Front Porch FootballSEC Power Rankings
by Chris Paschal
It is hard to believe that some teams have already played a third of their scheduled games this season. With four weeks in the books, I have assembled the season’s first power rankings. These rankings are not based on record or placement in the AP Poll, but instead these rankings are based solely on how good each team is, in my opinion.
#1 Alabama
The Crimson Tide has the most dynamic offense in the SEC if not the country. Tua and Co. are the real deal. This might be the best corps of receivers Alabama has ever had, which is saying something, and it is definitely the best quarterback. And the defense. Think about this for a second. Alabama lost nearly every returning starter from last season’s team and its defensive coordinator, and this year’s Tide defense is still ranked in the top 5 nationally in scoring defense.
Tua has yet to disappoint. Image from Getty Images.
#2 Georgia
The Dawgs didn’t look too good against Missouri. And still won by 14 points. Jake Fromm did a great job in the vertical passing game. He is quietly the second best quarterback in the SEC. Yeah, I said it. The ground game didn’t look as dynamic as it did against South Carolina, but there are so many playmakers on this offense that it didn’t really matter. This defense made Drew Lock look really bad – QBR of 26.5. Plus, the Dawgs were able to create turnovers. Tyson Campbell, a true freshman, was able to run a fumble recovery back for a touchdown, Tae Crowder had a huge interception from his linebacker position, and Georgia blocked a punt and ran it in for a score.
#3 LSU
I’m going to give some obvious statements. This defense is fast. LSU runs the football very well. LSU has great receivers. Now I’m going to give the less obvious statement. LSU has a gamer at quarterback. Joe Burrow is not going to wow you in the stat column, but LSU doesn’t need that. What the Tigers needed so desperately was a competitor that can highlight LSU’s strengths. He does that. When he needs to, he can put together a drive throwing the football. Other times, he manages the offense very well. Even other times he wills his team to victory. LSU’s schedule is from hell, and it’s only going to get harder, but I am impressed by them so far.
Joe Burrow is calm, cool, and collected. Image from Sporting News.
#4 Texas A&M
I know, I know. A&M isn’t even in the top 25 and they have lost two games. I’ll say this, though, they can play some run defense. And in the SEC, that means a lot. Tua torched them, but Tua torches everyone. I liked the competitive spirit Kellen Mond displayed. Yes, he made some mistakes, but he also made some great plays for A&M. It’s obvious this team has bought into whatever Jimbo is selling them. A&M is going to be a tough game for everyone this season. The problem is that they’re in a crowded SEC West, but in respect to this ranking, they are the fourth best team in the SEC.
#5 Auburn
The Tigers have one of the best defenses in the country, and after the loss to LSU, I think their backs are up against the wall. They are going to be in every game they play in because of 1) this defensive line and 2) they have Jarrett Stidham at quarterback. That’s the good. The bad? This offense needs a shot in the arm. The run game will continue to improve as the season goes on. Whitlow and Martin are good backs. But when you rush for less than 100 yards and pass for less than 150 yards, against Arkansas, things need to improve. Auburn gets another tune up game next week (Southern Miss) before getting into the heart of SEC play.
#6 Kentucky
I am literally shocked. This is a grown man football team. The Wildcats abused one of the better defensive lines in the country last weekend. Not only that, but they also stymied the Mississippi State rushing attack. Kentucky: 229 Rushing Yards. Mississippi State: 56 Rushing Yards. That’s all you need to know. Benny Snell is a stud.
Benny Snell is just fun to watch. Image from Hero Sports.
#7 Florida Gators
That loss to Kentucky doesn’t look so bad now, huh. The Gators defense showed up in a big way on Saturday against Tennessee. Let’s read off the first seven possessions for UT against this defense: Fumble, Interception, Turnover on Downs, Field Goal, Safety, Fumble, Fumble. That is complete and utter domination. The Gators defense finished the game with four forced fumbles, two interceptions, and nine tackles for loss. Franks threw for three touchdowns, the rushing attack averaged nearly six yards per carry, and special teams played almost a flawless football game. This game might just be the confidence boost the Gators needed.
#8 Mississippi State
This is still a good football team, but Darkhorse in the West might have been proven wrong after this weekend’s performance in Lexington. This week’s Florida game will tell me all I need to know. They win this weekend, and the Kentucky game may have been a bump in the road, but if they lose to Florida, this is an eight win football team. LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M are all still left on the schedule after Florida.
#9 South Carolina
Like Mississippi State, this week’s game for South Carolina will dictate the rest of the season, in my opinion. The Gamecocks did to Vanderbilt what Notre Dame wasn’t able to do – dominate. South Carolina whipped Vanderbilt like they stole something. The Gamecocks out-gained Vanderbilt 273 – 92 on the ground. Jake Bentley had a solid day throwing the football. The defense stopped the run, had eight tackles for loss, an interception, and fumble recovery, but most importantly the defensive line played with some attitude. Javon Kinlaw finished the game with two sacks, a pass deflection, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. That’s the kind of play Gamecock fans were waiting for. If South Carolina can go into Lexington and beat the 17th ranked team in the country next week, the Gamecocks will return to the upper half of the power rankings.
@JavonKinlaw showed out today. Beast 🤙 #Gamecocks pic.twitter.com/UVx4J0gZet
— James (@GamecockSplash) September 23, 2018
#10 Missouri
Afterwards, the Missouri Tigers (most notably Drew Lock) made it sound like they handed the game to Georgia. No… no, you didn’t. The Dawgs actually didn’t play their best game and still won on the road. This rushing attack is better than I thought it would be, which is saying something because I already thought it was pretty good. Lock proved to be out of his league last Saturday. This offense is a mid-2000s, Big 12-like offense, which means, if they play a superior opponent, they don’t have the resolve and character needed to score a ton of points. Back-to-back trips to South Carolina and Alabama await them. With a bye weekend this weekend, it is critical for the Tigers to come in and get a win at South Carolina for them to have any shot at a New Year’s Day Bowl Game.
#11 Vanderbilt
This kind of happened last year. Vanderbilt’s hype train left the station at full speed after starting the season off 3-0. What happened? They got smashed by Bama. This year, the hype train left the station after Vanderbilt started 2-1 with the loss being by a single possession at Notre Dame. Everyone on Gameday picked them to beat South Carolina. What happened? They got smashed by South Carolina. I had them going 2-10 this year, which was disrespectful and stupid on my part, but I also don’t think this is a bowl bound Vandy team.
#12 Ole Miss
The Kent State game was about what I thought it would be. A lazy first half by the Rebels only to turn on the jets in the second half. LSU comes to town this weekend. Ole Miss had a great offensive performance last week, and the defense had 7 sacks and 15 tackles for loss, but we will see what this Ole Miss team is all about against LSU. Things didn’t go well against Bama, but nobody does well against Bama. Let’s wait for this week before truly passing any legitimate judgement.
Highlights from the 38-17 Ole Miss win over Kent State! 🏈
📰 https://t.co/Z4nim0xkVa
📸 https://t.co/Y8xcuINf60#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/hnLMhUv7bo— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 22, 2018
