Alabama is the best team in the country – we didn’t need the SEC championship game to know that. But, just in case anyone forgot, the Crimson Tide reminded us.
After a long season of strong performances in the conference, Alabama ended up with four of the top five performances in the SEC this season. The most dominant team in football posted an undefeated season and only had one game within single-digits.
However, there are plenty of other teams that deserve mention on this list. Here are the top 20 performances by SEC teams in 2016 through the regular season:
20. Vanderbilt 38, Ole Miss 17
Date: Nov. 19
Star player: Commodores RB Ralph Webb
Key stat: Vanderbilt went on a 31-0 run
Why: Derek Mason’s team was in dire straits after losing to Missouri, but the Commodores righted themselves with a dominant win over Ole Miss. Vanderbilt exploded for nearly 500 offensive yards and 38 points, which were both team highs in SEC play by far. Ole Miss took an early 10-0 lead, and then got crushed.
19. Mississippi State 35, No. 4 Texas A&M 28
Date: Nov. 5
Star player: Bulldogs QB Nick Fitzgerald
Key stat: Mississippi State outgained Texas A&M 574-382
Why: This was easily one of the most shocking games of the season, as Fitzgerald accumulated 391 yards and four total touchdowns against No. 4 Texas A&M, which has several NFL-caliber talents.
18. No. 1 Alabama 48, No. 19 Ole Miss 43
Date: Sept. 17
Star player: Tide QB Jalen Hurts
Key stat: Alabama scored 21 non-offensive points: two fumble recoveries and a punt return for touchdowns
Why: The toughest part about playing the Crimson Tide is that they can beat you in any facet of the game — offense, defense and special teams. Safety Eddie Jackson took a punt back for a score, and DE Jonathan Allen and DT Da’Ron Payne each recovered fumbles for touchdowns.
17. No. 1 Alabama 49, No. 16 Arkansas 30
Date: Oct. 8
Star player: Tide QB Jalen Hurts
Key stat: Alabama sacked Austin Allen seven times and pressured him 12 times
Why: Austin Allen is incredible, but this was one of the roughest days in his career. The signal-caller was constantly under pressure by the dominant Alabama front seven. Hurts was incredibly efficient, averaging 14.9 yards per pass attempt and accumulating four total touchdowns in an easy win.
16. Vanderbilt 45, No. 17 Tennessee 34
Date: Nov. 26
Star player: Commodores QB Kyle Shurmur
Key stat: Vanderbilt posted 608 total yards
Why: Shurmur dominated with 416 passing yards against the depleted Vols defense. Vanderbilt scored 21 unanswered points in the last 16 minutes to capture Derek Mason’s first win over a ranked team.
15. Arkansas 31, No. 11 Florida 10
Date: Nov. 5
Star player: Razorbacks RB Rawleigh Williams III
Key stat: Arkansas held Florida to 4.7 yards per play
Why: The Razorbacks limited the Gators offense to just one field goal and only 12 rushing yards. The game made the SEC East look that much worse, considering Arkansas is the fifth-best team in the SEC West.
14. No. 10 Texas A&M 45, No. 17 Arkansas 24
Date: Sept. 24
Star player: Aggies QB Trevor Knight
Key stat: Knight had breakaway rushing touchdowns of 42 and 48 yards
Why: This was billed as a battle for No. 2 in the SEC West, and it lived up to the hype. Arkansas took a 17-10 lead in the first half, but the Aggies responded by scoring four unanswered touchdowns.
13. No. 25 LSU 38, No. 23 Ole Miss 21
Date: Oct. 22
Star player: Tigers RB Leonard Fournette
Key stat: Fournette broke the LSU rushing record with 284 yards on 16 carries
Why: Fournette had three breakaway touchdowns in his first seven carries. The LSU defense also held Chad Kelly to just 6.5 yards per attempt and nabbed a pair of interceptions in the statement game.
12. LSU 42, Missouri 7
Date: Oct. 1
Star player: LSU backup RB Derrius Guice
Key stat: LSU rushed for 418 yards and six scores
Why: LSU was fresh off firing beloved coach Les Miles, and star RB Leonard Fournette was out with an injury. Luckily, LSU came out with a vengeance, led by Guice. The sophomore dominated with 163 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 carries in the win.
11. No. 23 Ole Miss 45, No. 12 Georgia 14
Date: Sept. 17
Star player: Rebels QB Chad Kelly
Key stat: Ole Miss held Georgia to just 4.5 yards per pass attempt
Why: The Rebels were fresh off blown leads against Alabama and Florida State in the first few weeks of the season, and they were darn sure not going to let it happen again. Ole Miss obliterated Georgia in every single phase, jumping out to a 45-0 lead.
10. Kentucky 41, No. 11 Louisville 38
Date: Nov. 26
Star player: Wildcats QB Stephen Johnson
Key stat: Kentucky forced four turnovers against Heisman Trophy favorite Lamar Jackson
Why: Johnson threw touchdowns of 75, 63 and 35 yards and led the Wildcats on a 24-7 run between the second and fourth quarters. The defense confused Lamar Jackson all day and forced just enough mistakes to keep his production from killing them. It was an outstanding team effort by the Wildcats on the road.
9. No. 24 LSU 38, No. 25 Arkansas 10
Date: Nov. 12
Star player: Tigers RB Derrius Guice
Key stat: LSU rushed for five touchdowns
Why: LSU eviscerated Arkansas’ defense with 547 total yards, including 390 rushing. Arkansas’ Austin Allen threw for 210 yards, but LSU was able to force mistakes and take away the running game in a dominant victory.
8. Mississippi State 55, Ole Miss 20
Date: Nov. 26
Star player: Bulldogs QB Nick Fitzgerald
Key stat: Mississippi State rushed for 457 yards
Why: Fitzgerald had improved the past few weeks, but was responsible for 367 yards and five touchdowns without a turnover. The Bulldogs defense also kept Ole Miss scoreless in the second half, impressive considering the Rebels’ explosive offense. The win catapulted Mississippi State to a bowl game.
7. No. 1 Alabama 10, No. 13 LSU 0
Date: Nov. 5
Star player: Crimson Tide QB Jalen Hurts
Key stat: LSU was held to 3.8 yards per pass attempt
Why: Every time the ball was snapped, it looked like LSU was overrun by a stampede of wildebeests. In 12 possessions, LSU failed to have a drive longer than 40 yards and had eight drives of less than 10 yards. The Tigers mustered only six first downs.
6. No. 21 Auburn 56, No. 17 Arkansas 3
Date: Oct. 22
Star player: RB Kamryn Pettway
Key stat: Auburn’s 543 rushing yards set an SEC regular-season record
Why: The Tigers obliterated Arkansas by 53 points, one of the most devastating wins in team history. The defensive line broke through for three sacks in the first quarter alone. The Razorbacks mustered just 0.8 yards per rush in the loss.
5. Florida 45, Kentucky 7
Date: Sept. 10
Star player: Gators QB Luke Del Rio
Key stat: Florida collected more interceptions (three) than it allowed completions (two) against starting Kentucky QB Drew Barker
Why: There’s winning a football game and then there’s destroying the other team’s will — that’s what Florida did to Kentucky. UK quarterback Drew Barker saw five of his 10 pass attempts get caught, but three were by Florida defensive players.
4. No. 1 Alabama 33, No. 6 Texas A&M 14
Date: Oct. 22
Star player: LB Tim Williams
Key stat: Johnathan Allen’s scoop-and-score was the Crimson Tide’s 12th non-offensive touchdown this season
Why: Texas A&M took a 14-13 lead early in the second half, but the Crimson Tide responded with three relatively effortless touchdowns. Perhaps just to spite the Aggies, the final touchdown pushed Alabama to the cover.
3. No. 1 Alabama 52, No. 20 USC 6
Date: Sept. 3
Star player: Tide WR ArDarius Stewart
Key stat: Alabama went on a 38-0 run after USC’s first field goal
Why: Poor Clay Helton. The former interim coach was just hired for the full-time gig, and this was his debut after an entire training camp to prep for this game. This win was that devastating for the Trojan brand, though Helton has done exceptionally well to lead his team on a current eight-game winning streak.
2. No. 1 Alabama 49, No. 9 Tennessee 10
Date: Oct. 15
Star player: Tide QB Jalen Hurts
Key stat: Tennessee was held to just 2.6 yards per play
Why: The Crimson Tide held Tennessee to just 163 yards, including 32 total rushing yards on 1.0 yards per attempt. Hurts was inconsistent throwing the ball, but led the team with 132 rushing yards and three scores on 11.0 yards per carry in Knoxville.
1. No. 1 Alabama 54, No. 15 Florida 16
Date: Dec. 3
Star player: Tide LB Reuben Foster
Key stat: Alabama held Florida to 3.8 yards per play
Why: Alabama saved its best performance of the season for last. Florida took an early 7-0 lead, but Alabama responded by obliterating them 54-9 over the next three quarters. It was a complete beatdown that was never in doubt, even though the Crimson Tide didn’t need this game to win the championship. Perhaps the craziest part is that there wasn’t a particular unit that stood out – it was a balanced effort.
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