SEC Midterm Grades

by Chris Paschal

The Professor is dishing out midterm grades and they look pretty similar to the kind of grades I get. A few good ones, a lot of mediocre ones, and a couple of Fs. Just kidding, Mom… kind of.

This report card is going to look bland. It’s going to be your grade and the reason why. No pictures. No videos. Just the grades. What makes me qualified to give out these grades? How am I qualified to be a professor? Let me put it this way. I’m not. Let’s get started.

Alabama – B+

Only Alabama could play below its potential and below its expectations and still be the #1 team in the country and undefeated. Eventually, this Alabama offense will be challenged. The offensive line is not nearly as dominant as it has been in the past. The rushing attack has been an afterthought. The passing attack is a one-trick pony. Slant routes to talented receivers against inferior secondaries and fade routes towards the end zone. There will be a time that a defense exposes this offense for being one-dimensional. Until then, Alabama continues to roll.

Arkansas – D+

Here’s the good thing – Arkansas has not been blownout yet. Here’s the bad – they haven’t played Alabama, Auburn, or LSU yet. Arkansas continues to teeter the line between rebuilding and completely collapsing and burning. The Hogs were competitive and had shots to beat Kentucky and Texas A&M, but lost to San Jose State. Arkansas’s record of 2-4 doesn’t help things.

Auburn – B

This is just your average, old-fashioned B. Auburn has a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball, but is starting a true freshman at quarterback. Auburn now has to deal with Boobee Whitlow being out for a significant portion of time. The Tigers have good wins over Oregon, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M. Good wins. Not great wins. In their showdown against a talented Gator team, they fought the good fight, but showed that they still have room to improve, especially on offense. Gus Malzhan will get the most out of this “B” team. Big matchups are upcoming.

Florida – A

It’s not just the impressive ranking and the good wins. It’s the fact that they are acting like the Florida Gators. They went into Tiger Stadium at night and traded punches with LSU. Yes, they ultimately lost, but they have a quarterback, they have a tough running back, they have exceptional wide receivers, and they have a defense that even in their worst showing made plays. Double digit wins are now on the table, something I did not think possible just a few weeks back. This upcoming game against South Carolina has huge implications for the SEC East battle. I expect the Gators to show up.

Georgia – B

Some grades are not created equally. I learned that from the show Everybody Hates Chris. Some B’s are a sign of improvement. Some B’s are a sign of regression. For Georgia, this is not a good report card. The win over Notre Dame keeps the Dawgs above water, but this team has some soul-searching to do. This offensive line, supposedly (and in my mind still could be) was the best unit in the country. It’s easy to lean on and push around inferior opponents, but when challenged by a great defensive line in South Carolina, they folded. The wide receivers are talented but weak. The play calling is predictable. The problems Georgia faces are not fixed in recruiting. You can’t recruit any better than Georgia has recruited. The Dawgs can’t get more talented. They are the most talented team in the country. The problems they have are in their identity. Until that’s fixed, Georgia will not be an A team.

Kentucky – C

Losing Terry Wilson turned this report card upside down. This is a decently talented team that is going to have to scratch and claw its way to six wins. The defense has played well, but not great. Lynn Bowden is an All-American talent that will have to continue saving the day.

LSU – A

Defense came around in the second half of the Florida game. That was the missing link. This offense is shocking. Truly shocking. An Ed Orgeron-led LSU football team is scoring points by the minute. Joe Burrow is the front-runner for the Heisman, the rushing attack has emerged, and the offensive line has answered the call. I said a couple of weeks ago and I will say it again… this is the year LSU finally beats Alabama. If not now, when?

Mississippi State – D+

Luckily, the Bulldogs have a pretty easy schedule all things considered, or else Mississippi State may have been looking for a new coach at season’s end. Nothing has impressed me about this team. They got spanked by Auburn. I get losing, but to not look like a fellow SEC opponent was concerning. Then to lose to Tennessee. This offense is pathetic. The defense

Missouri – B

Would have been an A if you didn’t have a postseason ban and didn’t lose to Wyoming. Still, a B grade never hurt nobody.

Ole Miss – B

Again, not all grades are created equally. Ole Miss’s defense has grown somewhat of a back bone. The offense is better than I thought. There is life in Oxford. Will it result in six wins and bowl berth, probably not, but this is not the dumpster fire everyone expected.

South Carolina – B (with a couple of absences)

You can’t skip school. Sure, in college you get a certain number of skips. Did I use all of my skips? Of course, I did. If you don’t want me to use them, then don’t give them to me. But when you’re absent, you miss important things. Like that pop quiz. South Carolina has played good football with a few missing grades. There was an absence in Charlotte. There was a flop in Missouri. But there was a top-grade in Athens. Needless to say, South Carolina’s grade will be determined more by the last six games than the first six.

Tennessee – Detention

Tennessee was acting out in class for most of this early part of the season. Players getting arrested, losing to Georgia State, blowing it against BYU… just acting like a dang fool. But after playing nice and beating Mississippi State, Tennessee may be slowly getting out of the dog house. If Tennessee scraped out six wins, I promise you I will give them an A on their final. Yeah, I’m that kind of professor.

Texas A&M – C

Growing pains in the second year under Jimbo. With the losses they had from last year’s team and the schedule they have in 2019, this was expected. Jimbo is still recruiting like a stud though. Don’t expect the Aggies to remain down for long. Hey, I did some of my best work after getting a C. I also did some of my worst work.

Vanderbilt – F

This is bad. Really bad. This is also the grade I would have gotten if I had attended Vanderbilt.

Clemson – B+

I know they aren’t in the SEC, but let’s talk Clemson. Trevor Lawrence looks like a shadow of the quarterback he was last year. The offense has sputtered at times. Dabo looks unhinged (yelling at your kicker, really?)… and guess what… they are still undefeated with a shot at yet another ACC Title and yet another CFP berth. This grade will rise as the season goes along. Clemson is that know-it-all that professors hate. So, yeah, I hate Clemson… but they filled in the right bubbles and I can’t find a way to lower their grade.