SEC Power Rankings updated after Week 1
Opening weekend in college football provided plenty of opportunities for teams to make a quality early impression. Some did, but some did not, and that is reflected in this week’s SEC Power Rankings from On3.
The SEC saw some mixed results on the weekend, with plenty of blowouts but a few other competitive non-conference games. Unfortunately for the league, some of the more evenly matched non-conference matchups ended up in losses.
Let’s take a look at how the SEC performed this week in our updated SEC power rankings.
1. Georgia (1-0) – 48-7 win vs. UT-Martin
The two-time defending national champions got off to a fine start to the season on Saturday, knocking off UT-Martin easily. Starting quarterback Carson Beck was sharp in his debut, going 21-of-31 passing for 294 yards and a touchdown. He also added a touchdown on the ground.
Georgia gets another relatively easy non-conference test this week, taking on Ball State. After that the conference opener against South Carolina looms.
2. Alabama (1-0) – 56-7 win vs. MTSU
Like Beck, new starting quarterback Jalen Milroe had an encouraging debut for the Crimson Tide. He accounted for 194 yards passing and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 48 yards and two more scores.
Alabama’s offensive output was quite balanced in the game, with the Tide piling up 226 yards passing and 205 yards rushing. Five different running backs toted the rock in the win.
3. Tennessee (1-0) – 49-13 win vs. Virginia
One of the lone SEC teams to notch a notable non-conference win over the weekend, Tennessee looked dominant from start to finish against Virginia. The defensive front controlled the game throughout and the secondary also looked improved.
On the other side of the ball, the Volunteers ran for 287 yards, spearheaded by Jaylen Wright‘s 115-yard outing. Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava was even able to make his debut in the late stages of the game.
4. Texas A&M (1-0) – 52-10 win vs. New Mexico
Bobby Petrino‘s influence on the offense was apparent early on, as the Texas A&M passing game roared to life in the season opener. Starting quarterback Conner Weigman threw for 236 yards and five touchdowns, while backup Max Johnson threw for another score.
Texas A&M’s 52 points were the most against an FBS opponent since a 74-72 seven-overtime win against LSU in 2018. Texas A&M will put the offense to the test again this week in a road trip to Miami.
5. Arkansas (1-0) – 56-13 win vs. Western Carolina
Arkansas’ run game was surprisingly ineffective against Western Carolina, but quarterback KJ Jefferson made up for it. Jefferson threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns without an interception to help lead the Razorbacks offense.
Even though he ran for only 42 yards on 15 carries, running back Raheim Sanders did find the end zone twice. And four different receivers caught a touchdown pass in the win.
6. LSU (0-1) – 45-24 loss vs. Florida State
LSU had the toughest Week 1 opponent but couldn’t pass the test against Florida State. The Tigers had some self-inflicted mistakes and questionable decisions early on but still managed to lead at halftime.
But the Seminoles took over the game in the second half, scoring 31 unanswered at one point. The Tigers will look to regroup, knowing the full SEC slate is still ahead of them and these early SEC power rankings can be quite fluid.
7. Kentucky (1-0) – 44-14 win vs. Ball State
Kentucky jumped out to a big lead with a 20-point second quarter, then didn’t look back the rest of the way against Ball State. Quarterback Devin Leary threw for 241 yards and a touchdown in his debut, also throwing one interception.
Meanwhile, running back Ray Davis rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, and receiver Dane Key caught five passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Next up for Kentucky is Eastern Kentucky.
8. Ole Miss (1-0) – 73-7 win vs. Mercer
Receiver Tre Harris caught three touchdown passes in three minutes and 15 seconds, then caught a fourth later in the game in a monster showing. Quarterback Jaxson Dart threw for 334 yards with four touchdown passes, while Spencer Sanders threw for two more.
Ole Miss routed Mercer from start to finish. Running back Quinshon Judkins ran for 60 yards but hit paydirt twice in the 73-7 win. Now Ole Miss travels to face a ranked Tulane squad.
9. Auburn (1-0) – 59-14 win vs. UMass
It took Auburn’s offense a quarter to really get rolling but when it did it was a thing of beauty. Backup quarterback Robby Ashford found the end zone three times for rushing touchdowns in the second quarter alone.
Auburn had big plays aplenty, with two 40-plus yard touchdowns in the second half. The defense even got involved in the scoring act, scoring on a 50-yard interception return.
10. Florida (0-1) – 24-11 loss vs. Utah
Florida hurt itself with costly and untimely penalties and mental mistakes early on in a showdown with Utah. It found that difficult to overcome as the offense had trouble converting in the red zone.
What was perhaps most surprising was Florida’s inability to get the ground game, a reported team strength, going at all. The Gators ran for just 13 yards in the loss. Florida will get a chance to regroup with a non-conference game against McNeese, even if that’s not likely to lead to much movement in the SEC power rankings.
11. South Carolina (0-1) – 31-17 loss vs. North Carolina
South Carolina played a competitive game against North Carolina for the better part of a half but eventually seemed to wear down. The Tar Heels harassed quarterback Spencer Rattler throughout the night, pounding on the Gamecocks offensive line.
Rattler finished with 353 passing yards in a valiant effort, but he wasn’t able to find the end zone. The South Carolina run game finished the game with -2 rushing yards.
12. Missouri (1-0) – 35-10 win vs. South Dakota
Missouri jumped out to a big early lead but struggled to keep its foot on the gas in the second half against South Dakota, actually tying the second half 7-7. Still, the big early lead was enough for a comfortable win.
Three different players scored rushing touchdowns and two scored receiving touchdowns, as the offense spread the touches around. Running back Cody Schrader finished with 138 yards on the ground.
13. Mississippi State (1-0) – 48-7 win vs. SE Louisiana
Mississippi State got off to a slow start but turned it on with 17 points in the second quarter. The Bulldogs dominated the game on the ground, rushing for 298 yards.
Running back Jo’Quavious Marks led the way with 127 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Will Rogers threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Mississippi State now hosts Arizona in an interesting non-conference matchup.
14. Vanderbilt (2-0) – 47-13 win vs. Alabama A&M
After a low scoring 12-3 first half, Vanderbilt turned things on after halftime, scoring another 35 to win comfortably. Quarterback AJ Swann threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns while being picked off once.
Meanwhile, running back Sedrick Alexander ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns as the Commodores churned out 215 yards on the ground in the win. Vanderbilt will travel to Wake Forest this weekend for a key non-conference game.
There you have it, our SEC Power Rankings after all of Week 1’s action. Be sure to stay tuned to the Southeastern Conference action this week as we get a better pulse on who the real contenders in the league are and our power rankings adjust week to week to reflect that.