The polls are out, and lo and behold, five—count 'em, five—SEC teams are in the top 10.
Congrats SEC fans. Anyone here surprised?
It's the new recipe for success. Play cupcakes the first three weeks, and you too can get some unfounded respect from pollsters who still don't understand the concept of diligent evaluation.
Georgia is No. 3 and probably deserves to be in the top 10 based on the way they finished last year. But do they deserve it this year more than some other teams? Maybe. Maybe not.
Florida is No. 5, and while the Gators look to be a very good team, so far they haven't played to their potential and don't look like they are title-bound yet.
LSU is at No. 6 and should get the benefit of the doubt because dang it, they are the defending champs and should be No. 1 until they are beaten. The Tigers have the best claim as to why they should be No. 1 this early in the season and before conference play.
Alabama at No. 9 is a bit puzzling. They beat an obviously over-hyped Clemson team but somehow got boosted by it. Sure, we were all impressed with the Week One effort, but after that game, what did they do?
The Tide struggled to put away a Tulane team. Maybe it was the hangover effect, but still—Tulane? They did beat Western Kentucky 41-7, but again, a second team that offers little competition is offered up on a platter and the Tide is rewarded.
Auburn at No. 10 is the biggest surprise. Who are we kidding? This team lacks offensive firepower and will lose to LSU this weekend. Big.
The Auburn Tigers played Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss and didn't do a great job of selling either win. Their pathetic 3-2 score against Mississippi State was even more underwhelming.
Tommy Tuberville called it a great defensive battle, but anyone who watched that game will tell you otherwise—it was an exercise in offensive futility. Yet they were rewarded with a top 10 ranking.
SEC fans will point to their tough conference as the reason why they get so much respect—but except for Auburn, none have played another SEC team so far.
So what does their tough conference have to do with this? They have played cupcakes so far and are getting rewarded more than they should.
SEC fans will also point out that these five teams are undefeated, so they deserve that lofty status. Really? More than some other teams?
Penn State is undefeated and has destroyed every team in its path. Sure, they played some cupcakes, but which is more impressive—beating Tulane 20-6, or Oregon State 45-14? Beating Western Kentucky 41-7, or Syracuse 55-13?
The Nits, by the way, are No. 16, behind No. 13 Ohio State.
BYU has beaten Northern Iowa 41-17, Washington 28-27, and UCLA 59-0. That last loss is particularly interesting because an SEC team, Tennessee, lost to the Bruins in Week One, even though the Bruins did everything possible to hand them the game.
But once again, the pollsters put the Cougars at No. 14, behind Ohio State.
The Oregon Ducks are 3-0, beating Washington 44-10, Utah State 66-24, and Purdue, on the road, 32-26 in OT. Just curious, but if an SEC team had beaten Washington, Utah State, and Purdue, where would they have been ranked?
No. 1? Probably.
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