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SEC Football, Week 3 Power Rankings: Texas A&M impresses, Ole Miss fades

By John Buhler

Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) reacts after being sacked near the end zone during the third quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) reacts after being sacked near the end zone during the third quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 17, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp greets students after the game against the East Carolina Pirates at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina wins 20-15 over ECU. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp greets students after the game against the East Carolina Pirates at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina wins 20-15 over ECU. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /

Wins and nothing more

Hey, what do you know? The South Carolina Gamecocks are 2-1 on the season under new head coach Will Muschamp. South Carolina already has a SEC win over Vanderbilt and managed to survive a close home game against the East Carolina Pirates on Saturday night, 20-15.

Under Muschamp, the Gamecocks defense looks committed to keeping their opponents out of the end zone. Yes, the offense isn’t where it needs to be for South Carolina to make a charge up the SEC East standings, but quarterback Brandon McIlwain looked strong under center. His 7.0 yards per attempt is exactly what the Gamecocks need going forward.

This team was completely lost in 2015, but Muschamp is absolutely going to improve on the Gamecocks’ win total of three from the year before. It’s still a little early to know if South Carolina will make a bowl game, but the Gamecocks have looked bowl caliber in their first three games. We’ll see.

The Kentucky Wildcats got their first win of the 2016 college football season by putting up 62 points on the hapless New Mexico State Aggies in Lexington. Kentucky has shown that it likes to score with quarterback Stephen Johnson under center, but head coach Mark Stoops’ defense isn’t stopping anyone this fall.

Kentucky is probably not going to a bowl game in 2016. The Wildcats already have two losses on the year versus Southern Miss and Florida. They’ll face an absolute beast at the end of the year in their in-state rival Louisville. Four SEC wins will be almost impossible to come by.

What looked impressive for the Wildcats was the team’s ability to rack up points and yards on the ground against New Mexico State. Kentucky had 381 rushing yards and five touchdowns with its strong running game. Defensively, Kentucky is still a mess, but the Wildcats are a fun team to watch to put the ball into the end zone on offense.

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