Hey guys! Week 1 of the college football season is officially in the books. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Personally, I spent 17 straight hours watching as much college football as humanly possible. It was glorious.
Unfortunately, it was a tough week for the SEC as a whole. Although it’s still early in the season, we can safely assume that there appears to be only five or six major threats in the SEC this year. I think we have to come to terms with the fact that the SEC isn’t the gauntlet it has been. Granted, the SEC West is still the best conference in college football. Alabama, LSU, A&M, and Auburn will all be ranked in the top 15 this week. But the SEC East? Can anyone really challenge Georgia? Let’s dig into this week’s list and find out. On to the rankings!
1. Alabama – It was a slow and sloppy first quarter, but when the Tide got in gear it was over fast. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 336 yards and 4 touchdowns in 3 quarters. Most telling though is that he spread the ball all over the field. The TEs scored first before getting DeVonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy in on the action. Stepping in for the injured Dylan Moses, Freshman LB Shane Lee had a great game and notched 6 tackles. The Tide played well after a slow start, but with conference play looming, they need to start better. They host New Mexico State for their home opener this weekend.
2. Georgia – This was a clinical grind by the Bulldogs. Georgia shut down Vanderbilt’s lackluster offense and pounded the ball on the ground for 4 quarters. QB Jake Fromm threw for less than 200 yards because he didn’t have to throw for more than that. The real show was the run game, led by D’Andre Swift. Swift accounted for 149 yards of the 326 Georgia amassed on the ground. The defense was exactly what you’d expect, keeping Vanderbilt out of the endzone all night. Interesting note: the Bulldogs were flagged 10 times, something that HC Kirby Smart will need to clean up. They host Murray State this weekend.
3. LSU – The Tigers absolutely smothered Georgia Southern and made it look easy. QB Joe Burrow threw for 5 touchdowns (before halftime) and just shy of 300 yards. Coordinator Joe Brady had LSU running on all cylinders, rotating RBs and showing different looks that worked to Burrow’s favor. The defense shut down the triple option all night, which isn’t easy to do. It was an inferior opponent, but the Tigers looked ready to challenge for the West. If they take down Texas this Saturday, the world will take notice.
4. Texas A&M – The Aggies’ Thursday night game against Texas State feels so long ago, doesn’t it? A&M played exactly like we thought they would. The offense was dynamic, led by QB Kellen Mond. Mond accounted for 4 total touchdowns, throwing for 3 TDs and almost 200 yards. RBs Jashaun Corbin and Isaiah Spiller each went over 100 yards rushing. The defense also looked better, grabbing 4 interceptions. It was a good opening game, but it was still Texas State. We’re about to get a much clearer picture when the Aggies travel to Clemson.
5. Auburn – What a weird game for Auburn. In the first half, it seemed like the Tigers couldn’t find a good rhythm against Oregon. It felt like the Ducks should have been up by 50. But credit to QB Bo Nix, who bounced back from a rough first half. The defensive front shone in the second half, keeping Auburn in striking distance. Nix settled in and looked more veteran than freshman on that final drive. If Auburn continues to improve, they could make a lot of noise in the West this season. They host Tulane for their home opener.
6. Florida – Florida was idle this week after playing Miami in week 0. They host UT Martin this weekend and we’ll see if they spent their two weeks fixing the offense.
7. Kentucky – It’s weird to have Kentucky move up to #7 for beating Toledo, but here we are. It wasn’t impressive for the Wildcats, especially when they let Toledo score really fast to start the game and head to halftime tied. Still, QB Terry Wilson played better than expected, throwing for almost 250 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Wildcats covered the spread (damnit) but will have to clean up the defense a bit before going into conference play. They host Eastern Michigan this week.
8. Mississippi State – Joe Moorhead’s offense looks a little more encouraging than last season. Transfer QB Tommy Stevens accounted for 3 touchdowns on the day while RB Kylin Hill amassed almost 200 yards on the ground. The downside? The defense had a tough time keeping the Ragin’ Cajuns out of the ballgame. They forced FIVE turnovers but still only won by 10 against a Sun Belt team. That could spell trouble down the road when conference play starts. They host Southern Miss this Saturday.
9. South Carolina – Mack Brown’s North Carolina squad is a good team, but South Carolina should have won this game. They shouldn’t take solace in the fact that it was close because the Gamecocks gave the game away. This is Jake Bentley’s 4th year at SC and he was outplayed by a freshman. Will Muschamp’s squad was up by two possessions in the 4th quarter and allowed NC to string together some huge drives to win the game. It could be a long year for South Carolina fans.
10. Ole Miss – This loss wasn’t as terrible as some make it out to be. Ole Miss is still rebuilding and Memphis has really become a damn good program. Now, having said that, you’re not supposed to lose to teams from the AAC when you’re in the SEC. The Ole Miss offense was sluggish all game, and freshman Matt Corral never got the passing game going. Had the Rebels offense held up their part, Ole Miss would have notched a fairly decent win for Matt Luke. Instead, fans are calling for his job just one week in. They host Arkansas this week.
11. Missouri – Kelly Bryant is a pretty good football player. Unfortunately, he might be the only one on the Missouri squad. I genuinely don’t know why Missouri went on the road to play Wyoming, but it went poorly. Squandering a 14 point lead to a team you were 16.5 point favorites to beat? Yeeeesh. Bryant threw for over 400 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough. In the last 9 minutes of the 2nd quarter, the Tigers allowed Wyoming to score TWENTY. SEVEN. POINTS. Coach Barry Odom needs to fix his defense, and hopefully fast. They host West Virginia this weekend.
12. Vanderbilt – The game against Georgia didn’t get as out of hand as expected, but the Commodores never seemed to be in it. It’s very apparent that Kyle Shurmur is gone as the offense looked lackluster all night. Ke’Shawn Vaughn is a hell of a running back, but with no real threat in the passing game, he won’t be able to do much damage. They head to Purdue this week and really need to steal a win.
13. Arkansas – The lowest ranking for a team that got a win in week one, Arkansas was the least impressive of the winning squads. The Razorbacks should have used Portland State as a statement game, but QB Ben Hicks looked uncomfortable all game and couldn’t find his receivers or the end zone. If not for Rakeem Boyd’s run game, Arkansas could have been looking at an upset. They head to Ole Miss this week to start conference play.
14. Tennessee – The Vols paid almost $1 million to suffer their worst loss in program history to a team that won 2 games last season. Do I need to say anything else?
That’s all for this week kids. Thanks for playing along and I’ll see you next week. Poppa Bear loves you.
Poppa Bear is the Lead SEC Analyst for the SoBros Network, and serves as our resident expert on the human anatomy, fixin’ stuff, and tomatoes. Follow on Twitter:@SoBroPoppaBear
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