Vanderbilt faces biggest challenge yet against No. 10 Alabama in SEC showdown

No. 16 Vanderbilt (5-0, 2-0 SEC) at No. 10 Alabama (3-1, 1-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

A Vanderbilt team off to its best start since 2008 heads to Tuscaloosa in the sole ranked SEC matchup of the week. No. 10 Alabama earned its highest ranking of the regular season after a 21-24 win at then-No. 5 Georgia. Quarterback Ty Simpson is no longer under the radar after an impressive performance on a national stage.

Vanderbilt improved to 5-0 and a season-best No. 16 ranking in the AP Top 25 after a 55-35 win over Utah State. Alabama remembers its loss to Vandy a year ago and this is the biggest challenge of the season so far for a Commodores team that’s beaten each of its opponents by at least three touchdowns.

The undercard

Mississippi State (4-1, 0-1 SEC) at No. 6 Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)

Mississippi State has been getting Top 25 votes most of the season. Coming off a 41-34 overtime loss to No. 15 Tennessee, the Bulldogs get another chance for a marquee win.

Texas A&M has the highest ranking of Mike Elko's tenure in College Station. This week will be especially meaningful for Aggies' leading receiver Mario Craver, who transferred from Mississippi State to Texas A&M in the offseason. Craver and KC Conception account for an FBS-best 204.3 receiving yards per game. Both receivers rank in the top 25 nationally in receiving yards per game.

Impact players

— Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia comes off his best performance of the season, completing 26 passes for 321 yards, five touchdowns and running for a score against Utah State. Pavia has a 74.6 completion percentage through five games, completing 94 of 126 passes for 1,211 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions.

— Arion Carter earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after denying a Mississippi State touchdown to seal the overtime win for Tennessee. Carter leads the conference with 49 tackles.

— To no one's suprise, Trinidad Chambliss has been named the starting quarterback after leading No. 4 Ole Miss to a 24-19 win over LSU. He has thrown for 974 yards and rushed for 245 over the past three weeks, becoming the first SEC player in 30 years with at least 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in three consecutive games.

Inside the numbers

Tennessee has the highest SEC scoring offense with an average of 51 points per game, edging in-state rival Vanderbilt (49 ppg). ... Missouri, led by quarterback Beau Pribula, has the highest completion percentage (75.8), while LSU's Garrett Nussmeier leads the conference in completions (115). ... Texas has held opponents to the fewest points, with an average of 7.8 points allowed per game. The Longhorns have the strongest rushing defense, allowing a conference-low 59.8 rushing yards per game. ... Alabama has held opponents to the fewest passing yards per game (113.5) while forcing a second-best 1.8 turnovers per game.

Who has it the toughest moving forward?

Vanderbilt's schedule doesn't get much easier from here. After Alabama and the subsequent bye week, Vanderbilt's final six weeks of the season includes No. 13 LSU, No. 19 Missouri, No. 9 Texas and No. 15 Tennessee.

Arkansas has a daunting stretch going forward, with Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU, Texas and Missouri in the final weeks. After Sam Pittman's firing, the Razorbacks are also getting used to interim coach Bobby Petrino.

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