Mississippi State's Taveze Calhoun consoles LSU's Malachi Dupre after Saturday's stunner. (USATSI)
Mississippi State's Taveze Calhoun consoles LSU's Malachi Dupre after Saturday's stunner. (USATSI)

This week's Power Poll has two SEC teams in the playoff, only not the ones you might think. A case can be made that Auburn and Texas A&M -- Nos. 2 and 4 this week -- have accomplished the most so far in the SEC.

A&M beat a top 10 (at the time) team on the road (South Carolina). Auburn beat a top 20 non-con on the road (Kansas State). Mississippi State debuts this week at No. 11 after a shocking win over LSU. Its only Power Poll sin was entering the season unranked.

Meanwhile, Alabama has yet to play a true road game, or a ranked team. Both issues will be resolved in two weeks when the Tide go to (also unbeaten) Ole Miss.

The view from Week 4: One of those four from the SEC West mentioned above better win the league. The odds of a one-loss SEC East champ even advancing to Atlanta are looking longer by the minute.

There are miles to go, but an East upset in the conference championship game is not necessarily a good thing for the SEC. The SEC has built its brand, its power, its dominance -- hell, an entire network -- on the favorite winning that championship game.

Right now, the West is the best.

Where are all the think pieces, talk shows and graphics now? The Big Ten was 12-1 on Saturday.

Not quite in the Power Poll ...

The eye test says Clemson is one the country's 25 best teams. What was it about Deshaun Watson that Dabo Swinney wasn’t seeing? If he’d have been playing all along, Tigers might be 3-0. Instead, they're 1-2.

On Arizona’s 106th -- and final -- offensive play Anu Solomon threw a Hail Mary pass to beat Cal 49-45. The Wildcats are 4-0 for the first time since 2010 but shame, shame, shame. One-hundred six plays and they still lost time of possession? Solomon threw more passes (73) than Cal ran plays (72).

Utah. One of the better turnaround stories of the season. The Utes 3-0 start likely will be obscured by their Saturday opponent. Michigan's Brady Hoke is now 1-6 in his last seven against Power 5 opponents. The Utes are 3-0 for the first time since 2010.

Wisconsin: Melvin Gordon is still running around campus somewhere. The Badgers ran for the most yards in the Big Ten since 1946 (644). Gordon went for 253 yards and five TDs. LSU loss looking worse for Badgers and Big Ten.

How a playoff would look today:

  • Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Texas A&M
  • Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs. Oklahoma

The rest of the New Year’s Six:

  • Peach: East Carolina vs. Mississippi State
  • Fiesta: Notre Dame vs. Michigan State
  • Orange: Florida State vs. Alabama
  • Cotton: Baylor vs. South Carolina
Power Poll

1. Oregon (1): Marcus Mariota threw five TD passes against stubborn Washington State. One third of the way through the season, the Ducks arguably have the season's best win (over then-No. 7 Michigan State) to go along with the nation's best team guided by the country's best player.

2. Auburn (2): Give more credit to Bill Snyder and Kansas State than criticism to clunky Tigers offense. Gus Malzahn had just enough points and guts to pull it out Thursday night. Selection committee will like.

3. Oklahoma (3): Joe Mixon becoming a freshman sensation seems so long ago. Leading rusher Keith Ford went down against Tennessee. No problem there. Dynamic freshman Samaje Perine ran for 234 yards and four scores against West Virginia. "Tired" he told Fox Sports after 34 carries. "Very tired."

4. Texas A&M (6): Hard to believe the Aggies are 4-0 for the first time since 2006. Kenny "Trill," or Hill -- whatever -- he's good. Aggies QB accounted for 322 yards in total offense. Next vs. Arkansas at Jerry World.

5. Florida State (4): This is why the Noles are the nation's deepest team: They lost their Heisman-winning quarterback (or he lost himself) and still were able to rally twice from touchdown deficits to win in overtime. That's what champions do. Back-to-back dream still alive.

6. Alabama (9): Amari Cooper for Heisman! Odds that a team that has been searching for quarterback consistency has the best receiver in the country? Slim, except Blake Sims did his part against Florida, throwing for Bama's second-most yards ever.

7. Notre Dame (7): Bye before first game of the sort-of ACC era -- Syracuse at MetLife Stadium. Irish look like they're New Year's Six-worthy -- at least. Everett Golson is one of seven quarterbacks playing all his teams' games yet to throw a pick.

8. Baylor (8): Bye before opening Big 12 play this week at Iowa State. So far, the Bears have outscored the opposition 178-27. Isn't that how the 2013 championship season started?

9. Michigan State (12): At one point Saturday the Spartans had 42 points. Eastern Michigan had zero first downs. "You're always chasing perfection," Mark Dantonio said after Sparty scored the third-most points since 1931 (73).

10. South Carolina (10): South Carolina survived a Vanderbilt team that has looked absolutely horrid at times. Gamecocks have the second-worst Power 5 defense (480 yards per game).

11. Mississippi State (11): That was a 2x4 to the forehead of LSU. Bulldogs ended a 14-game losing streak to the Tigers. Dan Mullen may have gotten his biggest win in Starkville. Can the SEC West get any deeper?

12. Georgia (11): OK, what exactly did an evisceration of Troy prove? Could have used some of those 367 rushing yards near the goal line against South Carolina.

13. Nebraska (19): That was a chippy affair against Miami, wasn't it? Combined number of national championships may have equaled punches thrown (eight). Are the Huskers (4-0) the class of the Big Ten West?

14. LSU (5): The Tigers weren't as good as we thought and Mississippi State was better than we thought. LSU gave up 570 yards, including seven plays of at least 23 yards. Time to reevaluate the Tigers.

15. USC (13): It's been a looong bye after humiliation vs. Boston College. Trojans have been trying to figure out how they gave up 452 rushing yards. That was 27 percent of the team's 2013 total.

16. Stanford (14): Bye. At Washington next. Cardinal have given up three points in the past five quarters, 13 for the season.

17. UCLA (15): Bye. Looking like Brett Hundley will play Thursday night against Arizona State. Bruins could use some consistency at the position. Thank goodness for Jerry Neuheisel.

18. East Carolina (23): The dawn of a new era in Greenville. Pirates rolled up the most yards (789) in school history while North Carolina allowed most points in school history (70). Ruffin McNeill has it rolling, period. Heaven help SMU in two weeks.

19. Ole Miss (17): Bye. Gearing up for Alabama on Oct. 4. Ole Miss has won only four of the past 29 and has lost past 10 in a row vs. Tide. Time for the Rebs game to outshine The Grove pregame.

20. Ohio State (18): Bye. Next, Cincinnati losers of 10 straight to the Buckeyes. Virginia Tech loss is looking worse all the time.

21. BYU (21): Outgained by Virginia 519-332 and doubled up on time of possession, Cougars came back in second half to stay undefeated. This could be a special season.

22. Kansas State (20): Auburn stealing signs? Bill, they can't be "stolen" unless your program is sloppy in communicating them. Tighten things up on the sideline. No disgrace in loss to Auburn.

23. Arizona State (22): Bye. Huge early-season Pac-12 South showdown Thursday vs. UCLA. Quarterback Taylor Kelly out with foot injury. It'll be the first team Sun Devils have played this season in the top 100.

24. Penn State (25): Finally, a breather (48-0 over UMass). Nits are 4-0 for the first time since 2008. Yeah, those NCAA sanctions have crippled Penn State.

25. Arkansas (NR): From 10-game losing streak to three-game winning streak. If the Hogs are the fifth-best team in the SEC West, the division should apply for NFL membership. Hogs being built in Bret Bielema's image -- fourth-best rushing offense (324.5 yards per game) and most rushing touchdowns (17) among Power 5 schools.

>> Want more CFB review? Solomon's College Football Rewind