Every Wednesday, we rank the SEC and Pac-12 teams in one power poll. The order of the SEC teams is based on the Week 2 SDS SEC Power Poll.

Before the season, SEC vs. Pac-12 was a serious question. Could the Pac-12 actually have the best conference in college football?

It’s a legitimate question, but for now, the SEC continues to hold down the No. 1 spot. With UCLA, Stanford and Washington underperforming relative to preseason expectations and Texas A&M and LSU outperforming them, the SEC claims six of the top 10 spots in our combined power poll.

NATIONAL CONTENDERS

As much as Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M owned Week 1 of the college football season, Oregon and USC dominated Week 2. The Ducks finally stood up to a physical, run and defense-oriented opponent, coming from behind to score the final four touchdowns against Michigan State. The Trojans ended Stanford’s 17-game home winning streak.

It says something about the strength of these two conferences that the “national contenders” group is larger than the four division favorites.

1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Oregon
4. USC
5. Auburn

FLAWED TWEENERS

The Cardinal did everything but beat USC on Saturday. Stanford played a better game other than on the scoreboard, and the defense is tougher than I expected despite huge losses. Stanford, with its mediocre offense, faces a brutal road schedule (Washington, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Oregon and UCLA), but could play spoiler in the Pac-12. UCLA, a preseason favorite of many, fielded a weakling offensive line against Virginia and then a porous defense against Memphis. But Brett Hundley and company are 2-0 and still may rally and reach the next category. Texas A&M and LSU are talented, imperfect and exciting, but can either of them crack the state of Alabama in the SEC West?

6. Texas A&M
7. Stanford
8. LSU
9. UCLA

SCARY TO THE BIG BOYS

We’ll continue to find out more about all four of these teams, but right now Ole Miss seems to have the highest ceiling (and the biggest chance at variance). The Rebels have given up 19 tackles for loss in two games and are the most penalized SEC team. But the defense is nasty and Bo Wallace (the good version) is capable of getting the football to his talented receivers.

10. Ole Miss
11. Arizona State
12. Florida
13. Mississippi State

POTENTIAL RISERS

Arizona’s freshman quarterback Anu Solomon made national waves with his performance in the season opener, and the Wildcats ground game looked dominant last week. Meanwhile, Missouri and South Carolina, the defending SEC East champ and the preseason division favorite, could be better than No. 15 and No. 16 in the country, much less within our combined SEC and Pac-12 power rankings. That will work itself out as the season progresses.

14. Arizona
15. Missouri
16. South Carolina

POWER CONFERENCE DEPTH

National contenders don’t fret either of these teams, but it’s another indicator of the strength of these conferences. USA Today ranked Washington at No. 23 before the season. Sure, the Huskies lost some offensive talent to the NFL, but Chris Petersen has a reputation for developing talent. At Oregon State, coach Mike Riley is good for an occasional three-week stretch of feistiness.

17. Washington
18. Oregon State

FALSE HOPE

These teams are a combined 9-1, if my math is right. That won’t last. Cal upset Northwestern on the road, the biggest win from this group thus far. There’s a lot of turnaround talk with these five programs as we head toward mid-September. But expect all of these teams to fall from the sky within the next three weeks, starting with Kentucky (vs. Florida) and Tennessee (vs. Oklahoma) this weekend.

19. Utah
20. Kentucky
21. Tennessee
22. Cal
23. Arkansas

CANDIDATES FOR CONFERENCE DEPORTATION

Washington State lost to Rutgers and Nevada. Vanderbilt lost to Temple and South Carolina. Colorado lost to Colorado State and… wait! Colorado won a game! Granted, it was a fourth-quarter comeback against UMass. Vanderbilt is favored by double digits against the Minutemen this weekend, so here’s the Commodores’ chance to stay out of the basement.

24. Washington State
25. Vanderbilt
26. Colorado