Updated SEC power rankings feature new No. 1 team

SEC week 1 was wild-- the preseason No. 1 went down, a traditional power took a hit, and business basically carried on. It adds up to a new top dog in the SEC, and a few surprises in our weekly power rankings. Here's the rundown of the SEC as it stands

16. Kentucky (1-0, beat Toledo 24-16)

Yes, Kentucky won. But unless QB Zach Calzada improves significantly (just 85 yards), this victory might be the highlight of Kentucky's season.

15. Mississippi State (1-0, beat Southern Miss. 34-17)

It wasn't great early, but State put USM away in the second half. A big concern here is 14 penalties for 119 yards. That won't work against better competition.

14. Vanderbilt (1-0, beat Charleston Southern 45-3)

Year two of Diego Pavia at Vandy began well. Their defense held CSU to 135 yards, but it's unclear if that tells more about the former or the latter.

13. Arkansas (1-0, beat Alabama A&M 52-7)

The only real knock here is that this was an overmatched opponent in a learn-nothing game. Arkansas looked great, but it's too early to tell if it's fool's gold.

12. Oklahoma (1-0, beat Illinois State 35-3)

John Mateer looked really good, but this wasn't a game to learn a whole lot of anything. Next week will be the chance to move up significantly.

11. Missouri (1-0, beat Central Arkansas 61-6)

On the one hand, Beau Pribula and the offense looked great. On the other hand, how else could they look against Central Arkansas?

10. Alabama (0-1, lost to Florida State 31-17)

It's not so much the losing as the getting thoroughly dominated by an unranked team off a 2-10 season. FSU won the rushing battle 236-87. You can't claim you just were unlucky or got a bad whistle or made a few mistakes when you get outrushed by 149 yards. This didn't look like a very good team.

9. Ole Miss (1-0, beat Georgia State 63-7)

This was a learn-nothing week 1 for the Rebels. They scored at will and looked pretty good defensively, but how else would they look against Georgia State. Kentucky should give them a chance to boost their stock in Week 2.

8. Texas A&M (1-0, beat UTSA 42-24)

Marcel Reed played well. The issue here is the run defense. UTSA rushed for 6.2 yards per carry and won the ground battle 203-110 over A&M. That won't translate well into the SEC, and needs to be fixed quickly.

7. Florida (1-0, beat Long Island 55-0)

This wasn't a game that was destined to show much of anything. The biggest takeaway might be that the gap between D.J. Lagway and backup Tramell Jones Jr. is much smaller than expected.

6. South Carolina (1-0, beat Virginia Tech 24-11)

The ground game could have looked better, but LaNorris Sellers and a stout defense that made a couple of picks looked like the recipe for another very good season.

5. Auburn (1-0, beat Baylor 38-24)

The Tigers were a Week 1 revelation. Outrunning Baylor 308-64 shows that this is a team that has the potential to challenge in the SEC. How much more can Jackson Arnold add with the passing game? That might ultimately tell the story.

4. Tennessee (1-0, beat Syracuse 45-26)

Cautious optimism is due to the Vols Joey Aguilar played well, the defense wasn't great, but had its moments, and Tennessee looked like a capable back of the CFP contender. But Syracuse might not be any good this year, so temper the expectations a bit.

3. Texas (0-1, lost to Ohio State 14-7)

Losing by one score to the defending champion and current No. 3 team on their field isn't the sort of thing that should be cause to bury this Texas team. They'll be fine and perhaps in the big picture, slightly the better for having an early stumble.

2. Georgia (1-0, beat Marshall 45-7)

What did we learn? Not much. They're really good. One of the best signs was two total penalties in a beatdown of Marshall. Focus could be pivotal down the SEC stretch and Georgia showed it in week 1.

1. LSU (1-0, beat Clemson 17-10)

The Tigers answered the opening bell. Garrett Nussmeier outplayed Cade Klubnik, the defense was fierce, and a season-opening road win to remember jumps them to the top of the power rankings.