Week 1 SEC Power Rankings

#1- Georgia Bulldogs

The defending SEC champions took care of business on Saturday against the Marshall Thundering Herd. Gunner Stockton looked impressive, throwing for 190 yards and two touchdowns, while also being the primary contributor on the ground with 73 yards and two rushing touchdowns as well. Nate Frazier was relatively quiet, which may cause some concern for Bulldogs fans, but the offense looked solid overall. Couple that with another great defense this year, and the folks down in Athens should have a lot to celebrate this season.

#2- LSU Tigers

It wasn’t always pretty on Saturday against Clemson, but the Tigers finally found a way to win a season opener, and boy, was it a pivotal one. Garrett Nussmeier looked good with 230 yards and one touchdown; however, a lot of drives often stalled just after the 50-yard line or resulted in a turnover. So there is some concern there. The defense looked like the best in the SEC and made Cade Klubnik look uncomfortable the whole night. Great start for the Tigers!

#3- Florida Gators

Look, it was just a game against Long Island University, but DJ Lagway looked incredible. He only played for a limited amount of time and still threw for three touchdowns. Backup Tramell Jones Jr. also looked impressive with two touchdown throws of his own. The run game and defense also looked outstanding. The question is how much of the performance was due to playing an FCS opponent in week one.

#4- South Carolina Gamecocks

This is the dark horse pick to make the SEC title game this season. It’s tough not to like the play of LaNorris Sellers, who threw for 209 yards and one touchdown, plus added a rushing one as well. If Sellers continues to play well, the Gamecocks will be in Atlanta in December. The defense also performed well, with two interceptions and holding Virginia Tech to 115 yards on the ground.

#5- Texas Longhorns

This is a gracious placement for the Longhorns. They looked simply overmatched all afternoon Saturday versus Ohio State. The talent is just so overwhelming on this team that it’s hard to imagine them dropping out of contention down the stretch. Arch Manning is definitely going to have to figure it out before long, because having just one touchdown throw is not going to cut it the rest of the way. The one positive is that the defense only allowed 203 yards to an Ohio State offense that includes players such as Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

Tier Two: Sleepers

#6- Tennessee Volunteers

The questions surrounding Joey Aguilar were answered on Saturday against Syracuse. The answer to the question is that he can absolutely perform at the SEC level. He finished the day with 247 yards and three touchdowns, which is more than sufficient to keep Tennessee contending this year. Then, there is the emergence of a three-headed monster in the running game with Star Thomas, DeSean Bishop, and Peyton Lewis all finding the endzone on Saturday. The only concern with the Vols is the defensive injuries, which led to some busted coverages on Saturday, but the return of Jermod McCoy should help that.

#7- Oklahoma Sooners

John Mateer is a top-five quarterback in the SEC. He further proved that on Saturday versus Illinois State with 392 yards and three touchdowns. It also helps that he has targets like Keontez Lewis and Deion Burks. The run game was quiet on Saturday, but that could be more a result of design than overall performance. Oh yeah, the defense also only allowed 34 yards through the air. Watch out for the Sooners this year.

#8- Ole Miss Rebels

No Jaxson Dart for the Rebels this year, but the offense seemed unhindered by it on Saturday with 695 total yards, which led SEC offenses for the week. Austin Simmons was impressive in replacing Dart, throwing for 341 yards and three touchdowns, albeit with two interceptions to go with it, so that will need to be cleaned up going forward. The pass defense was incredible, but the rushing defense needs work. In short, the Rebels aren’t quite to the level they were last year but could surprise some folks by the end of the season.

#9- Texas A&M Aggies

Marcell Reed looked good Saturday, throwing for four touchdowns on the night. Other than that, everything else was kind of “meh” on Saturday night for the Aggies. The defensive run game and pass rush will definitely need to be revamped in the coming weeks. They can’t allow over 200 yards rushing every week and not pick up a single sack. That will spell disaster come SEC play.

Tier 3: Bowl Game Squad

#10- Missouri Tigers

Beau Pribula looked great for the passing game and the run game on Thursday night with two touchdowns in both categories. Ahmad Hardy also added 100 yards on the ground and a touchdown, so the offense looks fine post-Luther Burden. We’ll know more about the Tigers after next week’s game against Kansas.

#11- Vanderbilt Commodores

Commodores’ fans may not like this ranking. Diego Pavia is back for another season and looked really good with three touchdowns on the day. There is too much firepower in front of them in the SEC. They will win enough games to make a bowl game for a second consecutive season, but don’t expect them to be contenders in this conference.

#12- Auburn Tigers

The Tigers should be expected to return to a bowl game this season, which will likely keep Hugh Freeze at Auburn for another year. Jackson Arnold, who transferred from Oklahoma, is mobile enough to cause issues this year, as evidenced by his 137-yard performance Friday night. His arm is still below what it needs to be. That pass defense was also putrid, which will not bode well with how many good quarterbacks there are in the SEC.

Tier 4: Tide Rolled Over

#13- Alabama Crimson Tide

When the Crimson Tide gets its own category, it’s usually because they are completely dominating the league. This time is due to getting completely embarrassed in week one versus Florida State. Florida State is not a bad team, per se, but Alabama only managed 17 points against them. The line of scrimmage game, which Bama has dominated for years, was a complete crap show for the Tide. The same school that has produced Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and Mark Ingram only gained 74 yards on the ground and managed to give up 230 yards on the ground. Where is Nick Saban?

Tier 5: They Won This Week

#14- Arkansas Razorbacks

Sam Pittman has had a rebuilding team for the last however many years he’s been there. Taylen Green impressed with six touchdowns, but it was Alabama A&M. Don’t expect much from the boys in Fayetteville this year.

#15- Mississippi State Bulldogs

A lot of pundits had Southern Miss winning on Saturday, so good for the Bulldogs on proving them wrong. This needs to be a lesson for Bulldog fans this year: Take the small wins when you get them. It looks to be another rebuilding year for Jeff Lebby.

#16- Kentucky Wildcats

Zach Calzada looked less than impressive in week one for the Cats. The run game and defense looked okay at times. When’s basketball season start?

End Of My SEC Rant

For years, the SEC has dominated college football. On Saturday, we saw a glimpse of a future where the conference possibly takes a step back. The season is still just one week in, and there are still a lot of opportunities for teams in the SEC to show they can return to the dominance they once had. We’ll see if week two goes any better for the SEC.