The first week of the college football season is in the books and we’ve seen some good, bad and ugly across the board. Here’s a few things from opening weekend that were overrated and underrated across the SEC.

OVERRATED

NFL Stadiums: They’ve got some fantastic pro football venues in Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Houston and the Dallas metro area, for sure. But aren’t we ready to get back on campus? If neutral-site games are what it takes to get interesting Power 5 conference matchups, then so be it, but this week we have games on the schedule in Tuscaloosa, College Station, Knoxville, Auburn and Columbia, S.C.  Nobody is complaining about an Alabama-Wisconsin matchup, no matter where they play it, but can it compare to Oklahoma visiting Neyland Stadium with the Volunteer Navy outside?

The Importance of the First Two Weeks: Remember how last year heading into mid-September, Kenny Hill was going to win the Heisman Trophy while Ohio State and the entire Big Ten were sunk because the Buckeyes lost to Virginia Tech? It’s tough not to get overly ecstatic or clinically depressed after early-season games, depending on how your team did, but there’s a long way to go. Texas A&M is riding high after an impressive win against Arizona State, but it won’t matter a lot if the Aggies go 3-5 in conference again. Auburn and Alabama’s wins may or may not impact the national championship race down the road. One thing is certain though, chanting S-E-C, S-E-C is fun for fans in September, but a whole lot better in January.

Florida Coaching Debuts: For the record, I think Jim McElwain will do fine as Florida’s coach, but Saturday’s 61-13 win against New Mexico State doesn’t prove it one way or another. On one hand, Steve Spurrier’s debut was a 50-7 win over Oklahoma State. On the other, Ron Zook and Will Muschamp won their debuts by a combined score of 92-6. Interestingly enough, Urban Meyer’s 2005 Gators were good, but not great, in a 32-14 win over Wyoming in his first game in Gainesville.

UNDERRATED

Brandon Allen: His 308-yard, four-touchdown performance against UTEP doesn’t seem like it is getting much attention. The Miners aren’t great, but it wasn’t against an FCS bottom-dweller either. Allen completed 78 percent of his passes in the game and when rating SEC quarterbacks we tend to forget that the senior had 20 touchdown passes to just five interceptions last year.

Vanderbilt’s Secondary: The Commodores aren’t going to get a lot of praise shoveled on them after a season-opening loss to Western Kentucky at home, but holding the Hilltoppers to 14 points and 209 passing yards wasn’t bad. WKU quarterback Brandon Doughty was one of the most prolific passers in the country last year and the Hilltoppers averaged 374 passing yards and 44 points per game. The offense needs work, but the defense deserved a pat on the back.

Stanley “Boom” Williams: The SEC East is loaded with high-caliber running backs and Kentucky’s sophomore ball carrier is getting overlooked because he plays on one of the division’s weaker teams. Williams was the Wildcats leading rusher last year and got off to a hot start this season. He rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries in a win over Louisiana Lafayette. UK might want to lean on Williams more heavily in the future.