SEC East overcome by parity; Big 12 jumps up to No. 2

Andre' Woodson's Kentucky squad is one of five SEC East teams with two losses. Andy Lyons/Getty Images

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As anyone who follows college football knows, parity has struck the nation this season like no other. Upsets have been rampant and the New World Order of the college football landscape gets flipped seemingly every week.

In no other place does parity reign as much as in the SEC East, where the pecking order has been relatively stable for the past 10 years. Florida, Tennessee and Georgia have pretty much taken turns at the top, followed by South Carolina. And Kentucky and Vanderbilt have battled for No. 5, with the Wildcats landing there more often than the Commodores.

In 2007, however, one through six is a jumbled mess. Barely halfway through the season, five SEC East teams have two conference losses, and cellar-dweller Vanderbilt is sitting one game out of first place with three. After this weekend's action, assuming Kentucky beats Mississippi State, there will be three teams with two losses and three teams with three losses.

And Kentucky beating Mississippi State is no sure thing, even though the game is in Lexington. As daunting as SEC stadiums are, and as rabid as the home crowds can be, homefield advantage has been minimal this year. In SEC games, road teams are 15-13, further demonstrating the parity throughout the conference.

Parity does not mean mediocrity, however. The SEC has produced several classics. LSU's successive games with Florida (win), Kentucky (loss) and Auburn (win) were all thrillers. Alabama stunned Arkansas in the final minute, then lost to Georgia in an OT nail-biter. The Bulldogs won at Vanderbilt on the final play of the game, as did Auburn at Florida.

The SEC likes to think of itself as the closest thing college football has to the NFL. In terms of parity, at least this season, that feeling is not far off.

1. SEC

Last rank: 1

The skinny: Ten teams dot SI.com's current top 40, and No. 11 (Mississippi State) owns a win at Auburn. The league has quality depth this season, plus a true national title contender (LSU) and one on the fringe (Florida). Tennessee has regressed this season, but with Kentucky, South Carolina and Alabama improving, and Florida and LSU staying among the elite, the "Any Given Saturday" mantra rings true in this historically strong conference.

2. Big 12

Last rank: 3

The skinny: Nebraska's accelerated fall this season from nine-win North champs to also-rans has certainly been ugly, but the majority of teams in the conference are in very good health. Kansas continues to win as its competition steadily increases, Missouri's only blemish is at Oklahoma, Texas Tech is still a team you don't want to play, Oklahoma State is 3-1 since the Mike Gundy rant and Kansas State is a fringe top 25 team in Ron Prince's second year. Oh yeah, Oklahoma and Texas are pretty good, too.

3. Pac-10

Last rank: 2

The skinny: Remember when the Pac-10 had two top-five teams in USC and Cal. Well, they're gone ... but Oregon and Arizona State have replaced them. The Ducks are an ill-timed fumble at the goal line from being unbeaten, and Arizona State is unbeaten. The meat of Arizona State's schedule awaits, but as numerous teams have shown this season, it ain't easy staying undefeated, no matter what the slate. One big knock against the league: UCLA is 4-0 in conference play, yet owns a 38-point loss to Utah and a 14-point loss to Notre Dame.

4. Big Ten

Last rank: 5

The skinny: Has anyone noticed Michigan has won six straight games since that ridiculous start to the season? Maybe the Wolverines are the top-10 team many projected, and they simply extended their summer vacation by two weeks. Ohio State stands No. 1 in the current BCS standings, giving the league its signature power team. After that, there is some strong parity, with five teams owning two Big Ten losses. Illinois' rise looks legit, Penn State should give No. 1 a run this week and Wisconsin and Purdue are two solid teams capable of springing an upset.

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