The SEC had a very lackluster opening weekend - especially by the conference's lofty standards - as seven lost and now start the season 0-1. An easier Week 2 slate means plenty of teams should rebound, but their Week 1 performances definitely gave us more insight as to how good these teams actually are this season. Here's our SEC Power Rankings heading into Week 2:
14) Missouri Tigers
Mizzou proved to be exactly who we thought they were in their 26-11 loss to West Virginia. Their defense is pretty good, but their offense is absolutely putrid.
13) Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt had one of the more disappointing performances of opening weekend. Hosting South Carolina, the Commodores had a great chance to start 1-0 in the conference. It seemed to be going that way, too, as their defense was dominating an ugly game for the better part of 50 minutes. However, their offense didn't do anything after their first three drives and let SC's offense come to life late - and ended up suffering the disappointing loss.
12) Kentucky Wildcats
Speaking of disappointing losses, Kentucky losing at home to Southern Miss is not a good start for a team entering head coach Mark Stoops' "make or break" season.
11) Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State is embarking on life without quarterback Dak Prescott, and it didn't go well, losing at home to South Alabama - after leading 17-0 at halftime.
10) South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina is the best of this bottom five group right now that are clearly worse than everyone else. Their defense is VASTLY improved, holding Vandy to less than 250 yards of total offense. They will be inconsistent with true freshman everywhere on offense, but their comeback showed they can be dangerous when they get into a rhythm.
9) Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas somehow survived a 21-20 win over Louisiana Tech, and it wasn't a performance that would inspire confidence in the Razorbacks. Quarterback Austin Allen's growth will determine how good this team becomes.
8) Auburn Tigers
Auburn was a HUGE disappointment last year, but things are looking up despite losing to Clemson. The bad news is that their offense is just as bad as they were last year. The good news is their defense limited perhaps the best offense in the country to 19 points.
7) Florida Gators
Florida looked fine in an unimpressive 24-7 win over UMass, and the game didn't really tell us anything one way or another. Luke Del Rio showed flashed of being the answer at QB, but then again, UMass isn't anything special.
6) Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee SOMEHOW survived Appalachian State's upset bid last Thursday, winning 20-13 in overtime. The defense looked fine, but the the offense...ouch. Josh Dobbs looked like a first-time starter instead of a three-year vet, and they struggled running the ball.
That said, it seemed more like nerves were getting to the Vols than anything else. With how talented they are, I think they'll look more like the team we all expected them to be this week against Virginia Tech.
5) LSU Tigers
Saturday's loss to Wisconsin was the worst-case scenario for LSU fans. The defense is good, and Leonard Fournette is still Leonard Fournette. However, quarterback Brandon Harris still has made no progression as a passer and probably couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. Don't be surprised if they make a QB chance in the coming weeks.
4) Texas A&M Aggies
Did anyone help themselves more than the Aggies last weekend? They upset a UCLA team that many picked as a dark horse playoff contender, and the defense looked vastly improved in the second year under defensive coordinator John Chavis, picking up Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen three times.
However, we've seen this movie from Texas A&M before - they'll look really good in the non-conference schedule before falling apart in the SEC. We'll see if they can maintain this level of play.
3) Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss looked like the best team in the country when they led Florida State, 28-6, late in the first half of their game on Monday night. After that, they looked like the team that lost all of their stars to the NFL. They turned the ball over four times and gave up 580 yards to an offense starting a redshirt freshman under center.
2) Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia looked VERY good in their win over UNC, limiting the Heels' high-powered offense. Freshman quarterback Jacob Eason looks like the real deal, and if he can continue to protect the ball, the Bulldogs will be playoff contenders. Plus, Nick Chubb is showing no ill effects from his torn ACL last season.
1) Alabama Crimson Tide
They are who we thought they were.
Dominant defense? Yup. Good running game? Yup. And now, they've found a quarterback who looks like a future star in Jalen Hurts.
No one in the country is close to these guys right now.
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