Written by Ryan Lippert
College football fans, the best time of the year is finally underway! The college football season is in full swing as we head into Week 3. With that being said, I want to start focusing on the best conference in college football, the Southeastern Conference. Although we are only in Week 3, there is still a lot of excitement in this conference. With that in mind, here is my first SEC football power rankings for the season.
1. Alabama (2-0) -
Number one is a no-brainer for me. Alabama is back to their dominance once again and are looking like the best team in football. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is leading the charge as he is looking like a Heisman front runner again and he is benefitting from weapons all over the field, including wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. Their defense is also as dominant as usual as they haven’t missed a beat following the injury of linebacker Dylan Moses.
2. LSU (2-0) -
I know I’m going to have some angry Georgia Bulldogs fans after this ranking but LSU has looked very good so far this season. They are coming off an impressive 45-38 victory over Texas on the road. Per usual, their defense has looked like one of the best in the conference. However, as good as their defense is, quarterback Joe Burrow has led the charge for this team. He has thrown for 749 yards and nine touchdowns through their first two games this season.
3. Georgia (2-0) -
Speaking of the Bulldogs, it was very close between them and LSU but they are still a top three team in this conference. They are 2-0 but the thing that keeps them out of the number two spot is that they haven’t been tested yet as they have played Vanderbilt and Murray State so far. Quarterback Jake Fromm looks decent but hasn’t blown me away so far with 322 passing yards and two touchdowns through two games. Star running back D’Andre Swift has accumulated 214 rushing yards and two touchdowns so far. It will be interesting to see how they play once they play a better opponent.
4. Auburn (2-0) -
Auburn is another team that has impressed in a very talented SEC West. They came back and won in a very good game against Oregon in Week 1 and followed with a 24-6 win over Tulane in Week 2. Freshman quarterback Bo Nix has been a pleasant surprise so far for the Tigers. He has been able to lead this offense, throwing for 384 yards and three touchdowns so far and has also shown that he is a threat as a runner.
5. Florida (2-0) -
Florida is a team that I’m not fully sold on but is still in the top five in the conference at this point. They came away with a win in a sloppy Week 1 matchup with Miami (FL) and then defeated UT-Martin 45-0. Quarterback Feleipe Franks has led the way for them with 524 passing yards and four touchdowns so far. They will get a true test this weekend as they go on the road to Kentucky.
6. Texas A&M (1-1) -
The Aggies are another team that I’m not 100 % sure what we’re going to get from them yet. They dominated Texas State in Week 1 with a 41-7 win but then lost 24-10 to Clemson last week. However, we can’t hold that against them too much since it’s Clemson. Quarterback Kellen Mond has had his good and bad moments and he has 430 passing yards and four touchdowns so far. Their defense also has looked solid for the most part this season.
7. Kentucky (2-0) -
As a Kentucky fan myself, I wanted to put Kentucky over Texas A&M. However, I want to see how they play against Florida as they just lost starting quarterback Terry Wilson for the season with a knee injury. Troy transfer Sawyer Smith must now step up in a big way if this team wants to be successful. He needs to find a way to get the ball in the hands of the Wildcats best playmaker, wide receiver Lynn Bowden, who has 131 receiving yards and a touchdown so far and is always a threat to make a big play.
8. Missouri (1-1) -
It has been a tale of two weeks so far for the Missouri Tigers. They suffered a 37-31 upset to Wyoming in Week 1 and then followed last week with a 38-7 blowout victory over West Virginia. Clemson transfer Kelly Bryant has looked solid so far, throwing for 573 yards and five touchdowns through two weeks. His top target has been top tight end prospect Albert Okwuegbunam, who has 114 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
9. Mississippi State (2-0) -
While the Bulldogs are undefeated, I still can’t truly rank them high as they haven’t been tested yet. Their first two opponents have been UL Monroe and Southern Mississippi. Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens has led the charge so far with 341 passing yards and four touchdowns. Running back Kylin Hill has also impressed as he has 320 rushing yards and two touchdowns. If they play well this week against Kansas State, their ranking will rise.
10. Ole Miss (1-1) -
Ole Miss is another team that has been a tale of two weeks. They lost a close matchup with Memphis in Week 1 and followed with an impressive 31-17 victory over Arkansas last week. They have been led by the rushing attack of Scottie Phillips who has 205 rushing yards for three touchdowns so far. They should start off 2-1 as the face Southeastern Louisiana this week.
11. South Carolina (1-1) -
South Carolina is a team that will suffer tremendously due to the injury bug. They lost starting quarterback Jake Bentley for the season due to a foot injury that needed surgery. New starting quarterback Ryan Hilinski looked good last week in a 72-10 victory over Charleston Southern but I want to see what he does when he gets tested. If they want to be successful, he must find a way to connect with star wide receiver Bryan Edwards who has 119 yards and two touchdowns so far.
12. Arkansas (1-1) -
Arkansas is a team that hasn’t impressed so far. They barely beat Portland State in Week 1 and then took a loss to Ole Miss in Week 2. Quarterback Nick Starkel has struggled so far, only throwing for 249 yards and one touchdown through two games. If they want to be successful, they will have to get more production out of former Last Chance U star running back, Rakeem Boyd, who has rushed for 181 yards and a touchdown so far.
13. Vanderbilt (0-2) -
Vanderbilt is a team that has struggled due to a tough schedule the first two weeks. They opened with an SEC powerhouse in Georgia, which ended in a blowout, and followed by losing 42-24 to a good Purdue team last week. If they want to win some games, they have to get their running game going. I had Ke’Shawn Vaughn as one of my top running back prospects for the 2020 NFL Draft but he has struggled so far with only 130 rushing yards and a touchdown through two games.
14. Tennessee (0-2) -
Simply put, Tennessee football has gone downhill in a big way the past couple seasons. They have looked rough through the first two games, being upset by Georgia State in Week 1 and losing in overtime to BYU last week. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano has had his moments as he has thrown for 487 yards and four touchdowns so far but he must step up even more as a leader if this team wants to win any games this season.