Through three weeks, the Southeastern Conference has looked a lot more like the Big 12 with all the points being scored around the league. Here is how the SEC looks as most teams begin conference play.
1. Alabama (2-0, 1-0 SEC)
Nick Saban and company survived a lot of Johnny Manziel magic and pulled out a 49-42 victory in the rematch in College Station.
Johnny Football shredded the Alabama defense, but AJ McCarron was able to stay one step ahead of him with a flawless four-touchdown performance. Combined with T.J. Yeldon and the running game returning to its usual dominant form, the Tide have as balanced an offense as you’re going to find.
With A&M now in the rearview, expect Alabama to roll into its Nov. 9 showdown with LSU.
Last Week: 1
2. LSU (3-0)
Zach Mettenberger is the highest rated passer in the SEC and the Tigers’ running game, most importantly sophomore Jeremy Hill, got back on track against Kent State. Against cupcakes or not, the Tiger offense is for real.
Last Week: 2
3. Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
Johnny Football hung 42 points on the Tide — it’s just a shame he can’t play defense.
Despite losing, the Aggies don’t drop because outside of Alabama, LSU and maybe Georgia, there aren’t any offenses that can match Manziel and the Aggies score for score.
Last Week: 3
4. Georgia (1-1, 1-0 SEC)
The Bulldogs don’t move coming off a well-deserved bye week and will get North Texas on Saturday to get ready for their massive showdown with red-hot LSU next week. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give the weekly reminder that Todd Gurley is, in fact, a manimal.
Last Week: 4
5. Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0 SEC)
With road wins at Vanderbilt and Texas, Ole Miss has proven they firmly belong in the top half of the SEC.
However, if the Rebel Black Bears want to be considered elite, they’ll have to survive an unbelievably difficult four-week gauntlet against Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M and LSU.
Last Week: 5
6. South Carolina (2-1, 1-1 SEC)
Coming off a tough loss at Georgia, South Carolina rebounded with a 10-point victory against Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks don’t play another ranked team until a November visit from Florida, but they still need Georgia to slip up to get back into the SEC East race.
Last Week: 6
7. Florida (1-1)
I still have no confidence in Jeff Driskel or the Gators’ offense, but they move up because they are one of the few SEC teams that has played good defense this season.
Last Week: 8
8. Auburn (3-0, 1-0 SEC)
Gus Malzahn and the Tigers have already won more conference games than they did all last season. Quarterback Nick Marshall has stabilized the offense, but the defense isn’t there which keeps them from being elite.
Last Week: 9
9. Vanderbilt (1-2, 0-2 SEC)
The Commodores already have two losses, but they were both to currently ranked teams. That drops them in the rankings, but not below teams that have played nothing but cupcakes for three weeks.
Last Week: 7
10. Missouri (2-0)
An ultra-soft schedule should have Missouri undefeated heading into October, but I’m not moving them up any farther until I see the Tigers beat an SEC opponent.
Last Week: 10
11. Arkansas (3-0)
Bret Bielema’s undefeated squad has an interesting trip to Rutgers this week. The schedule gets real in a hurry as Arkansas will play Johnny Football, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama in consecutive weeks. I can’t see them winning any of those four games.
Last Week: 11
12. Tennessee (2-1)
Tennessee isn’t the first team to get blown out by a really good Ducks football team in Oregon, and they won’t be the last. I won’t penalize them for that.
Last Week: 12
13. Mississippi State (1-2, 0-1 SEC)
The Bulldogs already lost two games and their schedule isn’t getting any easier going forward. Mississippi State lost a 24-20 heartbreaker to Auburn last week in a game it really needed to win.
Last Week: 13
14. Kentucky (1-2)
Mark Stoops’ defense actually put up a decent fight against Teddy Bridgewater and Louisville, but the Wildcats offense is downright depressing to watch.
Last Week: 14
James Moran is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Beacon, N.Y.