Power ranking the SEC teams after Week 1 of the college football season
That’s a wrap on Week 1, at least when it comes to league teams.
The SEC nearly reached perfection in the first week of the college football season, but its 13-0 record was spoiled in the league’s final game of the week as LSU disappointed in Brian Kelly’s debut, falling to Florida State 24-23.
Elsewhere in the league, it was a relatively ho-hum week with most teams facing Group of Five or FCS opponents. There were exceptions though, and it was a bad week to be a Pac-12 team. Florida stunned No. 7 Utah in the Swamp, while No. 3 Georgia brutalized No. 11 Oregon to the tune of a 49-3 beatdown in Atlanta.
No. 19 Arkansas also got a huge win against No. 23 Cincinnati, who is coming off an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
With the first week of the season in the books, here’s how our SEC power rankings have changed.
Vanderbilt Commodores (2-0)
Syndication: The Tennessean
Previous Ranking: 14
Week 1 Result: 42-31 win vs. Elon
The Skinny: After an impressive opening win vs. Hawaii, Vandy looked a lot more like Vandy this week. Credit to Mike Wright, who scored a school-record six touchdowns, but there’s a lot to work on defensively after the Commodores were outgained by Elon, allowing 495 yards of offense.
Missouri Tigers (1-0)
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 13
Week 1 Result: 52-24 win vs. Louisiana Tech
The Skinny: Missouri took care of business in its opener against a solid G5 team, so props to coach Eli Drinkwitz for that. The passing game still looks shaky, but the Tigers ran for 323 yards and five touchdowns in the first game without Tyler Badie. Like Vandy, there’s a lot to clean up on defense here.
LSU Tigers (0-1)
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 8
Week 1 Result: 24-23 loss vs. Florida State
The Skinny: It was essentially Murphy’s Law for the Tigers in the season-opener until the fourth quarter, but a late comeback wasn’t enough to get the win. The run game with [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] worked (most of the time) but LSU didn’t take advantage of its talent advantage at receiver. The offensive line struggled and the defense disappointed. It could be a rough year if things don’t improve quickly.
South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0)
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 12
Week 1 Result: 35-14 win vs. Georgia State
The Skinny: The Gamecocks got some dark-horse hype this offseason, but that may have been jumping the gun. Their opener against the Panthers was just a 12-7 game at halftime, and though South Carolina pulled away, it was a disappointing debut for transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler, who threw two picks.
Auburn Tigers (1-0)
Syndication: The Montgomery Advertiser
Previous Ranking: 11
Week 1 Result: 42-16 win vs. Mercer
The Skinny: After the most troubled offseason in the Power Five, Auburn looked good in its season-opener. We may have a quarterback controversy, as TJ Finley threw two interceptions but was later replaced by Oregon transfer Robby Ashford, who looked promising.
Ole Miss Rebels (1-0)
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 7
Week 1 Result: 28-10 win vs. Troy
The Skinny: We wondered how the Rebels would look on offense without Matt Corral, and the answer was “different.” The running game led by transfer Zach Evans looked great, but Jaxon Dart had a less electric debut at quarterback. It was a bit of a disappointing opener for a team with decently high expectations.
Kentucky Wildcats (1-0)
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 5
Week 1 Result: 37-13 win vs. Miami (Ohio)
The Skinny: Like Ole Miss, Kentucky’s opener was a bit of a disappointment. The offensive line struggled, and the running game clearly missed Chris Rodriguez Jr., who is also suspended for next week’s SEC opener against Florida. At least Will Levis looked pretty sharp passing the ball, and the defense played well.
Mississippi State (1-0)
Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 10
Week 1 Result: 49-23 win vs. Memphis
The Skinny: The Bulldogs avenged a loss to the Tigers from last season with an emphatic win on Saturday night despite a lengthy weather delay taking it into the early morning hours. Will Rogers picked up where he left off last season with a 450-yard, five-touchdown night through the air. MSU will once again be a tough out in the SEC thanks to one of the best passing games in the country.
Texas A&M (1-0)
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 4
Week 1 Result: 31-0 win vs. Sam Houston State
The Skinny: It’s hard to find any fault with the Aggies defense after blanking an FCS opponent on Saturday. The offense… not so much. Haynes King’s return from injury could have gone better as he threw two interceptions. The running game was also unimpressive in the first game since Isaiah Spiller was drafted. This just didn’t look like a team ready to compete in the West, though there’s obviously room to improve.
Tennessee Volunteers (1-0)
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 6
Week 1 Result: 59-10 win vs. Ball State
The Skinny: There really isn’t much to say about this game. Tennessee looked as good as we would’ve hoped against an inferior opponent on Thursday night, and the passing game doesn’t seem to have skipped a beat in 2022. This team faces its first real test next week when it travels to face Pittsburgh on the road.
Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0)
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 3
Week 1 Result: 31-24 win vs. Cincinnati
The Skinny: How about them Hogs? No one knew exactly what to expect from Arkansas after a breakout season, but the answer was a stellar performance in Week 1. Was it perfect? No. But Sam Pittman’s team took down a squad that made the CFP last year, and the offense led by veteran quarterback KJ Jefferson delivered a gem. The Razorbacks have a brutal schedule this fall,but they’re off to a great start.
Florida Gators (1-0)
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 9
Week 1 Result: 29-26 win vs. Utah
The Skinny: Is this one an overreaction? Almost certainly. But hey, everybody gets one. It’s hard to overstate how impressive the Gators’ performance in Billy Napier’s debut was. Utah is a physical and extremely balanced football team, and this was a nightmarish first draw for UF. In spite of that, Napier already has a top-10 win one game into his tenure. This team has holes, but superstar quarterback Anthony Richardson sure does a good job of masking them.
Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 2
Week 1 Result: 49-3 win vs. Oregon
The Skinny: Anyone hoping for a dropoff in Athens after the Bulldogs saw a record 15 players drafted was sorely disappointed. Georgia is already in midseason form after absolutely dominating the Ducks in former defensive coordinator Dan Lanning’s coaching debut. Stetson Bennett IV threw for a career-high 368 yards, and if he’s clicking in the passing game, this should be a CFP team once again.
Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)
Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images
Previous Ranking: 1
Week 1 Result: 55-0 win vs. Utah State
The Skinny: This one was never in doubt, and the defending Mountain West champs showed no signs of life against the best team in the country. Bryce Young scored six total touchdowns, setting an Alabama season-opener record, and the defense held the Aggies to just 136 yards of offense. Not much more you can hope for than that.
