SEC Power Rankings: Dawgs on Top

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By Brett Daniels

Week 1 of the college football season has come to an end, and we have answers to some of the offseason questions. All 16 teams were in action, some against quality opponents and some against vastly inferior foes. Based on observations from the weekend, here are all 16 teams power ranked according to who would be favored on a neutral field.

1. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)-The Dawgs had the best quality win of any team in College Football this weekend. The game started slowly offensively for both teams in the first half, but the Dawgs turned it on in the second half outscoring Clemson 28-3. Carson Beck was as advertised, and RB Nate Frazier is a future star in the SEC.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)-The Tide has speed all over the field on both sides of the ball. Jalen Milroe hit several big passes, Justice Haynes had an 85-yard touchdown run, and the defense stifled an overmatched Western Kentucky team.

3. Texas Longhorns (1-0)- Quinn Ewers and the offense moved up and down the field against Colorado State , Arch Manning even got into the act in the second half and the defense pitched a shutout. A big test awaits the Longhorns in Ann Arbor next week against Michigan .

4. Ole Miss Rebels (1-0)-There are teams out there that couldn’t put up 76 points against air, much less against an opposing team. Jaxson Dart was impressive, throwing for 418 yards and five touchdowns and running for another in the first half. It may be the end of October, when the Rebels welcome Oklahoma to Oxford, before we get a true gauge of how good they really are.

5. Tennessee Volunteers (1-0)-I’m a believa in Nico Iamaleava . The Vols QB was impressive, throwing for a school record in one half 314 yards and 3 touchdowns against Chattanooga . Iamaleava had all the time in the world in the pocket and put the ball right on his receivers, who were running wide open most of the game. We’ll get a better read on the Vols as they face #24 NC State in Charlotte this Saturday.

6. Oklahoma Sooners (1-0)-The Sooners' offense was efficient, and Jackson Arnold was solid in his first career start. More importantly the defense forced six turnovers and held Temple to 3 points, and limited the Owls to 197 yards of total offense. Unfortunately, the injury bug hit again with WR Jalil Farooq suffering a foot injury that will require surgery and keep him out for six weeks.

7. Missouri Tigers (1-0)- Brady Cook and Luther Burden III both scored touchdowns as did the defense in a 51-0 rout of Murray State . The Tigers will not have a true test until they play Texas A&M on October 5 ^th and after the Aggies showing against Notre Dame that might not even be the case. The season still comes down to a three-week stretch in mid-October that will see Missouri host Auburn before a bye week and a trip to Alabama .

8. LSU Tigers (0-1)-The Tigers start the year 0-1 for the third consecutive season under Brian Kelly . The offense did some good things against USC, and Garrett Nussmeier is a good QB. The defense still isn’t fixed and was gashed up the middle by the USC offensive line. There were also too many undisciplined penalties that gave USC more opportunities. The talent is there to be competitive in the SEC; it’s just a matter of cleaning up the details.

9. Auburn Tigers (1-0)-Auburn welcomed Alabama A&M to the Plains and promptly splattered them all over the field at Jordan-Hare. Payton Thorne threw for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half of a 73-3 win. The Tigers welcome the Cal Golden Bears to Auburn next Saturday in the second of five consecutive home games to open the season.

10. Texas A&M Aggies (0-1)-The Aggies and LSU are getting the benefit of the doubt in these power rankings for playing quality opponents in their first game. A&M’s offensive line struggled against a talented Notre Dame front seven, and they were unable to finish off drives in the red zone. The Aggie defense played well but couldn’t get a stop when they most needed it.

11. Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0)-It was against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but the Hogs seemed to have found their mojo on offense, scoring 70 points in the win. Oklahoma State next Saturday will be a better litmus test of the Hogs’ improvement on both sides of the ball.

12. Kentucky Wildcats (1-0)-The Cats won a storm-shortened game against Southern Mississippi . QB Brock Vandagriff threw 3 touchdown passes, and the defense picked off a pass in the 31-0 shutout. South Carolina comes to town next week before a visit from the #1 Georgia Bulldogs in week 3.

13. Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0)- Jeff Lebby’s offense put on a show, racking up almost 500 yards of offense against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in a 56-7 win. The Bulldogs also scored on defense and special teams in a complete dismantling of the FCS opponent. Mississippi State will travel to Tempe to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in what looks like a very winnable game for the Bulldogs.

14. Vanderbilt Commodores (1-0)-The Dores pulled off an amazing overtime win against Virginia Tech in the season opener for both teams. QB Diego Pavia , a New Mexico State transfer, led Vanderbilt to a 17-0 lead before a chaotic second half saw the Hokies surge in front late. The Commodores had an opportunity to win the game in regulation but missed a field goal as time expired. Pavia ran in a 4-yard touchdown to put Vandy in front in the first overtime, and the defense was able to get a stop when Virginia Tech had the ball. Vanderbilt can start the year 3-0 with games against Alcorn State and Georgia State in the next two weeks.

15. South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0)-Trailing at home against Old Dominion for most of the game was not how the Gamecock faithful envisioned the year starting. If not for two Monarch fumbles inside their own 10-yard line, which led to South Carolina’s only touchdowns of the game, the story might have been different. South Carolina was outplayed all over the field, and freshman QB LaNorris Sellers struggled mightily. It’s hard to see the Gamecocks winning more than two or three games the remainder of the season.

16. Florida Gators (0-1)-Is Florida the worst team in the SEC? Probably not—they have entirely too much talent to be this bad and they played a quality opponent on Saturday in Miami . That all being said, there is something that is seriously wrong in Gainesville, whether it be coaching, culture, lack of talent in key areas or a combination of all three. Against Miami, the offensive line couldn’t block anybody, and the defense barely put up any resistance at all. It's going to be a long season in the Swamp with the schedule that is facing the Gators. Samford next Saturday is the only game that seems winnable at this point.