10 takeaways from SEC football after Week 2
· Yahoo Sports
10 thoughts on SEC football, coming your way:
1 - Arch Manning for Heisman? Give me a break
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What is it with the Heisman hype machine? Arch Manning should be nowhere near the top of the list. You don't get extra Heisman points for playing three below-average quarters and one really good quarter. Had Ryan Day coached better, Ohio State wouldn't have blown a 20-point lead to Texas. It's ridiculous how winning a game even if the overall product was mediocre leads voters to elevate Heisman candidates or teams. It's hard to be impressed with Arch Manning, and it's hard to be impressed with Texas, got steamrolled for 45 minutes by Ohio State before an epic choke by the Buckeyes.
2 - Mississippi State is not a bad team
Mississippi State thrashed Minnesota on the road. Minnesota might not be any good, but Mississippi State looks competent. It's what Arkansas basically hoped to be this season. The Bulldogs do not look like the pushover Arkansas currently seems to be.
3 - Alabama and Kentucky leave room for interpretation
Alabama and Kentucky played a 40-minute game in which they looked like equals and then a 20-minute game in which the Crimson Tide dominated. Alabama is far from a finished product, and Kentucky learned a lot about itself. Do we know how the seasons will unfold for each team? Not at all.
4 - Texas A&M still has a Marcel Reed problem
Texas A&M still lives with the reality that Marcel Reed, while talented, is inconsistent. Can the Aggies navigate the challenges of the SEC with an erratic quarterback? It is not a comfortable position to inhabit.
5 - Tennessee is surpassing expectations
Tennessee might not be great, but the Vols seemed ordinary going into the season. They look better than ordinary right now and have calmed a lot of fears among their fans.
6 - Georgia looks motivated
The Bulldogs might not have the kind of team they had earlier this decade when they dominated the sport, but they have not fooled around in their first two games and look like a hungry team, which they should be. Arkansas faces UGA next. Gulp.
7 - Austin Simmons shows progress
Missouri has a quarterback coach named Garrett Riley. Yep, that's Lincoln's brother. Garrett Riley has Austin Simmons playing well for the Tigers, which gives them hope for the season.
8 - LSU looked sleepy
LSU looked very ragged and sloppy against Louisiana Tech. Looking ahead to Ole Miss? Certainly, but early in the season, Lane Kiffin can't be happy that his players' effort level is already so inconsistent.
9 - Auburn ambiguity
Auburn looked better in Week 2 than in Week 1, but Southern Miss isn't a tough opponent. The Alex Golesh project will be evaluated a lot more fully when the Tigers face Florida, which is next up on the schedule.
10 - Oklahoma O woes
The Oklahoma offense did not get fixed in the offseason. John Mateer has not developed as a quarterback. Coordinator Ben Arbuckle was awful against Michigan. The Sooners are not a playoff team this year.