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Every Tuesday, we rank the SEC and Big Ten teams in one power poll. The order of the SEC teams is based on the Week 1 SDS SEC Power Rankings.
The SEC and Big Ten got off to polar opposite starts in Week 1, with the former losing just one game to the latter’s six.
The result is an initial power poll that’s top-heavy with SEC teams. That’s not to suggest the Big Ten is an inferior product, by any means. In fact, teams such as Northwestern and Minnesota provided their share of excitement in Week 1. But an opening-week loss by Michigan in Jim Harbaugh’s debut, a Temple upset in Happy Valley and a Hail Mary defeat in Lincoln rarely tend to go unnoticed.
The SEC suffered a lone defeat in Week 1. And even Vanderbilt’s loss came down to the game’s very last play. Spoiler alert, the Commodores failed at the game-tying two-point conversion.
Nationally speaking, the SEC saw eight teams ranked in the preseason Associated Press Poll Top 25, including three (No. 3 Alabama, No. 6 Auburn and No. 9 Georgia) in the top-10 — with another three receiving votes. The preseason AP ranked three Big Ten programs in its poll, including the nation’s No. 1 team in Ohio State and No. 5 Michigan State.
The SEC owns seven of our top-10 spots after Week 1. There might be some disparity in the poll now, but expect to see this list even out as the season progresses and teams such as Nebraska, Penn State and Wisconsin shake off early-season losses.
THE ELITE
By all accounts, Ohio State and Alabama control their own destiny when it comes to landing College Football Playoff spots for the second year in a row. All they have to do is not lose. Easy, right? Only TCU stands between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Alabama in the national polls.
- Ohio State
- Alabama
DON’T COUNT US OUT YET
Auburn and Michigan State each used gritty performances to hold on for wins in Week 1 over formidable opponents in Louisville and Western Michigan, respectively. Auburn outlasted a tough Cardinals defense for a hard-won 31-24 victory. Michigan State allowed the Broncos back in the game after building a 24-point lead, before holding on for a 37-24 win. It doesn’t get any easier for Michigan State, which plays host to No. 7 Oregon in Week 2. Georgia (at Vanderbilt) and Auburn (Jacksonville State) have significantly lighter opponents.
- Michigan State
- Georgia
- Auburn
SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THERE’S A CHANCE
Any slips by the top-five teams in our poll and Nos. 6-10 will pounce. Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas A&M each made big statements in Week 1 that they’re not going to concede the SEC West and beyond without a fight. The Aggies are once again one of the darlings of the season’s opening weekend, this time dropping No. 15 Arizona State in Houston with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball. Wisconsin can thank Alabama for its first loss of the season. Look for the Badgers to rebound against its next four opponents in Miami (Ohio), Troy, Hawaii and Iowa. Weather prevented us from getting our first look at LSU in Week 1. The Tigers, instead, open their season in Week 2 with a road trip to Starkville to face Dak Prescott and Mississippi State — followed the next week by a home opener against Auburn. We’re going to find out how tough the Tigers’ mettle is real early.
- Ole Miss
- LSU
- Texas A&M
- Arkansas
- Wisconsin
CONTENDER’S DIVISION
Tennessee, Missouri and Mississippi State each opened the 2015 season with convincing wins over lesser opponents in Bowling Green, Southeast Missouri State and Southern Mississippi. Games you need to win big if you want to compete for SEC divisional titles, which the Volunteers, Tigers and Bulldogs each believe they can accomplish this season. Penn State and Nebraska didn’t quite get off to the starts they’d envisioned when drawing up Week 1 game plans for Temple and Brigham Young, respectively. Both the Nittany Lions and Cornhuskers are talented squads, however. How they define their season will be determined by how they respond to being upset in Week 1.
- Tennessee
- Missouri
- Mississippi State
- Penn State
- Nebraska
THE STABLE’S DARK HORSES
Minnesota and Northwestern played themselves into this bracket with their Week 1 performances. Northwestern shocked No. 21 Stanford 16-6, while the Golden Gophers hung tough with No. 2 TCU, stymying the celebrated Horned Frog offense, who eked out a 23-17 win. Florida and South Carolina each did what was expected of them with a route of New Mexico State for the Gators and a cross-border battle win for the Gamecocks over North Carolina that ended on an interception in the end zone. Michigan, especially under Jim Harbaugh, is always a wild card in more ways than one. We’re not ready to throw Harbaugh under the bus, yet, conceding that going into Salt Lake City and beating Utah on the road isn’t the easiest thing to do.
- Florida
- Michigan
- South Carolina
- Northwestern
- Minnesota
MAYBE NEXT YEAR
Iowa, Maryland and Kentucky each kicked off their seasons with big wins — if you consider handling the likes of Illinois State, Richmond and Louisiana-Lafayette “big” wins. Each program has the capability of hanging with anyone in their respective divisions and can post gaudy numbers at times. But weaknesses on all three squads are just too glaring to consider any of them a contender just yet.
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Kentucky
AND THE REST
The bottom of our list saw mixed results in Week 1 as Illinois (Kent State) and Rutgers (Norfolk State) won big, Vanderbilt (Western Kentucky) and Purdue (Marshall) lost. Indiana won its game, but needed all 48 of its points to fend off Southern Illinois for the 48-47 win.
- Illinois
- Rutgers
- Vanderbilt
- Purdue
- Indiana
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
