Now that the football season is in full swing, I thought it was time to provide a weekly look at the SEC and then provide my own weekly power poll. I am not sure if Joker Phillips is aware of the South Park representation of him above, but hopefully the Wildcats can have successful enough season this year to remove the basketball from that caricature of him.
First, let’s look at the standings:
SEC EAST
SOUTH CAROLINA 1-0 (2-0)
FLORIDA 0-0 (2-0)
KENTUCKY 0-0 (2-0)
TENNESSEE 0-0 (1-1)
GEORGIA 0-1 (1-1)
VANDERBILT 0-1 (0-2)
SEC WEST
AUBURN 1-0 (2-0)
LSU 1-0 (2-0)
ALABAMA 0-0 (2-0)
ARKANSAS 0-0 (2-0)
MISSISSIPPI 0-0 (1-1)
MISSISSIPPI STATE 0-1 (1-1)
And now, let’s take a look at our first edition of the SEC Power Rankings:
1. Alabama (2-0) – Even without Mark Ingram, the Tide dismantled Penn State on Saturday … and it was not as close as the 24-3 score indicated. Nick Saban’s D is in championship form, not allowing a TD yet. For right now, they have a very solid lock on the number one spot. Up Next: @ Duke
2. South Carolina (2-0) – Surprised to see the Gamecocks listed this high? So am I. Marcus Lattimore gives this team a bonafide running game that needs to be feared (182 yards vs Georgia) and Alshon Jeffery is a emerging star. Plus the defense looks flat nasty at this point. I know we have heard this every year, but this may be Spurrier’s time to contend in the SEC East. Up Next: vs Furman
3. Arkansas (2-0) – I know they have played Tennessee Tech and Louisiana Monroe, bu very few other teams have showed as complete domination as the Hogs have this season. Ryan Mallett has been near perfection with 700 yards passing and 6 TD’s on the season but the 2 INT’s are a red flag. The Hog’s D has been stifling as well, but the competition gets significantly better soon. UP NEXT: @ Georgia
4. LSU (2-0) – QB concerns aside, the Tigers have been fairly impressive in knocking off a ranked foe and a conference for already. The Tigers do have a solid running game and a pretty tenacious defense so I am not ready to buy into some folk’s demise of LSU this season. The LSU-Bama game should still decide the West this year. UP NEXT: vs Mississippi State
5. Florida (2-0) – I know I will get some flack for this, but the Gators have not been impressive in their first two games this season. Brantley may end up being a better pocket passer than Tebow, but is struggling with hitting his receivers right now. But the Gators still have a ball hawking defense and Jeffrey Demps is averaging over 12 yards a touch. It will be interesting to see how UF fares going into a hostile environment next week. UP NEXT: @ Tennessee
6. Auburn (2-0) – Cameron Newton seems to be the real deal for the Tigers and is the definition of a dual threat QB, averaging 160 yards passing and 120 yards rushing this far. The key to winning in the SEC is a good ground game however and the Tigers have a good supporting cast to support Newton as they are averaging almost 280 yards a game on the ground. But just remember, Auburn was scary good the first half of last season too. UP NEXT: vs Clemson
7. Kentucky (2-0) – First off, yes, this is a Kentucky site, so I am picking Kentucky ahead of a Georgia team that got blown out this weekend. Kentucky has a real opportunity to make a push in the SEC this season into a first division team and if Mike Hartline can keep playing smart, Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke will take care of the rest on offense. Bottom line though: the run defense has to improve. UP NEXT: Akron
8. Mississippi State (1-1) – I like Dan Mullen and think that he is on the right track with the Bulldogs. They blew out Memphis and gave a ranked team (Auburn) all they really wanted and lost just by three. Mullens team has a lot of questions and seems to have a unique dual QB system going right now, bu they have played fairly well. It will be interesting to watch and see if the Bulldogs can make a move to upper division status in the West. UP NEXT: @ LSU
9. Georgia (1-1) – Yes, I have Georgia 9th. Get over it. After the way they played against South Carolina last week, this is where they deserve to be. Keep in mind this is a power poll, so it is subject to moves weekly and Georgia can still win their way up,. The jury is out on Aaron Murray at QB and the offense could only manage 6 points vs South Carolina. The defense is still pretty solid and that will keep Georgia in most games. UP NEXT: vs Arkansas
10. Tennessee (1-1) – Sure, they looked good for a half against Oregon but the Vols lost the second half 35-0. And a 48-13 loss is not what Tennessee fans want to see. Regardless of who is coach. The defense is porous and Matt Simms is still a huge question mark. The only bright part of the Vols season has been Tauren Poole, who rushed for 162 yards against the Ducks. A nervous Vols nation awaits the next game to see if this team has any fight. UP NEXT: vs Florida
11. Mississippi (1-1) – Jeremiah Masoli had a really god game last night and the Rebels looked a lot better in game 2 as they defeated Tulane 27-13. But there are tons of question marks at virtually every position on this team and when you lose to Jacksonville State …. well it takes some time to rise in the WBN’s Power Poll. UP NEXT: vs Vanderbilt
12. Vanderbilt (0-2) – Same old Vanderbilt. Anemic offense and a defense that is solid enough to keep them in games for three quarters until the inevitable collapse eventually comes. Vandy will struggle to score points all season and I don’t care how respectable your defense may play, there are no moral victories in the SEC. UP NEXT: @ Mississippi
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