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The power rankings aren't who I think is the best, but from what I've seen so far this season.
1. Alabama- They beat a top 25 team with relative ease in Week 1, and A.J. McCarron is better than last year. They have to find a playmaker in the passing game and the pass D needs to shore up some, but Bama's O-Line and front seven is flat out incredible.
2. LSU- The Tigers scored 41 straight points and flat out destroyed Washington, who can win 8-9 games this year. They have the best running game in the nation, and the defense doesn't seem to miss a beat without Mathieu. Mettenberger still needs to continue to improve, and they need consistency from wideout, but LSU looks good.
3. Georgia- Numbers 3-5 can basically be a toss up, but I'll go with UGA, because their D was nasty last night, despite missing four key contributors. The run game is perfectly fine without Crowell, and Aaron Murray still can throw the ball well. UGA has to find some sort of consistency from wideout however and do a better job of containing on pass defense.
4. Tennessee- UT has the conference's best passing attack even without Da'Rick Rogers. The D is ultra aggressive and has shown they can get to the quarterback. The run game needs to improve, and the Vols must win a big game against Florida to prove they have a legitimate shot at the east this year, but UT is no longer a walkover. UT can make some noise this year.
5. South Carolina- I knocked down USCe a peg because the very close Vandy win looks a little worse, despite Shaw being hurt most of that game. Lattimore looks good, the D continues to impress, and the wideouts will hold their own. USCe must find out though if Shaw is the answer at QB and can stay healthy.
6. Florida- Florida's D will keep them in every game this year. If they weren't in the SEC, they would probably have the best defense in almost every other conference. The run game is not spectacular, but solid. Driskel looked consistent against TAMU and didn't make mistakes. The pass protection was awful and they have to improve that if they want to win the east. They also need a playmaker at wideout.
7. Mississippi State- I gotta say, I was impressed with their performance Saturday. Tyler Russell seems to be the answer, and MSU continues to have a good D (well, Auburn might be that inept offensively). If they can find consistency with the offense, MSU could surprise some people.
8. Mizzouri- The scoreboard wasn't as bad as the game suggested. The game was very close until about eight minutes in the fourth. James Franklin is still a very good player, and Mizzou's D did a decent job against UGA. They must be more physical on the front seven and run the ball better to compete in the SEC this year.
9. Texas A&M- It's hard to completely judge TAMU after one game, but it seems Kevin Sumlin could have a better season than originally thought. Johnny Manziel seems like the real deal at QB, and the D got tons of pressure on Florida. In order to make a bowl, TAMU has to shore up their run defense, and run the ball better with the backs (like Mizzou).
10. Arkansas- Yes, that was an embarrassing loss. Yes, Arkansas isn't going to do anything noteworthy nationally. However, Arkansas was up 28-14 before Wilson was knocked out of the game. Is that still inexcusable? Yes. Is that defense bad? Most definitely. But I still think Arkansas can win eight games...if John L. Smith can help his team recover mentally, and I don't think they will.
11. Auburn- This might be too high. That offense is a nightmare. They can't throw the ball past 15 yards. Their run game is inconsistent. They have no playmakers at wideout. Their D is solid, and will get them to a bowl, but it's going to be a long season for War Eagle this year.
12. Ole Miss- I know, I know. Ole Miss has played nobody yet. But Bo Wallace and Jeff Scott are a decent 1-2 combo. The D isn't great by any means, but there is some talent on that side of the ball. And Hugh Freeze runs a high tempo offense that looks to...okay, okay, okay. Ole Miss isn't going to a bowl. But a nice start for the Hugh Freeze era in Oxford.
13. Vanderbilt- Look, if you want to be taken seriously, you beat mediocre Big Ten teams. This was a terrible loss and why I wasn't exactly buying James Franklin. That front seven is bad and they couldn't run the ball against freaking Northwestern. With the East's improvement, Vandy will be lucky to make a bowl.
14. Kentucky- The only positive? Maxwell Smith can sling it. Other than that, there really isn't anything that makes you say the Wildcats can do anything noteworthy this year.
1. Alabama- They beat a top 25 team with relative ease in Week 1, and A.J. McCarron is better than last year. They have to find a playmaker in the passing game and the pass D needs to shore up some, but Bama's O-Line and front seven is flat out incredible.
2. LSU- The Tigers scored 41 straight points and flat out destroyed Washington, who can win 8-9 games this year. They have the best running game in the nation, and the defense doesn't seem to miss a beat without Mathieu. Mettenberger still needs to continue to improve, and they need consistency from wideout, but LSU looks good.
3. Georgia- Numbers 3-5 can basically be a toss up, but I'll go with UGA, because their D was nasty last night, despite missing four key contributors. The run game is perfectly fine without Crowell, and Aaron Murray still can throw the ball well. UGA has to find some sort of consistency from wideout however and do a better job of containing on pass defense.
4. Tennessee- UT has the conference's best passing attack even without Da'Rick Rogers. The D is ultra aggressive and has shown they can get to the quarterback. The run game needs to improve, and the Vols must win a big game against Florida to prove they have a legitimate shot at the east this year, but UT is no longer a walkover. UT can make some noise this year.
5. South Carolina- I knocked down USCe a peg because the very close Vandy win looks a little worse, despite Shaw being hurt most of that game. Lattimore looks good, the D continues to impress, and the wideouts will hold their own. USCe must find out though if Shaw is the answer at QB and can stay healthy.
6. Florida- Florida's D will keep them in every game this year. If they weren't in the SEC, they would probably have the best defense in almost every other conference. The run game is not spectacular, but solid. Driskel looked consistent against TAMU and didn't make mistakes. The pass protection was awful and they have to improve that if they want to win the east. They also need a playmaker at wideout.
7. Mississippi State- I gotta say, I was impressed with their performance Saturday. Tyler Russell seems to be the answer, and MSU continues to have a good D (well, Auburn might be that inept offensively). If they can find consistency with the offense, MSU could surprise some people.
8. Mizzouri- The scoreboard wasn't as bad as the game suggested. The game was very close until about eight minutes in the fourth. James Franklin is still a very good player, and Mizzou's D did a decent job against UGA. They must be more physical on the front seven and run the ball better to compete in the SEC this year.
9. Texas A&M- It's hard to completely judge TAMU after one game, but it seems Kevin Sumlin could have a better season than originally thought. Johnny Manziel seems like the real deal at QB, and the D got tons of pressure on Florida. In order to make a bowl, TAMU has to shore up their run defense, and run the ball better with the backs (like Mizzou).
10. Arkansas- Yes, that was an embarrassing loss. Yes, Arkansas isn't going to do anything noteworthy nationally. However, Arkansas was up 28-14 before Wilson was knocked out of the game. Is that still inexcusable? Yes. Is that defense bad? Most definitely. But I still think Arkansas can win eight games...if John L. Smith can help his team recover mentally, and I don't think they will.
11. Auburn- This might be too high. That offense is a nightmare. They can't throw the ball past 15 yards. Their run game is inconsistent. They have no playmakers at wideout. Their D is solid, and will get them to a bowl, but it's going to be a long season for War Eagle this year.
12. Ole Miss- I know, I know. Ole Miss has played nobody yet. But Bo Wallace and Jeff Scott are a decent 1-2 combo. The D isn't great by any means, but there is some talent on that side of the ball. And Hugh Freeze runs a high tempo offense that looks to...okay, okay, okay. Ole Miss isn't going to a bowl. But a nice start for the Hugh Freeze era in Oxford.
13. Vanderbilt- Look, if you want to be taken seriously, you beat mediocre Big Ten teams. This was a terrible loss and why I wasn't exactly buying James Franklin. That front seven is bad and they couldn't run the ball against freaking Northwestern. With the East's improvement, Vandy will be lucky to make a bowl.
14. Kentucky- The only positive? Maxwell Smith can sling it. Other than that, there really isn't anything that makes you say the Wildcats can do anything noteworthy this year.
