Hey SEC, y’all realize the 2023 college football season has started, right?

Feels like an appropriate question to ask after what has been one of the worst nonconference starts to an SEC season in recent memory. After LSU and Florida fell to their respective ranked opponents in Week 1, Alabama and Texas A&M followed suit in Week 2.

The SEC finished Week 2 11-3 with Alabama, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M dropping games. Only Auburn (Cal) and Mississippi State (Arizona) scored wins over Power 5 opponents this week.

Kentucky, Mizzou and Tennessee all limped past their respective cupcake opponents. Ole Miss had the most impressive win of the week and it came against a (ranked) Tulane squad missing their star QB.

So Georgia at the top then … crickets. We’ll work our way down.

Let’s not sugarcoat things: Alabama is flawed at QB and struggled defensively against Quinn Ewers, too. Alabama was pushed around in its own home Saturday night, but with how the SEC is shaping out I still would see them as the No. 2 team in the conference behind Georgia despite the loss to the Longhorns. If Ole Miss comes to town and wins on Sept. 23, I’ll eat crow and drop them from a NY6 bid.

Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M are battling for the 3rd spot, but I think I’d put it in that order for now. Jaxson Dart has looked strong to start and the Ole Miss defense showed promising signs of being able to adapt after a rough first half on the road against Tulane.

As for the others, it’s still a bit of a waiting game. Kentucky needs to stop struggling against cupcakes, and a few teams (Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi State) played inferior teams, making a true assessment difficult.

It seems like there could be a lot of 7- or 8-win teams in the SEC this year, similar to how the B1G West was in 2022. Auburn, Arkansas, South Carolina, MSU, Kentucky and even Mizzou all fit that mold.

Can Florida make a bowl? Check back after its Week 3 date against the Vols. I still have my doubts, but the path is certainly there.

The wait for next Saturday begins. Hopefully the SEC wakes up here soon:

SEC college football bowl projections following Week 2

Sugar Bowl (Playoff semifinal): Georgia vs. Texas

Rose Bowl (Playoff semifinal): Michigan vs. Florida State

Cotton Bowl: Alabama vs. Utah

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Iowa

ReliaQuest Bowl: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin

Mayo Bowl: LSU vs. Miami

Music City Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Maryland

Texas Bowl: Auburn vs. Oklahoma

Gator Bowl: Arkansas vs. Syracuse

Liberty Bowl: South Carolina vs. TCU

Birmingham Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Kansas

Gasparilla Bowl: Kentucky vs. Coastal Carolina

Armed Forces: Mizzou vs. Cincinnati