The Daily Mississippian sports editor Dylan Rubino ranks the 14 Southeastern Conference teams in week three. The Ole Miss Rebels hit the road to face Alabama this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 8:15 CT and will be televised on ESPN.
1. Alabama – The score may say Alabama won 37-10, but the Crimson Tide struggled in some areas in their win over Middle Tennessee. Questions at quarterback remain with senior Jake Coker and sophomore Cooper Bateman struggling Saturday and the pass defense giving up some big plays. Make no mistake about it, Alabama has been the best team in the conference for two weeks. Junior running back Derrick Henry could be the Heisman front-runner right now.
2. LSU – The Tigers showed no rust after their first game was cancelled in a 21-19 victory at Mississippi State Saturday. Sophomore phenomenon Leonard Fournette was a beast at running back with 28 carries for 159 yards and three scores. Sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris needs more of a presence in the passing game for the Tiger offense to reach new levels, but the defense and ground game will carry them.
3. Ole Miss – The Rebels may have opened up against two cupcakes, but scoring 149 points in two games is hard to do regardless. Junior quarterback Chad Kelly looks like the real deal as he ranks 1st in ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating metric (94.3 on a 1-100 scale). The defense will need to improve if they want to contain Alabama in Tuscaloosa, a place they haven’t won in since 1988.
4. Georgia – If the Bulldogs give it to sophomore running back Nick Chubb every play, they could win a lot of ball games. Chubb totaled 189 yards on 19 carries in their 31-14 win over Vanderbilt Saturday. Georgia will play rival South Carolina at home this Saturday.
5. Texas A&M – The Aggies took care of Ball State in front of the new Kyle Field Saturday 56-23. The running game took control instead of the usual passing attack, with 270 yards and three scores on the ground. Texas A&M looks much improved on both sides of the ball and is poised to make a run in the SEC West. They’ll face Nevada at home this Saturday.
6. Auburn – Boy, did my SEC pick look sloppy Saturday. The Tigers may have came out victorious at home against Jacksonville State 27-20, but it took overtime and a game-tying drive at the end of regulation to keep them in the game. Junior quarterback Jeremy Johnson looked shaky in his first two starts under center. It won’t get easier for Auburn as they travel to Baton Rouge to play LSU this Saturday.
7. Mississippi State – Down by 11 at halftime Saturday at home against LSU, Mississippi State scored 16 points in the second half, but fell short 21-19. Miscues on offense and late field goals cost the Bulldogs the win at home, but make no mistake, the Bulldogs are still a threat in the SEC West— especially with senior quarterback Dak Prescott under center.
8. Missouri – Jonesboro, Arkansas is a tough place to win a football game, but there is no reason that the defending SEC East champs should’ve struggled at Arkansas State. The Tigers won the game 27-20, but junior quarterback Maty Mauk struggled immensely, throwing two picks and completing less than 50 percent of his passes. Mizzou will face UConn at home this Saturday.
9. Tennessee – The Volunteers were up 14 heading into the fourth quarter at home against Oklahoma, but gave up those points and lost in double overtime 31-24. Tennessee folded down the stretch and lost a golden opportunity to establish themselves as one of the better teams in the country. There’s still a lot of promise from this young football team, but some improvements need to be made down the stretch.
10. Arkansas – Holy Toledo! Who saw that coming? The highly favored Razorbacks laid an egg at home and lost 16-12 to Toledo in Little Rock Saturday. Arkansas had every chance to win the game, taking five trips into the red zone, but only came out with three points. The offense totaled 515 yards, but only scored 12 points on the scoreboard to show for it.
11. Kentucky – For the second year in a row, Kentucky defeated its East foe South Carolina 22-26, this time on the road in Columbia. Junior quarterback Patrick Towles was efficient in the pocket, completing 21 of 29 passes and kept the offense moving down the field. Could this be the turnaround year for the Wildcats?
12. Florida – The Gators’ 31-24 win over East Carolina Saturday wasn’t the most talked about part of the game. Head coach Jim McElwain lit into junior running back Kelvin Taylor for throwing up a throat-slash gesture after scoring a touchdown. The profanity-laced tirade stole all the headlines after the game. McElwain will need to clean up his image in order to turn around Florida.
13. South Carolina – After a loss at home to Kentucky, it’s now must-win territory for head coach Steve Spurrier and his Gamecocks. Down 24-7 at halftime to Kentucky, South Carolina made a comeback, but fell short and continued their ways of last season. If this play continues, especially this Saturday at Georgia, it could be a long season for Spurrier, as his eventual exit from Columbia looms.
14. Vanderbilt – The Commodores showed some fire last Saturday at home against Georgia, but fell short 31-14. The offense showed improvements, gaining 400 total yards of offense, but still looked behind when stacked against the rest of the conference. Cellar-dwellers may be the title for Vanderbilt once again.
