Another year, another SEC football season with a familiar leader. That and more in our SEC takeaways from Week 10:

1 - Kirby Smart and Georgia are still the kings

The statement couldn't have been more emphatic or definitive: Georgia is the best team in the SEC. The wipeout of Ole Miss in Oxford, where the Rebels have been very good the past few years, unmistakably puts the Dawgs at number one in the SEC rankings. It also marks Georgia as a team likely to be seeded in the top four, which means a first-round bye and a path directly into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals for the third straight year. The more things change, the more Georgia remains the SEC's best program. Kirby Smart is the second-best head coach in college football, trailing only Indiana's Curt Cignetti.

2 - Pete Golding really didn't measure up after all

When Ole Miss beat Louisville and LSU (and Lane Kiffin) early in the season, it seemed Ole Miss was headed back to the playoff and might have a chance to finally get to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, something the Rebels had never previously done. However, it was too good to be true. Ole Miss played very poorly in losses to Florida, Texas and Georgia. Pete Golding was rightly questioned before this Ole Miss season began. It turns out he's not ready to hang with the big boys. Keep in mind that Trinidad Chambliss won't be around next year. Golding will have to find a quarterback who can come anywhere close to what Chambliss delivered. Ole Miss will find that the road to prominence will be tougher, not easier, in the future. The Rebels and Golding can be thankful that the 24-team playoff might still give them a realistic path to the postseason, but it seems Ole Miss will have a hard time matching what it achieved last year.

3 - Big Game DeBoer strikes again

Kalen DeBoer is nails in the games he absolutely has to win. He wobbles with his Alabama teams, but when the Crimson Tide absolutely have to come through, they win and do enough to make the College Football Playoff. Alabama delivered an inspired defensive performance in Baton Rouge, defending its own third of the field with tenacity after LSU moved the ball well between the 30-yard lines. Alabama is now in excellent position to make the playoff. DeBoer is no Nick Saban, but he is not a bust, either. Saturday's win went a long way toward solidifying his position as Alabama's coach.

4 - Lane Kiffin flops

Lane Kiffin has all the money, all the resources, all the institutional support he could possibly want at LSU ... and this is the result. The Tigers have been a ragged, sloppy, poorly-coached team for much of the season. They have to beat Tennessee and Texas to have any shot at the playoff. While other coaches such as Cignetti at Indiana in 2024 and now Bob Chesney at UCLA work wonders in Year 1 at non-blue-blood programs, LSU and Kiffin look downright average. With more money comes more responsibility. Lane Kiffin is one of the biggest disappointments in coaching this year.

5 - South Carolina and Tennessee defy the odds

South Carolina and Tennessee haven't looked like good football teams for most of the season, but they're still winning and are somehow remaining relevant in the SEC. In a weird college football season, South Carolina and Tennessee have mastered the art of survival.

6 - Texas turns the tide

Texas's win at Missouri likely puts the Longhorns on the good side of the playoff bubble. Now, even with a loss to LSU, Texas can finish 9-3. All the quality wins on the Horns' slate give them a better than even chance of making the playoff. Credit Steve Sarkisian for keeping his team together when it could have splintered and unraveled.

Source: Yahoo Sports