SEC Football Power Rankings: Ole Miss Makes Vandy Look Good, Alabama Clear No. 1

This week in the SEC provided a bit of clarity in a muddy SEC race.

In the East, it is all about South Carolina and Florida. In the West, there are four legitimate candidates for that crown, but Alabama is by far the class of the group.

We have Tier 1 (Clearly Awesome), which is Alabama. Period. Tier 2 (Contenders) consists of Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida, LSU, and Auburn. Tier 3 (Good, can beat anyone on a good day) is Mississippi State, Georgia, and Kentucky, Tier 4 (Needs improvement) is Tennessee and Vanderbilt, and then Tier 5 (Smack your momma bad) is Mississippi. 

Florida is getting better. That should scare the SEC. Mississippi is the worst team in the league, which should scare Houston Nutt. Kentucky is still a mystery. Everyone else has a fairly well-defined identity as of right now. 

The rankings get easier.

1. Alabama (3-0, AP No. 1—Last Week's Ranking: No. 1)

Alabama is clearly the best team in the SEC, and possibly the country. With Mark Ingram coming back and Trent Richardson establishing himself as an SEC force, they have two of the best running backs in the SEC, and the argument can be made of all time.

Dismantling Duke means much more than it used to. Duke is improved and was at home. As of right now, no one even looks close. If Alabama gets through the next three games unscathed (Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina), look for them to go undefeated.

2. South Carolina (3-0, AP No. 12—Last Week's Ranking: No. 2)

I was very tempted to move South Carolina down a spot and have Arkansas take the No. 2 position. However, South Carolina beat Georgia in a more dominant fashion, so based on common opponents, Carolina will keep the No. 2 slot.

However, the Furman game was not as big of a blowout as it should have been. Rumors abound that Steve Spurrier didn't even bother to fully game-plan the Furman game and spent time preparing for Auburn.

If that is true, then he is lucky to come out of that game with a win. Huge benchmark game against Auburn. Stephen Garcia has to shine. 

Bold statement: IF South Carolina beats Auburn, they WILL win the SEC East this year.

3. Arkansas (3-0, AP No. 10—Last Week's Ranking: No. 3)

Ryan Mallett is incredible and will be a huge NFL star. He may be the best passer in all of college football, and that makes Arkansas an incredibly dangerous team.

However, their defense is a liability. Georgia moved the ball fairly well against them after struggling against South Carolina's defense. The schedule gets much tougher now, with Alabama, Texas A&M, and Auburn on the horizon before they get a bye week...I mean, play Mississippi. They could be staring 3-3 in the face if the defense doesn't step up.

4. Florida (3-0, AP No. 9—Last Week's Ranking: No. 5)

Florida is quickly improving on offense, and if that happens, look out. Their defense may be the second best in the SEC (behind Alabama). They still aren't world-beaters, but they still have the firepower to win the East. 

South Carolina is STILL the favorite, but the Gators are creeping.

5. LSU (3-0, AP No. 15—Last Week's Ranking: No. 6)

In LSU's dismantling of a decent Mississippi State team, LSU quietly became a dark horse contender for the West. Jordan Jefferson is beginning to look like a good quarterback, and the defense is playing ferociously. 

They have yet to be tested in the SEC and won't be until October 9th against Florida. West Virginia can play though, so watch out next week.

6. Auburn (3-0, AP No. 17—Last Week's Ranking: No. 4)

Auburn slips a bit for struggling against an ACC school. They had to have a couple of miracles occur to win, which doesn't bode well for next week. Last year, South Carolina dismantled Clemson 31-17, and that is the only common opponent these guys have.

If they don't play better, South Carolina could roll them over and quickly destroy any SEC hopes. Make no mistake—this Auburn-South Carolina game is a SEASON-changing SEC game.

7. Kentucky (3-0, AP N/A—Last Week's Ranking: No. 10)

The mysterious Wildcats jump up three spots to 10 after destroying a third straight team. Do I honestly think that this team is better than Georgia or Mississippi State? Honestly? No...I don't. However, they have done exactly what they are supposed to do, and they keep on winning.

Their season begins on October 9th against Auburn, and then they have a murderers' row of games against South Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi State. If they win two of those games, this season would be magic for them and a tremendous coaching job by Joker Phillips. 

As it stands, they could still win the SEC East.

8. Georgia (1-2, AP N/A—Last Week's Ranking: No. 7)

This has to be a painful year for the Dawgs: first, getting dismantled by your border rival who you historically beat, and then getting your heart broken by Arkansas at the last second.

Georgia played very well, and Aaron Murray (after he settled down) made some good plays. The running game looks off (they carried 41 times and only got 139 yards), and the defense is pretty awful. Things will look up for this team in the near future.

9. Mississippi State (1-2, AP N/A—Last Week's Ranking: No. 8)

The Mississippi State hype train (for me) has left the building. This is a good team and will compete. The schedule from here on out gets rough. 

First, they get an angry Georgia team. I can't envision Georgia losing the first three SEC games, but Mississippi has the talent to make it happen. Then after a gimmie, they get a tough out of conference opponent in Houston. Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, and Arkansas still lurk. A six-win season will be difficult.

10. Tennessee (1-2, AP N/A—Last Week's Ranking: No. 10)

Tennessee showed some fire and ability in the first half against Florida. Then the reality set in. This isn't the Tennessee of old.

Depth is an issue. Derek Dooley is a good coach and will be able to turn this program around. It will take some time, and he needs to start recruiting top-notch talent. Tennessee may very well fall behind South Carolina and Georgia in the East for a long time.

11. Vanderbilt (1-2, AP N/A—Last Week's Ranking: No. 12)

This team showed a great deal of heart in dispatching of an SEC (albeit terrible) team. Coach Robbie Caldwell's first SEC victory was a highly emotional affair for the team.

Vandy's rushing attack kept the ball moving, and they made big plays when they needed them.

When you look at the stats, it would be a game you would assume Vandy would have lost. They were outgained, less efficient on third down, and had the ball less. Yet they somehow found a way to win. They didn't turn the ball over, which was a huge boost.

They were also playing the No. 12 team on this list.

12. Ole Miss (1-2, AP N/A—Last Week's Ranking: No. 11)

Fire Houston Nutt NOW. First of all, the Jeremiah Masoli situation really is an embarrassment to the program, and Nutt basically treated him like an NFL free agent. He admitted he addressed a need. 

Masoli should have spent a year in a crap school in a lower-level league and learned from his mistakes. Instead, Coach Nutt gave him an opportunity to atone for his sins...by playing for an SEC team? 

Red flag. I could go on an on about this guy and this team. I have never hated Ole Miss. I have no deep hatred of the school for any reason. Nutt is creating a "villain" in Ole Miss. That works for some teams—if you are winning.

It just so happens he has created a really bad football team as well.