SEC Updates: The East is really, really bad

In a stunning (not really) turning of events, the SEC East looks like one of the worst divisions in any Power Five conference this season. That was all but confirmed on Saturday when the top two teams in the division, Florida and Georgia, were resting on open dates while the lower five teams (excluding South Carolina) were in action. And the only reason an East team won this weekend was because two East teams faced off against each other. And even that one was extremely ugly.

But before this weekend's results, here are your updated SEC standings:

The game that pitted two SEC East teams against each other took place in Nashville, and it saw Vanderbilt playing host to Missouri. And boy, was it ugly. The two teams combined to score one touchdown and managed a total of just 492 offensive yards, including a mere 244 combined passing yards, and Vanderbilt earned its first SEC victory of the Derek Mason era with a 10-3 win over the Tigers. Missouri is now at the bottom of the East along with South Carolina after the loss.

The other two SEC East teams in action, Tennessee and Kentucky, lost to superior West opponents. The Vols were competitive for four quarters against No. 8 Alabama and actually had a fourth quarter lead for the first time against the Crimson Tide since 2006 in the game, but running back Derrick Henry was too much to handle and scored a touchdown with 2:24 left to put Alabama up 19-14. Then a sack and fumble on Tennessee's ensuing possession sealed the win for the Tide, pushing their win streak over the Vols to nine games.

Kentucky, however, wasn't nearly as competitive against Mississippi State. The Wildcats actually started out on top and led 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. But Mississippi State scored 21 unanswered points and put the game out of reach, ultimately triumphing 42-16 over Kentucky. Quarterback Dak Prescott had 465 total yards of offense and scored six times, three through the air and three on the ground, and the Bulldogs had their way against the Wildcats, earning their second SEC win on the season.

The game of the weekend was a four overtime thriller between Auburn and Arkansas. Both teams desperately needed a conference win, and it was the Razorbacks who ended up on top 54-46 at the end of four overtimes. Auburn scored all six touchdowns on the ground, but Arkansas had a more balanced attack and was able to hold off the Tigers on their last possession in the fourth overtime. The loss has all but cemented Auburn, a popular preseason pick to win the SEC West, at the bottom of the West.

No. 15 Texas A&M and No. 24 Ole Miss was the only match-up of the weekend pitting two top 25 teams against each other, but it didn't look like a game of two top teams. The Rebels dominated the Aggies from the outset and held them to just 192 yards of offense in a 23-3 victory. Chad Kelly threw three interceptions in the game, but Texas A&M couldn't capitalize on the mistakes and looked dreadful on offense the entire game. Ole Miss kept their SEC West hopes alive with the victory, and Texas A&M suffered their second-straight loss and look to be on the verge of falling apart.

While the Vols certainly are better than their 3-4 record indicates, the rest of the SEC East behind Florida and Georgia is just bad. Missouri, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt have all struggled to look competent on offense all season, and Kentucky's defense can't contain teams enough for their serviceable offense to keep up. Although a couple teams are still technically not eliminated from the East race, it appears all but certain that the East is just a two team race at this point, and those two teams will face off next weekend in Athens as Georgia plays host to Florida in the match-up of the weekend in the SEC.