JC Shurburtt's SEC Power Rankings

With that, here are the league’s power rankings based on those games.

1. Auburn- The Tigers pulled away from Arkansas in the second half for a 45-21 win Saturday after noon on the plains. Auburn has an improved passing game this season as the nation’s No. 1 junior college prospect for 2014- wide receiver D’haquille Williams- caught 9 passes for 154 yards and both Jeremy Johnson and Nick Marshall were efficient. The run game isn’t going anywhere either- Cameron Artis-Payne had 177 yards and a touchdown and Corey Grant had 87 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. Also, the Tigers’ defense under veteran coordinator Ellis Johnson made good halftime adjustments to shut the Razorbacks down and break a 21-21 tie at half.

2. Georgia- In a game that was nearly identical to Auburn’s, the Bulldogs pulled away late and topped Clemson, 45-21, in Athens. Who is going to stop Todd Gurley this season? And if Gurley is stopped or slowed, the Dawgs showed they have plenty of additional weapons at running back- led by true freshmen Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. As Johnson did for Auburn against the Razorbacks, first-year UGA defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt made excellent adjustments to keep Clemson off-balance in the second half and Georgia’s defense looks improved from a season ago.

3. Alabama- Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban seemed excited after Alabama’s 33-23 win against West Virginia at the Georgia Dome- that he and his staff have some things to work on. They do. It was a good win for Alabama that could have ended in a loss as the Mountaineers’ tempo offense was able to get some things going against the Tide defense and move the football. Alabama’s running game was dominant with T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry leading the way as we expected and first-time starting quarterback Blake Sims was solid.

4. Texas A&M- Aggies quarterback Kenny Hill set a school record with 511 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 52-28 win at South Carolina on Thursday night. Texas A&M has so many weapons on offense- a great offensive line, a stable of receivers, three good backs- the question was at signal caller and Hill definitely answered those questions. He gets the ball out so quick and is extremely accurate. Looking down the road a bit, if West Virginia was able to give Alabama that much trouble, what are the Aggies going to be able to do?

5. Mississippi State- Sometimes when there is hype surrounding a team, they come out and play a little flat. That wasn’t the case with the Bulldogs as they dominated Southern Miss from start to finish in a 49-0 win in Starkville. Quarterback Dak Prescott was efficient, completing 18-of-26 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns. Granted, the Golden Eagles aren’t the Golden Eagles of yore, but this was still an impressive win.

6. LSU- It seems like the Tigers perhaps should be higher after rallying from 24-7 down to top Wisconsin, 28-24, in Houston, but it’s tough to rank them ahead of the five in front of them. And what if the Badgers had had any passing game to speak of? Kenny Hilliard, who was the forgotten man among the Tigers’ running backs heading into this season- and the veteran saved the day with 110 yards on 18 carries and the game-winning touchdown.

7. Ole Miss- Just like LSU, it feels like the Rebels should be higher (good grief the SEC West is a bloodbath this year!) because they were impressive, particularly on defense, in a 35-13 win against Boise State at the Georgia Dome on Thursday night. If quarterback Bo Wallace can play like he played in the second half (four touchdown passes) for the entire season, then Ole Miss is going to win a lot of games. Its defense is stout as many of the young, talented players on that side of the ball from the 2013 recruiting class are coming into their own.

8. Tennessee- Speaking of young players coming into their own, Butch Jones had his inexperienced team ready to play on Sunday night as the Vols rolled over Utah State, 38-7, in Knoxville. Quarterback Justin Worley (who seemed more mobile Sunday night than he has in the past) was efficient, hitting 27-of-38 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns. The Vols defense was a bigger story, holding the Aggies to 244 yards of total offense. This team has a tough schedule, but the talent is there to surprise.

9. South Carolina- The Gamecocks were the preseason media pick to win the SEC East and probably are better than they showed on Thursday night. Still, this isn’t just a case of a team not showing up in a game or being overconfident. If you watched, even in the second half South Carolina’s players on offense were playing with effort and toughness to try to get back in the game. This was a situation where the talent was lacking to stop a talented offensive football team on defense. If the Gamecocks can improve on that side, they certainly can get back on track.

10. Florida- It’s tough to rank Florida any higher than No. 10 because the Gators’ game with Idaho was cancelled. We will know more next week.

11. Kentucky- Granted, it was Tennessee-Martin, but there were some signs that the Wildcats are improved, particularly on offense, during their 59-14 victory. Quarterback Patrick Towles definitely can throw the ball (377 yards and a touchdown), but he also has some wheels- averaging 10 yards per carry. UK also has depth at running back- Braylon Heard, Mikel Horton, Stanley Williams, Josh Clemons and JoJo Kemp all are experienced and have talent.??

12. Arkansas- If the Razorbacks were in the SEC East, they could make a bowl and perhaps finish in the top three of the division. In the first half, they gave Auburn all it wanted, forcing a 21-21 tie before fading in the second. This is still a young team, but it’s a young team with a chance this year, particularly on offense. The jury is out on the defense, but quite honestly a lot of teams are going to give up big numbers to Auburn this year.

13. Missouri- The Tigers pulled away from FCS foe South Dakota State in the second half behind Russell Hansbrough and Maty Mauk. While a win is a win, some of the concerns on both sides of the ball heading into this season were evident. Missouri has a few games to tune up before conference play and should move back up.

14. Vanderbilt- There isn’t much you can say after a 37-7, turnover-plagued home loss to Temple to open the season and the era of first-year head coach Derek Mason. There’s nowhere to go but up. Ole Miss comes to town this week and that game will be a measuring stick of week-to-week improvement.