No SEC team dropped as far as bowl placement’s concerned after Week 1’s dominant 12-1 showing for the conference, but there was one program in particular that may have moved up a tier with an impressive outing against a nationally-ranked team.

Unranked in the preseason AP Top 25, Texas A&M’s 38-17 victory over 15th-ranked Arizona State will provide major bonus points at the end of the season if the Aggies are in College Football Playoff contention as a possible at-large pick.

We won’t get too carried away considering last season’s fall after a big season-opening win, but it appears Texas A&M has staying power defensively under John Chavis, something it has sorely missed since Kevin Sumlin’s arrival in College Station.

RELATED: Two high school players target referee | Miss. St. OL’s dirty play

Kentucky’s narrow win over Louisiana Lafayette at home further backs our preseason belief that the Wildcats won’t reach the necessary total of six victories this fall. We’ll know more after Saturday’s battle at South Carolina against a Gamecocks team that took a major step in the right direction in their opener.

Alabama looked every bit the league Playoff favorite against Wisconsin, covering the 12.5-point spread with relative ease.

2015 SEC BOWL PROJECTIONS AFTER WEEK 1 (12 invites)

  • College Football Playoff Semifinal (Cotton Bowl): Alabama vs. TCU
  • New Year’s Six Peach: Georgia vs. Florida State
  • New Year’s Six Sugar: Auburn vs. Baylor
  • Citrus: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin
  • Outback: Texas A&M vs. Minnesota
  • Music City: Mizzou vs. Georgia Tech
  • Belk: South Carolina vs. N.C. State
  • Liberty: Ole Miss vs. Kansas State
  • TaxSlayer: Arkansas vs. Louisville
  • Texas: LSU vs. Oklahoma
  • Independence: Florida vs. North Carolina
  • Birmingham: Mississippi State vs. Memphis

 On the outside looking in: Kentucky, Vanderbilt