WBN SEC Power Rankings: 9-23-12 Edition

1. #1 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0) Prior Rank: 1- And the Tide just keeps rolling. Alabama again left little doubt that they are the best team in the country with another blow out victory. This week’s victim was Florida Atlantic. The Crimson Tide dominated every facet of the game with the 40-7 win. Their offense had 503 yards while their defense held FAU to just 110 yards for the game. AJ McCarron was efficient and threw three touchdown passes. Eddie Lacy played the workhorse role to perfection with 15 carries for 106 yards. As LSU struggled yesterday, Alabama and it’s second ranked defense set itself apart as the class of the conference. Next Game: vs. Ole Miss, Saturday September 29th, 9:15 PM.

2. #5 Georgia Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0) Prior Rank: 2- The Bulldogs welcomed the supposedly new look Vanderbilt Commodores with the same old results. Georgia handed down an ugly 48-3 beating to James Franklins team. I think that officially derailed the Vandy bandwagon. Aaron Murray looked like hi usual self going 18/24, for 250 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs piled up 567 yards on the Commodore defense as freshman Todd Gurley ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow freshman running back rushed for 82 more yards and two more touchdowns. I don’t think the Bulldogs are missing Isaiah Crowell all that much. This Bulldog offense is explosive and the defense is everything that an SEC defense should be. Next Game: vs. Tennessee, Saturday September 29th, 3:30 PM.

3. #6 South Carolina Gamecocks (4-0, 2-0) Prior Rank: 4- Steve Spurrier has his team rolling at the moment. Previously injured quarterback Connor Shaw completed 20-21 passes, and those 20 completions came in consecutive order. He helped blast the Missouri Tigers 31-10 in Columbia. Marcus Lattimore got the ball in his hands more this game and made the most of it. He carried the ball 21 times for 85 yards and a pair of touchdowns. USC overcame two turnovers and limited the potentially explosive Mizzou offense to 255 yards, which is a good accomplishment. Spurrier has his team believing they can win the SEC East title and I’m starting to believe as well. Next Game: vs. Kentucky, Saturday September 29th, 7:00 PM.

4. #3 LSU Tigers (4-0, 1-0) Prior Rank: 3- LSU defeated a struggling Auburn team 12-10. While their defense may be championship material, their offense has not been consistent. That is what is going to doom them when they go head to head with Alabama in a few weeks. While the Tigers moved the ball effectively against Auburn for 351 yards, they were unable to convert in the red zone and scored just one touchdown for the game. Junior running back Spencer Ware was the lone bright spot on offense as he rushed for 90 yards. LSU gets a bit of a break next week against Towson. That will give them a chance to fix their offensive problems and gain some confidence before heading into the meat of the SEC schedule. Next Game: vs. Towson, Saturday September 29th,  7:00 PM.

5. #11 Florida Gators (4-0, 3-0) Prior Rank: 5- Florida took advantage of Kentucky’s Morgan Newton and picked him off three times in the 38-0 win. While the Wildcats were able to hold stand out running back Mike Gillislee to 56 yards and one touchdown, quarterback Jeff Driskel had a good game with 203 yards and a touchdown. Florida still has questions on offense, but their defense seems to be up to just about any task in front of them They held Kentucky to 48 yards passing and 219 yards of total offense. Florida may not be the Gators of old, but they are winning and that’s all that is important in Gainesville. Next Game: vs. #3 LSU, Saturday October 6th, time TBD

6. #21 Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0) Prior Rank: 6- The Bulldogs have been the surprise of the SEC so far but their only big win was at home against a 1-3 Auburn team. The rest of their schedule has been patsies at this point, and yesterday was no different as they defeated Southern Alabama 30-10. But Southern Alabama was able to almost out gain MSU and piled up 347 yards of offense. MSU junior quarterback Tyler Russell had a less than stellar game goimg 13/27 for 171 yards and one touchdown. The Bulldogs get 156 yards rushing and turned Southern Alabama over three times, which was the difference maker. They get a week off before heading into Commonwealth Stadium to take on the Wildcats. Next Game: at Kentucky, Saturday October 6th, time TBD

7. Texas A&M Aggies (2-1, 01) Prior Rank: 8- After losing a heart breaker to Florida in their first SEC game, the Aggies have been rolling. They responded by blowing out SMU and South Carolina State. They defeated their latest opponent 70-14. That’s right, they hung up 70. The Aggies ran all over the Bulldogs for 265 yards on the ground. Quarterback Johnny Manziel was 15/20 for 174 yards and three touchdowns. The defense is the question mark in College Station, but they have a chance to get their first SEC win against the Arkansas Fighting John L. Smith’s. Next Game: vs. Arkansas, Saturday September 29th, 12:21 PM