SEC power rankings: Arkansas earns respect after handling Texas A&M

Auburn is an odd team. The Tigers looked capable of competing against great teams a week ago when Auburn was on the road facing Penn State, but Bryan Harsin’s team struggled against a Georgia State team that entered into Jordan-Hare Stadium with just one win on the season. Harsin has a talented roster and a ton of resources at his disposal, but it seems like the Tigers might still have some ups and downs with their new coaching staff.

The Aggies have struggled on offense without Haynes King, that doesn’t excuse the fact that Arkansas beat A&M while holding the Aggies to just 272 total yards of offense. The Razorbacks were able to manhandle Texas A&M and they created a blueprint that other teams may use to beat the Aggies. A&M quarterback Zach Calzada struggled while playing Colorado in Denver a few weeks back and then played poorly again against Arkansas in Arlington. He’ll be back home this week against a Mississippi State team that has lost two in a row. If there was ever a time for him to get in a groove, this is a decent opportunity for him.

Ole Miss was off this past week. While early bye weeks are often odd, I’m sure many Ole Miss fans appreciate the fact that the Rebels got to catch their breath right before facing off against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Lane Kiffin has made the Rebels into a truly fascinating team that could give Alabama and the other elite programs in the conference a headache. Rebels quarterback Matt Corral has been getting some Heisman buzz early on in the season. If he’s able to thrive against Saban and the Crimson Tide, expect that conversation around his name to become a lot louder.

Dan Mullen’s Florida Gators were momentarily challenged by the Tennessee Vols on Saturday, but Florida quarterback Emory Jones appeared to find his groove as the Gators went on to win 38-14. Tennessee’s offense is still a work in progress, and the Vols are still in the early stages of building with their current coaching staff, but Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham found a way to shut the Vols down in the second half, keeping them scoreless. Florida has shown a few weaknesses to start the season, but the Gators’ ability to adjust, as demonstrated against Alabama earlier this season and now against Tennessee, might just help them make a run at the SEC East title.

It’s still early on, but right now the Arkansas Razorbacks sure seem like a real problem for some of the blue bloods in the SEC this season. While Texas A&M doesn’t appear to be a true powerhouse this season and the Aggies’ offense is rough right now, Arkansas appeared to have a lot of potential on Saturday as the Razorbacks beat A&M 20-10. There’s still a lot of work to do and the Razorbacks can certainly still improve, but it’s astonishing how good Sam Pittman’s team looks right now. We’re about to find out just how good Arkansas is as it gears up to face Georgia this weekend.

Georgia sure flexed its muscles on Saturday as the Bulldogs went out and walloped the Vanderbilt Commodores. I’m not sure what Vanderbilt did to upset UGA, but the Bulldogs blanked Vandy, winning 62-0. Vanderbilt is likely going to be historically bad this season, but still, this game was brutal to keep up with.

The Alabama Crimson Tide came out and throttled Southern Miss on Saturday. Nick Saban’s team wasted no time getting an absurdly large team over the Golden Eagles as the Crimson Tide held a 42-7 lead at halftime. By the time the game wrapped up, Alabama won 63-14 and the margin of victory could have realistically been even uglier. It sure seems like Saban and the Crimson Tide are ready for the challenge they’ll receive from Ole Miss this week.

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