WBN SEC Power Rankings: 9-9-12 Edition
By Wayne
1. #1 Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0, 0-0)- The Tide followed up their thrashing of #8 Michigan with a bit of a letdown against Western Kentucky at home. ‘Bama allowed the Hilltoppers to game 14 first downs and win the time of possession battle. But those were the only two stats that were even close. I have a theory that Nick Saban and the boys let off the gas a little bit and ran the most simplistic offensive and defensive schemes. ‘Bama could have won this in their sleep. No worries here, they are still the best in the conference and in the country. Next Game vs. #8 Arkansas, Saturday September 15th at 3:30 PM. Prior rank #1
2. #7 Georgia Bulldogs (2-0, 1-0)- The Bulldogs were down 10-9 at the half at Missori. Things weren’t looking good for the favorites in the east and it looked as if the Tigers were going to win their first SEC battle. That is until the Bulldogs turned it on. Aaron Murray completed 22-35 passing with three touchdowns and one interception for 242 yards as he led his team to a 41-20 SEC road win. UGA scored 32 points to Mizzou’s 10 in the second half and dominated the Tigers in front of over 71,000 screaming fans at the Zoo. The Dawgs finally woke up and what they can do is scary. Next Game vs. Florida Atlantic, Saturday September 15h at 7:30 PM. Prior rank #2
3. #3 LSU Tigers (2-0, 0-0)– The Tigers welcomed a Pac 12 team into Baton Rouge and commenced to put on a great performance. LSU beat down the Washington Huskies 41-3 in Death Valley. Their defense is picking up where they left off last season and are allowing only 8.5 points per game thus far. LSU out-gained UDub 437 yards to 183 yards. The Huskies also had only 12 first downs for the game. While LSU is winning big, they haven’t faced a big time opponent yet, and that’s why I am keeping them at three. While the Huskies are a FBS team, they aren’t very good. I’m more impressed with Alabama’s win over Michigan and Georgia’s win on the road against Missouri. But don’t count this LSU squad out. Next Game vs. Idaho, Saturday September 15th at 8:00 PM. Prior rank #3.
4. #8 South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0, 1-0)- Many wondered how the Gamecocks would respond after a poor performance in game one at Vanderbilt. Putting up 48 points on East Carolina is how. USC quarterback Dyaln Thompson had a big game with a 330 yard, three touchdowns game. He looked very impressive in stead of the injured Connor Shaw. Marcus Lattimore only had 40 yards and one touchdown, but the Gamecocks didn’t really need him during the beat down. This should give Spurrier and the fans a little more confidence heading into game three. Next Game vs. UAB, Saturday September 15th, 7:00 PM. Prior rank #4.
5. #18 Florida Gators (2-0, 1-0) Can someone please explain this Gator team to me? After looking bad against Bowling Green and trailing most of the game at Texas A&M, the Gators pulled out a three point victory in College Station on Saturday. Quarterback John Driskel was absolutely pedestrian going 13-16 and 162 yards. The Gator offense put up 307 yards to A&M’s 334 but still won the game. Running back Mike Gillisee was the star for the Gators with 84 yards and two touchdowns. Next Game at Tennessee, Saturday September 15th at 6:00 PM. Prior rank #9
6. Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-0, 1-0)- The Bulldogs might be the surprise of the season that they were supposed to be last year. They ended up embarrassing a supposedly talented Auburn team at home 28-10. They have done enough to jump our power rankings. MSU out played Auburn in every facet of the game and caused the Tigers to commit five very bad turnovers. I have to see more from MSU, but something tells me they are going to be a tough game for the Wildcats. Next Game at Troy, Satuday September 15th at 7:00 PM. Prior rank #10.
7. #23 Tennessee Volunteers (2-0, 0-0)- Are the Vols for real? That is the big question after two big wins in a row. After defeating NC State by two touchdowns, the UT blasted Georgia State 51-13. Tyler Bray looks to be the real deal as he is averaging 353.5 yards per game, good enough for 9th in the country. But Tennessee will face another team at home next week with questions of their own. The Florida Gators come to Knoxville with an anemic offense and a coach trying to figure out how to score despite being 2-0. Next Game vs. #24 Florida, Saturday September 15th at 6:00 PM. Prior rank #11.