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](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/4ef7c6fe2abd3da7f35c79cff5f9f8528d2dc68bfb9c580eef618fed025289ff.jpg)
Quality SEC wins
The LSU Tigers are in a state of turmoil in the early part of the 2016 college football season. Tigers faithful are asking for head coach Les Miles to be fired. The offense is not cutting thus far for LSU, but the Tigers did get their first SEC win to move to 2-1 on the year on Saturday night.
Yes, LSU played bad football in the second half to Mississippi State in Week 3, but the Tigers’ 23-3 lead at halftime was too big of a deficit for the Bulldogs to overcome. The Tigers still play top-notch defense for Miles and their next few SEC games aren’t especially terrible.
LSU’s next two games are against 1-2 SEC teams in the Auburn Tigers and the Missouri Tigers. Auburn on the road will be tough, but the LSU defense should complicate Gus Malzahn’s offensive attack. Missouri may improve before October 1st, but this is a home game for LSU. LSU could very well be 4-1 (3-0) before going to Gainesville on October 8th to play Florida.
It wasn’t pretty, but Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs move to 3-0 thanks to a great game-winning drive by true freshman quarterback Jacob Eason. Georgia should have lost to the Missouri Tigers on Saturday night in Columbia, but managed to escape with its first SEC victory of the season.
Georgia could not run the football against Missouri’s elite front seven. The offensive line was terrible at run blocking. The special teams were atrocious. Georgia did have elite play from its secondary by picking off Tigers quarterback Drew Lock three times. Eason looked fantastic is his first road start.
The Bulldogs have yet another tough road game on Saturday against a 1-2 Ole Miss Rebels team in Oxford. Georgia is not an elite team for Smart, but manage to win games they shouldn’t. The Bulldogs’ never-say-die approach to games makes them a dangerous team late in games, despite going through obvious growing pains.