What does Jackson Arnold have to do to get some respect from ESPN's Bill Connelly? Because what the Auburn quarterback has done so far (77.8 completion percentage, five total touchdowns and a 2-0 record) hasn't done it yet.
If you are scrolling down Connelly's latest SEC quarterback rankings, you might think you have missed Arnold's name by the time you get to double digits, but you haven't, as the Oklahoma transfer is listed as the 14th-best signal-caller in the conference through two weeks.
The only two guys he is ahead of are Florida's DJ Lagway, coming off an upset loss to USF, and Kentucky's Zach Calzada, who, well, is Zach Calzada. Auburn fans don't need any reminder of how productive he can be at quarterback.
It's perfectly fine that those two are listed behind Arnold, but there are some questionable calls regarding players listed ahead of him.
Let's start with the obvious: Alabama's Ty Simpson. Somehow ranked No. 9, the Crimson Tide quarterback was overwhelmed by Florida State's defense in the season-opening loss to the Seminoles. Still, somehow, a fantastic performance against (puts on glasses) Louisiana-Monroe gets him more credit than Arnold does for a win at Baylor. You remember how tough that Warhawks defense can be, right? Oh right. It isn't.
Next is Mississippi State's Blake Shapen, who I'm guessing comes in at one spot ahead of Arnold due to the one throw he made late in the upset victory over Arizona State on Saturday night. Shapen has accounted for one less touchdown than Arnold, along with one more interception. Did Connelly forget what Arnold was able to do against Baylor just two weeks ago?
Ole Miss' Austin Simmons is ranked No. 11 despite throwing two horrible interceptions against Kentucky that would have cost the Rebels the game had anybody been behind center other than Calzada for the Wildcats.
I suppose this is Connelly's right to pick and choose who he wants, but if Arnold continues to play like he does (and that test will get much tougher next week at Oklahoma), keeping him that low would just be an insult.