By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Ole Miss dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten thanks to an offense which sputtered in Death Valley.

Octobers final Saturday didnt produce a classic, but we were treated to a number of quality, competitive games and some standout individual performances throughout the conference.

The league is down to just one unbeaten, and as we all suspected in August, its Mississippi State. The division title races may have become even more convoluted.

As we close the book on a wild October and get ready for a November filled with intrigue, lets look back at Week 9 in the SEC.

Arkansas 45, UAB 10

The Razorbacks won because: They show no mercy on overmatched non-conference opponents. Arkansas may not be able to win an SEC game, but their size and physicality make them less susceptible to the upset bug against non-Power Five opponents. The ground game produced 273 yards, but the play of the day was a gadget play in which 320-pound guard Sebastian Tretola threw a six-yard touchdown pass to fellow lineman Alan DAppollonio. The defense shut down an offense that scored 34 points against Mississippi State, but the Blazers were without starting quarterback Cody Clements on Saturday. Arkansas moves back to .500 as it enters the stretch run.

Mississippi State 45, Kentucky 31

The Bulldogs won because: The running game rocked. Mississippi State is a whole lot more than just quarterback Dak Prescott, who had a solid afternoon with three total touchdowns. Running back Josh Robinson, aka cThe Bowling Balld ran for 198 yards and two touchdowns, including a highlight-reel 23-yard run in which seven Wildcats missed tackles on the bruising back. Every time Kentucky put the pressure on, Mississippi State responded. Kentuckys Patrick Towles was outstanding in defeat, producing 466 yards of total offense and four total touchdowns. The Wildcats never led, and the game was never tied after 7-7, but they did make No. 1 sweat 3 a major sign of progress for Mark Stoops program.

Missouri 24, Vanderbilt 14

The Tigers won because: The front seven stepped up. The offense struggled for much of the day, as it has for the past month. Like it did in wins at South Carolina and Florida, the defense carried Missouri by holding the Commodores to only 44 yards on the ground. Vanderbilt was competitive, as the Tigers did not ice the game until there were only two minutes to play with a Maty Mauk 25-yard touchdown pass to Bud Sasser. Johnny McCrary was 17-of-31 for 196 yards with two touchdowns in his first career start for Vanderbilt. Missouri remained tied for first in the loss column in the SEC East race, while Vanderbilt at least offered a bit of hope that an SEC win could be found in November home games against Florida and Tennessee.

LSU 10, Ole Miss 7

The Tigers won because: They played LSU football. The Tigers looked like a shell of themselves in the first half of the season, but Saturday nights performance was much like the great LSU teams of recent memory. Trailing 7-3, LSU marched 95 yards on 13 plays (12 runs) to take its first lead with five minutes remaining. After being unable to get out of its own way in the first half, the Tigers tightened up in front of 100,000-plus in Death Valley, holding the Rebels to just 313 yards of offense. Some questionable decision-making by both head coach Hugh Freeze and quarterback Bo Wallace on whether or not to try a game-tying field goal or run another play with nine seconds cost the Rebels, as Wallace was intercepted with two seconds remaining with Ole Miss in field-goal range. The victory was bittersweet for Les Miles, whose mother, Martha, passed away Friday night.

Alabama 34, Tennessee 20

The Crimson Tide won because: They took the life out of Neyland Stadium right away. Amari Coopers 80-yard touchdown pass on Alabamas first offensive play, followed by another 41-yard scoring reception four minutes later, quickly ended any hopes for a monumental upset. Tennessee showed a number of positive signs, most notably the play of sophomore quarterback Josh Dobbs in his season debut. The game was more or less even after the two early scores. Alabama lost two fumbles and missed and extra point, two areas that have cost the Tide severely in recent defeats. But Cooper was unstoppable, the running game did enough (183 yards), and Alabama won its eighth straight over the Volunteers.

Auburn 42, South Carolina 35

The Tigers won because: They got back to basics. The pass-heavy game plan that didnt work in Auburns loss to Mississippi State was scrapped, as the Tigers reverted to doing what they do best. 47 run plays resulted in nearly 400 yards, with Cameron Artis-Payne and Ricardo Louis, who scored on a 75-yard reverse, going over 100 yards for the game. Steve Spurriers offense matched Auburns for much of the night, converting five fourth-down attempts, but three costly interceptions ruined the Gamecocks upset bid. The Tigers defense isnt great, but it continues to make key plays at crucial moments.

Game Balls

Alabama WR Amari Cooper 3 9 receptions, 224 yards, 2 TD

Mississippi State RB Josh Robinson 3 23 carries, 198 yards, 2 TD

LSU LB Kendall Beckwith 3 Tackles on back-to-back plays to force a turnover on downs in fourth quarter

Quick Hits

*We must hit on Ole Miss clock management. The Rebels were at the LSU 25-yard line with nine seconds left and no timeouts, trailing 10-7. They initially were going to run another offensive play, but then decided to go for the field goal. The play clock ran out before getting the snap off, so a 42-yard attempt became a 47-yard attempt. LSU called a timeout to try to ice Gary Wunderlich, during which Hugh Freeze decided to send his offense back on the field. Ideally, youre looking for a 10-yard sideline pass in that situation. Instead, Bo Wallace took a deep shot down the field and was intercepted by LSUs Ronald Martin. Freeze and Wallace never appeared to be on the same page during the entire sequence, and Ole Miss paid a dear price. Howeverxa6.

*Ole Miss still is in great position to win the SEC West. If the Rebels win out, they go to Atlanta. The margin for error is now gone, but even if they had beaten LSU, they may not have been able to afford a home loss to fellow division title contenders Auburn and Mississippi State. Auburn has struggled on the road this season, and the Egg Bowl is in Oxford. All of Ole Miss goals are still there for the taking, even after a disappointing ending in Death Valley.

*Alabama, at its best, is the best team in college football. But even in a year with no great teams, you get the feeling its inconsistency is going to bite them again at some point. They have the best receiver in the country (I hear you, West Virginia fans) and a great running back duo, but they managed just seven points in the final 42 minutes against Tennessee. A second loss is coming, and it may or may not be enough to ruin the Tides playoff hopes.

*One of the reasons Auburn is so scary is because the running game is much less susceptible to breakdowns. South Carolina threw the ball with ease for much of Saturday night, but the high-risk game plan couldnt be sustained for 60 minutes. We saw it with Ole Miss Saturday as well, who has struggled to run the ball all season. The Auburn defense has issues, and the November schedule is a bear, but if the Tigers continue to do what they do best, theyll still be a tough out.

*I cant figure out Missouri. They might be only an Auburn defeat of Georgia from again winning the SEC East, but Maty Mauk has regressed dramatically after a fast start. The defense will have to continue to carry the Tigers, but the November schedule is manageable 3 Kentucky, at Texas A&M, at Tennessee, Arkansas. Georgia is the best team in the SEC East by a wide margin, but Missouri may have the best path to Atlanta.

*Patrick Towles is going to be a great one. The Kentucky sophomore was everything you want in a quarterback against Mississippi State. He has the size, arm strength and toughness to not only succeed in the SEC, but also play on Sundays. Kentucky will likely be an underdog in all four of its November games, but the Wildcats showed Saturday that there is going to be a sixth win and a surprising bowl appearance in Mark Stoops second season.

*Hang in there, Tennessee fans. I know youre sick and tired of hearing about how the future is bright, but it is. This was a lengthy rebuild project and there is still a long way to go, but Butch Jones is doing it the right way given the mess he inherited. A bowl trip would be huge to get the 15 extra practices (I think they end up 5-7), but this team will be a factor in the SEC East in the coming years.

*LSU actually has a realistic path to the SEC West title. The Tigers need to win out, and then the most likely scenario requires Auburn to defeat Ole Miss but lose at Georgia and at Alabama, and Mississippi State to lose at Alabama and at Ole Miss. That would leave a four-way tie of two-loss teams. LSU would be 2-1 against the other four, as would Ole Miss (Alabama and Mississippi State would be 1-2). LSU defeated Ole Miss, so the Tigers would go to Atlanta.

*Mississippi State handled the combination of rust, pressure and perhaps some disbelief in the validity of Kentucky. Being No. 1 adds a tremendous amount of pressure, especially when its the first time in program history, but the Bulldogs responded well despite being sloppy at times. There are plenty of tests remaining, but the moment doesnt appear too bright for Mississippi State. Someone will probably beat the Bulldogs, but it wont be because of stage fright.

If The Playoffs Started Today

Sugar Bowl: (1) Mississippi State vs. (4) Auburn

Rose Bowl: (2) Florida State vs. (3) Alabama

Week 10 Lookahead

A pair of SEC West games highlight the Nov. 1 slate, led by Auburns trip to Ole Miss (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). The game is now likely an elimination game in the SEC West title race, as the Rebels look to bounce back from the loss to LSU. Auburn has won five of the past seven meetings in Oxford.

Mississippi State plays in front of its home crowd for the first time as a No. 1 team, as they welcome Arkansas to Starkville (7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Bulldogs dont seem like a good matchup for Arkansas, as the Hogs dont have the passing game to expose Mississippi States secondary, but its a game the hosts must take very seriously.

In the SEC East, Florida and Georgia will renew their rivalry in Jacksonville (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS). Kentucky and Missouri meet in Columbia (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network), in a game the Tigers have to have to remain in division title contention.

Tennessee needs to win three of its final four games to make a bowl, starting with a trip to South Carolina (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network). The Volunteers upset the Gamecocks last year in Knoxville, but havent won in Columbia since 2006.

Texas A&M returns from a bye against Louisiana-Monroe (12 p.m. ET, SEC Network), while Vanderbilt wraps up its non-conference slate against high-scoring Old Dominion (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU).

Alabama and LSU are idle before their collision in two weeks in Baton Rouge.