Just three weeks into the college football season and there have already been quite a few shakeups in the SEC. Here is how we see the SEC power rankings as we head into week 4:
- 1. Ole Miss. The Rebels went down to Tuscaloosa and managed to hang 43 points on a team that had only lost back-to-back games against a team once during Nick Saban’s tenure at Alabama. Ole Miss is loaded with talent, specifically at the wide receiver position, and have a great chance to get to Atlanta this December.
- 2. Georgia. As of now, the road to the SEC Championship in the east leads through Athens, Georgia. Previously thought to be a one-dimensional offense, Bulldog QB Greyson Lambert turned in a dazzling performance during a blowout win over South Carolina on Saturday as he set the NCAA accuracy record going 24-25.
- 3. LSU. The Tigers demolished a still-ranked Auburn team in Baton Rouge and sophomore running back Leonard Fornette looks like perhaps the best player in college football. He rushed for 228 yards in the win Saturday and LSU’s offense looks to be miles ahead of where it was a year ago.
- 4. Texas A&M. The Aggies were extremely underrated heading into the season and the offense, led by sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen, has been electric. Texas A&M already has a dominant win over a solid Arizona State team and appear to be a much better defensive unit than they were in 2014.
- 5. Alabama. Despite losing at home, Alabama still has a great chance to move back up the ladder in the SEC West. Nick Saban is still shuffling quarterbacks around, but Derek Henry and the running game will likely key Alabama’s offense all season.
- 6. Mississippi State. Played to the wire at home against LSU a couple weeks ago and put up 62 points on Saturday against Northwestern State. The Bulldogs are a heavy unknown at this point, but with Dak Prescott at the helm, they could still have something to say about what happens in the SEC West.
- 7. Tennessee. The Vols had a real chance to make a statement against Oklahoma last week, but blew a 17-3 lead in a game they really needed to win for national perception. Aside from that, Tennessee has put up a lot of points in wins against inferior competition. Can they be the team that challenges Georgia in the east or will they wind up around the 6-8 win mark?
- 8. Missouri. The Tigers are 3-0 and ranked in the top-25 although it is really hard to get a read on them right now. Statistically, Mizzou has one of the worst offenses in the country and had to hold on for dear life to beat UCONN at home Saturday. The defense looks phenomenal, however, and don’t discount Gary Pinkel’s ability to develop this team as the year progresses.
- 9. Auburn. It has not been a terrific two weeks down on the Auburn plains as a near-upset to Jacksonville State bled into a beat-down at LSU this past week. Quarterback Jeremy Johnson has not quite been as advertised, although if the offense is able to get back on track the Tigers can certainly turn things around and make a run in the SEC West.
- 10. Florida. We will find out a lot more about Florida this Saturday when they take on Tennessee, but right now the Gators are a huge wildcard. They had to eek out a win at Kentucky on Saturday and the offense is still closely resembling Will Muschamp’s mess. Defensively, Florida may have one of the best unit’s in the SEC, specifically in the secondary, but what does it all mean?
- 11. Kentucky. We keep waiting for Kentucky to make a statement under Mark Stoops and, unfortunately, they were unable to deliver that this past weekend as they suffered yet another loss to Florida. They did knock off South Carolina a week ago, but a loss to Missouri this weekend and it looks like a bowl game will definitely be a long shot once again.
- 12. Arkansas. Right now the Hogs appear to be a team with all bark and no bite as they now find themselves in the midst of a two-game losing streak with Texas A&M looming on the schedule. Losses to Toledo and Texas Tech at home have pretty much ruined any national reputation Arkansas had before the season and with injuries mounting it appears unlikely that the Razorbacks will be anything other than a team fighting for bowl eligibility in 2015.
- 13. South Carolina. Are we witnessing the beginning of the end for Steve Spurrier? After limping to 6-6 a year ago, the Gamecocks look completely lost thus far in 2015. They have already suffered two divisional losses and it’s very likely that they could wind up missing a bowl game if this down-trend continues.
- 14. Vanderbilt. A win over Austin Peay was not quite enough to get the Commodores out of the SEC basement, although it appears Vandy has a decent defense this season and Johnny McCrary may actually have what it takes to provide the team with somewhat of a spark offensively.
