Higgins: SEC making the oddsmakers weep

So how many of you had Vanderbilt with one loss and a co-leader of the SEC's Eastern Division halfway through the season?

Or how many had Tennessee without an SEC victory? Or Alabama as a national championship contender? Or first-year Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin unemployed? Or Ole Miss winning at Florida?

If you went five-for-five on those, we're leaving for Vegas tonight. Daddy needs a new suit, and Mama needs a new pair of shoes.

Here's a look at the best and the worst of the SEC at midseason:

Biggest Surprise (team): Easy pick here. Vanderbilt, with a 5-1 overall start and 3-1 SEC record, is on the brink once again of bowl eligibility. But this team is equipped to get it done, with better athletes and more of 'em than past years. But Vandy has to get more offense in the last six games, and switching to Mackenzi Adams as starting quarterback might be the answer.

Biggest surprise (individual): Arkansas' entire running game is Michael Smith, a 5-7, 173-pound package of dart and dash. Smith leads the SEC in rushing and all-purpose yardage. Credit new Hogs' coach Bobby Petrino with getting the ball to Smith in different ways.

Best Offensive Player: No team in the conference has a game-breaker like Florida receiver/running back Percy Harvin, who can beat you catching the ball in open space, or taking a handoff and slithering through a slit in the O-line. He's scored at least one TD in the five games he has played this year (two rushing TDs, five receiving).

Best Defensive Player: If there has ever been a player at Tennessee who lived up to his high school hype, it's free safety Eric Berry. He's halfway through his second season with the Vols, and already has nine career interceptions (four this year). Besides being an outstanding open field runner, he has unbelievable closing speed and absolutely punishes ball carriers and receivers.

Best Coaching Job: Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson owns this category at this point of the season. But another contender is Alabama's Nick Saban, who has his team playing hungry and scared (of him). The Crimson Tide was not expected to be this good this season, currently standing No. 2 in the country, at 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC's Western Division. But the Sabanator has his team playing fast and physical on a weekly basis, and they are messing up just enough to where he can keep cracking the whip.

Worst Coaching Job: Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer and Auburn's Tommy Tuberville appear to be a dead heat. Both are being strangled by awful offenses run by inexperienced quarterbacks. These teams already played this year (Auburn won 14-12), so fortunately nobody has to watch that mess again anytime soon.

Game You'd Watch Again: Underdog Ole Miss came from behind twice, blocked a game-tying extra point, then stopped the Godzilla of college QBs (Tim Tebow) on fourth and 2 feet to spring a 31-30 upset over then-No. 4 Florida in The Swamp on Sept. 27. The rest of the league (except the group of Arkansas fans who still hate Houston Nutt) applauded the gritty Rebels.

Game You Want to Forget: Here's some hints. There were a combined 18 punts and 20 first downs in this game. Congrats if you were at Auburn's 3-2 victory over Mississippi State on Sept. 13, and stayed awake.