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The SEC and Pac-12 continue to be among the two top conferences in College Football, ranking 12 of their combed 26 teams in the AP Poll after four weeks. Seven of those dozen-ranked teams belong to the SEC, including newcomers to the list No. 21 Mississippi State and No. 25 Florida. Sonny Dykes’ Cal and the Bear Raid are the surprise team from out West in the rankings, debuting at No. 24 this week.
The Pac-12 is a combined 34-13 on the season and doesn’t have a single team below .500 — the only conference in the nation that can boast that.
Here’s a look at how the SEC and the Pac-12 stack up against one another after four weeks.
SET-UP NICELY
There are five teams between the SEC and Pac-12 that are legitimately — as well as mathematically — in control of their own fate, even if we are only four weeks into the season. Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss, as well as UCLA and Utah are a combined 19-0 on the year. The goal is obvious: win, control the tiebreakers, and you’re in. LSU gets the nod at the apex of our list, thanks in large part to Leonard Fournette’s ability to make men look like boys. Who is going to figure out a way to stop him?
1. LSU
2. Ole Miss
3. UCLA
4. Georgia
5. Utah
STILL IN THE HUNT
As we all know, things change on a weekly basis in college football. Despite having one loss or a shaky performance against someone you should have beaten handily, there’s always a chance for a team to slip back into the mix — especially with plenty of games yet to play. Alabama, Mississippi State and Stanford, as well as Southern California and Texas A&M won’t be counted out of a conference contention without leaving a little blood behind.
6. Alabama
7. Mississippi State
8. Southern California
9. Texas A&M
10. Stanford
FAST RISERS
Arizona, California and Florida are among the fastest-rising programs in their respective conferences. All three schools have found themselves ranked inside the AP Poll at some point this season and all three could very well finish within the rankings at season’s end. The Golden Bears and Gators are both 4-0 with some impressive wins. Cal won on the road at both Texas and Washington and beat San Diego State, while Florida is coming off a thrilling comeback win over Tennessee. How’s this for a stat? The Arizona Wildcats have the best rushing offense among the SEC and Pac-12, leading the LSU Tigers 329.0 YPG to 315.0.
11. California
12. Florida
13. Arizona
WHEN CYLINDERS START FIRING…
Who would have thought a month ago that we’d see Arizona State, Oregon and Tennessee this far down on a list such as this? These are three programs that legitimately thought they were going to contend for their respective divisions this fall. It’s still not out of the realm of possibility, especially for the one-loss Sun Devils, who didn’t exactly put away Cal Poly or New Mexico. Two losses hurt the Ducks and Volunteers badly, but these teams still remain dangerous. When all three play complete games, they can beat just about anyone. Putting it all together as the season progresses will be the challenge.
14. Oregon
15. Tennessee
16. Arizona State
AND THEN THERE’S THIS MESS
Think of this cluster of teams as traveling on a two-way escalator. Programs such as Colorado, Kentucky and Washington are waving to Arkansas, Auburn and Missouri as they pass one another. Do the Buffs, Cats and Dogs have their work cut out for them? Big time. But they’re putting up wins over quality opponents. The three SEC teams traveling south on the proverbial escalator are loaded with talent and could easily rebound. But major questions remain for all three of them.
17. Auburn
18. Washington
19. Kentucky
20. Arkansas
21. Colorado
22. Missouri
SIGNS OF LIFE
There is plenty of work to be done up in the Northwest in Corvallis and Pullman, as well as down South in Columbia and Nashville, but all four programs have shown progress of late. Vanderbilt is coming off a gritty performance against No. 3 Ole Miss. South Carolina found some much-needed sparks on both sides of the ball against Central Florida. Oregon State might have more than two wins if they didn’t have to play Stanford and at Michigan to start the year. As for Washington State? We’ll give them credit for traveling 2,600 miles to beat Rutgers, but Mike Leach has to promise to never lose to Portland State again.
23. South Carolina
24. Vanderbilt
25. Oregon State
26. Washington State
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
