AllGators' 2020 SEC Power Rankings After Week Two
Is Florida's defense just going through growing pains or is this a genuine concern? How good can Georgia be with Stetson Bennett? Is Texas A&M not ready for big-time SEC West football once again?
To answer all of those questions and more, we're back with our weekly SEC Power Rankings here at Sports Illustrated-AllGators. These will be compiled weekly after assessing each team following every game, in order to best rank the SEC beyond just team records.
With that being said, how do things look after week two?
1. Alabama (2-0)
Alabama looked like typical Alabama on Saturday. Some hyped this contest against Texas A&M to possibly be a tight one, but the Crimson Tide erased that narrative quickly.
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones continues to prove that he is more than just a stop-gap player between Tua Tagovailoa and whatever supremely-talented QB takes snaps for Bama next. He is proving he can be a star.
With four touchdowns, 435 yards and just one interception, Jones led the Tide to a dominant, 52-24 victory over the Aggies. Sophomore wide receiver John Metchie III was the breakout star of the game, hauling two of those four touchdown passes from Jones.
It is hard to imagine Alabama losing much at all this season.
2. Georgia (2-0)
This is where the controversy of power rankings will lie across the country this week. Georgia or Florida at No. 2?
The reason for choosing Georgia this week is because of how solid quarterback Stetson Bennett looked against Auburn. He wasn't electric by any means, but he had 240 yards, one touchdown and most importantly no interceptions. Running back Zamir White then ran for two touchdowns and 88 yards on Georgia's way to a 27-6 victory over Auburn.
Even with just an average stat-line from =Bennett, that is all the Dawgs need. This is probably the best defense in the entire country, so if they get "just ok" from Bennett and "good" from White, this defense can carry them and win a whole lot of football games.
3. Florida (2-0)
Quarterback Kyle Trask had another impressive day, with 268 yards and four touchdowns and just one interception. Tight end Kyle Pitts had four catches for 57 yards and hauled in two touchdowns while wide receiver Kadarius Toney had six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
However, perhaps the biggest reason for putting Georgia over Florida is Florida's defensive effort towards the end of the game against South Carolina. After an impressive third quarter, holding the Gamecocks to just three points, it seemed as if the Gators would pull away.
However, that did not happen in the fourth as UF struggled to get South Carolina off the field. Albeit unhelpful in the efforts to win the game for South Carolina, the Gamecocks ate up 11:12 of the fourth quarter including a 7:23-minute drive that ended in a turnover on downs at just about the end of the game.
Against a more explosive offense, or a better defense where the Gators can't score at will they have the first two weeks, that could raise concerns.
It is still a young season with plenty of time for defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's group to improve, but stops have to come faster. The Gators simply have to get off the field quicker to beat big-time opponents.
4. LSU (1-1)
LSU is not jumping up to four because beating up on Vanderbilt is impressive. The Tigers are jumping up because everyone above them last week failed to impress at all. Auburn was not even remotely competitive against Georgia while Texas A&M was not remotely competitive against Alabama.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State lost to one of the worst teams in the entire conference in Arkansas, just one week after a statement win against LSU. These are the reasons LSU moved up.
Quarterback Myles Brennan had an impressive day for the Tigers, throwing for four touchdowns and 337 yards and just one interception. LSU dominated the Commodores 41-7. So, because the Tigers didn't disappoint like the other three, they get the jump.
5. Texas A&M (1-1)
Texas A&M didn't appear to belong on the same field as Alabama on Saturday. The team that has been called the conference's "sleeping giant" for three years now is 1-6 under coach Jimbo Fisher against Alabama, Auburn and LSU.
The Aggies have an opportunity awaiting them against the Gators on Saturday, at home against the No. 4 team in the country. Until Texas A&M proves something, it'll continue to fall in these rankings.
6. Auburn (1-1)
The Tigers looked pitiful against Georgia on Saturday. Quarterback Bo Nix threw for just 177 yards and no touchdowns, along with an interception. In fairness, UGA has the best defense in the entire country.
However, that is still no excuse for putting up just six points. Auburn should always play better than that.
7. Tennessee (2-0)
Coach Jeremy Pruitt has Tennessee doing something it hasn't done in a long time: win games you're supposed to win.
The Vols trounced lowly Missouri on Saturday 35-12. The week before, they beat South Carolina 31-27. That looks quite a bit better than starting the season losing to Georgia State and BYU like last year. UT had 232 yards rushing on Saturday, lead by running backs Eric Gray and Ty Chandler, who had one touchdown apiece and 195 of those yards.
Just simply by winning games they should win, unlike Mississippi State, Tennessee is steadily climbing the rankings while other teams play their way down.
8. Ole Miss (1-1)
Coach Lane Kiffin's squad pulled off an enormous win against Kentucky on Saturday in overtime. The Rebels came back from a game they were losing in the fourth quarter to win 42-41.
With every passing week, Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral is proving to be special. He threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns while running for 51 more yards. The Rebels defense will be a concern for them all season, but they can sure play some exciting football.
9. South Carolina (0-2)
South Carolina is probably the best winless team in the conference up to this point. The Gamecocks have not been blown out in either game they have played, and quarterback Collin Hill is improving.
On Saturday against the Gators, he had 212 yards passing for two touchdowns. Running back Kevin Harris had an impressive day as well, rushing the ball 22 times for 100 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Shi Smith impressed as well, hauling in 12 catches for 85 yards and a score.
The Gamecocks based on their schedule may lose quite a few games this season. They still have to play Georgia, Texas A&M, Auburn and LSU. However, through two weeks, they have proven that they can at least not get embarrassed on the same field as quality opponents.
10. Mississippi State (1-1)
This ranking after a loss to lowly Arkansas wouldn't be as bad if Mississippi State had lost in a different way. Coach Mike Leach's teams are supposed to win or lose games in shootout fashion.
Instead, the Bulldogs only produced 14 points on one of the league's worst defenses. MSU is only a respectable team if the offense puts up 30-plus points a game. Quarterback K.J. Costello throwing three interceptions to just one touchdown will lose them a lot of football games.
Remember, this team still has to play Alabama, Texas A&M, Auburn and Georgia.
11. Kentucky (0-2)
Kentucky's loss to Ole Miss was an absolute heartbreaker. This was a game the Wildcats were winning in in the fourth quarter.
That said, Kentucky's defense is an enormous concern. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral had a huge day only for Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson to complete 14 passes for 151 yards.
UK is going to have to figure out a way to either improve on the defensive side of the ball or make a quarterback change. Wilson has not shown anything of promise in this young season and the Wildcats don't have time to string him along.
12. Arkansas (1-1)
Last week the Razorbacks held their own against Georgia, at least for a half. This week, in the surprise of the week in the conference, Arkansas took down Mississippi State 21-14.
UA is still an SEC-bottomfeeder, but under new coach Sam Pittman the fight is clearly there to push back that narrative. If the Razorbacks continue to be competitive and pull off a few upsets, their ranking will climb.
13. Missouri (0-2)
The Tigers lost handily to Tennessee on Saturday. The Vols may be much better than anticipated, but that doesn't change the fact that Missouri is an SEC-bottomfeeder. Quarterback Connor Bazelak threw for a serviceable 286 yards, but had no touchdowns and an interception to show for it.
14. Vanderbilt (0-2)
No surprise here, after a competitive game against Texas A&M, it was going to be fun to see if the Commodores could make things close with LSU as well. Even after the Tigers losing to Mississippi State last week, Vanderbilt was nowhere to be found, losing 41-7.
