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What a spectacular opening week for college football and the SEC! 12 out of the conference’s 14 (for now) teams won their opening game and set the bar to its usual height (somewhere up in the stratosphere.
Remember that power rankings are different from poll rankings, as recent performance (i.e grades) and momentum have far more weight than in the AP Poll.
The Dawgs turned heads Saturday night when they held Clemson to a piddly three points in an old-school 10-3 win that broke the ceiling wide open for their season. Only Alabama stands in the way of this freight train now that they’ve beaten one of the Big Two. Grade: A+
Most teams show rust in their opener and schedule an easy game to avoid 0-1 at all costs, especially if they have a lot of new faces on the roster. Nick Saban has other ideas, however, like taking on top-15 Miami in the Georgia Dome for Week 1. Tide rolled 44-13. How do they do it? Grade: A+
The Aggies started off slow but soon ran away with this one. They better stay focused on the present and not on Game 6 vs Alabama or they might pay dearly. Still, the new quarterback got them to 41 points. Grade: B+
The Rebels pancaked UofL with 43 points in the Georgia Dome on Monday Night Football (College Edition) for an impressive opening win. While most expected Ole Miss to be the superior team, they showcased their offensive firepower with the first of what will probably be several 40-burgers. What more could your quarantining coach ask for? Grade: A
The Gators eased into this one and flicked away FAU 35-14. Not a dominant beatdown, but nothing to nitpick at either. Grade: B+
Skeptics and critics of the Wildcats always dismiss Kentucky hype with “They can’t throw the ball.” Well, now they can throw the ball...for 419 yards and 4 touchdowns. Alabama threw for 354 yards and 4 touchdowns against Miami. Sure Kentucky was playing UL Monroe, but their 45-10 win should be a warning for the league to watch out. Grade: A
We still don’t know whether Auburn will be good this year but they still can whoop Akron by 50, so they get an ‘A’ for the 60-burger. Grade: A
8. LSU Tigers
Tsk, tsk. This isn’t where a recent SEC champion belongs, only two years removed from a title but 0-1 to a Pac-12 school. You fought hard in Pasadena and UCLA looks pretty strong right now, but you’re going to have to swim or sink when SEC West play starts. Grade: C
Mizzou struggled mightily against the Chippewas before getting the 10-point victory. That won’t cut it next week at Kroger Field. Grade: C
For a while this grade looked like it would be ugly but the Hogs turned it on late to win by 21. That’s good for a B. Grade: B
Shutouts get you extra credit, even against the FCS. You probably won’t get many of these (if any more at all) this season, but you’re in the A-range, Gamecocks, and get to just barely leap over Tennessee. Grade: A-
Not the most impressive start but still a 32-point whipping. To be honest I’m kind of impressed. Grade: A-
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Now we bring down the hammer. Bulldogs that was an impressive comeback but you almost got in a heap of trouble against Louisiana Tech. The only reason you aren’t 0-1 with an F and a flaming Mike Leach hot seat is because their kicker bungled his kick from a very manageable range. NC State won’t make the same mistake next week. Grade: D
Splutter-cough-gag! This was the worst SEC loss I have ever seen! I mean a twenty point loss to an FCS team!!! I can’t even give them an ‘F’: I need to go down to ‘G’ or ‘H’ or something—a ‘Z’? When you hit rock bottom there’s nowhere to go but up, but man I didn’t think that pit went all the way down to the earth’s core.
But don’t give up hope, Vandy fans! YOU GET TO PLAY UCONN OCT. 2! I’ll tell you what—put this game in the past, beat Uconn, and I’ll give you an ‘A’ for perseverance. Grade: F-