OK, IT MIGHT be too early for a frank discussion about who will be SEC player of the year, but it also is too soon to start figuring BCS standings and which two teams will play for the national championship.

Since the BCS standings were released for the first time Monday, that gives me an opening to spark discussion for the SEC’s top player award.

Understand, these rankings are based on performance through the first seven weeks of the season. Obviously much could change over the final six weeks.

Here goes:

AJ MCCARRON

Alabama, junior QB

All McCarron does is win. His 18-1 record as a starter over the past two seasons includes a national championship victory against LSU. He is the classic Alabama quarterback. He does nothing fancy and makes few mistakes.

McCarron ranks eighth in the league in passing with 195 yards per game. But passing is not Alabama’s forte. Instead, the Crimson Tide line up and pound an opponent with simple running plays and occasional passes.

As a result, McCarron leads the SEC in passing efficiency with 12 touchdowns and by completing 67 percent of his throws. He has 132 pass attempts this season without an interception.

McCarron is the conference player of the year and might be the only SEC player to sneak into Heisman Trophy consideration.

ALABAMA’S DEFENSE

I know, you cannot vote for an entire defense. But this is not a ballot, and Alabama’s defense is the single biggest reason the Crimson Tide are the favorite to repeat as national champion.

Besides, it is impossible to single out a player on this unit, one that is void of superstars and loaded with stars. Linemen Brandon Ivory and Ed Stinson, linebackers Adrian Hubbard and C.J. Mosley, and backs Deion Belue, Dee Milliner and Vinnie Sunseri all are having outstanding seasons.

That cast has Alabama leading the nation in scoring defense (7.5 points per game), total defense (181 ypg.), rushing defense (55 ypg.) and passing efficiency defense (81.0 rating).

JOHNNY MANZIEL

Texas A&M, freshman QB

Forget that this guy is a first-year player. He leads the SEC in rushing. Let me repeat: Manziel leads the league in rushing with 113 ypg. His 7.4 yards per carry also lead the league, and his 10 rushing touchdowns are tied with USC’s Marcus Lattimore for the league lead.

Manziel also can throw the ball. He ranks third in passing yardage (280 ypg.) to go with 14 touchdown tosses and three interceptions. As a result, he is the runaway leader in total offense with 393 ypg.

He is a big reason Texas A&M is 5-1 and ranked 20th nationally.

JARVIS JONES

Georgia, junior LB

Jones has established himself as a force on the Georgia defense. He averages seven tackles per game and ranks second in the SEC with 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. He leads the conference with three forced fumbles in five games.

MIKE GILLISLEE

Florida, senior RB

Florida has remained unbeaten primarily because of its ball-control offense, which is led by Gillislee. He is the SEC’s leading running back with 102 ypg. The best of his three 100-yard games was a 34-carry, 146-yard performance against LSU, one of nation’s top rushing defenses.

JADEVEON CLOWNEY

USC, sophomore DE

Every conference championship contender should have a candidate for player of the year, and Clowney is the most qualified for USC. He is third in the league in sacks (6.5) and third in tackles for loss (12). No statistics are kept for batted passes, but Clowney has to be among the league leaders. To see him play is to understand why he is one of the league’s top players.

USC running back Marcus Lattimore, who suffered a bruised hip against LSU, could get back in the picture with a big day against Florida.

So, everything could change following this weekend’s games.