SEC Power Rankings After First Shakeup Saturday of 2015
Things got crazy in the SEC on Saturday as conference play kicked into high gear, and with it, we saw the contenders separate from the pretenders.
"Separation Saturday" saw Ole Miss hand Alabama its first home loss since 2012, LSU running back Leonard Fournette make a Heisman statement against Auburn and Georgia find its quarterback against Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks.
How does the SEC rank after the third week of the season?
Our Week 3 SEC power rankings based on resume and performance are in this slideshow.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores
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The good news is that Vanderbilt got a win in Week 3 when it topped Austin Peay, 47-7, in Nashville.
The bad news is that it might not happen much more this year.
Running back Ralph Webb is solid and the front seven is decent, but the quarterback situation for head coach Derek Mason is a mess, they are far too reckless with the football and they don't have the high end talent to compete with the SEC's big boys.
Moving forward, where are the next wins? At Middle Tennessee, perhaps, and at Houston is a long shot, but the rest of the SEC East has distanced itself from the once-competitive Commodores.
13. Arkansas Razorbacks
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Fayetteville, you have a problem.
Arkansas—once the trendy pick to not only make some noise in the SEC West, but perhaps run right through it—got run out of its own building on Saturday night by Texas Tech in a 35-24 loss. As ESPN Stats and Info noted, it's the second straight debacle after head coach Bret Bielema's crew fell to Toledo last weekend in their second home in Little Rock.
"Arkansas: 2nd straight home loss. In both games, Arkansas was double-digit favorite (-10 tonight vs Texas Tech, -22.5 last week vs Toledo)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 20, 2015"
How bad was it on Saturday? Red Raiders head coach Kliff Kingsbury sums it up quite succinctly.
"Kliff Kingsbury just said "(Bielema) just got his ass kicked." Really.
— Kurt Voigt (@Kurt_Voigt_AP) September 20, 2015"
He's not lying. Arkansas' defense looks lost, its offense lacks identity and, other than UT-Martin, it's hard to find any more wins on the schedule for the 1-2 Hogs.
12. South Carolina Gamecocks
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Through three games, South Carolina is a mess.
The defense let Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert carve them up and running back Nick Chubb run them over last night in Athens in a 52-20 loss between the hedges. The offense has been all over the place due to the injury to quarterback Connor Mitch and a remarkable absence of playmakers outside of wide receiver Pharoh Cooper.
Simply put, this looks like a lost season.
There are some bright spots, including the emergence of true freshman quarterback Lorenzo Nunez. As Booger McFarland of the SEC Network noted on Twitter, the dual-threat weapon is the Gamecocks' best option moving forward.
"S. Carolina- Nunez made some plays but they dont have a go 2 offense, defensively couldnt stop the run or pass bad combination, long yr
— Booger (@SECbooger) September 20, 2015"
That's about the only thing head coach Steve Spurrier has going for him, though. It's going to be a struggle for these Gamecocks to make a bowl game.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
11. Auburn Tigers
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The Auburn hype train has stalled.
Actually, it's come to a screeching halt, gone off the rails and is hanging dangerously near the edge of a cliff.
The 2-1 Tigers got worked 45-21 by LSU on Saturday afternoon in Baton Rouge, saw running back Leonard Fournette take their manhood and saw quarterback Jeremy Johnson struggle for the third time in as many games.
"Our guys fought back in the second, but the bottom line is we got our rear kicked," head coach Gus Malzahn said in quotes emailed by Auburn.
The absence of "Buck" Carl Lawson due to injury, the lack of dedication to a running quarterback from the coaching staff and the inability to cover in the secondary has haunted this Auburn team for three weeks, and it doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon.
10. Kentucky Wildcats
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It's been a slow build for Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, and at the quarter pole of year three, the Wildcats are certainly in the mix to make a bowl game.
They fought hard against the mighty Florida Gator defense on Saturday night in Lexington in a 14-9 loss—the first of the season for the 2-1 Cats.
"It's a constant grind to get guys to understand to do the little things right," head coach Mark Stoops said in quotes emailed by Kentucky. "They're young guys, with a lot on their plate that have given us a great effort. And they will continue to give us a great effort. So we'll get back to work and improve."
Running back Stanley "Boom" Williams is a bona fide stud, the defense is becoming more consistent and while quarterback Patrick Towles struggled about on Saturday, he has proven during his career that he can keep the team competitive.
Two steps forward, one step back for the Wildcats.
9. Missouri Tigers
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How ugly was Missouri's 9-6 win over UConn (which, incidentally, didn't feature any made field goals)?
Tiger quarterback and veteran starter Maty Mauk was benched on the final drive of the game in favor of true freshman Drew Lock.
"We just talked about it for a moment," said head coach Gary Pinkel, according to quotes released by Missouri. "We thought it was good. I thought it was good. We get gut feelings based on where we are at."
Where that is remains the problem.
Without running back Russell Hansbrough—who sat out with an ankle injury—the offense has no identity. The combination of an erratic Mauk, inexperienced wide receivers and backup running backs was nearly a recipe for disaster against the Huskies, and will be once the Tigers get into SEC play this week against Kentucky.
At this point, an SEC East three-peat looks like something straight out of the fiction section.
8. Mississippi State Bulldogs
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To say that Mississippi State recovered nicely from last week's home disappointment to LSU would be an understatement.
The Bulldogs feasted on Northwestern State 62-13 on Saturday night, as quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 227 yards, scored three total touchdowns and promptly found the bench to get the backups some much-needed work.
Head coach Dan Mullen's crew needed this.
They looked sluggish in the opener against Southern Miss, and the loss on a failed comeback attempt last week to the Tigers stung. For the first time all year, the Bulldogs looked like the upper-echelon team that was ranked No. 1 for five weeks last season.
There are still holes to fill, but the 2-1 Bulldogs are moving in the right direction.
7. Tennessee Volunteers
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Tennessee needed a rebound after last week's stunning overtime loss to Oklahoma in a game that looked like it was in hand.
That happened—in a 55-10 win over Western Carolina on Saturday night in Neyland Stadium.
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs got 144 yards and two touchdowns through the air, the running game, led by Jalen Hurd's 68 yards, looked solid and most importantly for the injury-riddled Vols, they stayed healthy.
Now the real test starts.
The Oklahoma loss stung, but this is still a Tennessee team that's capable of competing for the SEC East title if it gets over the Florida hurdle next week in Gainesville. The offense has the potential be one of the division's most dangerous units, the defense has boatloads of talent and the top of the division is packed tightly together.
Let's see what head coach Butch Jones' crew is made of this week, as they look to break the 10-year losing streak to the Gators.
6. Florida Gators
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Are you ready to jump on the Florida bandwagon yet?
Granted, it's not exactly speeding down the road, but it's at least in drive and moving forward rather than reverse.
Very quietly, quarterback Will Grier has looked pretty solid for first-year head coach Jim McElwain. The redshirt freshman has completed 68.4 percent of his passes (39-of-57) for 442 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions for the 3-0 Gators while splitting time with dual-threat sophomore Treon Harris.
In his first road start Saturday night in a 14-9 win over Kentucky, Grier managed the game well, made only one bad mistake and rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown.
All the while, the Gator defense is up to its old tricks. The Gators are second in the conference in total defense with 258 yards per game, are tied for second in the conference with six turnovers gained and pay a mortgage in the opposition's backfield.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide
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The good news is that Alabama lost to Ole Miss last year and still won the SEC title.
The bad news is that last year was last year. This isn't the same team as the 2014 Crimson Tide, and the margin for error for the remainder of the 2015 season is gone for head coach Nick Saban's crew just three games in.
The Crimson Tide committed five turnovers on Saturday night at home in the 43-37 loss to the Rebels, seemed lost at quarterback and their defense again struggled with the combination of a mobile quarterback and up-tempo offense.
"Well, this is a little disappointing," Saban said in quotes emailed by Alabama.
"We talked to players on Friday. We thought last year when we played we gave some things away, and I really don’t want to take anything away from Ole Miss. They played a really good game. But are you going to be a giver, or are you going to be a taker, and I think if you are going to be a great competitor, you’ve got to take what you want.
"
Saban has no answer at quarterback. Alabama's defense hasn't taken the steps it wanted, and there's still a long way to go for the 2-1 Crimson Tide.
4. LSU Tigers
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LSU running back Leonard Fournette is the best player in college football, period.
There isn't a close second.
The sophomore sensation for the Tigers rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns in the 45-21 win over Auburn on Saturday afternoon, and established himself as the Heisman front-runner early in the 2015 season.
"He did some things today where I said ‘wow,’" head coach Les Miles said in quotes released by LSU. "He took one of their tackles and threw him into another tackle and still came out in the other end. When you have a big back who can really move his feet, at times it can be very difficult to tackle him."
What's more, the defense looks solid and quarterback Brandon Harris is settling into the starting quarterback role nicely. If Harris can build off that and become a weapon, look out for the Tigers.
3. Georgia Bulldogs
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For the first time all season, Georgia looked like a complete team during Saturday's 52-20 win over South Carolina between the hedges.
The defense baffled head coach Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks, running back Nick Chubb topped the 100-yard mark for the 11th straight game and quarterback Greyson Lambert set an NCAA record by completing 96 percent of his passes—including his final 20 attempts.
"It feels great," Lambert said, according to quotes emailed by Georgia. "We kind of just got going pretty quickly, and I got going with three straight passes. Everybody did their role and we were able to get great execution as a team."
The Bulldogs are full steam ahead toward their showdown with Alabama on Oct. 3, and look like the best team in the SEC East at this point.
2. Texas A&M Aggies
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No, Texas A&M didn't make a statement in Week 3, so the Aggies aren't the buzz of the college football world this week.
It did in Week 1 against Arizona State, though, and has kept that momentum going through the first three weeks of the season.
Head coach Kevin Sumlin's crew is giving up 337 yards per game, has the most sacks in the country (15) and—as usual—has the offense cooking at a high level (487.7 yards per game).
The combination of a potent offense and an attacking defense is exactly what Sumlin wanted when he hired defensive coordinator John Chavis away from LSU this offseason.
If you're sleeping on the Aggies, wake up. Or defensive end Myles Garrett will do it for you.
1. Ole Miss Rebels
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Yes, Ole Miss is the best team in the SEC.
No, it's not premature.
The Rebels have been living off defense for the last couple of years, and showed the world how dangerous they could be on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa in the 43-37 win over second-ranked Alabama. No, the score doesn't indicate a defensive slugfest, but the Rebels forced five turnovers, dropped several other potential interceptions and defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche lived in the Tide backfield.
Offensively, quarterback Chad Kelly looked like a star as he tossed for 341 yards, three touchdowns and ran another in for the Rebels.
"I’m so thankful to play for a great team, great players, great coaches and great fans," Kelly said in quotes released by Ole Miss. "This is awesome. This is what you dream about."
This is as complete of a football team as there is in college football. They force turnovers, win the battle at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball (and have done so without star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil) and put pressure on opposing defenses in a variety of ways.
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.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
