In this SEC Power Poll, The Daily Mississippian’s Sports Editor Dylan Rubino ranks the 14 Southeastern Conference Teams.
The Ole Miss Rebels will play University of Alabama Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 P.M.
1. Alabama- Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide had an off week before the big matchup at Ole Miss. Saban has a proven track record of playing well against an opponent after a bye week. Does this spell doom for the Rebels?
2. Texas A&M- It was quite a thrill for sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill and Texas A&M, as they defeated Arkansas 35-28 in overtime at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Saturday. Down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the Aggies had to rally back to take down an underrated Arkansas team. Texas A&M travels to Mississippi State this weekend.
3. Auburn- Auburn took care of business against Louisiana Tech Saturday with a 45-17 victory. The offense accumulated 473 total yards, which included over 250 rushing yards. It’s a battle of Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium as LSU comes to town Saturday.
4. Ole Miss- The 24-3 win against Memphis on Saturday was not an encouraging one for the offense, but it was for the defense. The Rebel defense gave up a total of 104 yards and forced two turnovers. The defense needs the same type of performance against Alabama. The offense, including senior quarterback Bo Wallace, needs work.
5. Mississippi State- A bye week is much needed for the Bulldogs. The team’s program-building win at LSU will help greatly with Texas A&M coming to Starkville Saturday.
6. Georgia- The Bulldogs struggled out of the gates, but pulled together to beat a tough Tennessee team at home 35-32. Vanderbilt makes the trip to Athens this weekend. Junior running back Todd Gurley continues to prove to be the Heisman trophy front runner.
7. LSU- Les Miles and the Tigers got back on track with a dominating 63-7 win over New Mexico State. Freshman quarterback Brandon Harris proved to be the solution to their quarterback issues.
8. Missouri- After a 31-27 loss to Indiana, the Tigers bounced back to defeat South Carolina 21-20 on the road. Missouri gets Georgia at home this Saturday.
9. South Carolina- Another disappointment for the Gamecocks as they fell at home to Missouri. South Carolina looked to be the best team in the SEC East after the victory against Georgia, but couldn’t make a statement at home on Saturday.
10. Arkansas- The Razorbacks had Texas A&M on the ropes, but could not pull out the victory. Arkansas proved Saturday that they can hang with anyone in the conference, as long as they pound the rock.
11. Florida- The Gators are a much improved team from the debacle they had last season. Florida travels to Knoxville to play Tennessee this weekend, then have three straight games against ranked opponents.
12. Tennessee- Tennessee and Georgia came down to the wire, but the Volunteers could not get the drive they needed to have to win the game in Athens. While Tennessee is much improved, they still have a lot of work to do to be relevant in the conference.
13. Kentucky- The Wildcats picked up their first SEC win of the season against Vanderbilt on Saturday 17-7. South Carolina comes to Lexington this Saturday in what will be a measuring stick for Mark Stoops’ team.
14. Vanderbilt- Even though they competed with Kentucky, Vanderbilt still is at the bottom of the totem pole in the conference.
