Why the Entire SEC West Division Should Not Be Ranked in Top 25
One week into the season, and the SEC is already setting records.
The new Associated Press Top 25 was released on Tuesday, and it contains a distinctly Southern flare.
Alabama jumped over TCU to the No. 2 spot behind top-ranked Ohio State, Auburn (No. 6) and Georgia (No. 10) maintained their Top 10 rankings and fresh off a 38-17 thrashing of then-No. 15 Arizona State, Texas A&M jumped from unranked to No. 16.
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As Chuck Dunlap of the SEC noted on Twitter, it's a new national record for teams from the same conference being ranked in the AP Top 25.
Is it impressive that the entire SEC West is ranked?
Sure.
It's the most balanced division in college football, and as I wrote on Monday, several of the top contenders in the West played well in big out-of-conference games that help re-establish the conference's dominance. That doesn't mean that all of its teams are worthy of top 25 slots?
No. At least, not yet.
| 1 | Ohio State | 1,525 |
| 2 | Alabama | 1,420 |
| 3 | TCU | 1,365 |
| 4 | Baylor | 1,252 |
| 5 | Michigan State | 1,198 |
| 6 | Auburn | 1,166 |
| 7 | Oregon | 1,081 |
| 8 | USC | 1,074 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 1,061 |
| 10 | Georgia | 981 |
| 11 | Florida State | 942 |
| 12 | Clemson | 862 |
| 13 | UCLA | 833 |
| 14 | LSU | 653 |
| 15 | Georgia Tech | 636 |
| 16 | Texas A&M | 629 |
| 17 | Ole Miss | 600 |
| 18 | Arkansas | 480 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 469 |
| 20 | Boise State | 279 |
| 21 | Missouri | 274 |
| 22 | Arizona | 259 |
| 23 | Tennessee | 169 |
| 24 | Utah | 137 |
| 25 | Mississippi State | 104 |
What exactly has LSU done to earn a spot?
It finished 8-5 a year ago, had its game vs. McNeese State rained out, still has major questions at quarterback, downgraded from John Chavis to Kevin Steele at defensive coordinator, lost its two best defensive ends and is slowly making the switch from the 4-3 to more of a hybrid scheme that could veer more toward a 3-4 eventually once Steele and new defensive line coach Ed Orgeron establish its identity.
Those are the exact reasons I didn't have the Tigers on my ballot on the preseason B/R Top 25 or in the Week 2 edition.
Now it has to go on the road into a hostile environment against Mississippi State with all of those questions in its first full game of the season.
What about Mississippi State?
Mississippi State struggled mightily with Southern Miss late Saturday night in Hattiesburg. Sure, the 34-16 score doesn't truly indicate how close the game was. But the Bulldogs gave up 311 passing yards, never really got their offense going and needed a seven-yard touchdown run from Dak Prescott with 5:55 to play to truly put the game away.
Is that Top 25 worthy?
Over a BYU team that won on the road over Nebraska or a West Virginia team that shut out a pretty good Georgia Southern team?
Nope.
This is a team that won 10 games last year, boasts a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Dak Prescott and clearly has a system that works under head coach Dan Mullen. Those same Bulldogs were picked to finish last in the division by the assembled members of the media at SEC media days in Hoover, Alabama, in July due in large part to the absence of returning starters along the offensive line and in the defensive front seven.
Those questions still remain after opening night, and another big one presented itself in the secondary against a Golden Eagle team that isn't exactly a juggernaut.
Don't confuse "balance" with "quality."
The teams at the bottom of the division are still good but shouldn't get a bump simply because they play in a "balanced" division.
Others did more on opening weekend to prove their worth like BYU and West Virginia and should be recognized for their work.
Mississippi State and LSU will square off Saturday night in Starkville in a matchup that is even more intriguing now thanks to the mystery of LSU, Mother Nature and Mississippi State's issues in Week 1. The loser of that game should drop out of the Top 25.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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