We finished up week one of the college football slate after Ole Miss and Louisville battled on Monday night.
After a week that saw almost every team in the SEC win their opening game. Only LSU and Vanderbilt took losses in the opening weekend of college football. The Tigers weren’t able to find an answer to UCLA, but Vanderbilt’s loss to East Tennessee State was bad. They likely won’t challenge any SEC team this year.
With so many new coaches and quarterbacks starting around the conference, week one gave us some idea about these teams. We will learn more as the season progresses. For the first time of the 2021 season, LSU Tigers Wire breaks out the weekly SEC Power Rankings.
The updated look at our SEC Power Rankings:
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No surprises here with the Alabama Crimson Tide taking the top spot. They absolutely dominated the Miami Hurricanes in the opener. Once again the class of the SEC, can anyone slow them down after they re-loaded for another CFP run?
Georgia Bulldogs
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The Georgia Bulldogs dominated a top-five team in the Clemson Tigers. The score might have only been 10-3, but the Dawgs were all over the reigning ACC champs. They will be a problem this year for a lot of teams, can they do enough to challenge Alabama?
Texas A&M Aggies
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After a slow start against Kent State, new quarterback Haynes King and the Aggies figured it out. They won 41-10 in the opener. King did throw three interceptions and Texas A&M only led 10-3 at the half. They need to fix those issues as a more talented team would have done more against the Aggies.
Ole Miss Rebels
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Even without head coach Lane Kiffin, who was out due to COVID-19, the team showed what they were capable of on both sides of the ball. After a horrendous showing on defense, the Rebels held Louisville scoreless in the first half. By the time the Cardinals scored, the team was down 26-0. Ole Miss looks like a team to be reckoned with early on.
Florida Gators
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After losing Kyle Pitts and Kyle Trask to the NFL, the Gators look to make another run at the SEC title in 2021. They utilized a two-quarterback system in the opener with Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson. They took care of Florida Atlantic on Saturday and will likely do the same against South Florida coming up this week.
Kentucky Wildcats
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The Wildcats looked like a much-improved team this year with Will Levis at quarterback. They were able to build a 31-7 lead heading into the fourth quarterback against the UL-Monroe Warhawks. Their first test comes Saturday as they host Missouri.
Missouri Tigers
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Missouri had a close one against Central Michigan, but Connor Bazelak and Tyler Badie found a way to get the win. Badie rushed for over 200 yards in the win with two touchdowns. We will find out plenty on Saturday when they travel to Lexington.
Auburn Tigers
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Auburn started out the year with an easy win vs Akron. Sure they put up 60 points but weren’t challenged as Bo Nix threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns. With a trip to Penn State looming, the Tigers look to get another easy one on Saturday when they host Alabama State.
LSU Tigers
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LSU came out for the second year in a row and laid an egg. The big question is how will the Tigers respond? They have a matchup with McNeese on Saturday and next week with Central Michigan. We may not get our answer any time soon but Ed Orgeron better find some answers before the open of SEC play.
Tennessee Volunteers
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Josh Heupel got his first win fairly easily against Bowling Green. The Vols won on Thursday night 38-6. How will they do when an ACC foe in Pittsburgh comes to town? It will be the first real test under the new head coach.
South Carolina Gamecocks
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Head coach Shane Beamer got his first win as a head coach with South Carolina as they blanked Eastern Illinois 46-0. He also did it with a graduate assistant playing quarterback. The real answers about this team will come in the next two weeks. They have East Carolina on the road and then travel to Athens for a showdown with Georgia.
Arkansas Razorbacks
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The Razorbacks are another team you want to see improvement from each week. They can be tough to get a read on, especially after Saturday’s showing. After falling behind to Rice 10-7 at halftime, they outscored the Owls 31-7 in the second half. If they fall behind this week to Texas early on, it could be a long day for Sam Pittman and company.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
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Mississippi State almost started off the season in the worst way. They found themselves down big in the fourth quarterback and looked like they would drop the opener at home. Will Rogers found a way as the Bulldogs avoided the upset with a 35-34 win over Louisiana Tech. Now they get NC State and Memphis before they host LSU.
Vanderbilt Commodores
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Game one of the Clark Lea era didn’t get off to a good start. The team viewed as the weak link of SEC football lost the opener to East Tennessee State 23-3. It was a poor showing and they will need to figure it out before SEC play begins.
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