After another two weeks of SEC games, fans are starting to see how the conference teams are deviating from their preseason expectations. So far this season, a team every now and again surpasses its expectations in a way that does not make any logical sense. Unfortunately, no SEC teams fell victim to a plucky young upstart, with the first five weeks of the season shaking out as expected. 

As expected, No. 9 Florida had no difficulty destroying Towson. The score is hardly important in these kinds of games against poor opponents, and Florida looked sharp. Florida losing starting quarterback Feleipe Franks to a season-ending injury may have been a blessing in disguise, as new quarterback Kyle Trask looks much more consistent and reliable under center with fewer turnovers than the team had come to expect from Frank. Trask has not started since middle school football — seven years ago. 

While he looked good, he has yet to play an elite team, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep his nerves in check the next two weeks as the Gators play No. 7 Auburn and No. 5 LSU in one of the most difficult back-to-backs any team has in their regular season schedule. They need to win at least one of these games if they want a ring at the end of the season.

While the question of the SEC West champion is completely unclear, these two games should help better evaluate where Auburn and LSU stand in relation to the rest of their division. Both of these teams look highly competitive for the division title, but it is vital they remain undefeated until SEC West play begins in the back half of the season if they hope to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. 

As confident as Auburn and LSU may be, the team in the back of both of their minds is, as always, No. 1 Alabama. The Crimson Tide looked sharp against unranked Ole Miss, or the University of Mississippi, who has given them trouble in the past. However, those days are long gone while Alabama’s greatness has not dimmed. Ole Miss fans should expend their energy on alumni AJ Brown, who is off to a great start in his NFL career, if they want to have a positive outlook on this football season. Ole Miss is still recovering from their past success as they search for another talented class to keep up with the rest of the conference. 

Barring any shenanigans next week, which make No. 25 Texas A&M look like they still have Johnny Manziel, Alabama should remain undefeated until the second half of their schedule, when they play Auburn, Mississippi State and LSU, and this will decide the SEC West. 

The question of who represents the SEC East is much less cloudy. Despite Florida looking strong, even with the switch up at quarterback, No. 3 Georgia looked too good at the beginning of the season to see them as anything but the clear favorite. This change in outlook is partially because of an easy schedule for the first half of the season, with the first clear challenge being week 10 against Florida. That game should be the deciding factor, but it leans to Georgia, given the experience of the team competing at a high level the past few seasons under quarterback Jake Fromm, who is still leading the team after taking them to the playoffs two seasons ago and bringing the team within a few plays of a return trip last season. 

In less important news, Vanderbilt earned its first win against Northern Illinois. While it is not exactly a premier game, it has to feel good to be able to pretend for a weekend that it is not a purely academic and baseball school. They play unranked Ole Miss next week in a battle of the bottom. The odds of Vanderbilt making a bowl game are already incredibly slim, and a loss would make it basically impossible. Ole Miss has a decent shot at the post season, a shot which would be greatly diminished by a loss to the Commodores.

Looking to the rest of the division, Kentucky and South Carolina had an absolutely riveting game that helped South Carolina win its second game. Both of these teams are trying their best to make it to a bowl game, but both will need to pull an upset somewhere down the road. 

Mississippi State, along with Texas A&M, looks like the clear second tier of the division. These two teams probably will not compete in the playoffs, but they should land in a good bowl game. At MSU, head coach Joe Moorhead is still seeking to adapt to his new team. Two suspended starters are back, and while the team is not elite yet, they look promising having held their own against a respectable schedule thus far. 

The key game to watch in the next week is between Auburn and Florida. Both teams need a win to keep their future playoff hopes in their own hands. It should be competitive, but Auburn should pull out ahead. Barring any shocking upsets, the other games should maintain the status quo. 

The key games of the following week are Alabama vs. Texas A&M and Florida vs. LSU. While Alabama should comfortably win, they need to play hard to avoid giving Texas A&M a chance at an upset. LSU should also win. However, this game should be much easier to predict after Auburn vs. Florida. As with that game, both Florida and LSU need a win to keep their shot at an SEC title out of the hands of fate. 

With the SEC’s top teams remaining relatively untested through week five, the next two weeks will see that reality change as they begin to face off on a regular basis.

James Travis is a junior in the McDonough School of Business majoring in finance.  TAILGATES AND TRADITIONS appears online and in print every other Friday.