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.
Buy Bulldogs TicketsTexas 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
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
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
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
11
Kentucky Wildcats
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
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
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)
8
Auburn Tigers
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)
7
Mississippi State Bulldogs
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
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)
5
Ole Miss Rebels
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
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
3
Alabama Crimson Tide
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
2
Tennessee Volunteers
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
1
Georgia Bulldogs
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)
