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James Morgan

SEC power rankings after Week 2: Alabama drops

The SEC had a rough week in nonconference action in Week 2. The conference suffered several defeats and a few too many close calls against inferior opponents. So far, the conference is just 2-6 against Power Five opponents.

Georgia’s win over Ball State was actually one of the conference’s most impressive wins of the week. That’s because most teams in the SEC struggled or lost in Week 2.

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Texas went on the road and upset Alabama in the most important game of the week. The Crimson Tide, Texas A&M Aggies, and LSU Tigers all already have one loss in the SEC West.

Here’s our SEC power rankings after Week 2:

 

14
Vanderbilt Commodores

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 2-1

Week 2: Wake Forest 36, Vanderbilt 20

Vanderbilt kept it interesting at Wake Forest, but two turnovers really hurt the Commodores in their road defeat. Vanderbilt is going to have to earn our respect to rise in the power rankings after several consecutive rough years.

Next game: at UNLV

13
Missouri Tigers

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 2-0

Week 2: Missouri 24, MTSU 19

Missouri barely defeated Middles Tennessee and has looked uneven to start the season. The Tigers host Kansas State next week in a critical game.

Next game: vs. Kansas State

12
Florida Gators

Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 1-1

Week 2: Florida 49, McNeese State 7

The Gators took care of business against McNeese State, but Florida is an alarming 7-17 in its last 24 games against Power Five opponents.

Next game: vs. Tennessee

Gators Wire

11
Kentucky Wildcats

Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 2-0

Week 2: Kentucky 28, Eastern Kentucky 17

We are dropping the Wildcats in the power rankings after they struggled against Eastern Kentucky. Kentucky doesn’t face much competition until they play Vanderbilt in Week 4.

Next game: Akron (home)

10
South Carolina Gamecocks

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 1-1

Week 2: South Carolina 47, Furman 21

South Carolina’s offensive line will need to protect quarterback Spencer Rattler in Week 3 against Georgia to have a chance. Rattler finished with over 300 passing yards against Furman.

Next game: at Georgia

9
Texas A&M Aggies

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 1-1

Week 2: Miami 48, Texas A&M 33

The good news for Texas A&M fans is that the offense looks better. The bad news is that the Aggies could not get a stop against Miami. The Hurricanes are a talented team, but they had a few special teams miscues that helped keep A&M in the game.

Next game: UL Monroe (home)

Aggies Wire

8
Auburn Tigers

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 2-0

Week 2: Auburn 14, California 10

Auburn played in the late SEC game of the week. The Tigers went on the road and defeated a decent California team. Auburn could finish in the top half of the SEC West at this rate.

Next game: Samford (home)

Auburn Wire

7
Mississippi State Bulldogs

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 2-0

Week 2: Mississippi State 31, Arizona 24 (OT)

Mississippi State needed overtime to defeat Arizona. The Bulldogs are running the ball a lot more this season. Quarterback Will Rogers will need to play well if the Bulldogs hope to upset LSU next week.

Next game: LSU (home)

6
Arkansas Razorbacks

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 2-0

Week 2: Arkansas 28, Kent State 6

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson is one of the best players in the SEC, yet the Razorback offense struggled against a weak Kent State team. There’s not a lot of separation between middle of the pack SEC teams.

Week 3: BYU (home)

Razorbacks Wire

5
Ole Miss Rebels

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 2-0

Week 2: Ole Miss 37, Tulane 20

Head coach Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss stayed aggressive against Tulane and used a big second half to win on the road. Star Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt missed the game, but Tulane is still a solid opponent.

Next game: Georgia Tech (home)

4
LSU Tigers

The Daily Advertiser

Record: 1-1

Week 2: LSU 72, Grambling 10

LSU and Alabama already have loses meaning the SEC West has a low margin of error if a team wants to emerge from that division and make the College Football Playoff. LSU knocked off Grambling a week after falling to Florida State.

Next game: at Mississippi State

LSU Wire

3
Alabama Crimson Tide

Gary Cosby Jr. -USA TODAY Sports

Record: 1-1

Week 2: Texas 34, Alabama 24

Alabama saw its home winning streak get snapped against a talented Texas team. The Crimson Tide showed some defensive issues. Additionally, Alabama starting quarterback Jalen Milroe looked uncomfortable as a passer against the Longhorns.

Next game: at USF

Roll Tide Wire

2
Tennessee Volunteers

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 2-0

Week 2: Tennessee  30, Austin Peay 13

Tennessee wore some of the ugliest jerseys college football has ever seen in Week 2. They did not play particularly well against Austin Peay, but someone has to be No. 2, right?

Week 3: at Florida

Vols Wire

1
Georgia Bulldogs

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 2-0

Week 2: Georgia 45, Ball State 3

Georgia started slowly, but overwhelmed Ball State in the second quarter. The defending SEC champions have some weaknesses, but look stronger than everyone else in the SEC.

Next game: South Carolina (home)

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