Here we are in Week Seven.
The SEC Power Poll has been pretty stable at the top for weeks, and most of the movement is in the middle and lower section of the poll. There are a couple of big games this week that could change the complexion of the poll, and I'll quickly cover them in the style of the late-great Leonard Postero of Leonard's Losers:
- The Riflemen of Tennessee go huntin' in Tuscaloosa today for some Yellowhammer State Pachyderm. But even though ol' Smoky has been keeping teams out of the end zone, the men in Crimson will send him back to the doghouse on Rocky Top without a bone. Tru's loser -- Tennessee.
- The Cowbell Canines welcome Urban Meyer's Swamp Lizards to the Magnolia state today for a little mud rasslin'. The Dawgies have been showing their teeth lately, but the Reptiles are gonna drag 'em around the gridiron for a lesson in point-scoring. Tru's loser -- Mississippi State.
- The War Birds of the Alabama Plains fly down to Baton Rouge today for a tussle with the Mud Cats. The Plainsmen are still feeling the pain of a home loss to the Bluegrass State Tabbies, and I look for them to turn it around on the road today against the offensively challenged Bayou Felines. Tru's Loser -- LSU.
Now, on to the Power Poll:
Here is my ballot. You can find the aggregated results here.
| Team | cWL | W-L | bWL | SoS | This week | MoV | PF-PA | Next opponent | Polls | Remarks |
| Alabama | 4-0 | 7-0 | 5-0 | 48.19 | Tennessee | 23 | 242-81 | Nov 7, LSU | 1,2,[2!] | Great balance got them past a tough Gamecock challenge. |
| Florida | 4-0 | 6-0 | 4-0 | 41.3 | at Mississippi State | 27.7 | 218-52 | Georgia | 2,1,[1!] | Saved by some poor officiating and an inept late-game Arkansas defensive effort. |
| LSU | 3-1 | 5-1 | 4-1 | 51.64 | Auburn | 8.5 | 138-87 | Tulane | 9,10,9 | Bye week |
| Auburn | 2-2 | 5-2 | 3-2 | 49.39 | at LSU | 8.6 | 244-184 | Mississippi | 40,38 | Lack of offensive balance and defensive depth, as well as too much Randall Cobb did them in. |
| South Carolina | 2-2 | 5-2 | 3-2 | 47.6 | Vanderbilt | 5.7 | 170-130 | at Tennessee | 23,26,24 | Alabama's just too tough for the Gamecocks. |
| Georgia | 3-2 | 4-3 | 4-3 | 56.01 | open | -0.7 | 189-194 | Florida | 35,43 | Beat Vanderbilt, but their defense is still not sound. |
| Arkansas | 1-3 | 3-3 | 2-3 | 52.14 | at Mississippi | 7.5 | 207-162 | Eastern Michigan | 34,33,32 | Game effort against the Gators – a game they should have won, penalties or no. |
| Mississippi | 1-2 | 4-2 | 1-2 | 43.15 | Arkansas | 17.2 | 181-78 | at Auburn | 27,25 | Beat a weak UAB team. Arkansas will likely give them a test. |
| Kentucky | 1-3 | 3-3 | 2-3 | 47.1 | Louisiana-Monroe | -0.2 | 147-148 | Mississippi State | Huge victory on the plains gets the 'Cats even on the season, but only 1-3 in the SEC. It gets easier from here on, though. | |
| Tennessee | 1-2 | 3-3 | 1-3 | 49.42 | at Alabama | 12.5 | 192-117 | South Carolina | Bye week | |
| Mississippi State | 1-2 | 3-4 | 1-3 | 52.42 | Florida | 3.4 | 192-168 | at Kentucky | Handled MTSU at their place, but now must face a Gator team trying to prove something. | |
| Vanderbilt | 0-4 | 2-5 | 0-4 | 43.8 | at South Carolina | -0.7 | 123-128 | Georgia Tech | Still winless in the SEC, and headed to Columbia. And it doesn't get any easier for the Commodores going forward. |
You may ask why Auburn is still in fourth place rather than, say, South Carolina. The biggest reason is strength of schedule -- Auburn's is still tougher right now than South Carolina's, and their margin of victory over BCS teams is greater, and both those factors are significant pieces of my rankings.
Your comments are welcome.
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