SEC Power Rankings After Week 3

Another gameday goes by and Arkansas fans are left with more questions than after last week. This week’s SEC Power Rankings might show some overreaction. That being said, the Sam Pittman jukebox is playing the wrong song if 4th and inches isn’t placed into the hands of the Hogs’ 240-pound human battering ram of a quarterback. 

The top of the SEC Power Rankings is starting to slowly figure itself out, but everyone else is stuck in the middle. The next few weeks will tell which squads are legit threats. With each game played, it becomes clearer who the pretenders are. The SEC is wide open this season. Every Razorback fan out there is hoping the ship gets turned around before the LSU game next Saturday.

1. Georgia 3-0

vs. South Carolina- W 24-14

After surviving a scare against South Carolina this week, Georgia remains atop the SEC Power Rankings. It’s a good thing for the Dawgs that games aren’t called final at halftime. South Carolina simply played a better brand of football for an entire half. Carson Beck is clearly just an average SEC quarterback. No team in this conference is unbeatable right now, and Georgia may not be the best team in the nation this season.

2. Ole Miss 3-0

vs. Georgia Tech- W 48-23

Another convincing win for the Rebels keeps them from falling. Despite the Lane Kiffin drama that came out earlier this week regarding the mental health of a former player, Ole Miss got the job done again. Is this team a sleeper to win the West? I hope not, but so far they’re one of the few teams that has shown the potential to do so.

3. LSU 2-1  4

at Mississippi State- W 41-14

Jayden Daniels played really well in LSU’s beatdown of Mississippi State. Next week, Arkansas will look to stop him from doing more of the same. Many feel as though that game will determine the direction of the rest of Arkansas’ season. Brian Kelly’s Tigers look like a different team than the one who lost to Florida State in the opener. Arkansas is going to have their hands full all over the field in Death Valley.

4. Texas A&M 2-1  4

vs. Louisiana-Monroe- W 47-3

Texas A&M won handily over a team they were supposed to beat. Conner Weigman looks better every week at quarterback. After that performance, the Aggies have their eyes set on making an SEC West run. Up the SEC Power Rankings they go, but for how long will they stick with this trend? The defensive line could be the deciding factor in whether they are able to or not.

5. Florida 2-1  7

vs. Tennessee- W 29-16

These Florida Gators beat Tennessee a LOT worse than the scoreboard showed. The running game is coming together. Graham Mertz no longer looks like the worst quarterback in the conference. The defense is continuing to play well. This team could be trouble over in the East.

6. Tennessee 2-1 2

at Florida- L 29-16

What happened, Tennessee? Weren’t they going to win 10 games this year? While that’s still possible, it seems much less likely after dropping this one. The defense had no answer for Florida’s offensive attack. That’s a sentence I haven’t thought to myself in years. Is Florida back? Or did Tennessee regress from last year?

7. Missouri 3-0  6

vs. Kansas State- W 30-27

Did they really storm the field after that? That was a good win over a ranked opponent, meaning the Tigers climb these SEC Power Rankings. Missouri should end up being 5-0 to start now. Eli Drinkwitz is no longer on the hotseat. Brady Cook is the clear-cut starter at quarterback. This season could quickly turn into an Arkansas fan’s living nightmare. 

8. Alabama 2-1 5

at South Florida- W 17-3

Alabama fans and Arkansas fans sit in the same boat right now. All of us are left wondering what in the world is going on within our programs. Alabama football should never struggle with South Florida. The quarterback situation is undefined, as two different players took snaps on Saturday. Neither one was Jalen Milroe. It’s safe to say that Milroe will probably start next week, but Alabama fans are anxious to see exactly how that goes. At least the defense isn’t a major concern.

9. Auburn 3-0

vs. Samford- W 45-13

Another unimpressive win for Auburn keeps them from moving in the rankings this week. Payton Thorne played much better this week. Maybe Hugh Freeze will figure things out in year one. As weak as the conference seems to be this year, he might have a solid shot at it.

10. Kentucky 3-0

vs. Akron- W 35-3

Similarly to Auburn, Kentucky won easily against an inferior squad. Devin Leary didn’t look great, but he looked better than last week. The preseason hype around him was premature. This team’s offensive line still brings forth lots of concern.

11. South Carolina 1-2

at Georgia- L 24-14

After outplaying Georgia for a half, South Carolina stays put in the SEC Power Rankings. Spencer Rattler played phenomenally, especially during that first half. The defense showed they have improved since getting torched by Mack Brown’s North Carolina Tar Heels. While their record is only 1-2, this team is much better than that.

12. Arkansas 2-1 7

vs. BYU- L 38-31

Yes, the officiating was some of the worst we’ve seen in all of college football this season. Does that excuse the horrendous play that we witnessed from this Razorback team? Absolutely not. Sam Pittman was outcoached by Kalani Sitake, plain and simple. BYU’s defensive scheming got pressure on KJ Jefferson far too often. The Hogs committed endless avoidable mistakes and penalties. Offensive coordinator Dan Enos did not impress with his play selection. While BYU is a decent team, this loss wasn’t due to their skill. Instead, the blame falls on undisciplined play and being outcoached. This team slides way down the SEC Power Rankings after that performance. Moving forward, it’s going to take a couple of wins during the upcoming stretch of SEC matchups to claw their way back out of the cellar.

13. Mississippi State 2-1 7

vs. LSU- L 41-14

Mississippi State was absolutely picked apart defensively by the LSU offense. On the other side of the ball, Will Rogers and the offense could not seem to get anything going regardless of what they tried. LSU was just the better team. Actually, they were the much better team. Did Sylvester Croom sneak onto the sidelines and secretly coach this team?

14. Vanderbilt 2-2

at UNLV- L 40-37

The next time Vanderbilt gives up 40 points to a team, it should be someone in the Power 5. Barry Odom’s UNLV squad punched the Commodores in the mouth and Vanderbilt just couldn’t hold them off in the 4th quarter. AJ Swann is quite possibly the best player on this entire team. That’s not good. Will they win another game later on this season?

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