One month into the college football season, we know considerably more than we did during the summer.

Some teams have exceeded expectations, some have confirmed they belong among the contenders, and others have already watched their preseason hype go up in smoke.

September doesn’t decide championships—but it damn sure exposes pretenders.

THE WINNERS

FLORIDA

The Gators aren’t merely improved. They look like a legitimate SEC contender.

John Sumrall has brought an entirely different attitude to Gainesville. Florida plays fast, physical and confident—and the 52–28 dismantling of Ole Miss was the kind of performance that announces your arrival to the entire country.

Jaden Baugh has forced his way into the Heisman conversation, but this is bigger than one player. Florida looks disciplined, motivated and exceptionally well coached.

The Gators began the season with questions. They leave September ranked in the Top 10 and looking like one of the most dangerous teams in the SEC.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Nobody has improved their standing more dramatically than Mississippi State.

Kamario Taylor has emerged as one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in college football, and the Bulldogs are no longer playing like a program trying to survive in the SEC. They are playing like a team capable of beating almost anybody on their schedule.

The victory over Missouri confirmed what we had already started seeing: Mississippi State is legitimate.

This is a young, hungry football team with a quarterback who could become one of the best players in the country. The Bulldogs entered September as an afterthought. They leave it nationally ranked and demanding everybody’s attention.

TEXAS

Texas entered the season carrying enormous expectations—and so far, the Longhorns have handled them.

They came from behind to beat No. 1 Ohio State, survived a physical fight against Tennessee and remained undefeated through the opening month.

Arch Manning hasn’t been perfect, but he has made the plays when Texas needed them most. More importantly, the Longhorns have shown they can win in different ways.

Texas hasn’t always looked dominant. It has looked resilient.

That quality becomes awfully important when championships are decided in November and December.

KENTUCKY

Kentucky may be the most surprising winner on this list.

The Wildcats took their beating against Alabama, regrouped and then walked into College Station and beat a Top-10 Texas A&M team.

That victory changed the direction of their season.

Kenny Minchey has given Kentucky stability at quarterback, and the Wildcats have rediscovered the physical identity that made them dangerous under Mark Stoops.

Kentucky isn’t flashy, but it doesn’t need to be. The Wildcats are physical, disciplined and confident—and they enter October believing they can beat anybody who takes them lightly.

THE LOSERS

SOUTH CAROLINA

No team has disappointed me more than South Carolina.

The Gamecocks entered the season with a talented roster, a veteran quarterback who had received enormous national attention and expectations of becoming a serious SEC contender.

Instead, they have looked undisciplined, poorly prepared and completely lost at times.

LaNorris Sellers has regressed. The offense lacks rhythm. The defense has been physically whipped at the line of scrimmage. The coaching staff continues making questionable decisions, and the team frequently looks like it has no sense of urgency.

Losing is one thing. Looking unprepared and overmatched is something entirely different.

South Carolina hasn’t merely lost games. It has lost the confidence of its fan base.

TEXAS A&M

The Aggies entered the season ranked No. 8 and coming off a College Football Playoff appearance.

One month later, they are unranked and searching for answers.

The home loss to Kentucky was bad enough. Getting destroyed 35–6 by LSU made it considerably worse.

Texas A&M has too much talent, too much money and too many resources to look this ordinary. Mike Elko was supposed to have the program ready to take the next step. Instead, the Aggies have taken several steps backward.

Their season isn’t mathematically over, but their margin for error is gone.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma entered the season with playoff expectations and leaves September looking nowhere close to that level.

The Sooners lost to Michigan, barely survived New Mexico and were completely dismantled by Georgia.

Losing to Georgia is understandable. Getting physically dominated 41–13 is not.

Oklahoma has looked inconsistent offensively and incapable of matching elite teams at the line of scrimmage. The Sooners were supposed to be ready to compete near the top of the SEC.

Through one month, they look like a middle-of-the-pack team carrying a famous name.

OREGON

Oregon recovered with an impressive victory over USC, especially after losing Dante Moore, but that doesn’t erase what happened against Oklahoma State.

A national championship contender cannot lose to a team riding a 12-game losing streak.

The Ducks have tremendous talent and enough time to recover, but their margin for error has disappeared. They must now navigate the remainder of the season knowing another loss could eliminate them from championship contention.

Oregon may eventually prove September was just a rocky beginning.

For now, however, the Ducks have fallen well short of their preseason expectations.

THE FIRST-MONTH VERDICT

Florida and Mississippi State have changed the way we view them. Texas has survived every challenge. Kentucky has reminded everybody that toughness and discipline still matter.

South Carolina, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oregon have learned the opposite lesson.

Preseason hype doesn’t win games. Recruiting rankings don’t guarantee development. Talent doesn’t matter when it isn’t prepared, disciplined or properly coached.

September introduced us to the contenders.

It also exposed a few teams that were living off their reputations.