We had a few surprises this week in the SEC, and an opportunity for several more starting tonight.
Of course, the big surprise was the Tennessee Volunteers handing it to the Florida Gators in Knoxville back on Saturday. That was a shock to the system for most, but the Vols have played several teams really tough so far this year, and when Jarnell Stokes is able to be integrated into the Tennessee lineup, they are likely to only get better. Stokes is only the #5 overall prospect in the class of 2012, and even though he came out of high school earlier than planned, he can really help Tennessee where they need it most -- on the interior.
Also surprising was seeing a very tough Mississippi St. Bulldogs team go over to Fayetteville and be defeated by Mike Anderson's young Arkansas Razorbacks team. You know that Anderson's style is going to create a few upsets, especially later in the year after these young but talented Hawgs have time to buy into his system. It's hard to envision them winning the division, but they are more than capable of playing the role of spoiler to almost any SEC team, including Kentucky.
Here's my ballot. Note that the projections and numbers are all from Ken Pomeroy's site. I don't have any idea who he thinks will beat us, but statistically, it's a fair bet we'll lose a game or two somewhere, somehow. But these are his projections, not mine.
The rankings, however, are mine.
| My Rnk | Team | Overall | Conf | Proj | Pomeroy | Prnk | AdjO | Ornk | AdjD | Drnk | AdjT | Trnk | Conf SOS | SoSrnk | Comments |
| 1 | Kentucky | 15-1 | 1-0 | 14-2 | 0.9616 | 3 | 116.7 | 6 | 85.2 | 5 | 69.3 | 65 | 0.5072 | 10 | Just rolling along. Easy first road test at Auburn this week, tougher at Tennessee on Saturday. |
| 2 | Alabama | 12-3 | 1-0 | 12-4 | 0.9158 | 13 | 108.2 | 57 | 85.7 | 6 | 64.1 | 292 | 0.7379 | 8 | Two road wins back to back prove the Tide are legit. |
| 3 | Vanderbilt | 11-4 | 1-0 | 9-7 | 0.8421 | 37 | 108.1 | 60 | 91.8 | 40 | 67.6 | 153 | 0.2807 | 12 | Been a lot better lately. May have recovered from unexpectedly poor start. |
| 4 | Florida | 12-4 | 0-1 | 11-5 | 0.9100 | 14 | 121.2 | 1 | 96.7 | 114 | 67.8 | 146 | 0.7812 | 7 | The loss at Tennessee was an eye opener. Can this team win on the road? They haven't so far. |
| 5 | Mississippi St. | 13-3 | 0-1 | 8-8 | 0.7911 | 57 | 109.8 | 43 | 96.4 | 107 | 68.5 | 111 | 0.8345 | 6 | Road loss at Arkansas is not shameful, but the Tide comes in on the Bulldogs Saturday, and might wash them away. |
| 6 | Louisiana St. | 11-4 | 1-0 | 8-8 | 0.7529 | 74 | 100.0 | 182 | 89.7 | 21 | 67.1 | 181 | 0.4681 | 11 | Could Trent Johnson win the Coach of the Year and still get fired? Probably not even at LSU, but they aren't singing his praises just yet. Maybe they are too distracted by the spanking the football team got in the Big Easy. |
| 7 | Mississippi | 10-5 | 0-1 | 5-11 | 0.6098 | 129 | 95.9 | 245 | 91.8 | 39 | 69.1 | 81 | 0.8440 | 5 | This team is looking weaker by the day. |
| 8 | Arkansas | 12-3 | 1-0 | 8-8 | 0.7395 | 79 | 104.3 | 105 | 94.2 | 71 | 72.6 | 13 | 0.6808 | 9 | Good win versus the MSU Bulldogs. Can Anderson do it on the road against the other Magnolia State team? |
| 9 | Georgia | 9-6 | 0-1 | 5-11 | 0.6133 | 125 | 103.1 | 127 | 98.6 | 141 | 64.1 | 297 | 0.8597 | 3 | The brutal road trip to Gainesville and Nashville look to humble the Dawgs even further. |
| 10 | Tennessee | 8-7 | 1-0 | 7-9 | 0.6678 | 111 | 104.4 | 103 | 97.6 | 124 | 65.5 | 240 | 0.8506 | 4 | Biggest upset of the SEC season so far vs. Florida. Can they go down to Starkville and do it on the road? |
| 11 | South Carolina | 8-7 | 0-1 | 5-11 | 0.6464 | 116 | 105.0 | 90 | 99.0 | 152 | 63.3 | 311 | 0.9780 | 1 | Played Kentucky fairly tough, but the Commies are coming. |
| 12 | Auburn | 10-5 | 0-1 | 3-13 | 0.4093 | 211 | 95.1 | 259 | 98.5 | 140 | 67.4 | 167 | 0.9045 | 2 | Don't let the 10-5 record fool you. If they pick up more than one win between now and February, I'll be surprised. |
Agree? Disagree? Comment away!