SEC play certainly opened with a bang. But some of the league’s most likely suspects were on the wrong side of that list. Tennessee? Swept. Ole Miss? Also swept. Meanwhile doing the sweeping? Mizzou, Kentucky, South Carolina, among others. It was a stunning opening week of SEC play, and if you’re still sorting it out, you’re far from alone. Here’s the outlook on the SEC as it stands from a crazy opening week of league play.

14. Mississippi State (13-8, 0-3)

Getting swept by Kentucky certainly made the Bulldogs’ 7-game winning streak look like fools’ gold. Not just that, but getting swept by a 35-11 total tally suggests that the Bulldogs have real problems, particularly on the mound. State’s pitchers have walked 131 batters, 31 more than 13th-place Ole Miss. Hosting Vanderbilt means things are probably going from bad to worse this weekend, too.

13. Auburn (13-6, 0-3)

Auburn was swept by Arkansas, which wasn’t as surprising as State’s weekend, but isn’t encouraging either. Auburn is last in the SEC in runs scored and opponents are batting .272 against Tigers pitchers — also last in the SEC. The Tigers need Joseph Gonzalez back yesterday, and they could use some hitting too. The good news is that they host Georgia this weekend, and could thus move up pretty easily.

12. Georgia (13-7, 0-3)

The Bulldogs ended up on the wrong end of South Carolina, getting lit up on the mound and outscored 29-7 in the series. UGA is last in the SEC in ERA at 5.97, and they’ve allowed a league-high 30 homers. Like Auburn, they’ll get a chance at a restart thing weekend. One of these teams has to win some games.

11. Alabama (17-4, 1-2)

The Tide didn’t have an awful week, managing a win against Florida despite getting dominated by Brandon Sproat in the series opener. The Tide are still hitting .329, and could well end up in the upper half of the West. This weekend, they host Kentucky in a series that could easily jump the winner up a few notches next week.

10. Ole Miss (14-6, 0-3, No. 15 in BA)

The Rebels were dominated by Vandy and are 13th in the SEC in ERA. Hunter Elliott is still out and the Rebels need him — now. Meanwhile, they scored 4 runs in 3 games against Vandy and will now host Florida. Ole Miss’ offense better get right in a hurry or they could fall even farther down the SEC ladder.

9. Texas A&M (14-6, 1-2, No. 12 in BA)

A&M didn’t win its series with LSU, but the Aggies didn’t look bad, either. Now a trip to a struggling UT team will leave one or the other with significant catching up to do in their division. A&M’s batting average and homer totals are 13th in the SEC, and the Aggies could use finding more offense this week.

8. Kentucky (18-2, 3-0, No. 25 in BA)

Not only did Kentucky sweep an SEC series against Missisisppi State, but they did it while continuing to play small ball and still score runs. UK’s 15 homers are still the fewest in the conference, but their 33 stolen bases ties for the league lead. The team’s 2.88 ERA may well manage to let UK pull through many close games. That and having Ryan Hagenow and Mason Moore posting sub-1.00 ERAs.

7. Tennessee (15-6, 0-3, No. 11 in BA)

A season ago, UT finished 25-5 in the SEC and ripped homers like mad. This year, they opened by getting swept by Missouri in conditions better-suited for outdoor hockey. This Tennessee team will lean more heavily on its pitching staff, but even that was at issue in Columbia. Chase Dollander, Chase Burns and Drew Beam all got hit. How will they fare this weekend at home against Texas A&M?

6. Missouri (16-3, 3-0, No. 18 in BA)

The Tigers continue climbing our list thanks to battering Tennessee’s pitching mercilessly in a surprising sweep. Tennessee survived almost all season last year without losing a series, much less being swept. The Tigers dropped a 23-6 total score over the series and their lefty-heavy lineup will cause problems for righty-heavy pitching staffs all year. Their 3.46 team ERA is a pleasant surprise that has made them suddenly competitive.

5. South Carolina (20-1, 3-0, No. 14 in BA)

Welcome the Gamecocks to the SEC top 5. It’s hard to ignore a 20-1 start, and by crushing Georgia to open SEC play, the Gamecocks are suggesting that they are the real deal. Carolina leads the SEC in homers and ERA, and that’s a pretty good combination. Freshman Ethan Petry had a 9-for-16 week with 3 homers to earn conference Freshman of the Week honors. They’ll host Missouri in a series that could be surprisingly meaningful in the SEC’s big picture.

4. Arkansas (18-2, 3-0, No. 6 in BA)

The Hogs were supposed to be struggling with pitching depth, but nobody seems to have told them. They shut down Auburn by a combined 21-5 margin. The Hogs are balanced and talented … but this weekend brings a trip to Baton Rouge for an early West showdown.

3. Vanderbilt (16-5, 3-0, No. 5 in BA)

The Vandy Boys hadn’t been especially impressive before they swept Ole Miss last weekend. Hunter Owen had a complete-game 2-hitter with 11 strikeouts, and Vandy didn’t just beat the Rebels, they blew them out by a combined 27-4 count. Opposing hitters are batting .191 against Vandy, and meanwhile, the offense showed signs of life, which could make them upwardly mobile even from this spot.

2. Florida (18-4, 2-1, No. 2 in BA)

Brandon Sproat was amazing in the opener against Bama, going the distance in a 1-hit shutout. Florida leads the SEC in batting average (.334) and is 2nd in homers with 51 blasts. Two-way star Jac Caglianone had a tough time on the mound vs. Alabama, but he continues to lead the SEC with 13 home runs. This week will be a better test for Florida, with a midweek game with Florida State and a series in Oxford with an Ole Miss team that could use some wins.

1. LSU (18-2, 2-1, No. 1 in BA)

The Tigers won their opening league series, and Tommy Tanks is continuing to be the star we all knew he would become. White hit .500 with 7 RBIs in his first SEC series. Despite missing several games early, White has surged to No. 3 in the SEC with 34 RBIs — 1 shy of the lead. It helps, obviously, to hit behind top draft prospect Dylan Crews, who is batting an absurd .508 and leads the SEC with 37 runs. Paul Skenes also may be the best pitcher in the SEC — which is to say, arguably the best in the nation. Skenes looks capable of throwing a no-hitter seemingly every outing. He leads the SEC in wins (5), ERA (0.59), opponents’ batting average (.115) and strikeouts (59).

There’s no reason to move the Tigers anywhere.