What's happening to the SEC in college football?

The GIST: Notre Dame’s aforementioned thriller aside, the NCAA gridiron brought mostly snoozy blowouts by behemoths in Week 5.

• But what did raise eyebrows on Saturday? The formerly dominant SEC. The conference’s mid performances have folks wondering if the powerhouse still deserves the most AP Top 25 poll positions.

State of the SEC: Back-to-back national champ Georgia’s still holding the nation’s No. 1 spot despite a tight 27–20 dub over Auburn — an SEC bottom-feeder this season — on Saturday. With arguably one of college football’s weakest schedules, the question isn’t if the Bulldogs can stay undefeated, but should they be rewarded for doing so?

• Moving on to LSU, if a 10-spot drop to No. 23 seems harsh for a squad that lost 55–49 to now–No. 16 Ole Miss in an offensive showdown, consider the fact that LSU’s dismal defense allowed 711 (!!!) yards.

• The SEC’s (literally) under construction, and Kentucky’s taking advantage: The Wildcats entered the poll at No. 20 following a 33–14 dub over now-unranked Florida, and if they can humble No. 1 Georgia next weekend, these ’Cats could be the conference’s new top Dawg.

Best of the rest: Over in the Pac-12, No. 9 USC struggled defensively, squeaking by Colorado 48–41 on the back of Heisman-winning QB Caleb Williams’ six-touchdown (TD) game. As for Coach Prime’s Buffs, the tight L showed that QB Shedeur Sanders, who accounted for 421 yards and five TDs, is the real deal, even without two-way star Travis Hunter in the mix.

• Outside the Top 25, Baylor proved anything can happen in college football: The Bears stormed back from a late-third-quarter 35–7 deficit to hand Big 12 newbie UCF an unbelievable 36–35 loss. Sheesh.