SEC Power Rankings: LSU holds No. 1, Oklahoma surges

By Chris Marler

Another week is in the books which means it’s time for my Week 2 SEC Power Rankings. 

Here are this week’s rankings solely based on what each team has done in their first two games of the season.

Out of the League

Kentucky and Florida 

16. Virginia Tech

I’m refusing to put Kentucky here for covering the spread with a meaningless field goal and costing me $100 against Ole Miss. Plus, the Hokies are 0-2 against the SEC this season.

15. South Florida

I was going to put Florida here, but one of their players spit on me. 

14. Arkansas (Last Week: 13)

This feels too low, but there are also 11 ranked teams in this conference and seems the most realistic.

13. Texas A&M (Last Week: 10)

Is everything ok with Mike Elko’s defense?

12. Alabama (Last Week: 15)

They’re back, and Florida State may actually be really good. Regardless, the week one plummet isn’t going to be overlooked just because they beat Louisiana Monroe. 

11. Mississippi State (Last Week: 14)

Start respecting Starkville, idiots. Karma is real. 

10. Ole Miss (Last Week: 8)

Please stop pretending that Kentucky is just a tough pseudo-rivalry game because “Mark Stoops has Lane Kiffin’s number.” 

Ole Miss should have punished this team, especially with what happened last year. Instead, they found themselves down early and then in a four quarter dog fight with what is unquestionably the worst team in this conference. 

9. Vanderbilt (Last Week: 12)

Vanderbilt was down 20-10 at halftime at Virginia Tech on Saturday. Good teams and good coaches make halftime adjustments. Consider both of those boxes checked. 

Vanderbilt came out and controlled the ball for nearly 22 of the final 30 minutes, scored on five straight drives and held the Hokies to just 21 second half yards. 

8. South Carolina (Last Week: 4)

Call me crazy, but knocking 2-0 South Carolina down more than a few spots after a 38-10 win over FCS South Carolina State feels off. The game kicked off after a two-and-a-half-hour rain delay, well past most people’s bedtime.

Yes, the concerns are real. Injuries are piling up with more than five players leaving Saturday’s game, and the offense remains a sticking point, just 17 total points across three games under coordinator Mike Shula.

7. Tennessee (Last Week: 6)

Tennessee had a great week. The Vols racked up 72 points and 734 yards of offense against East Tennessee State. The only reason they dropped a spot is because of their competition in comparison to who is ahead of them, which feels fair. 

Tennessee trounced their first two opponents, but one was an FCS team and the other (Syracuse) played so badly against UConn on Saturday that their head coach made them run sprints afterwards like that insane coach from the movie Miracle. 

6. Missouri (Last Week: 9)

Missouri spotted their arch-rival 21 points in the first quarter before putting the clamps down and outscoring Kansas 36-10 in the final three quarters. Beau Pribula continues to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Pribula finished 30-for-39 with nearly 350 yards of offense for a second straight week. 

5. Auburn (Last Week: 5)

I didn’t watch a second of Auburn-Ball State. And, neither did you (unless you’re an Auburn fan). Regardless, I didn’t need to watch it to know that Auburn belongs in the top half of this week’s conference rankings. The offense continues to garner the headlines for Hugh Freeze’s third team at Auburn. However, the improvement of the defense from Week 1 to Week 2 (regardless of competition) was the story Saturday, as they held Ball State to just 68 yards. 

4. Texas (Last Week: 4)

Great bounce back game for Arch Manning and Texas against San Jose State

Manning might be banged up, but watch him throw before firing off in the comments. It didn’t matter on Saturday, and it probably won’t matter for several more weeks given their schedule. The Longhorns got off to a slow start, but the defense was as dominant as expected and allowed the offense to take their time before they got it rolling. 

3. Oklahoma (Last Week: 7)

Our first major movement of the week. Ain’t no love in Oklahoma. 

Safe to say I was wrong about Oklahoma in the preseason. Through two games, they’ve made my assumptions look pretty foolish. John Mateer and Oklahoma bludgeoned Michigan for most of Saturday night, and that game never really even felt close. 

The defense was, once again, outstanding, except for one long touchdown run from Justice Haynes. It’s early, but the Sooners could be as dangerous as many in Norman thought they would be. 

2. Georgia (Last Week: 2)

A 28-6 win versus Austin Peay? Eww. Georgia had a very weird Saturday. Inclement weather moved the game up to an earlier start time, and it became clear early that Kirby Smart was not going to put anything on tape before their trip to Knoxville. This Saturday should be a lot of fun in Knoxville. 

1. LSU (Last Week: 1)

There are cracks in the foundation offensively. But, how about that defense? The Tigers allowed less than 100 yards rushing and passing respectively against Louisiana Tech. They also held the Bulldogs scoreless for 56 minutes Saturday night in Death Valley.