Stat Pack: Tide's national, SEC rankings after Week 4-bol

Alabama opens as big betting favorite over Kentucky

At least Saturday, Gran adjusted his scheme to fit his talent. Kentucky ran the football 50 times. It threw it 19. The 72/28 run/pass ratio was the highest by a Kentucky team against a FBS team since the famous Matt Roark Game, the win over Tennessee on Nov. 26, 2011. With Roark, a wide receiver, playing quarterback, Kentucky ran the ball 60 times while throwing it just four. UK won 10-7 that day, the Cats’ first over the Vols since 1984.
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Yeah, running it 72% of the time is not it. In all sincerity, the Tide can certainly use this game to try and continue to get rested and healthy for a tough three-game stretch that gets progressively more difficult each week:

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2. Texas A&M: We already had the Aggies at No. 2 in our SEC power rankings before this week, but now they have a firmer grip on that spot after besting previously unbeaten Arkansas 45-24. They have an elite defense and a good running game, which is typically a good formula for success. If Trevor Knight can play like he did Saturday -- mostly mistake free, being a factor with the pass and the run -- then the Aggies might have a shot to sustain their hot start and challenge the Crimson Tide. That's a big if, though.
3. Tennessee: Total jubilation on Rocky Top after a thrilling 38-28 win over Florida. Not only did the Vols snap an 11-game losing streak to the Gators, but they went on a hellacious 38-0 run to do it, gaining 200-plus more yards than Florida in the second half. Tennessee is firmly in the SEC East driver's seat.
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Moving on, there is no denying the connection between Les Miles's downfall at LSU and Nick Saban's Alabama program. To many in that fan base, Miles was always going to be compared to Saban, which is wholly unfair since literally no one has ever had this type of run in his first decade at a school, and only a couple could argue similar success over any ten-year span.
In reality, Les probably wins a couple of additional national titles at LSU if Saban never shows up in Tuscaloosa. There is a great chance that players such as Cam Robinson, Tim Williams, and Landon Collins stay home and lead their home-state Tigers rather than coming to Alabama to beat them, and without Alabama on the slate to open November every year, Miles may have avoided his seemingly annual late-season swoon.
Since LSU-Alabama has become the Game of the Year in the SEC most years, I'm interested to know how Alabama fans feel about Miles's departure. Would it have been better for Alabama if he had stayed, or will LSU experiance a downturn without him? Answer the poll and tell us in the comments.
In any event, plenty has been written on the topic:

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The Sabanization of the SEC is now entirely complete.
Saban becomes the longest-tenured SEC coach with Miles' departure. Thirty-three coaches at 13 other schools have coached in the SEC since Saban arrived in 2007. Saban becomes the only SEC coach with a national title as a head coach. Back in 2008, there were five SEC coaches with a national title (Urban Meyer, Philip Fulmer, Steve Spurrier, Miles and Saban) plus another with a perfect season (Tommy Tuberville).
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It will be said Nick Saban, the man who constructed LSU’s greatest-ever era of football, an era that Miles kept up the notes on, got Miles fired. Five straight losses to Alabama, starting with that 21-0 BCS title game blowout, certainly were an anchor. But much more than Saban and Alabama or any other coach and program dragging him down, Miles’ worst enemy was himself.
The chronic clock-management gaffes which again conspired against LSU on Saturday night — the Tigers squandered roughly half of the 2 minutes, 56 seconds they started their final drive with not getting plays in or lining up quicker. The lack of discipline that led to so many critical penalties and mistakes.
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Melinda died in 2011 from heart disease and kidney failure, but her hard-working spirit lives on through her sons. Dalvin, now a redshirt senior defensive end for Alabama, will suit up for the Crimson Tide today like he does every other week — with his mother on his mind. She won’t be among the other mothers and fathers who will flock to Bryant-Denny Stadium for Parents Weekend this week. Although, for Dalvin, her presence will be felt with every move.
One look at Dalvin and it’s obvious he is his mother’s boy — they share the same eyes and the same caring nature. At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, Dalvin is no longer the little boy Melinda used to help with homework around the dinner table, but he’s grown up to be every bit the man she always wanted him to be.
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rbr opThis is a great read, but be forewarned: you might need to have some tissues handy.

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List of legit SEC challengers already growing short after Week 4-espnbama

How the Week 5 AP Top 25 Poll should have looked-sds

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LSU FIRING MILES, IN 5 MINUTES-sbnation