SEC Power Rankings after Week 1

What a week in the SEC.

We had teams take care of business against lesser competition, but the real drama happened in the marquee matchups. No. 1 Texas lost at No. 3 Ohio State. That in and of itself was enough to fire up the anti-SEC crowd.

But the day was just getting started, as No. 8 Alabama went to Tallahassee and absolutely embarrassed itself in a 2-score loss to unranked Florida State.

Fortunately, No. 9 LSU pulled off the road upset at No. 9 Clemson to salvage some bragging rights for SEC football from Week 1.

Elsewhere around the league, Tennessee looked sharp against Syracuse in a battle of orange schools, while Shane Beamer won the Beamer Bowl for South Carolina against his (and his father’s) former school, Virginia Tech.

How did the Week 1 results affect the SEC power rankings? Let’s dive in, shall we?

16. Kentucky (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 16
• This week: 24-16 W over Toledo
• Next week: vs. Ole Miss

This was a nice win for the Wildcats. Toledo is a very strong, well-coached program. Toledo went to Starkville and blew out Mississippi State last year, so Kentucky managing to win a 1-score game shouldn’t be dismissed. QB Zach Calzada and the passing game still have a lot of work to do if the Wildcats are going to be competitive against Ole Miss this coming Saturday, though.

15. Mississippi State (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 15
• This week: 34-17 W at Southern Miss
• Next week: vs. Arizona State

The score was a little too close for comfort in the first half, as Mississippi State only took a 13-10 advantage into halftime. But a 21-point outburst in the third quarter, fueled by the rushing attack, spurred the Bulldogs to a comfortable road win. RBs Davon Booth and Fluff Bothwell combined for all 3 of Mississippi State’s third-quarter scores, proving that they’re one of the top RB tandems in the SEC. However, a much tougher test awaits in Week 2 when Arizona State comes to Starkville.

14. Arkansas (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 14
• This week: 52-7 W over Alabama A&M
• Next week: vs. Arkansas State (in Little Rock)

Arkansas got off to a bit of a slow start, but then QB Taylen Green took over. Yes, it was only against FCS Alabama A&M, but his 322-yard, 6-touchdown, 0-interception performance has to have him skyrocketing up Heisman boards this week. If Green can continue to take care of the football against tougher opposition, the Razorbacks will be tough to stop offensively this year.

13. Vanderbilt (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 13
• This week: 45-3 W over Charleston Southern
• Next week: at Virginia Tech

The best sign for Vanderbilt from this game was that QB Diego Pavia only ran 8 times for 44 yards. He didn’t need to run a ton for the Commodores to win. He threw for 275 yards and 3 scores instead, which is what you want to see if you’re a Vandy fan. Sedrick Alexander led the way on the ground and Eli Stowers showed why he’s the best tight end in the country. This team should be feeling confident heading into Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech next weekend.

12. Alabama (0-1)

• Previous ranking: 3
• This week: 31-17 L at Florida State
• Next week: vs. Louisiana-Monroe

I’m incredibly disappointed in this Alabama team. The Tide got bullied by Gus Malzahn and the Florida State offense all afternoon. Kane Wommack’s defense was supposed to be one of the best units in the sport this year. The offensive line was supposed to be a strength. I didn’t see anything to make me believe in that unit moving forward, either. This team lost the physicality battle on Saturday, and that’s very concerning. Kalen DeBoer has won big everywhere he’s been, but he’s never been in a pressure cooker like Alabama. If he can’t get this season back on track, it might be time to consider that he wasn’t the right guy for the job.

11. Auburn (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 12
• This week: 38-24 W at Baylor
• Next week: vs. Ball State

Auburn deserves all the credit in the world for going on the road to Waco in Week 1 and earning a 2-score victory. Jackson Arnold looked like he should’ve been named “Lamar Jackson Arnold” based on the way he was running. The defense made some big plays against a talented Baylor QB in Sawyer Robertson. My one concern is the passing game. Arnold only threw for 108 yards and star WR Cam Coleman only had 1 catch for 23 yards. Against tougher competition, Arnold absolutely has to be better as a thrower. Fortunately, Ball State might be the worst team at the FBS level, so the Tigers should be able to get right in Week 2.

10. Mizzou (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 10
• This week: 61-6 W over Central Arkansas
• Next week: vs. Kansas

Beau Pribula looked incredible in his first start for Mizzou. Unfortunately, the QB battle was decided by injury, as Sam Horn suffered a significant leg injury on his first snap. The Tigers take a step up in competition this coming week with the return of the Border War against Kansas (I legitimately cannot wait to see that rivalry renewed), but there were good signs on offense and defense in the opener.

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9. Oklahoma (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 9
• This week: 35-3 W over Illinois State
• Next week: vs. Michigan

The defense was as advertised for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners. I would’ve liked to see a bit more from QB John Mateer and the offense. Putting up 35 points against an FCS foe isn’t great, but it’s not like this game was ever in doubt. Now Oklahoma hosts College GameDay when it takes on Michigan this week. We’ll see if the Sooners can get the SEC a victory over the Big Ten.

8. Tennessee (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 11
• This week: 45-26 W over Syracuse
• Next week: vs. East Tennessee State

Injuries were a concern for Tennessee in the opening win against Syracuse, especially on the defensive side of the ball. But I was very impressed with the way Josh Heupel and the offense dominated the Orange. DeSean Bishop, Peyton Lewis and Star Thomas all had their moments. QB Joey Aguilar wasn’t the most accurate, completing only 16 of 28 passes, but he threw for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns. And most importantly, he didn’t throw an interception. Plenty of great signs on Rocky Top.

7. South Carolina (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 8
• This week: 24-11 W over Virginia Tech
• Next week: vs. South Carolina State

I have some concerns already about the Mike Shula offense, but you can’t argue with the results. Of course the Beamer Bowl featured a safety for Virginia Tech and a punt-return TD for South Carolina. You couldn’t have scripted it any better. LaNorris Sellers is going to need some more help around him if the Gamecocks are going to make the Playoff, but this was a very nice debut for Shane Beamer‘s squad.

6. Texas A&M (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 6
• This week: 42-24 W over UTSA
• Next week: vs. Utah State

There were some nervy moments in College Station on Saturday afternoon. But I did like what I saw from Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed, who answered a lot of questions about whether or not he improved as a passer. He silenced more than a few critics by throwing for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns. I was a bit confused by the use of the running game, as Rueben Owens ran 5 times for 37 yards and Le’Veon Moss carried it 3 times for 19 yards. For those keeping score at home, that’s a 7.4 yards-per-carry average for Owens and a 6.3 YPC average for Moss. Run the ball!

5. Florida (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 7
• This week: 55-0 W over Long Island
• Next week: vs. South Florida

I’ll admit that 2 spots is a lot for Florida to jump based on a win over a no-name Long Island squad. But that has more to do with Alabama being an absolute dumpster fire and me not being overly impressed with Texas A&M’s win over UTSA. So here we are. DJ Lagway was managed well, throwing 18 times for 15 completions, 120 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Billy Napier did a good job getting all of his running backs involved. The defense did its job. We’ll learn a lot more about this team next week against a USF squad that just took down Boise State, though.

4. Ole Miss (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 5
• This week: 63-7 W over Georgia State
• Next week: at Kentucky

Austin Simmons looked sharp in his first start for the Rebels, throwing for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns. Harrison Wallace had 130 yards on 5 catches and scored once, and Kewan Lacy ran for 3 touchdowns and 108 yards. Yeah, the Lane Kiffin offense was humming for Ole Miss. Of course, tougher competition awaits this coming Saturday. But you know Kiffin and company are going to be hungry for revenge after last year’s inexplicable loss to the Wildcats.

3. Texas (0-1)

• Previous ranking: 1
• This week: 14-7 L at No. 3 Ohio State
• Next week: vs. San Jose State

Was I disappointed by Arch Manning’s performance? Absolutely. Did Steve Sarkisian‘s play-calling confuse me? You bet. Am I ready to press the panic button? Not yet. Will I stop asking myself questions and then answering them? That remains to be seen. Look, I’m not going to overreact to a 7-point loss in a true road game to the reigning champions. There was plenty of cause for concern, but I think Texas has ample time to get things sorted out before starting SEC play at Florida on Oct. 4.

2. Georgia (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 4
• This week: 45-7 W over Marshall
• Next week: vs. Austin Peay

Gunner Stockton looked good with his arm and his legs, combining for 4 total touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing). That’s a great sign, although I’m not going to give him the Heisman Trophy yet after doing that against an overmatched Marshall squad. Stockton has 1 more week to gain confidence before the Georgia Bulldogs head to Rocky Top to face Tennessee in Week 3. That’ll be the real test, but the Dawgs took care of business to start the season.

1. LSU (1-0)

• Previous ranking: 2
• This week: 17-10 W at No. 4 Clemson
• Next week: vs. Louisiana Tech

I toyed with the idea of putting LSU at No. 1 in my power rankings prior to the season. I just couldn’t get there. Now I’m there. This was far from the best performance by Garrett Nussmeier and the offense, but there were flashes there, particularly from Caden Durham, Barion Brown (who was robbed of a touchdown) and Aaron Anderson. The real star of the show on Saturday night was the defense, led by Blake Baker. As my colleague Les East noted on Sunday, if the Tigers’ defense plays like that, LSU is a title contender.