1. Alabama
Michigan quarterback Denard “Shoelace” Robinson wouldn’t have been able to beat Alabama with his shoes tied.
The Crimson Tide crushed the Wolverines, 41-14, in the second straight Cowboys Classic where a Southeastern Conference team took down a top-10, non-conference foe. Freshman running back T.J. Yeldon showed he will be the next great Alabama rusher.
The Tide deserves to be No. 1 in every poll.
2. LSU
The Tigers can’t have many complaints about their opener, taking down North Texas 41-14. The two-headed monster of junior Alfred Blue and sophomore Kenny Hilliard piled up 264 rushing yards.
LSU will have to shore up its pass defense as it allowed two touchdowns through the air to the Mean Green. With Washington coming to town, the Tigers can’t afford to have mind lapses in the secondary against Huskies’ quarterback Keith Price, who threw 33 touchdown passes last season.
3. Arkansas
If there’s a sure-fire Heisman Trophy candidate in the SEC, it’s Hogs quarterback Tyler Wilson. The senior completely thrashed the Jacksonville State secondary for 367 yards and three touchdowns, as Arkansas won 49-24.
The Razorbacks might have the best quarterback and running back, Knile Davis, in the SEC. They’ll need both when they host Alabama in Week 3.
4. Georgia
Running back Todd Gurley made Georgia fans forget all about Isaiah Crowell. He scored the first two touchdowns of the season for the Dawgs and will continue to give them a spark on both offense and special teams.
Missouri comes to Athens, Ga., for their inaugural SEC contest Saturday. Let’s see if the Dawgs can contain Mizzou quarterback James Franklin.
5. South Carolina
Barely sneaking out of Nashville, Tenn., with a 17-13 win over Vanderbilt probably wasn’t what South Carolina had in mind for Week 1.
The good news for the Gamecocks is junior running back Marcus Lattimore looks back to full strength after tearing his ACL in 2011.
6. Tennessee
The Vols are my sleeper team to win the SEC East.
Quarterback Tyler Bray looked fantastic as Tennessee rolled past NC State, 35-21, in its opener in the Georgia Dome. Wide receivers Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter give Bray plenty of ammunition to work with.
7. Missouri
Mizzou got off to a hot start in Week 1, blowing away Southeastern Louisiana 62-10.
The big question is — are the Mizzou Tigers ready for the SEC? We’ll find out this Saturday when they face Georgia “Between The Hedges.”
8. Florida
The Gators didn’t look impressive at all against Bowling Green last week. They travel to College Station, Texas, to take on Texas A&M on Saturday.
Offense from someone other than running back Mike Gillislee would be nice.
9. Auburn
In one of the best games of the opening weekend, the Tigers didn’t have enough to overcome Clemson, falling 26-19. Traveling to Starkville, Miss., for their second contest of the season won’t be a cakewalk for them either.
War Eagle can’t afford to start 0-2.
10. Texas A&M
Hurricane Isaac got the best of the Aggies in Week 1, canceling their opener against Louisiana Tech. They’ll now be forced to play 12 games straight.
Yikes.
11. Mississippi State
Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen is still trying to make people care that Mississippi is their state.
See Ole Miss below.
12. Vanderbilt
Vandy should take solace in its hard-fought loss against South Carolina and cherish the games coach James Franklin is pacing their sidelines.
He won’t be there for long.
13. Kentucky
The Wildcats should cut their budget and let basketball coach John Calipari take over on the gridiron.
14. Ole Miss
The only bright spot in Oxford, Miss. is The Grove.
