Rethinking the SEC Power Rankings After Week 1

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer)

What a difference a week makes. Some teams met expectation. Some surpassed them and some failed to meet expectations.

Based on what the teams put out there on the field this week here are the movers up and down and here's who's ranked by results in each division.

SEC East

South Carolina

South Carolina won as they were expected to, but looked better doing it against a better opponent than anyone else in the West who played creme puffs.

Their stock rose this week and they looked like a complete team on offense and defense.

The 41-13 win surpassed expectations.

Georgia

Georgia won as they were expected to, but looked better doing it. Although Louisiana Lafayette is not a quality opponent by most standards, the 'Dogs still showed few flaws.

Their stock rose this week as the offense looked great even without wideout sensation AJ Greene and the defense looked midseason great.

The 55-7 win surpassed expectations. 

Kentucky

Kentucky won as they were expected to and that's about it. However, Louisville would not make the creme puff schedule that most SEC teams played today.

Their stock stayed about the same and they looked like an average SEC team beat that beat an average out-of-conference opponent.

The 23-16 win met expectations.

Florida

The Gators won the game as expected but looked terrible doing it on offense. They were in a fight with a team that is in the creme puff category.

Their stock tumbled and they actually looked like a below-average SEC team against a lowly team. While the defense looked like a typical SEC defense against a lesser team, the offense looked sluggish and sloppy despite the great talent on it.

The 34-12 win sounded much better than it looked and failed to meet expectations. But the big plays from the big playmakers keep their power ranking ahead of Tennessee and Vanderbilt. 

Tennessee

The Volunteers won the game as expected and looked good doing it, but Tennessee Martin, their opponent, could be beaten by a few good high school teams.

Their stock stayed about the same as beating this team answered few questions. However, the offense looked crisp and the defense made no mistakes to speak of.

The 50-0 win met expectations and pretty much went as it should have.

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt lost the game as expected, but looked much better doing it than most had thought. Although it's hard to raise power rankings with a loss, they are in fact more highly rated now because of such a valiant effort.

Their stock rose and now teams know that you'd better take them seriously. Once the defense got their feet under them, they played well, and if the offense could just get going, this team could surprise a few teams.

The 23-21 loss surpassed almost all expectations of how well they would look.

SEC West 

Alabama

The Crimson Tide won the game as expected and, apart from just a few hiccups, looked great doing it. Although San Jose State was not a true, quality opponent, Alabama did beat the spread and answer some important questions about the secondary.

Their stock rose with a dominant defensive showing and they looked like the champions that they are. The backups shined as the insiders thought they would and they looked like a team ready to make a case for repeating.

The 48-3 victory beat the spread. The play of the team as a whole, first, second and third strings surpassed most expectations.

Arkansas

The Razorbacks won the game as expected, but the defense caused the overall needle to move over into the exceeded expectations category. Ryan Mallet shined as expected.

Their stock rose due to a good showing from the defense as well as the mediocre play of LSU who many thought might be the real rival to Alabama. That may shift even more to Arkansas now.

The 44-3 win was about what everyone thought would happen, but the defense did better than expected. 

Auburn

The Cam Newton era has begun and his play surpassed expectations and helped Auburn maintain their ranking in the SEC West. The offense did better than expected and the defense did much worse than expected. So in the end, they canceled each other out and Auburn simply met expectations.

For now their stock is unchanged and they did about as well as they were supposed to do.

The 52-26 win did double the opponent's score, but Arkansas State is not a good team and little was proved with the win. The defense was left with egg on their face. They did, however, meet general expectations. 

Mississippi State

Dan Mullen has finally pumped life into the Bulldog offense and, combined with the usual tough State defense, they far surpassed expectations against a team that's better than most realize.

Their stock is on the rise and Auburn could soon fall behind these happening hounds.

The 48-7 win far surpassed expectations and raised their stock greatly. State could make some noise this year and, if Mullen can get recruiting going, they could be a power for the upper teams in the SEC to worry about. 

LSU

LSU looked good as expected against a majorly depleted UNC Tar Heel team, but failed to finish them off. If not for two dropped passes by UNC in the closing seconds, LSU could have lost. They failed to meet expectations and now have questions.

Their stock is dropping until they find the answers to those questions being asked.

The 30-24 win was a win that almost wasn't. It was nowhere near what most expected with all those UNC players not playing. The offense failed to meet expectations in the second half and the defense crumbled as the game went on. Nobody expected them to be the lowest rated winning team in the SEC West after today. 

Ole Miss

What a difference a year makes. Last year many picked them to win the West. Now they're at the bottom. To say they failed to meet expectations is a huge understatement.

Their stock at this point is all but worthless as the bottom fell out of it with this loss to a lesser division opponent.

The 49-48 loss was not just unexpected but a stunning shock to everyone in the football world. If they don't find some answers to all the problems that got shown today, they could be a laughing stock.