1. Alabama- The Crimson Tide moves to the number one spot in this week’s power poll. Alabama looked rusty to start the first half Saturday against Florida, but strong performances from senior quarterback Blake Sims and star junior wide receiver Amari Cooper made the second half look easy. The Tide has a bye week before the showdown at Ole Miss.
2. Auburn- A tough non-conference win against Kansas State does not hurt in a record, but it does in my power rankings. The run game stalled at times and senior quarterback Nick Marshall had to do everything in his power to win the game. The Kansas State kicker missing three field goals certainly helped.
3. Texas A&M- No problems again for the Aggies as they traveled to SMU and won easily 58-6. SEC West begins for Texas A&M this week as they face Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
4. Ole Miss- The Rebels stay put this week in the power poll as a result of the bye week. Memphis is a team not to take lightly as they travel to Oxford this Saturday. The Rebels need to focus on the Tigers and not worry about Alabama in two weeks.
5. Mississippi State- The surprise of the weekend went to Bulldogs as they traveled to Baton Rogue and unseated LSU 34-29. The front seven on defense is a handful to deal with, and junior quarterback Dak Prescott looks like a legitimate Heisman candidate. Mississippi State has a bye week, then a tough home slate with Texas A&M and Auburn coming to Starkville in back-to-back weeks.
6. South Carolina- The Gamecocks gave up 34 points to Vanderbilt, but scored 48 to get the victory in Nashville Saturday. Steve Spurrier’s squad struggled in the first half but found a way. South Carolina gets Missouri at home this weekend.
7. Georgia- The Bulldogs lopsided 66-0 victory over Troy Saturday was their largest margin of victory since 1958, where they defeated Citadel 76-0. SEC East play gears up for the Bulldogs this weekend as Tennessee travels to Athens.
8. LSU- The Tigers did not have continuity on offense against Mississippi State Saturday. They looked one-dimensional, relying heavily on the run game and not establishing a solid passing attack. Maybe true freshman quarterback Brandon Harris is the answer to the passing woes.
9. Arkansas- Some experts put the Razorbacks on upset alert when Northern Illinois came to Fayetteville, but they handled business and won 52-14. The rushing attack continues to be one of the best in the country. Maybe that will help Arkansas upset Texas A&M Saturday in Dallas.
10. Florida- The Gators showed some bite against Alabama but couldn’t keep up with them for four quarters. Redshirt junior quarterback Jeff Driskel looked inconsistent, and the defense ran out of gas. A tough stretch starts for the Gator, where they face Tennessee, LSU, Missouri and Georgia the next four games.
11. Missouri- The Tigers were tamed Saturday when Indiana came to Columbia and pulled off the upset 31-27. The Tiger defense gave up almost 500 total yards to the Indiana offense. That does not win you football games. Try giving that up against the rest of the SEC.
12. Tennessee- The Volunteers look to regroup after a bye week. The loss the week before to fourth-ranked Oklahoma should be a good learning experience for this young squad. They travel to Georgia this weekend for their first SEC opponent of the season.
13. Kentucky- Averaging 36 points per game is something Kentucky football fans are not used to seeing. Hopefully this continues for an on-the-rise program. They get Vanderbilt at home Saturday.
14. Vanderbilt- The Commodores finally mustered up some offense against a good South Carolina team. Is this a sign of a turnaround for Derek Mason and Vanderbilt?
