1. Mississippi State

One of the highlights of the Bulldogs’ 45–31 victory over Kentucky was this crazy run by Josh Robinson, who deserves basically all the credit for these 22 yards after breaking eight tackles.

Through seven games, though, one of Mississippi State’s keys has been the offensive line’s ability to open up holes for both Robinson and quarterback Dak Prescott.

The Bulldogs’ offensive line ranks 14th nationally in Football Outsiders’ adjusted line yards ranking, a statistic that attempts to separate the ability of a team’s line from its runners. This kind of success is especially impressive considering Mississippi State hasn’t finished better than ninth in the SEC in 247sports’ composite recruiting rankings in the past five years.

The O-line was so good on one play Saturday that it helped turn a bad decision by Prescott into a 73-yard TD run.

On this zone read, Prescott most likely costs himself a long play of his own. Because Kentucky defensive lineman Mike Douglas commits to the inside, Prescott should keep this ball and run to the right.

Because of the blocking — and a nifty run from Robinson — it goes for a score anyway. The left side of the offensive line gets great push, and Robinson does what running backs are taught, going straight uphill to try to run through an arm tackle.

In this instance, he does, breaking through the grasp of the defensive lineman that Prescott incorrectly read earlier.

2. Florida State

FSU’s current win streak will become harder to ignore if the Seminoles can keep up their recent trend of winning close games.

With a victory at Louisville on Thursday, the Seminoles can move into a tie for the third-best consecutive-game run in the last 15 seasons. Only Miami and USC would have better streaks, and each of those took place in a world where iPhones didn’t exist. The Seminoles’ last three seasons have only further solidified their spot as the unquestioned top team in ACC history.

Going back to the start of the FBS era in 1978, five different ACC teams have posted win streaks of 12 games or more … and Florida State has done it four of those five times.

3. Alabama

Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin put Alabama in a great position against his former employer, as on his team’s first offensive play he used play action to free receiver Amari Cooper for an 80-yard TD reception in the Crimson Tide’s 34–20 victory Saturday.

Receiver DeAndrew White does a nice job of sealing off the final block to spring Cooper for the score, but this was also a strong play design. Because Alabama’s powerful running game has to be respected, faking the running play to the left frees up quarterback Blake Sims for the naked play action back to his right.

Success with play action is one reason Alabama has been able to strike for numerous long passing plays this year. The Crimson Tide actually leads the SEC in 30-plus-yard passing plays …

despite being in the middle of the pack when it comes to pass attempts per game.

4. Auburn

Auburn, like Mississippi State, owes a lot of its offensive success to a dominant O-line. The Tigers rank second nationally in adjusted line yards and also have picked up at least five yards on 47.4 percent of their run plays this year (on those plays when rushing for five yards is possible).

This 4-yard TD run by Nick Marshall in Saturday’s 42–35 victory over South Carolina was an example of how overpowering Auburn’s offensive line can be. The QB counter read starts with a punishing block by left guard Devonte Danzey and finishes with left tackle Shon Coleman and tight end Brandon Fulse delivering hits of their own.

The hole ends up being so big that Marshall goes untouched while decelerating into the end zone.

Auburn’s receivers also helped out the running game on this Ricardo Louis 75-yard TD run.

Sammie Coates — a preseason first-team all-SEC selection that is averaging 18.2 yards per reception — is one big reason this QB power read works, as he drives a South Carolina defender back a few yards to clear the path for Louis down the left sideline.

Auburn’s 5.96-yard-per-carry average ranks 11th nationally, and a team dedicated to finishing blocks like the two plays above should continue to experience offensive success, no matter the opponent.

Final Four just missed: Oregon, Ole Miss, TCU, Notre Dame.