SEC Power Poll: Week 2 -- A race to the bottom

by Truzenzuzex on Sep 10, 2008 8:19 AM EDT Comment 4 comments

This week's SEC power poll ballot sees a number of teams behaving badly, but isn't completely bereft of good news for the SEC. One of the big problems at this point is that few teams have actually been tested, but that will likely change next week.

Another change is that I have added Ken on to the ASoB ballot, and his vote and mine averaged together are what I cast into the magical, mystical gonkulator that produces the results for the Power Poll, which can be found here at Garnet and Black Attack. I don't know why I didn't do that the first week, I just ... forgot, I guess. But whatever, now my madness is tempered by a voice of reason. We had a bit of a snafu on Ken's comments, but we'll get that straightened out in time for next week's ballot.

So without any further ado, here is A Sea of Blue's SEC Power Poll ballot (Note: I am adding a few statistics in here for context):

Team	CWL	W-L	BCS WL	SoS	Margin	Pts Scored-Allowed	Tru Rank	Ken Rank	AsoB	Comments
Georgia		2-0		67.73	31.5	101-38	1	1	1	Dawgs still allowing meaningful scores by weak teams. Georgia gets the OBC and the Gamecocks next. Could lightning strike twice?
Florida		2-0	1-0	52.78	34.5	82-13	2	2	2	Was this a harbinger of 'Canes (or Gators) to come? Why that late FG, Urban?
Auburn		2-0		49.49	24	61-13	3	3	3	Auburn would have lost this game at USM. But a win is a win, and USM is pretty good.
LSU		1-0		55.44	28	41-13	5	4	4	DNP - game postponed
Alabama		2-0	1-0	54.7	19	54-16	4	5	4	172 yards on offense? Against Tulane? Clemson victory still resonates, though.
Kentucky		2-0	1-0	55.56	30	65-5	6	6	6	Offensive questions still linger, but the defense has yet to allow a touchdown.
Tennessee		0-1	0-1	55.66	-3	24-27	8	7	7	DNP - Open date. They don't deserve this ranking, but I think they're better than they showed against the Bruins.
Vanderbilt	1-0	2-0	1-0	56.71	14	58-30	7	8	7	Impressive victory over the Visor. Is this Vandy's year for a bowl invite?
South Carolina	0-1	1-1	1-1	50.65	13.5	51-24	10	9	9	Spurrier's charges lost their composure against the 'Dores. Can they redeem against the Dawgs?
Arkansas		2-0		61.78	2.5	56-51	9	11	10	Another last-second win against a weak team. Next week against the Longhorns could be really ugly.
Mississippi		1-1	0-1	55.36	7.5	69-54	11	10	11	Great effort by the Rebs. They probably deserve to be higher, but I'm still not sold.
Mississippi State		1-1		58.93	8	48-32	12	12	12	Pretty good performance. If they can play Auburn tough, they could climb out of the cellar. Lots of teams seem to want to get down there.

A few additional notes:

Tennessee is probably better than Kentucky, but I need more proof than a bad loss to the Bruins.
Many have Ole Miss much higher than UK, and I can't figure out why.
Arkansas is likely bound for the bottom, if their form continues. But a win is a win.
I believe South Carolina is better than they have shown so far.
I don't believe Vanderbilt is as good as they have shown so far.
I still have concerns about Georgia, but Florida really showed me some issues this week.
LSU may wind up on top of this whole lot before it's all over with.
Alabama did not look good at all. This gives me hope for our Tuscaloosa visit on October 4th. If Tulane can hold them to 172 yards offensively, what can the Wildcat D do?

Your comments are encouraged and welcome.

0 recs | Comment 4 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

SEC

When NOT playing against Kentucky, I can support any SEC team EXCEPT Tennessee and Florida. I take a lot of heat for that, but that is just how I feel. I just cant ever pull for Tennessee or Florida – unless ofcourse they happen to be playing Duke ;)

by kentuckygirl0724 on Sep 11, 2008 8:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

There are ...

… a lot of ‘Cat fans who don’t like UT and UF. You are by no means alone. :-)

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on Sep 11, 2008 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

SEC

I really think when all is said and done LSU will be playing UGA or UF in the SEC title game. Because of the loss of Flynn, Dorsey and Hester (along with Perilloux) people have downgraded them a little. They still have a scary defense, power running game and great athletes all over the field. I give them the nod over Auburn because I believe LSU’s offense is better. I wouldn’t mind seeing them run the table again.

by SevenRings on Sep 12, 2008 5:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs