There was good and bad in the Southeastern Conference after one week. The league was 2-3 against Power Five schools and 1-2 in marquee games (where both teams are ranked). However, offenses looked dominant against lower-level competition, so this may be a fun year. Let’s break it all down in our SEC Power Rankings after Week 1.
16. South Carolina
Yes, there were some SEC teams who lost, and many had bad losses. However, the Gamecocks beating the Old Dominion Monarchs by just four was still the ugliest performance of the weekend. As a result, we have to put them at the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings for now.
15. Florida
There was always the possibility that Billy Napier wouldn’t last the season. Now, it seems likely he doesn’t make it through September. Losing to the Miami Hurricanes on its own is bad enough, but losing 41-17 at home in their third year under a head coach is next-level embarrassing.
14. Texas A&M
Mike Elko had a shot at a signature win in his first game with the Aggies but blew it against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That’s not a bad loss, but losing by two scores to them at home has to keep them low in our power rankings for now.
13. Mississippi State
Jeff Lebby will turn the Bulldogs into a winner, and he made a statement with his team’s 56-7 win over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels to open the season. However, that’s still not enough to move them up in our SEC Power Rankings just yet given how dominant league teams were elsewhere against FCS schools.
12. LSU
Once again, the Tigers choked a non-conference marquee opener under Brian Kelly. They should have beaten the USC Trojans. However, losing to them in Las Vegas, which is effectively a road game, and the matchup being close is enough to keep them above some other teams.
11. Kentucky
In a weird weather delay game that was called in the third quarter, the Wildcats were dominating the Southern Miss Golden Eagles 31-0 before things ended. Mark Stoops’ team once again looks defensive-based, but winning the way they did against low-level competition is a new phenomenon for them.
10. Vanderbilt
Hey, look at that! The Commodores may have a decent team. Clark Lea led his program to an overtime win over the Virginia Tech Hokies Saturday, and based on that alone, there’s an argument that they should be higher. With the Alcorn State Braves and Georgia State Panthers next, 3-0 is on the table.
9. Arkansas
Maybe Bobby Petrino’s offense hasn’t lost its luster after all. The Razorbacks dropped 70 over the Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions Saturday, winning 70-0 and letting the world know that they as a program aren’t ready to give up on Sam Pittman just yet.
8. Auburn
Hugh Freeze’s offense was bound to take off at some point. Is it doing so already? The Tigers beat the Alabama A&M Bulldogs 73-3 over the weekend, and honestly, they could have dropped 80 if the kept their food on the pedal. That pushes them to middle of the pack in our SEC Power Rankings.
7. Missouri
Beating the Murray State Racers 51-0 makes the Missouri Tigers look not as good as many of the other elite offensive teams in the league, but they dropped 28 in the first quarter before Eli Drinkwitz called off the dogs. As a result, it’s safe to say they look as elite as anybody.
6. Oklahoma
One of the few teams in the league to beat an FBS opponent, the Oklahoma Sooners dominated the Temple Owls 51-3 over the weekend. Brent Venables’ team still has plenty of questions, but winning in the fashion they did was a good statement to kick off play in the SEC.
5. Tennessee
Josh Heupel has ushered in the Nico Iamaleava era. The Vols’ new quarterback had over 300 yards in the first half as he led his team to a 69-3 victory over the Chattanooga Mocs. After a bit of a down year, the offense seems to be returning to what you’d expect it to be in Heupel’s system.
4. Ole Miss
You would think Lane Kiffin was just trying to run up the score, but that wasn’t the case as the Rebels beat the Furman Paladins 76-0. They were just that elite. After all, they had 73 through three quarters. Jaxson Dart had five touchdowns and over 400 yards passing, so yeah, this offense looks elite.
3. Alabama
Turns out Jalen Milroe may be a fit for Kalen DeBoer’s system after all. The Crimson Tide beat the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 63-0. That’s the biggest blowout win anybody in the league had against an FBS program, and Milroe had 279 total yards and five total touchdowns.
2. Texas
Steve Sarkisian still hasn’t proven he can keep this team rolling, but the Longhorns did enough in their 52-0 win over the Colorado State Rams to remain in the top two of our SEC Power Rankings for now. Arch Manning also provided us all a glimpse of what he could become, and he may be better than Quinn Ewers.
1. Georgia
Was there any doubt about this one? The Bulldogs were the only winner among teams in this league facing marquee games, and their dominance made up for the other losses, as they beat the Clemson Tigers 34-3. What really showed is their depth, as they were only up 6-0 at halftime before dominating, so they top our SEC Power Rankings.
