Hopefully, everyone has enjoyed their team’s success in the opening two weeks of the season because the brutal, attrition-based battle that is SEC play is about to begin. Well, everyone except Arkansas, but someone has to be at the bottom, right?
Thanks to the SEC’s new nine-game schedule, conference play begins earlier in the season for everyone than in year’s past. For two teams it’s already started and this weekend’s slate of games is opening with a bang with No. 7 LSU coming to No. 8 Ole Miss for Lane Kiffin’s first game in Oxford since last year’s saga. This upcoming weekend will have a greater impact on these rankings, but I have made a few changes from last week’s rankings.
- Texas remained at the top despite needing a record-setting fourth quarter comeback. If Georgia had played a Power 4 conference team, maybe it’d move up. But Western Kentucky and Tennessee State aren’t going to test any SEC team, except for maybe Arkansas.
- I flipped Texas A&M and LSU because the Tigers played sloppy until breaking away from a 13-7 third quarter score late. The Aggies, meanwhile, managed to defeat Arizona State without much hassle.
- Oklahoma had to fall, losing to a Michigan team that just barely beat Western Michigan on a pair of miracles.
- Mississippi State moved up after going on the road and pretty easily beating Minnesota. If you think back to last year’s out of conference win against Arizona State, not needing a last-second touchdown pass to win is a big improvement.
- Kentucky moved up in part because of its first half performance against Alabama, but also because Vanderbilt struggled to beat Delaware. Did the Blue Hens find another year of eligibility for Joe Flacco or something?
Without further ado, here are this week’s rankings along with my biggest quest for each team.
Taylor’s SEC Power Rankings
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Texas
- Last week: def. No. 1 Ohio State, 24-23
- Question: Is Texas the best team in the SEC, or did one great quarter make us forget the first three?
2. Georgia
- Last week: def. Western Kentucky, 70-20
- Question: What are you going to look like against real competition?
3. Ole Miss
- Last week: def. Charlotte, 41-9
- Question: Is the secondary ready for an offense capable of punishing every mistake?
4. Texas A&M
- Last week: def. Arizona State, 48-20
- Question: Are we ready to trust Texas A&M yet? And why does that sentence always feel dangerous?
5. LSU
- Last week: def. Louisiana Tech, 45-14
- Question: Can Sam Leavitt stop turning the ball over?
6. Missouri
- Last week: def. Kansas, 38-21
- Question: Are we all sleeping on Missouri?
7. Alabama
- Last week: def. Kentucky, 45-17
- Question: What exactly are you great at?
8. Oklahoma
- Last week: lost to Michigan, 17-10
- Question: Wasn’t the offense supposed to be better than last year?
9. Tennessee
- Last week: def. Georgia Tech, 45-24
- Question: How long before Tennessee fans convince themselves this is finally The Year™?
10. South Carolina
- Last week: def. Towson, 45-9
- Question: Can the Gamecocks keep winning with LaNoris Sellers running more than throwing?
11. Florida
- Last week: def. Campbell, 52-3
- Question: Are you actually good or just good enough to ruin someone’s season?
12. Mississippi State
- Last week: def. Minnesota, 38-13
- Question: Can Kamario Taylor keep being ‘Super KaMario’ against SEC teams?
13. Auburn
- Last week: def. Southern Miss, 43-8
- Question: How much confidence has the first two games given Auburn fans about this rebuild?
14. Kentucky
- Last week: lost to No. 12 Alabama, 45-17
- Question: How can you play a full game like the first half against the Crimson Tide?
15. Vanderbilt
- Last week: def. Delaware, 35-26
- Question: Was it really all because of Diego Pavia?
16. Arkansas
- Last week: lost to No. 20 Utah, 43-10
- Question: How bad is this season going to be?
