SEC power rankings, Week 2: Can we trust Georgia’s offense? LSU in big trouble

Week 2 SEC power rankings after Georgia smothered Clemson, Alabama looked as good as ever and LSU showed some serious issues vs. UCLA.

The college football season is underway for the SEC and while most of the games resulted in solid wins for the conference, things were pretty interesting at times.

The Georgia Bulldogs looked incredibly pedestrian on offense as they faced Clemson, but Kirby Smart’s defense was stout and could help the Bulldogs get back in contention for the SEC crown this season. UGA just needs to find some offense to go with that defense.

Out on the west coast, Ed Orgeron got himself right back on the hot seat as the LSU Tigers were soundly beaten by the UCLA Bruins. And of course, in Atlanta, Nick Saban and Alabama processed another opponent with ease.

Here’s how things stand in the SEC as the conference heads into week 2 of the college football season.

Week 2 SEC Power Rankings: Can Georgia win the SEC with defense alone?

The Vanderbilt Commodores suffered a horrifying loss as they dropped their game against East Tennessee State by a score of 23-3. Again, Vanderbilt lost to East Tennessee State by 20 points. The Commodores and their fans are likely in for a long season. Vanderbilt plays Colorado State next week.

The Shane Beamer era of South Carolina football got off to the best possible start. Eastern Illinois is far from being a tough foe, but the Gamecocks got a solid 46-0 win. Who knows how the rest of the year will play out, but that sort of win is exactly what Beamer needed.

Arkansas didn’t exactly look great when the Razorbacks faced Rice. Still, the Hogs beat the Owls in solid fashion, winning by 21 points. It’s totally possible that Arkansas was keeping its hand hidden while playing Rice as they get set to face the Texas Longhorns this weekend. If that’s the case, getting a 38-17 victory while getting prepared for a tougher foe seems like a decent win for Sam Pittman and his team.

Tennessee could be in for a decent season, but it feels a little early to really tell, to be completely honest. That said, the Vols looked really good on offense at times against Bowling Green as they got the season started off last Thursday. Tennessee will host Pitt this weekend in a game that the Vols should win but could be pretty interesting.

At one point in its first game of the season, Mississippi State scored 21 points on three consecutive drives. The Bulldogs outscored Louisiana Tech 21-3 in the fourth quarter of the game. Fortunately for MSU, that scoring burst helped Mike Leach complete the largest comeback win in Mississippi State history.

Unfortunately for MSU, the Bulldogs needed the largest comeback win in Mississippi State history to defeat Louisiana Tech. MSU won 35-34 and it was thrilling to watch, but it was also terrifying for State fans at times. But games like this are part of the Mike Leach experience. It happens. MSU fans will need to get accustomed to that. Similarly, Leach will need to win consistently to keep MSU fans happy. State will host North Carolina State this weekend and that’ll be a great test for Leach and his team.

Ed Orgeron and the LSU Tigers fell flat on their faces when they went out west to play the UCLA Bruins. Chip Kelly’s team looked sharp as the Bruins beat the Tigers 38-27. Losing by 11 points to get this season started isn’t what Orgeron needed after a rough year last year. If Orgeron is going to remain in Baton Rouge, the Tigers need to start beating some teams. Luckily for Orgeron and his team, the Tigers will host McNeese State this weekend. That should be a very winnable game for LSU.

Missouri won, but the Tigers didn’t look too impressive against Central Michigan. Only beating the Chippewas by a score of 34-24 is hardly something that will draw positive attention towards this team. Mizzou will have an opportunity to get some respect when the Tigers go to the Kentucky Wildcats this weekend.