SEC Power Poll Ballot – Week 2
There were many suprises in this second week of college football, and we are learning more and more about each team as we work our way towards SEC play this weekend. Here are my rankings of the SEC. It was a hard week to rank in some respects with LSU not playing and most teams still playing their non-conference schedule, which usually includes “easy” wins.
1. Georgia
2. Florida
3. LSU
4. Auburn
5. Vanderbilt
6. Alabama
7. Ole Miss
8. Tennessee
9. Kentucky
10. South Carolina
11. Mississippi state
12. Arkansas
I’ll explain my rankings after the jump.
1. Georgia
The other Bulldogs trounced Central Michigan this past weekend. Knowshon Moreno is playing well and the defense may be one of the more underrated squads in the country. They lived up to their preseason #1 ranking and return to #1 in my Power Poll for this week. They take the show on the road next week to open conference play in Columbia as they face off against South Carolina. Find Georgia at South Carolina tickets online.
2. Florida
It seems that their running game right now is basically Tebow when he can’t find an open receiver. Their next game is on the road at Tennessee, who has had a week off after getting beat by UCLA in Cali. Apparently lots of folks are having a problem with that final field goal that covered the spread. Find Florida at Tennessee tickets online.
3. LSU
They ended up not playing this weekend because of Hurricane Gustav, but they are still one of the best teams in the conference. Barring any more hurricanes, they are scheduled to play North Texas this weekend before opening SEC play at Auburn next weekend. Find North Texas at LSU tickets online.
4. Auburn
Once you get past the top 3, most of the conference can be mixed and matched. No one has really stood out yet, doing well once week and not as well the next. Auburn has finally settled on Chris Todd at QB and despite some inconsitencies on offense, their special teams and defense are still top notch. Fans are still lokoing for that wide-open spread offense. Rumor has it they are saving it for LSU. They open SEC play at Mississippi State this weekend. Find Auburn at Mississippi State tickets online.
5. Vanderbilt
Vandy took care of business against South Carolina with a hard driving offense, good defense, and a well disciplined team. Bobby Johnson is really doing a great job and building a strong program. They are hosting Rice this weekend, who is also 2-0, so something has to give. Find Rice at Vanderbilt tickets online.
6. Alabama
Looks like Alabama got a little excited after slaughtering Clemson and forgot to get ready for Tulane. If it weren’t for 2 special teams scoring, Tulane would have had a good chance at beating the Tide. The more injuries they sustain, the more shallow their depth chart looks. They have 1 more non-conference game against Western Kentucky before they start conference play at Arkansas – always a hard trip no matter how good or bad the Hogs are. Find Western Kentucky at Alabama tickets online.
7. Ole Miss
One of the better college games this past weekend was Ole Miss at Wake Forrest. The lead changed 8 times. Ole Miss ran their offense well, but are still light on defense. QB Jevon Snead has plenty of weapons at his disposal and the Rebels could be a team to watch later in the season. They host Samford this weekend which should be an easy game for them. Find Samford at Ole Miss tickets online.
8. Tennessee
They took the week off, but did not look all that great against UCLA – especially on defense – in their season opener. They have had 2 weeks to prep for Florida and they are probably going to need it. This weekend will let us know a lot about what to expect from the Vols this year. Find Florida at Tennessee tickets online.
9. Kentucky
Most of their fans aren’t happy, even though the Wildcats have a great defense. They are just used to seeing the high-flying offense of last year and want it back. Kentucky had no problem against Norfolk State but they are going up against what seems to be a great Middle Tennessee team this weekend. Find Middle Tennessee at Kentucky tickets online.
10. South Carolina
The problems continue in Columbia. Their special teams were horrible against in improved Vandy team and that really cost them the game. They are also still not stellar on offense and their defense just couldn’t seem to handle the ‘Dores offensive game. They were getting killed at the line all night long. They host Georgia this weekend and have a chance at redemption. Will they grab it? Find Georgia at South Carolina tickets online.
11. Mississippi State
The Bulldogs looked better against Southeastern Louisiana this past week. Their offense racked up 34 points and their D only allowed 148 yards (78 if you don’t count the last-gasp 70 yard pass in the fourth). This game gave them plenty of opportunities to fine tune everything before Auburn rolls into town looking to hand out some payback for an early season loss last year. Find Auburn at Mississippi State tickets online.
12. Arkansas
Sure, the Razorbacks are 2-0, but both wins are late fourth-quarter comebacks against teams they should not have had any problems with. Their game against Texas will show the hog faithful just how much work the team has to do before they are on top again – especially with a new coach and lots of freshmen on the field. Fint Arkansas at Texas tickets online.
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