, I am begging to question if he is human. After leading the Crimson Tide back in the National Championship Game last season, Tua has been almost perfect this season.
In their 65-31 victory over Arkansas this past Saturday, Tua threw for 334 yards and 4 TD on just 10 completions. That raised his total on the season to 18 TD while still not throwing an interception. In his college career, Tua now has 29 TD to just 2 INT.
Tua’s completion percentage for the season is 75.2 (76-110) which ranks first in college football and would be the second highest for a single season since 1956 (Colt McCoy of Texas had the highest at 76.7 in 2008).
Tua also ranks first in college football in passing yards per attempt (14.8) and passing efficiency rating (258.4). Both of those totals would be the best ever for a single season since records were kept (1956).
Alabama is averaging over 56 PPG and has outgained their opponents by over 233 yards per game. They have won their six games by an average of 40 PPG and their three SEC games by an average of 37 PPG. They still have games at #13 LSU (November 3rd) #24 Mississippi State (November 10) and #21 Auburn (November 24).
Right now, it’s hard to imagine the Crimson Tide winning by fewer than 20 points, never mind losing.
While Alabama was continuing to dominate, their chief competition in the SEC West both were upset on Saturday. LSU (who entered 5-0 and ranked #5) lost in Gainesville to a determined Florida Gators team, 27-19. Auburn was defeated by unranked Mississippi State, 23-9 in Starkville. That was the Tigers second SEC loss this season, which just about eliminates them from winning the SEC West.
In the SEC East, the Gators win over LSU put them right back in the thick of things. Previously undefeated Kentucky (and Florida’s only loss) fell in OT at Texas A&M, 20-14. Georgia remained undefeated with an easy 41-13 win against Vanderbilt at home.
The Bulldogs haven’t been quite as dominating as Alabama, but they have been very good. They rank second in the SEC in PPG (42.8) and fifth in the nation in PPG Differential (26.8). Their four SEC wins have come by an average of 23.0 PPG.
Despite their dominance so far this season, Georgia has a very tough schedule coming up that could open the door for both Florida and Kentucky. The Bulldogs travel to #13 LSU Saturday, followed by a visit to Jacksonville to play #16 Florida. They then travel to #20 Kentucky on November 3rd and finish their incredibly challenging four-game stretch against #21 Auburn at home.
So far this season it looks like Georgia and Alabama are on a collision course to have a rematch of last season’s dramatic National Championship Game in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. However, the Bulldogs brutal four-game stretch coming up should make the rest of the SEC season very interesting.