The SEC is considered the toughest conference in the nation and after a tough opening week, several experts went to social media to discuss the topic, but despite a rough beginning for several teams, it’s clear ‘Bama is on top of the power rankings and a good bet to represent the conference in the NCAA football playoffs in January.
With the Tide on top of the power rankings, the next step is finding the next best program. LSU entered the year expecting to challenge for the top spot, but a loss last weekend to Wisconsin put a damper on their plans. The Tigers rebounded on Saturday with a lackluster 34-13 win over Jacksonville State, but the offensive unit will need to play much better for this team to truly challenge in the East Division and get back inside the top-10 in the nation.
Georgia and Tennessee also had high exceptions heading into 2016, but the Vols struggled against Appalachian State last week and the Bulldogs escaped Nicholls 26-24 this week. Those kinds of inconsistencies make it difficult to expect much from either team, but the Vols’ do have an experienced quarterback and that could be a factor as the year progresses.
Florida isn’t the most explosive offense in the SEC, but the Gators defense ranks right up there with the best in the nation. Despite not being ranked, this team is going to make a move up the polls and conference power rankings after this weekends effort over Kentucky.
With the scramble to find the next best squad, Texas A&M has overcome last years debacle and start the year with two big wins, including an overtime victory over a ranked UCLA squad to start the year. The Aggies get the vote for number two in the conference and a dark horse to break inside college footballs top-10 with a win at Auburn next weekend.
Arkansas is another program on the rise and an upset victory at TCU will make headlines. The Razorbacks showed some spunk on the road, especially after falling behind in the fourth quarter, but the team rallied to defeat the Horned Frogs 41-38 in overtime and could make some noise around the country with a win over Texas A&M in two weeks time.
