Week 2 SEC Power Rankings: Where Do We Go From Here?
Each week we rank the 14 teams (for now) that occupy our favorite football conference in the whole wide world. This week, we’re thinking about destinations.
It’s the second week of the season and some teams are already thinking about what lies ahead in December and beyond. We’re going to help everyone out and talk about where we think all 14 teams are headed.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores (2-0)
W over Hawai’i (35-28) and Alabama A&M (47-13)
The Commodores have looked almost exactly how we expected them to so far, with messy but ultimately comfortable wins in the first two games. The offense looks pretty decent, especially with quarterback AJ Swann finding multiple weapons in the receiving corps. The biggest change in outlook, however, might be in the schedule. With Florida suddenly looking especially vulnerable, and this week’s opponent Wake Forest underwhelming against the Elon Fighting Christians, it’s not completely insane to think a 6-1 start is possible. Maybe don’t ask about the rest of the year after that, but still!
Destination: It certainly feels like a bowl game, for the first time since 2018, is on the table
13. Florida Gators (0-1)
Last week: 10th, L to Utah (24-11)
Look, it’s not going to be fun for anyone traveling across the country in week one to play the chainsaw-wielding Utah defense, especially in one of the most underrated home stadium environments of Salt Lake City, but the Gators made it look even more miserable than expected. Florida never really threatened in the game, and unless the offense figures something out quickly it could be another missed bowl in Gainesville.
Destination: Another tumultuous offseason
12. Missouri Tigers (1-0)
Last week: 13th, W over South Dakota (35-10)
Other than a profoundly weird quote by head coach Eli Drinkwitz about starting quarterback Brady Cook there wasn’t much to note from the Tigers' opening win over FCS South Dakota. We probably won’t learn much more this weekend when MTSU comes to Columbia.
Destination: A lower-level bowl still feels like the ceiling
11. South Carolina Gamecocks (0-1)
Last week: 9th, L to North Carolina (31-17)
Uh, yikes. After an offseason full of hype and Darude concert announcements, the Gamecocks laid an egg in the opener. North Carolina’s defense, which was almost comically bad last year, looked not just competent but actually good for large stretches of the game. That’s extremely concerning for a team that was labeled as a dark horse contender to finish second in the East this year.
Destination: Another year just hoping to screw up someone else’s season
10. Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0)
Last week: 11th, W over SELA (48-7)
A slow start ultimately gave way to an impressive performance against a feisty FCS program in the first true game for the new administration at State. This weekend’s matchup against another Power 5 team seemingly on the rise in Arizona will tell us a lot about what we can expect from the Bulldogs the rest of the way.
Destination: Independence Bowl
9. Auburn Tigers (1-0)
Last week: 12th, W over UMass (59-14)
Not only does Hugh Freeze have the keys to this offense, but it’s pretty clear he has access to his own Twitter account again! Expect fireworks on the Plains all season, on and off the field.
Destination: One of the strangest NCAA hearings you’ve ever seen, and probably the Outback Bowl
8. Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0)
Last week: 8th, W over Western Carolina (56-13)
KJ Jefferson looked sharp as the Hogs debuted a new offense following the departure of offensive coordinator Kendal Briles – last seen game planning his way to the nation’s most talked about upset loss of the weekend at TCU. Another warm-up game against Kent State this weekend before we get to the real meat of the schedule.
Destination: A hot start, rough middle of the schedule, then an easy road home means we’re looking at a final AP ranking and Florida bowl game
Halftime: Week 2 Picks
This year, we’re picking every game an SEC team plays and keeping track. No spreads, just straight-up picks to see how well we know ball. So far, we’re 13-1 on the year (thanks, South Carolina)
Vanderbilt beats Wake Forest in front of God and everyone at 10am CT
Georgia does exactly what it’s supposed to against Ball State
Kentucky quells Eastern Kentucky and finally reunites the state
Ole Miss has one too many weird turnovers and falls to Tulane
Texas A&M continues to look like they’ve figured things out, beat Miami comfortably
Arkansas overwhelms Kent State
Tennessee scores a million on Austin Peay, then the backups score another million
Alabama crockpots Texas, staying ahead by 7-14 points the entire game
Mizzou beats MTSU
LSU wins the game, loses the halftime show to Grambling
Florida gets right against McNeese
Mississippi State continues to build with a close win over Arizona
South Carolina exorcises some demons with a big win over Furman
Auburn narrowly escapes a suddenly interesting Cal
7. Kentucky Wildcats (1-0)
Last week: 6th, W over Ball State (44-14)
You can kind of put this paragraph on repeat for much of the league in their week one games: slow start, found their footing in the second quarter, and ultimately a comfortable win that doesn’t tell us much about the team. Kentucky can and probably will play that exact same game for at least the next three weeks.
Destination: Another “feisty” season without truly threatening to win the division
6. Texas A&M Aggies (1-0)
Last Week: 7th, W over New Mexico (52-10)
The offense looked really good! It was against New Mexico, but still! This weekend’s matchup with Miami is must-see TV because at least one fanbase is leaving the stadium feeling extremely bad about the state of their program and both coaches have massive buyouts.
Destination: A 2nd-place finish in the West and an offseason saying “If we just had the 12-team playoff his year we would’ve been in it!”
5. Ole Miss Rebels (1-0)
Last week: 5th, W over Mercer (73-7)
I’m sure Lane’s fellow Swifties could derive some meaning from the Rebel’s opening 73-7 scoreline. This weekend’s tilt with ranked Tulane might be the most entertaining game of the week and could set up a massive Ole Miss-Alabama matchup two weeks from now with the most stakes we’ve seen for the Rebels in a few years.
Destination: Back to December (Bowl Games)
4. LSU Tigers (0-1)
Last week: 3rd, L to FSU (45-24)
Brian Kelly should send Dabo Swinney an edible arrangement for taking national focus away from the disheartening performance the Tigers put up on Sunday night. In classic Kelly fashion, he also couldn’t steer away from an insanely weird postgame controversy about whether he said the Tigers would “beat the heck out of Florida State” which is a totally normal thing to have happen. Surely nothing to worry about as the expectations for this season already appear to be hanging by a thread.
Destination: Yeesh, like a Music City Bowl and massive staff turnover?
3. Tennessee Volunteers (1-0)
Last Week: 4th, W over Virginia (49-13)
If you don’t have enough speed at corner to keep up with Tennessee’s receivers, there isn’t a whole lot you can do to slow down this Josh Heupel offense. Virginia does not have enough speed at corner to keep up with Tennessee’s receivers, and neither does anyone else on the schedule until mid-October.
Destination: A winner-take-all game for the East against Georgia on November 18
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)
Last week: 2nd, W over MTSU (56-7)
Pulled off a remarkable Saban classic of annihilating an overmatched opponent in a way that assuages a lot of concerns about the quarterback questions we had throughout the offseason, while still not looking like big favorites for the big matchup with Texas on Saturday. With LSU’s shaky start, it’s hard to see anyone else from the West making it to Atlanta already.
Destination: SEC title game, and probably a playoff berth no matter the result in that game
1. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)
Last week: 1st, W over UT Martin (48-7)
Look, we’re just not going to know anything at all about this Georgia team until November. Just enjoy the greatest College Gameday intro song ever instead of wasting time trying to figure it out.
Destination: Undefeated until November 18, after that who knows?