Oh, hello there.
Remember me?
I’m that guy that ranks the SEC every week (most of the time), so that you don’t have to wonder which team is ruling the conference.
And. I’m. Back.
That can only mean that college football has finally returned to rule my Saturdays and take quality time away from my loved ones. Isn’t it great?
On the heels of the greatest opening weekend in recent memory, preseason rankings have already been shaken up. I, your college football Sherpa, spent seventeen straight hours glued to multiple TV’s to watch the madness unfold.
Football returned with a vengeance, destroying the hearts of half of the SEC fan base. HALF! Seven SEC teams managed to lose on opening weekend, with a few more barely escaping with a win. In short, this week’s rankings are tough to figure out, but I’ll do my best. These rankings are based solely on what I saw this weekend. So here we go.
1. Alabama – No surprise here. Nick Saban and company absolutely rolled over USC. After a shaky first quarter, freshman QB Jalen Hurts settled in and cruised to the tune of four touchdowns. The Tide look to have an even better defense than last year, with the best front seven in all of football right now. And how about Lane Kiffin running up the score on the team that fired him at the airport? Style points.
2. Georgia – Nick Chubb is back and hasn’t lost a step, which is great news for the Bulldogs. While a QB competition still looms in Athens, Chubb was the work horse racking up over 200 yards of offense and two scores. The defense played great against a very good North Carolina offense, and managed to score a quality win. Excellent start for Kirby Smart.
3. Texas A&M – It’s almost like Kevin Sumlin knows that his job is on the line this year. In a phenomenal overtime win, new transfer Trevor Knight outplayed the highly touted Josh Rosen. The Aggie defense kept up the pressure on Rosen, with Myles Garrett looking like one of the best players in the country. A&M could be a sleeper in the West, unless they collapse after week four. Again.
4. Tennessee – We’ve officially left “quality win” territory. After a preseason full of promise, the Volunteers turned in a flat performance again Appalachian State. Butch Jones managed to survive in overtime, but the hype train has slowed down. With only one game down, Tennessee can still pull their extremely talented team together and become a force in the East. The Battle at Bristol is this weekend and a flat performance won’t cut it.
5. Florida – Another ugly SEC performance, this time from the Gators. New QB Luke Del Rio didn’t look comfortable until the fourth quarter, when Florida was nursing a three point lead. Luckily for the Gators, Del Rio pulled it together and put up 14 more points, solidifying the win.
6. Ole Miss – Collapse. It’s an ugly word in football. Ole Miss now knows just how ugly it can be. After having FSU on the ropes early, the Rebels watched helplessly as their win vanished. Honestly, I’d rank 1st half Ole Miss #2, and 2nd half Ole Miss #11. Rebel fans should focus on the first half, where Chad Kelly looked like the best QB in the SEC. Even with a loss, they sit at 6 for potential.
7. LSU – I should really rank LSU last, but I won’t. Leonard Fournette deserves better. Apart from two awful turnovers from Wisconsin to help LSU score, the Tigers were lagging from the start. Despite poor play, LSU somehow found themselves in a position to win. Enter Brandon Harris. In the most mind boggling play of all time, Harris tossed up an easy interception when pressured to lose the game. With no QB to even manage a game, leaning on Fournette won’t be enough.
8. Arkansas – Same story, different team. Arkansas struggled against an underrated Louisiana Tech team. Now, Tech may be underrated, but the Razorbacks should have been able to handle them much better. Trailing by 6 in the fourth quarter, new QB Austin Allen led his team down the field to seal a victory 21-20. The Hogs could end up a contender for the west if Allen matures quickly.
9. Auburn – A phenomenal defensive performance kept Auburn in the game against Clemson. A quick turnaround from a season ago, the Tigers defense managed to contain Deshaun Watson for most of the night. The problem? Auburn’s offense. The three QB system doesn’t work for Malzahn, but there’s no clear winner. The offense will continue to struggle unless Sean White gets better.
10. South Carolina – Yes, I have three 0-1 teams ahead of 1-0 South Carolina. Why? All of those teams would beat them. That simple. To their credit, South Carolina rallied back late to win their SEC opener at Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks need to build on the win, and lean on their defense to contend in a weakened East.
11. Vanderbilt – Poor Vanderbilt. With a stellar defense, most thought the Commodores would walk out with their first SEC win of the year. Some questionable choices from Coach Derek Mason ended with a heartbreaking loss. Vandy faithful will be calling for changes while the coaching seat gets hotter.
12. Kentucky – One of the ugliest losses of the weekend, Kentucky blew a comfortable lead against a subpar opponent in Southern Mississippi. The Wildcat offense came out firing with over 400 yards and 4 touchdowns. The defense, however, was bad enough to allow Southern Miss to go on a 34 point run. Mark Stoops should be on the hot seat now.
13. Missouri – Barry Odom’s first game as head coach of the Tigers was a rough welcome. West Virginia kept Missouri in check all day, with the Tigers only scoring 11 points on a weak Mountaineers defense. QB Drew Lock was ineffective at best, making the entire offense look stale. The defense didn’t fare much better. Lower your expectations Columbia, it’s going to be a long season.
14. Mississippi State – South Alabama? Get out of here with that.
Good to be back folks!
Bill Griffin is the lead SEC contributor for the SoBros Network, and serves as our resident expert on the human anatomy, fixin’ stuff, and tomatoes. Follow him on Twitter @Winter_Griffin
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