SEC Power Rankings updated after Week 2 of college football
The latest On3 SEC Power Rankings are here now that Week 2 of the college football season is in the books and we saw some changes.
With Alabama’s non-conference home loss to Texas, it opened some eyes among our experts making the call. Alabama could very well still be a great team, but the Crimson Tide has to be knocked down a peg, thus it affects everyone else.
Below are the latest SEC power rankings after Week 2 of college football, via a collection of On3 experts.
1. Georgia
The top “dawgs” are here to stay following a 45-3 win over Ball State. Georgia has yet to be challenged through two games, but that was pretty much expected at this point.
South Carolina is next up for the Bulldogs as SEC play opens up. But unless something out of the ordinary happens, we can expect the two-time defending national champions to stay atop this list going into next week.
2. Tennessee (+1)
Here come the Volunteers up the rankings. They moved up a spot following a win over Austin Peay, plus Alabama losing a tough game. But Tennessee’s been lingering near the top anyway.
Joe Milton has a cannon for an arm, but that was pretty much obvious. At this rate, we’re waiting for the Tennessee-Georgia matchup to determine supremacy in the SEC East and the top of the conference.
3. Alabama (-1)
Alabama doesn’t get penalized too much after a loss to Texas at home. It might’ve been shocking to Bama fans, but the Longhorns are for real this year.
Nick Saban rarely loses to former assistants, so it was a bit of a surprise. Despite Jalen Milroe having an uneven game, there were some positives and the Crimson Tide should still feel good going into conference play.
4. Arkansas (+1)
The Razorbacks are sneaking up these rankings, moving up a spot compared to last week. Arkansas cruised to a 28-6 win over Kent State to move to 2-0 on the season.
It feels like we don’t talk about KJ Jefferson enough. It seems like he gets enough respect, but then again, he probably doesn’t. The quarterback is solid and went 13-of-19 passing for 136 yards, two touchdowns and 48 yards on the ground. And that was an average day.
5. LSU (+1)
LSU moves back up a spot following the opening day loss against Florida State and a win over Grambling State. The Tigers bounced back with a 72-10 win.
Now, it was an expected win, but it was needed for LSU. This is still a high-quality football team but we’ve seen an uneven Tigers crew through two games. We’ll choose to believe this team can challenge again in the SEC West.
6. Ole Miss (+2)
Yes, Tulane did not have Michael Pratt under center, but Ole Miss defeated a top-25 opponent on the road. Lane Kiffin’s team is now 2-0 and rolling early on this season.
That win Saturday propelled the Rebels up two spots in the On3 SEC power rankings. Suddenly, we might have to watch out for Ole Miss behind Alabama, Arkansas and LSU. Hence, why the SEC West is so darn good.
7. Texas A&M (-3)
Speaking of the SEC West, Texas A&M fell this week after a road loss to Miami. The Aggies just looked out of sync at a certain point down in South Florida.
The Hurricanes managed to find their groove and ran away in the 48-33 win over Texas A&M. Now, there are even more questions about Jimbo Fisher this season. Just what Aggie fans wanted right?
8. Auburn (+1)
So Auburn is 2-0 this season, what do we think about that? Our panel of experts said it was good enough to be in the middle of the pack in the SEC.
The 14-10 win over Cal on the road is impressive from the standpoint that the Tigers went cross-country and edged out a tough win. Hugh Freeze wants to play multiple quarterbacks but Payton Thorne should be the guy based on what went down. He threw two touchdowns on a slow offensive day. Auburn will need improvement there in SEC play.
9. Kentucky (-2)
Despite a 2-0 start and a win over Eastern Kentucky last weekend, Kentucky dropped based on movement in front of the Wildcats. It wasn’t the prettiest win for the Wildcats, but Mark Stoops and company got it done.
Devin Leary definitely played better this time around. The transfer quarterback tossed for 299 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. That’s a good sign.
10. Florida
Florida needed something and maybe a 49-7 win over McNeese was what the Gators needed. Hey, a win is a win for Billy Napier and company.
The Utah loss still stings and some are a bit down on Napier and the Gators. The Tennessee game at home is huge. A loss, maybe even by blowout, is going to put a lot of pressure on Napier, considering there already was a lot. Everyone’s on edge this week in Gainesville.
11. South Carolina
The Gamecocks bounced back with a 47-21 win over Furman to even the record at 1-1. Shane Beamer was a little more pleased with this outcome after losing to North Carolina to open the year.
But here comes the big challenge against Georgia. More than likely, South Carolina probably won’t be moving up these rankings after Week 3, especially after going to Athens.
12. Mississippi State (+1)
The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 on the season and regardless of what you think of Arizona, Mississippi State earned a nice overtime win over the Wildcats. It was at home, so it was a nice boost to the home crowd.
But now, the Bulldogs host LSU for a big-time test. Can Mississippi State hold strong under Zach Arnett? He’ll earn a lot of respect if he can get this done.
13. Missouri (-1)
The Tigers also improved to 2-0 on the year with a close win over Middle Tennessee State, 23-19. It wasn’t the prettiest win for Mizzou, but it got done.
Yes, there are two wins on the board for Eli Drinkwitz and crew, but it’s hard to prop up the Tigers right now. Could they move up? Sure, but they’ll have to prove their worthiness. That starts with Kansas State at home this weekend.
14. Vanderbilt
Give Vanderbilt credit, the team is 2-1 on the season, but the Commodores left one on the board with a loss to Wake Forest. Otherwise, this team could be a bit higher on the list.
By no means is this a bad football team. But head coach Clark Lea undertook one of the biggest rebuilding jobs in college football when he left Notre Dame.
It’s a close race to the top for SEC supremacy, but we’ll wait for the chaos to begin starting this weekend with conference play. As we get deeper and deeper into the season, expect these rankings to really shift and the cream of the crop will rise.