1. Steve Spurrier won 122 games, six SEC titles and one national championship in 12 seasons at Florida. He won 86 games and one SEC East Division title in 11 seasons at South Carolina. Yet what Spurrier achieved with the Gamecocks was every bit as impressive as what he did with the Gators. Given the size of the state and the tradition of its best talent leaving its borders to play elsewhere, Spurrier's ability to build a winner (three straight 11-2 seasons from 2011-13) illustrates why his second SEC act was as impressive as his first.

2. Alabama spent a quarter-century in the wilderness after Bear Bryant died because of legend hangover. The school and its fans demanded coaches with ties to the Bear. Those who didn't have that tie came in with a problem. And of those who did, it worked out with Gene Stallings; not so much with others. That brings us to USC, where athletic director Pat Haden now has gone through three assistant coaches from Pete Carroll's nine-year reign. Lane Kiffin, Ed Orgeron and Steve Sarkisian all failed to hold the job. Might be time to branch out.

3. When Oregon was Oregon -- that is, before this season -- the talent of its defense could be seen not in total defense, but in yards per play. Because of the Ducks' hurry-up offense, the defense simply plays more plays, so it gave up more yards than other defenses of its caliber. In 2013, Oregon ranked 37th in total defense (370.1 ypg) but seventh in yards per play (4.62). In 2014, when the Ducks reached the playoff final, they ranked 87th (429.7) and 62nd (5.52), respectively. This season, Oregon is 112nd (474.7) and 93rd (5.84). Not only are the numbers worse, but the gap in rank is shrinking every year.