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SEC Hierarchy - Week 1
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:20 pm
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:20 pm
1. Florida - true there was nothing to that game to indicate what level Florida is playing at, but they are the unanimously proclaimed best team in the SEC right now and will stay there until there is proof they should be unseated.
2. Alabama - Alabama looked very dominant and deserving of a No.2 ranking. The defense looked to be just as good as their preseason billing and the offense did exactly what they needed to in order to win. Mark Ingram was a beast running the ball and Greg MeElroy is perhaps an upgrade over JPW. However, the team seems to lack discipline as evident by a few incredibly stupid penalties and I have to worry about what will happen to the passing game if Julio is double-covered all season.
3. LSU - this may be too steep of a ranking for LSU given their performance, but there is a huge drop-off after Florida and Alabama. Jefferson appeared to be the third-best QB that everyone imagined he would be and the WRs look great. I was especially pleased with the development of Toliver. The defense under-performed, which is hopefully not telling of the rest of the season, but if the D-Line can get more pressure from here on out, as well as maintain their containments, we have the talent in the secondary to keep WRs covered.
4. Ole Miss - The team struggled for much of the game, and Snead's 2 interceptions were killer for the team. However, the defense looked very very good and Snead made the throws he needed to in order to not only win, but inflate the score. The question for the rest of the season will be if Snead is, in fact, going to be able to match his 2008 production, Greg Hardy staying healthy, and having to cope with not having a week off for the rest of the season.
5. Georgia - this is a team in need of some help. Joe Cox seems that he will be hard-pressed to see the success Matt Flynn saw after replacing a No.1 pick. Georgia could not seem to get anything going on offense at all and the loss of Sturdivant yet again gives them problems on the O-Line yet again. They played uninspired against OKST and I have to wonder if it is a sign of things to come.
6. South Carolina - the defense was lights-out in this game, but in a conference that places such a heavy priority on stopping other teams, South Carolina's stalwart offense is going to be a huge concern if they can't correct the issue. They were not at all impressive in this game.
7. Auburn
8. Tennessee
9-12. Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State
2. Alabama - Alabama looked very dominant and deserving of a No.2 ranking. The defense looked to be just as good as their preseason billing and the offense did exactly what they needed to in order to win. Mark Ingram was a beast running the ball and Greg MeElroy is perhaps an upgrade over JPW. However, the team seems to lack discipline as evident by a few incredibly stupid penalties and I have to worry about what will happen to the passing game if Julio is double-covered all season.
3. LSU - this may be too steep of a ranking for LSU given their performance, but there is a huge drop-off after Florida and Alabama. Jefferson appeared to be the third-best QB that everyone imagined he would be and the WRs look great. I was especially pleased with the development of Toliver. The defense under-performed, which is hopefully not telling of the rest of the season, but if the D-Line can get more pressure from here on out, as well as maintain their containments, we have the talent in the secondary to keep WRs covered.
4. Ole Miss - The team struggled for much of the game, and Snead's 2 interceptions were killer for the team. However, the defense looked very very good and Snead made the throws he needed to in order to not only win, but inflate the score. The question for the rest of the season will be if Snead is, in fact, going to be able to match his 2008 production, Greg Hardy staying healthy, and having to cope with not having a week off for the rest of the season.
5. Georgia - this is a team in need of some help. Joe Cox seems that he will be hard-pressed to see the success Matt Flynn saw after replacing a No.1 pick. Georgia could not seem to get anything going on offense at all and the loss of Sturdivant yet again gives them problems on the O-Line yet again. They played uninspired against OKST and I have to wonder if it is a sign of things to come.
6. South Carolina - the defense was lights-out in this game, but in a conference that places such a heavy priority on stopping other teams, South Carolina's stalwart offense is going to be a huge concern if they can't correct the issue. They were not at all impressive in this game.
7. Auburn
8. Tennessee
9-12. Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State
5
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:22 pm to chilge1
Georgia @5? they are the only teamin the conference with loss..
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:24 pm to TT9
So you're going to penalize them for having a tough-as-nails schedule? Doesn't make much sense to dock them for playing OKST when everyone else was paired up with I-AA schools.
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:25 pm to chilge1
not bad
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:27 pm to chilge1
USC(E) > AU 
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:31 pm to Billy Mays
It doesn't matter who they played, they lost. Noway are they right now better than teams that won their opening game handily.
If teams are penalized for playing weak opponents, why do you have Florida so high? They played the weakest opponent of ALL the SEC teams.
1. Alabama
2. Ole Miss
3. Florida
4-6 Arky,LSU,Tenn
Everyone else
Based off of performance.
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:33 pm to bcshog
quote:
If teams are penalized for playing weak opponents, why do you have Florida so high?
Although I agree with what you are saying, I would have a very hard time moving Florida down from 1 until they lose.
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:35 pm to bcshog
quote:
It doesn't matter who they played, they lost. Noway are they right now better than teams that won their opening game handily
So you're prepared to say that Georgia is the worst team in the SEC...
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:36 pm to chilge1
I can sorta a little bit agree but I would still have LSU behind Ole Miss. Although I feel there a bit of homerism by ranking them that high.
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:37 pm to LSU Tiger 216
True 216, hard to move them down without a loss, when they started out high to begin, which is why I don't like preseason ratings, actually I don't think there should be any rankings until after week 3 then take a look at everyone and their performances so far and rate them with no preconceived notions. Ok, well we all know there would be preconceived notions, but it wouldn't be the same thing.
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:37 pm to bcshog
I like ESPN's better. They are the "Experts"
1. Florida: The Gators could have named their score against Charleston Southern. They would have won this game by four or five touchdowns playing all second and third-teamers. A handful of defensive starters were held out of the game, so maybe that explains why the Gators weren’t especially sharp on that side of the ball. They’re still the class of the league.
2. Alabama: What a tough, gutsy performance by Alabama in the fourth quarter of its 34-24 win over Virginia Tech. The Crimson Tide were anything but polished, but they got it done when it counted against a Top 10 team. This defense might be better than the one last year, and you could see quarterback Greg McElroy coming into his own in that decisive fourth quarter.
3. Ole Miss: The Rebels drop a spot despite winning by 31 points on the road against Memphis. The 45-14 final score was deceiving. Ole Miss only led 17-7 going into the fourth quarter, and one of those touchdowns was a defensive score. The way the Rebels finished the game was encouraging and so was their defensive performance. It sounds like some of the Ole Miss players might have been battling flu-like symptoms during the game.
4. Arkansas: The Hogs make the biggest move this week, thanks in part to how impressive they were offensively in the opener and the fact that LSU wasn’t very impressive at all. Arkansas has a week off before Georgia comes to town on Sept. 19, but this definitely appears to be a team on the move in Bobby Petrino’s second season in Fayetteville.
5. LSU: Those cross-country trips always take their toll, and you wonder how LSU might be affected this coming weekend against Vanderbilt. Give the Tigers credit for hanging in there in the Pacific Northwest and doing just enough to beat a Washington team that was 0-12 last season. But allowing 478 yards of total offense and 25 first downs is not the way the LSU defense wanted to start this season.
6. Georgia: It’s tempting to drop the Bulldogs even more. At least offensively, they didn’t look like an upper-tier SEC team last Saturday against an Oklahoma State defense that was ravaged all season a year ago. But they did face a real opponent and showed signs of improvement on defense from a year ago. They get a chance for redemption this weekend against South Carolina.
7. South Carolina: The Gamecocks probably deserve to be a few spots higher. They went on the road and won, keeping North Carolina State out of the end zone, and the young talent on their defense is really impressive. But what in the name of the Head Ball Coach is wrong with that offense? Maybe it was just the first-game jitters, but this defense needs some help if South Carolina is going to win eight or nine games this season.
8. Tennessee: Tennessee’s the toughest team to rank this week. The Vols looked like a different bunch last weekend under Lane Kiffin in a 63-7 trouncing of Western Kentucky. Then you consider the opponent, and as Kiffin himself said, let’s hold off before we declare the Vols a bona fide contender just yet. We’ll know more after UCLA comes to town this weekend. You gotta like the freshmen on this team.
9. Auburn: Louisiana Tech was a dangerous team and led early, but Auburn showed its muscle in the second half. There were a lot of things to be happy about on the Plains. Quarterback Chris Todd appears healthy again. The running game has some diversity to it, and the defense is good enough to keep the Tigers in just about every game they play. There’s still no getting around the lack of depth.
10. Vanderbilt: Like a lot of teams in the SEC last weekend, Vanderbilt rolled it up against a team that had absolutely no prayer. Western Carolina was woefully outmanned. Still, the Commodores unleashed freshman running backs Zac Stacy and Warren Norman, and their defense is legit. Don’t count Vanderbilt out on the Bayou, especially if LSU doesn’t play any better than it did at Washington.
11. Kentucky: The Wildcats will get their chance later this month to prove they should be ranked higher. There were a lot of things to like about their season-opening 42-0 win over Miami (Ohio). Mike Hartline was more polished as a passer. Junior college newcomer Chris Matthews is the real deal at receiver, and the new faces on defense stepped up. Kentucky is off this weekend before taking on Louisville in two weeks.
12. Mississippi State: It took the Bulldogs a while to get started against Jackson State, but they finished the game with a flurry. Senior running back Anthony Dixon didn’t play, and they still won easily. Freshman receiver Chad Bumphis had a pair of touchdown catches, and it looks like Dan Mullen will continue with the two quarterbacks. The real season starts this Saturday at Auburn.
LINK
1. Florida: The Gators could have named their score against Charleston Southern. They would have won this game by four or five touchdowns playing all second and third-teamers. A handful of defensive starters were held out of the game, so maybe that explains why the Gators weren’t especially sharp on that side of the ball. They’re still the class of the league.
2. Alabama: What a tough, gutsy performance by Alabama in the fourth quarter of its 34-24 win over Virginia Tech. The Crimson Tide were anything but polished, but they got it done when it counted against a Top 10 team. This defense might be better than the one last year, and you could see quarterback Greg McElroy coming into his own in that decisive fourth quarter.
3. Ole Miss: The Rebels drop a spot despite winning by 31 points on the road against Memphis. The 45-14 final score was deceiving. Ole Miss only led 17-7 going into the fourth quarter, and one of those touchdowns was a defensive score. The way the Rebels finished the game was encouraging and so was their defensive performance. It sounds like some of the Ole Miss players might have been battling flu-like symptoms during the game.
4. Arkansas: The Hogs make the biggest move this week, thanks in part to how impressive they were offensively in the opener and the fact that LSU wasn’t very impressive at all. Arkansas has a week off before Georgia comes to town on Sept. 19, but this definitely appears to be a team on the move in Bobby Petrino’s second season in Fayetteville.
5. LSU: Those cross-country trips always take their toll, and you wonder how LSU might be affected this coming weekend against Vanderbilt. Give the Tigers credit for hanging in there in the Pacific Northwest and doing just enough to beat a Washington team that was 0-12 last season. But allowing 478 yards of total offense and 25 first downs is not the way the LSU defense wanted to start this season.
6. Georgia: It’s tempting to drop the Bulldogs even more. At least offensively, they didn’t look like an upper-tier SEC team last Saturday against an Oklahoma State defense that was ravaged all season a year ago. But they did face a real opponent and showed signs of improvement on defense from a year ago. They get a chance for redemption this weekend against South Carolina.
7. South Carolina: The Gamecocks probably deserve to be a few spots higher. They went on the road and won, keeping North Carolina State out of the end zone, and the young talent on their defense is really impressive. But what in the name of the Head Ball Coach is wrong with that offense? Maybe it was just the first-game jitters, but this defense needs some help if South Carolina is going to win eight or nine games this season.
8. Tennessee: Tennessee’s the toughest team to rank this week. The Vols looked like a different bunch last weekend under Lane Kiffin in a 63-7 trouncing of Western Kentucky. Then you consider the opponent, and as Kiffin himself said, let’s hold off before we declare the Vols a bona fide contender just yet. We’ll know more after UCLA comes to town this weekend. You gotta like the freshmen on this team.
9. Auburn: Louisiana Tech was a dangerous team and led early, but Auburn showed its muscle in the second half. There were a lot of things to be happy about on the Plains. Quarterback Chris Todd appears healthy again. The running game has some diversity to it, and the defense is good enough to keep the Tigers in just about every game they play. There’s still no getting around the lack of depth.
10. Vanderbilt: Like a lot of teams in the SEC last weekend, Vanderbilt rolled it up against a team that had absolutely no prayer. Western Carolina was woefully outmanned. Still, the Commodores unleashed freshman running backs Zac Stacy and Warren Norman, and their defense is legit. Don’t count Vanderbilt out on the Bayou, especially if LSU doesn’t play any better than it did at Washington.
11. Kentucky: The Wildcats will get their chance later this month to prove they should be ranked higher. There were a lot of things to like about their season-opening 42-0 win over Miami (Ohio). Mike Hartline was more polished as a passer. Junior college newcomer Chris Matthews is the real deal at receiver, and the new faces on defense stepped up. Kentucky is off this weekend before taking on Louisville in two weeks.
12. Mississippi State: It took the Bulldogs a while to get started against Jackson State, but they finished the game with a flurry. Senior running back Anthony Dixon didn’t play, and they still won easily. Freshman receiver Chad Bumphis had a pair of touchdown catches, and it looks like Dan Mullen will continue with the two quarterbacks. The real season starts this Saturday at Auburn.
LINK
This post was edited on 9/9/09 at 1:38 pm
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:39 pm to chilge1
quote:
So you're prepared to say that Georgia is the worst team in the SEC...
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:39 pm to LSU Slacker
I would put Ole Miss ahead of LSU, maybe knock USC down a spot or 2.
I'm ok with UGA @ 5 because their defense played well against a high powered OK St team.
I'm ok with UGA @ 5 because their defense played well against a high powered OK St team.
This post was edited on 9/9/09 at 1:42 pm
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:39 pm to bcshog
quote:
well we all know there would be preconceived notions
I would enjoy this too. The preconceived notions might disappear a little bit more each week and we might come up with more realistic and unbiased rankings.
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:41 pm to King
Worst team in the SEC? No of course I wouldn't call UGA the worst team in the SEC, but I would put them in the lower half right now, which is exactly where I have them. At this time I make no distinction between 7-12. Obviously that will change as the season progresses, but at this time I don't see UGA being any better or worse than 5 other SEC programs.
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:42 pm to chilge1
quote:
I have to worry about what will happen to the passing game if Julio is double-covered all season.
Well, I think we saw a glimps at that already.
Hanks/Maze
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:43 pm to Alabamya
quote:
Maze
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:45 pm to bcshog
quote:
It doesn't matter who they played, they lost. Noway are they right now better than teams that won their opening game handily
from this, you are saying that uga is the worst team in the sec. right now, they are still better than vandy, kentucky, miss st., etc...
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:49 pm to rockchlkjayhku11
quote:
from this, you are saying that uga is the worst team in the sec. right now, they are still better than vandy, kentucky, miss st., etc...
He wants to hedge his bets in case the "worst team in the SEC" beats Hog arse next week.
Posted on 9/9/09 at 1:56 pm to dawgorama
LOL - Way to put words in my mouth. I am VERY respectful of UGA, I think they are a great program. I think they will end up with 9 wins. I think we can beat them, but it won't be a give me. I DON'T think they are the worst team in the SEC, but they did just lose, when every other program took care of business. You obviously have to penalize them for that.
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