Halfway through the season, where do we find ourselves?

We've reached the halfway point in the 2007 SEC season, so it's time to review where we are, and what lies ahead.

Surprisingly good

Three SEC teams have been surprisingly good so far:

• Kentucky
• South Carolina
• Mississippi State

Kentucky was expected to have a good season by Kentucky standards, but few expected them to have only one loss after six games. A doormat since the mid-1960's, Kentucky is usually lucky to have two or three wins at this point.

Mississippi State was expected to have a weak team this year. But at 4-2 with a victory over perennial SEC contender Auburn who owns the East's West's only victory over Florida, MSU is looking at a reasonable chance to reach bowl eligibility. They are even picking up AP top 25 votes.

South Carolina was expected to be a mid-pack performer this year, but suddenly finds itself in the lead in the SEC East with 4 conference games under its belt and only one loss to #1 ranked LSU. Spurrier's declaration that his team could contend for the East this year is looking very prescient at the moment. Spurrier is doing so well, USC even changed its admissions policy to make it easier to admit poor students as football players.

Surprisingly poor

Three SEC teams have been surprisingly bad so far:

• Tennessee
• Georgia
• Arkansas
• Vanderbilt

Tennessee was expected to contend for the East, and although they theoretically still can, they have not lived up to pre-season expectations. This team was expected to be very good, and while they may have turned it around, still have a lot to prove, and I think it might take more than 15 minutes.

Georgia started the season strong, but two losses in conference have put it in a tough position. Losing to South Carolina between the hedges and getting crushed by an underperforming Tennessee team do not bode well for the Dawgs chances in the East. Every remaining game for the Bulldogs is losable.

Arkansas, with Heisman favorite Darren McFadden, was expected to push LSU in the West. That hasn't happened, and the Razorbacks current 0-2 mark must have the Fayetteville Faithful concerned about a possible November end to their season. Hog fans are not happy, but as long as they have McFadden, anything is possible

Vanderbilt was supposed to threaten some of the big boys this year with their many returning players and all-SEC receiver Earl Bennett. So far, though, they have failed their only real test in dramatic fashion, being overwhelmed by Auburn, and looking less than stellar against cupcake Eastern Michigan. The loss to Auburn was so utterly devastating that not even a 3-2 record gives the Commodore faithful much to cheer about, and they seem to be doubting if Vandy is good enough to compete in the league this year. They need a win over underachieving Georgia this Saturday to return to relevance.