Realignment is still bad. It still would be nice to unwind the clock to a simpler time, with conferences that make geographic sense and keep rivalries, and it wouldn’t hurt to have the SEC on CBS theme song back or see the Jefferson Pilot logo. We’d even take the Raycom logo. Nostalgia is cool, realignment stinks.
But man, has it made Saturdays in this conference even more interesting.
Between expansion and better scheduling — goodbye, rigid division-based scheduling — there really aren’t many dead spots on SEC Saturdays. On Saturday, for instance, you could have spent the early slot flipping between LSU–South Carolina and two nonconference matchups. The late afternoon saw the latest Florida debacle, plus Oklahoma and Arkansas avoiding nonconference upsets. Then the evening featured No. 1 Georgia having to go down to the wire at Kentucky. And sprinkled in was Vanderbilt being upset, Mississippi State being blown out and Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas scoring a lot of points.
It’s going to be like this most Saturdays now, especially as conference play heats up. There are better matchups than in years past and fewer chunks of the day that look like dead time.
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Now, if only we could work on the music.
The vibes in the SEC as a whole are good. The football is good, the money is pouring in. But the vibes vary for each team. Here are this week’s rankings, with a reminder that this is not a pure ranking of how good each team is but the feelings emanating from the program, taking into account wins and losses, momentum, expectations and just generally the mood:
1. Texas (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
Beat UTSA, 56-7
GO DEEPER
With Quinn Ewers injured, Arch Manning tallies five TDs vs. UTSA
It was an easy win, and the Arch Manning era was … previewed. Coach Steve Sarkisian said on Sunday that Quinn Ewers (strained abdomen) is week to week, but everything else with the Longhorns looks so good. This team looks set to roll through the next two opponents into the Oklahoma game, which doesn’t look too strong at the moment. This very much looks like a Playoff team, the only question being how good of a seed it gets.
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has thrown six touchdown passes this season. (Randy Sartin / USA Today)2. Tennessee (3-0, 0-0)
Beat Kent State, 71-0
The Vols have outscored their first three opponents by a combined score of 170-13. I mean, c’mon. Yes, one was an FCS program, another may be the worst team in FBS, and the other was NC State, which just struggled to beat Louisiana Tech. So yes, we want to see it against much better teams, but no team in the SEC, or anywhere, has lifted its profile during the first three games.
GO DEEPER
As Alabama confirmed Playoff expectations, Wisconsin showed it’s still a long way off
Won at Wisconsin, 42-10
Jalen Milroe is in command, Ryan Williams is special, and Nick Saban may be gone, but the boa constrictor mentality — wear out teams and then pounce when given an opening — is still there. It all sets up for an early barometer game for Kalen DeBoer, home against Georgia after the bye week. So far, there’s every reason to feel optimistic, about DeBoer in general and how this season will go.
GO DEEPER
Smith: Can Alabama play to its standard against Georgia?
4. Ole Miss (3-0, 0-0)
Won at Wake Forest, 40-6
Winston-Salem isn’t exactly Baton Rouge, but playing that well on the road still matters, so we’ve seen nothing to indicate the Rebels aren’t the Playoff threat they were expected to be this year. And so far they don’t miss Quinshon Judkins, with Henry Parrish on pace for 1,400 rushing yards in the regular season. The meat of the schedule still awaits — right after what should be another waltz, at home against Georgia Southern — but for now the vibes are high.
Beat Boston College, 27-21
Mizzou seemed in some peril early, trailing 14-3. And it definitely had the most entertaining down-to-go moment of the weekend, a second-and-59, which was so ridiculous that when Nate Noel ran for 25 yards the Tigers still had 34 yards to go on third down (they didn’t get it). Otherwise, the Tigers did rally and held on, so while not the tour de force of other SEC nonconference wins, it wasn’t lucky either. It definitely looked better than the nation’s former No. 1 team …
GO DEEPER
How No. 1 Georgia survived a surprise scare at Kentucky
6. Georgia (3-0, 1-0)
Won at Kentucky, 13-12
Teachable moment, gut check, whatever you want to call it, Georgia has had these games the past few years: South Carolina last year, Missouri each of the last few years. But none of those came in the game preceding a trip to Alabama, so it’s fair to think this was either a great outcome for Kirby Smart’s purposes or a warning about what to expect in Tuscaloosa. Honestly, I’m not sure yet which it is.
GO DEEPER
After another slow start, Georgia’s need for better offense is getting real
7. Texas A&M (2-1, 1-1)
Won at Florida, 33-20
The dumpster fire at Florida gets the attention, but let’s give credit to the team that fanned the flames. Marcel Reed played well enough to create intrigue at quarterback, if not a controversy. The Aggies snapped a 10-game road losing streak and in runaway fashion. The vibes are much better than just two weeks ago.
GO DEEPER
Billy Napier doesn’t blame Florida fans for boos as his prove-it season deteriorates
8. Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0)
Beat Tulane, 34-19
So, the Sooners have had two close calls in a row, although this one was not as close as the four-pointer against Houston. Progress! But certainly that does not inspire confidence with Tennessee coming to town. Brent Venables has either girded his team for the grind of SEC play, or SEC play is about to grind the Sooners.
9. LSU (2-1, 1-0)
Won at South Carolina, 36-33
Maybe this is too harsh. Maybe any SEC road win shouldn’t be diminished, and maybe this was a sign that LSU is a good team that found a way to win on not its best day and in a tough environment. But given all the help the Tigers needed from the Gamecocks, given how far this team looks from a legitimate CFP contender, the vibes in Baton Rouge didn’t improve much.
GO DEEPER
Was LSU’s comeback against South Carolina a season-saving win?
10. Auburn (2-1, 0-0)
Beat New Mexico, 45-19
A new quarterback who throws four touchdown passes — even against a winless Mountain West team — is good enough to inject some optimism back into the fan base.
11. South Carolina (2-1, 1-1)
Lost to LSU, 36-33
Maybe it would’ve hurt more to lose in a blowout. But as painful as this all was — penalties, turnovers, losing LaNorris Sellers — a missed opportunity is better than not looking like you belong. The Gamecocks looked like they belonged, they just need some maturing, and that’s something to build on.
Lost to Georgia, 13-12
Please refer to this column for a deeper dive on the vibes in Lexington. Shorter version: It was a good rebound game for Mark Stoops and company, but there’s much more work to be done to climb out of a sense that things seem stuck in neutral.
GO DEEPER
Emerson: Mark Stoops’ mistake wasn’t punting; that came before the punt
13. Vanderbilt (2-1, 0-0)
Lost at Georgia State, 36-32
And the vibes go crashing down. We were feeling so good for you, Vanderbilt. We were believing in Diego Pavia, that Clark Lea’s plan finally was bearing fruit — and it still could. The Virginia Tech game did happen. But so did the … Georgia State game. Sigh.
14. Arkansas (2-1, 0-0)
Beat UAB, 37-27
Well, this was dicey for a while, but at least this time the Hogs finished. The feelings around this program remain uneasy, with the next two weeks — at Auburn then vs. Texas A&M in Dallas — offering a chance to climb the rankings. Or not.
15. Mississippi State (1-2, 0-0)
Lost to Toledo, 41-17
Oof. Jeff Lebby may still prove to be a good hire, but he’s not inspiring confidence at the moment. Somewhere Zac Arnett, given barely more than a year by a new athletic director who wanted his coach, is … well as it turns out Arnett is now an analyst at Ole Miss, so he full well knows how this is going.
16. Florida (1-2, 0-1)
Lost to Texas A&M, 33-20
Well, what more can you say? We all know where this is going, it’s just a matter of when and who is making the decisions, since the AD probably won’t get a third bite at the apple. The school has to find buyout money, much of it having been spent by the former president. It may be a tear-down situation in Gainesville, but that means building back up, and building is exciting. In the meantime, yeah, the vibes are rough.
(Top photo of Arch Manning: Scott Wachter / USA Today)
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Publish date : 2024-09-15 13:00:00
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