A dozen or so games into the SEC baseball season, one thing remains readily apparent: This league is good. Historically good. Being No. 10 or No. 11 in the league could still land a team in the College World Series good. Don’t believe it? Try to walk a mile in the ranking shoes. Nobody has been bad. Instead, it’s great upon greater upon potentially legendary. Here’s our attempt to make sense out of the state of SEC baseball.

14. Mississippi State

The Bulldogs haven’t exactly embarrassed themselves, beating No. 25 Southern Miss and Cal, but the Bulldogs also lost to Oklahoma and Ohio State. State’s 7-5 record is the worst in the conference and so is their 5.75 team ERA. State’s 79 walks allowed are by far the most in the SEC, and the Bulldogs’ 26 stolen bases allowed is nearly double the next-to-worst team in the SEC. Offensively, State has been OK, but at 12th in the SEC in batting average, we’ll need to see more to move them out of the basement.

13. Kentucky

The 9-2 Cats had an unbeaten week, but they squeaked past a mediocre Indiana State team by 2, 1, and 1 runs in the 3-game sweep. Kentucky’s pitching has been good, albeit against poor competition, but UK has just 6 home runs. Yes, 4 SEC players have hit more homers individually than UK has as a team. So Kentucky’s pitching better stay good, because the alternative is not looking great.

12. Georgia

Georgia has been very solid, hitting .319 and striking out the next-to-fewest times in the league while still mashing 23 homers. Charlie Condon’s .588 week (10-for-17, 3 homers) certainly didn’t hurt. On the mound, the Bulldogs have given up a league-high 19 homers, but did show some improvement in a week that included a series win over Georgia Tech.

11. Missouri

The Tigers haven’t done anything to move up or down the rankings, rolling through a 4-0 week against inferior competition. Missouri’s pitching staff has held opponents to a .201 batting average and is perhaps the most improved staff in the SEC. The Tigers have been aggressive offensively, ranking 3rd in the SEC with 20 stolen bases. At 9-2 Missouri’s strong start has been a mild surprise.

10. South Carolina (No. 23 in Baseball America poll)

The 11-1 Gamecocks are off to an outstanding start, which includes a series win over Clemson. The Gamecocks’ 32 homers trail only Florida in the league, and their 2.69 ERA is been excellent. Even with presumed ace Will Sanders taking a loss, this has been a better-than-expected start for Carolina.

9. Texas A&M (No. 12 BA)

The 7-4 Aggies are still well-regarded nationally, but they haven’t shown it on the field. After a 9-run loss to Louisville and a game with Texas Tech that went 16 innings before A&M finally pulled away, this team has some concerns. They’re next-to-last in the SEC in homers and in batting average. Unlike, say, the next team in these rankings, the Aggies have played some tough competition. They just haven’t looked exceptionally sharp against it.

8. Alabama

Alabama might be the hardest team to rank. For one thing, the 12-0 Tide are the SEC’s lone remaining unbeaten team. Their 1.89 ERA leads the SEC, and freshman Colby Shelton ripped a pair of slams last week on his way to conference Freshman of the Week honors. But Bama has not played anybody. The start has been impressive, but there’s room for some skepticism on whether the Tide can look like this in conference play.

7. Arkansas (No. 9 BA)

The Hogs had a good week, in improving to 9-2, albeit with some easy wins over Illinois State and Wright State. But the Hogs also had a bad week, as their pitching staff continues to be decimated by injuries. Not only is Jaxon Wiggins gone for the year, but closer Brady Tygart sustained a UCL injury and reliever Koty Frank also was hurt in game action. Arkansas has played better than 7th in the SEC … but with a staff that will limp into SEC play (and currently has a 5.62 ERA), it’s hard to put them higher.

6. Auburn (No. 20 BA)

Auburn moved to 9-1-1 with a 4-0 week against ho-hum competition. The good news is that Bryson Ware’s 3-homer week establishes home alongside Ike Irish as a major offensive threat for the Tigers. Auburn has to get righty Joseph Gonzalez ready for conference play, because otherwise, the pitching depth will sink the Tigers to the middle of the league. But if he’s well in 2 weeks, the Tigers will surprise some in the SEC West.

5. Vanderbilt (No. 7 BA)

The 8-4 Commodores have held early form. Four pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter at Minnesota, but Vandy also lost to Nebraska. The Commodores are hitting just .249, and are also last in the SEC in walks drawn, with an ugly .362 team on-base percentage. That said, opponents are hitting just .207 against the ‘Dores and their pitching staff has depth as well as talent. Can they hit?

4. Ole Miss (No. 8 BA)

The 10-2 Rebels lost to Louisiana Tech, but otherwise played well in the College Classic in Minneapolis. The Rebels are hitting .352, and Ethan Groff leads the SEC with 22 RBIs. The pitching staff has struggled a bit with control, walking 63 batters, which is 2nd-most in the SEC. But if guys like Grayson Saunier can get the ball over the plate, look out.

3. Tennessee (No. 5 BA)

No suspensions, no turmoil, no surprising losses for the Vols, who improved to 11-2 by winning all 5 games last week by 5 or more runs. Chase Dollander was filthy and shows every sign of being the No. 1 arm that Tony Vitello will need in SEC play. Meanwhile, Blake Burke has been the slugging star expected, with 7 homers this season.

2. Florida (No. 2 BA)

Florida had just a 3-2 week to fall to 10-3, but 1 loss was in a series win over then-No. 10 Miami. Wyatt Langford had a 6-for-11 run with 3 homers in that Miami matchup, and joining him with SEC homer king Jac Caglianone (10 bombs already this year) is formidable. Caglianone might be the best 2-way player in college baseball. Earlier this season, he hit 3 home runs and struck out 6 in the same game. In addition to leading the SEC in home runs, he’s 6th among pitchers with 23 strikeouts.

Florida is all about power — leading the league in homers and strikeouts. The 5.35 team ERA is a little concerning … but only a little.

1. LSU (No. 1 BA)

LSU didn’t just have a 4-0 week, they did it by a 54-6 margin. Gavin Dugas was the hero with a game-winning blast against Texas, but Paul Skenes might be the story so far. At 3-0 with an 0.50 ERA and a league-high 36 strikeouts, he’s been everything Tiger fans could want. Tommy Tanks is back and posted a 2-homer game. The most amazing thing about Tommy White’s power game is his bat-to-ball skills. Last year at NC State, White hit 27 home runs and only struck out 50 times. Even while battling an early-season shoulder injury, he’s only struck out 3 times in 37 plate appearances.

Basically, this LSU team is loaded, and promises to be fun to watch all season.