The SEC has only two teams inside the top 10 of the AP Poll, and the second one is just barely there. This appears to be a season when there are a lot of good teams in the SEC, but just the one great one. The great one is obviously the Tide.

So now that we have a few more conference games under our belt, what can we say definitively about the SEC? I’m not sure we know yet, but it is getting a little bit clearer each and every week

Things that stood out in a good way.

• Alabama’s Run Game - The more things change, the more they stay the same. Alabama is going to run the football. It might take them a quarter or two to realize that’s what they need to do, but they are going to run the football at some point. Ole Miss held Dalvin Cook in check in the running game, but they couldn’t hold the Tide down.
• The Aggies’ pass rush - Texas A&M has Myles Garrett and there is a chance he is going to be the number 1 pick in the NFL Draft in 2017. They get after the quarterback like few teams can.
• Leonard Fournette - This wasn’t Leonard Fournette’s best game, but it was a much needed game. He ran the ball 28 times for 147 yards which is just over 5 yards per carry. But when the Tigers needed their bell cow to come through, he did so quite often.
• The Razorbacks’ balanced approach - So far, the Razorbacks are showing they can run the ball and they can pass the ball. But the only decent opponent they have done it against is TCU, and we still aren’t sure how good or bad the Horned Frogs are. We get a better idea of what the Razorbacks truly are this weekend.

Things that stood out in a bad way.

• Holloway on the last drive - I think I understand Mullen’s thinking in running Brandon Holloway out on the field for the last drive of the game. He wanted as many players as he could find who could help catch the ball and break a big play. But what the Bulldogs needed was an extra pass blocker, and Holloway can’t do that.
• Ole Miss Collapse - Ole Miss became the first Power 5 team to lose two leads of 21 points or more in the same season, or something like that. I saw that, or something similar to it, tweeted multiple times this weekend. Hugh Freeze has to figure out how to play with a lead.
• Tennessee’s Strugles - The Vols struggled to put another inferior opponent away this past weekend.That’s not a good sign for when the Gators come to town this weekend, a team they haven’t been able to beat regularly.
• Kentucky - The Wildcats won, but they are still really bad.

SEC Power Rankings

Remember, I am ranking the teams based on how good I think they are, not necessarily what their win loss record is. Wins and losses will have a lot to do with it, but it is not the sole criterion I am using.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (Previous Week, #1: 3-0)

The Tide got off to a slow start, but they’re still the best team in the country.

2. Texas A&M Aggies (Previous Week, #2: 3-0)

The Aggies are doing things with defense instead of offense. The one thing they still struggle with is the running game

3. Tennessee Volunteers (Previous Week, #3: 3-0)

The Vols get to stay here because I don’t think anyone behind them did enough to go up.

4. Arkansas Razorbacks (Previous Week, #5: 3-0)

I’m still not sold on the Razorbacks, but they have done what they are supposed to.

5. Florida Gators (Previous Week, #8: 3-0)

I feel the same way about the Gators as I do the Razorbacks. I’m not sold on them, but they’ve won which is more than what other teams have done.

6. Georgia Bulldogs (Previous Week, #4: 3-0)

I don’t know what to make of the Bulldogs. They’re 3-0 and just sitting outside the top 10, but I could easily see them losing to Ole Miss by three touchdowns this weekend.

7. LSU Tigers (Previous Week, #9: 2-1)

The Tigers aren’t great, but they did beat the Bulldogs. I’m not sure how many they win this year, but for now, I think they’re good enough to be considered in the top half of the SEC.

8. Ole Miss Rebels (Previous Week, #6: 1-2)

Ole Miss is as talented as they come. But they are also very thin, and have a nasty habit of giving up leads of 21 points or more. The one thing this start will do is make any team they play feel like they can make a comeback if they just hold on long enough.

9. Auburn Tigers (Previous Week, #6: 1-2)

Auburn could be really good, but Gus Malzahn is overthinking everything when it comes managing this team.

10. Missouri Tigers (Previous Week, #12: 1-2)

Missouri is close to being 2-1. I’m not sure how bad or good the Tigers are, but this is pretty consistent with their entire tenure in the SEC.

11. Mississippi St. Bulldogs (Previous Week, #10: 1-2)

Our Bulldogs could be good, but it might not happen until later in the year. And by then, they’ll be in the teeth of their schedule. The next five games are winnable, and they need to win every single one of them if they want to keep their bowl streak alive.

12. South Carolina Gamecocks (Previous Week, #11: 2-1)

South Carolina has two wins, but they have been ugly affairs against bad teams. They might get to a bowl just because the schedule is manageable, especially being in the East. But this team isn’t good.

13. Vanderbilt Commodores (Previous Week, #13: 1-2)

I thought about putting Vandy last after their horrible game against Georgia Tech. But I figured I’d just wait until Vandy and Kentucky play each other to make a change unless there is some overwhelming evidence otherwise.

14. Kentucky Wildcats (Previous Week, #14: 0-2)

Getting into a shootout with New Mexico State isn’t inspiring confidence in me to push the Wildcats up any.