SEC Power Rankings, Week 1: Alabama dominates, but league is down
By John Buhler
SEC Power Rankings after Week 1 sees Alabama well out in front after stunning losses from LSU, Ole Miss and a disappointing effort from Tennessee.
Week 1 was not a kind weekend for SEC football outside of Alabama’s dominance . The league went 6-6 in non-conference play, with the South Carolina Gamecocks beating the Vanderbilt Commodores on Thursday night to get the first SEC win of the year.
While teams like the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Georgia Bulldogs, and the Texas A&M Aggies beat ranked opponents, it wasn’t just tough losses by the Auburn Tigers, the LSU Tigers, and the Ole Miss Rebels that made it a rough first weekend for the SEC.
The middle of the pack to bottom-tier teams in the SEC didn’t exactly impress with their Week 1 efforts. Arkansas and Florida scraped by, but Mississippi State wasn’t so lucky. Here is how the SEC shakes out No. 14 to No. 1 in the weekly SEC power rankings.
Bad Losses
The Barry Odom era of the Missouri Tigers didn’t get off to a swell start on Saturday, as Missouri lost by 15 points to the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown. While Odom’s defense did keep Dana Holgorsen’s Air Raid attack in check with only 26 points for the Mountaineers, Missouri managed just 11 points in this road defeat.
This was Missouri’s first opening week loss since 2001, interestingly Gary Pinkel’s first year with the Tigers. Odom had his defense playing well, roughing up West Virginia starting quarterback Skyler Howard.
The biggest problem for Missouri going forward is that sophomore quarterback Drew Lock and new offensive coordinator Josh Heupel have to get on the same page. Only one passing touchdown against a Big 12 defense with nine new starters is kind of embarrassing.
How did Vanderbilt let this game slip away? The Commodores were up 10-0 at the half on South Carolina, playing incredible defense for head coach Derek Mason. Junior running back Ralph Webb nearly rushed for 100 yards, but 242 yards of total offense isn’t going to cut it in the SEC for Vanderbilt.
Quarterback Kyle Shurmur was terribly ineffective against Will Muschamp’s South Carolina defense. The son of an NFL coach completed just 8-22 passes for 73 yards. Shurmur has to play better going forward for the Commodores to have any shot at a bowl game.
The inability to figure anything at quarterback has been a black eye on Mason’s time in Nashville. He may have the defense, running game, and special teams to hang with anybody in the SEC. Quarterback struggles ruined Vanderbilt in a very winnable ball game in Week 1 versus division rival South Carolina.
This was a loss that Mark Stoops’ Kentucky Wildcats could not afford. To make a bowl game this season, Kentucky now has to win at least three SEC games, four if the Wildcats can’t clip in-state rival Louisville at the end of the year. 3-5 in SEC play was possible, but 4-4 seems improbable.
To be fair, Kentucky did a fine job on offense. Quarterback Drew Barker threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Stanley Boom Williams had 94 yards on the ground. What failed Kentucky was a poor defensive effort in its 44-35 home loss to Southern Miss.
Southern Miss looks to be improved since the Larry Fedora exodus four years ago, but the Golden Eagles have been arguably the worst Division I team in the country the last three season. The Golden Eagles won just four combined games the last three seasons. Stoops recruits at a top 40 level in Lexington, so why did his defense let him down against a Conference USA doormat?
Next: No. 11-8