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The results of Week 2, particularly the upsets and close calls, sent shockwaves throughout the SEC.
Uncle Mo watched the games, checked out the polls before and after and read all the beat writer breakdowns to figure out which SEC teams have the most momentum going for them right now.
It’s quite a different look from last week. Let’s see where everyone stands:
1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide’s 37-10 win over Middle Tennessee doesn’t add anything of significance to its resume, but a No. 2 ranking in both polls gives Alabama the best position among SEC teams and the most momentum for the big picture. That momentum will be on the line every week once conference play gets into full swing.
2. Ole Miss: No. 11/15 Mississippi impressed voters in both polls with a 73-21 win over Fresno State. With a top-15 ranking and a showdown against No. 2 Alabama coming up, the Rebels are in a position to become the top team in the SEC West if they can pull off the upset Saturday.
3. LSU: An afterthought in most preseason picks, the Tigers are 1-0 with a win over division rival Mississippi State. LSU can claim the best conference resume after Week 2. A win over Auburn this Saturday would likely position the Bayou Bengals as the second-highest ranked team in the SEC West, behind the Alabama-Mississippi winner.
4. Georgia: The Bulldogs’ biggest problem in recent years has been losing games they should win, like falling 31-27 at Vanderbilt in 2013. This time, UGA took care of business on the road in Nashville with a 31-14 win over the Commodores.
5. Texas A&M: The Aggies’ 56-23 win over Ball State doesn’t impact momentum right now. TAMU plays Nevada next, but a significant shift in momentum shouldn’t come until its Sept. 26 meeting with Arkansas. At least one division rival above Texas A&M will lose momentum due to this weekend’s games.
6. Kentucky: Two SEC East teams have 1-0 conference records, and one of those teams is UK thanks to a 26-22 win over South Carolina. The victory in Columbia, S.C., ended a 22-game SEC road-losing streak. The Wildcats’ early status as co-leaders in the division give them some momentum heading into a matchup with Florida.
7. Missouri: The Tigers barely beat Arkansas State, a Sun Belt team, on the road, 27-20. This would be extreme cause for concern for most SEC teams, but Missouri infamously lost to Indiana last season before eventually winning the SEC East.
8. Florida: There were a lot of negatives from the Gators’ 31-24 win over East Carolina. They struggled against a 20.5-point underdog, reverted to their undisciplined high-penalty ways and took a play-not-to-lose approach with the game on the line. Strangely enough, six teams actually gained less momentum this week than UF did.
9. Auburn: AU needed some 2013-like luck to escape FCS opponent Jacksonville State in overtime. Auburn came very close to having its national title hopes dashed in the most embarrassing fashion, but AU is 2-0 and not eliminated from any championship picture just yet.
10. Tennessee: In what has become all too common in the post-Phillip Fulmer era in Tennessee, a team that looked poised to turn the corner choked under pressure. UT’s 31-24 double overtime loss to Oklahoma hurts momentum with a challenging SEC stretch (at Florida, vs. Arkansas, vs. Georgia) just around the corner.
11. Mississippi State: In the SEC West, dropping home games is a momentum killer. A win over LSU would have allowed the Bulldogs to start climbing the polls, but instead Dan Mullen’s team is unranked and visibly vulnerable.
12. South Carolina: The Gamecocks added injury to insult upon finding out QB Connor Mitch is out for the rest of the season after their 26-22 home loss to Kentucky. USC is hurting, but does have the non-conference win over North Carolina to cling to for now.
13. Arkansas: The Razorbacks can still compete for a trip to the SEC Championship Game, but they’re unlikely to recover any chances at a playoff berth after a 16-12 loss to Toledo. It’s not as bad as a conference loss as far as the season outlook, but the embarrassment seriously impacts momentum.
14. Vanderbilt: VU has no momentum in the SEC East after a 31-14 loss to Georgia. With an 0-2 start, bowl eligibility looks like a challenge for the Commodores this season.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
