Ok.
I feel like we’ve known each other for a little while now (a least most of you anyway. Anyone that’s new: Welcome to the Thunder Dome). And because of this fact, I feel like I can be honest with you. And, folks, I have to be honest here:
I have no idea what’s happening in the SEC.
Does anyone know who the third best team in the SEC is? If so, could you let me know? I’m genuinely baffled. Auburn, Mississippi State, Kentucky, LSU, Texas A&M, and Florida have all managed to lose to each other and thus make my life difficult. But this is why Stoney pays me the big bucks: to answer the tough questions. So, I’m just going to make it up as I go. Let’s see what happens. On to the rankings!
1. Alabama – The Crimson Tide continues to be one of the constants in the SEC. You know they’re good. They know they’re good. Everyone knows. The defense, however, took a step back while letting Arkansas put up over 30 points. With Tua Tagovailoa at QB though, it might not matter who plays defense. They welcome Missouri this weekend in a rare night game at Bryant-Denny.
2. Georgia – The other constant of the SEC, the Bulldogs poured it on Vanderbilt. We might finally see Georgia start to hit their stride at the midpoint of the season. I still think Georgia has been sleep walking through the first part of the season, but hasn’t mattered yet. Jake Fromm plays some unbelievable football when he’s given a full series without Justin Fields. Now they’re heading to Death Valley for a rebounding LSU.
3. Texas A&M – The Aggies claimed a major win in overtime against Kentucky (I still can’t believe that’s a sentence in 2018). A&M is quietly stringing together an impressive season, especially with their only two losses coming from Alabama and Clemson. The defense looks better each week, while the offense is more than capable of scoring points. Trayveon Williams should keep getting carries and yardage, especially this weekend at South Carolina.
4. Kentucky – I’m not willing to say the Kentucky Cinderella story is over after only one loss. I do have one serious question though: where was Benny Snell? Only 13 rushing attempts? Sure, Texas A&M is excellent at stuffing the run, but you still have to find a way to get your most dynamic player the ball in big games. Fortunately for the Wildcats, they head into a bye week to rest and refocus.
5. Florida – Is Florida the fifth best team? For right now, yes. Coming off of the biggest win of the weekend, the Gators took down an undefeated LSU at the Swamp. This came a day after I swore to Herbie and Stoney that LSU -2.5 was stealing money because LSU’s defense > Feleipe Franks. So maybe take my opinions with a grain of salt. They’ll get another conference win at Vanderbilt this weekend.
6. LSU – Coming off of their first loss of the season, the Tigers didn’t look like the same team from the first few weeks. Joe Burrow never looked comfortable in the pocket and never seemed to sense the blind side rush. It looks worse when you realize Florida was only rushing three or four guys when getting to the QB. The Tigers don’t have time to lick their wounds. Georgia comes to town on Saturday.
7. Mississippi State – I don’t really understand the Bulldogs this season. Are Florida and Kentucky that much better than Mississippi State? Maybe. But I’m still betting that the Bulldogs are just inconsistent. Particularly, Nick Fitzgerald’s play has been inconsistent. His passing skills have really regressed this season, but he managed to thrash Auburn on the ground. They’ve stopped their skid right before a bye week.
8. Auburn – The Tigers were exposed on Saturday as a one dimensional offense: no run game. Teams can still get by on a solid pass game, but unfortunately for Jarrett Stidham the protection up front won’t allow it. The defense didn’t pull their weight either, letting Nick Fitzgerald run all over them. It could be a long season for Auburn with some big games coming up. They host Tennessee this weekend.
9. South Carolina – My favorite game of the day was the wash out between the Gamecocks and the Tigers. Back up QB Michael Scarnecchia made his first start for SC and had a great outing in the rain, even if it was against the Mizzou defense. Now we’ve got ourselves a good old fashion QB controversy with the struggling Jake Bentley. Texas A&M should provide a pretty big test.
10. Missouri – The Tigers really needed to steal that win, but came up short. On a bright, sunny day Missouri would beat the Gamecocks. That’s no excuse though; great teams win in any weather. The problem is that the Tigers aren’t a great team. Drew Lock is a great player but he just isn’t enough. And things will only get worse as the Tigers head to Tuscaloosa.
11. Ole Miss – The Terrifying Land Shark Mascots put up a lot of points against an inferior opponent. We knew they could do that, so nobody should be surprised here. Jordan Ta’Amu is good, but doesn’t have a defense to back him up. Ole Miss needs a win against Arkansas this weekend.
12. Vanderbilt – The Commodores got smashed by Georgia, but did we expect anything else? Kyle Shurmur is still a good QB, but the lack of depth on defense will keep catching up to Vanderbilt all year. Unfortunately, it won’t get easier when the Gators come to town.
13. Arkansas – Out of the basement! Putting up 31 against Alabama will earn you a little respect.
14. Tennessee – The Vols only fall to the basement because Arkansas earned their way out. If they have a good showing against Auburn, we’ll see what happens.
Poppa Bear is the Lead SEC Analyst for the SoBros Network, and serves as our resident expert on the human anatomy, fixin’ stuff, and tomatoes. Follow on Twitter:@SoBroPoppaBear
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