SEC Power Poll: Week Two

Alabama: For all the talk about how average this team has looked at times, the offense is statistically the best it has ever been, and the defense has give up one touchdown in three games. The Florida game will tell us a lot about both teams.Lu

LSU: Running game looks to be on track, as Fournette is finding his way in the rotation. Back to back shutouts were the first pitched since Methuselah. That's how you deal with tasty cupcakes.

Auburn: Gets the nod over Texas A&M ever so slightly because I think Malzahn is a slightly better overall coach.. Really interested to see Thursday's game, on the road, against a team that sees variations of this offense every week.

Texas A&M: Looked quite mortal versus Rice. Tons of drops, bad reads by Trill. Defense was very much in a bend-don't-break mode. One more paycheck massacre and then the meat of the conference schedule begins.

South Carolina Gamecocks: At this point, we have to say wins over ECU and UGA are the nation's two best. Lost in the deserved praise for the UGA win is that the defense still has much work to do. Missouri will test this secondary in ways that Hutson Mason could not.

Missouri Tigers: I'll bite: show me what you can do versus South Carolina on 9/27 and I'll anoint the Tigers this year's Eastern division winner. Given the generosity of the USC, UGA defenses, and Florida's gaffes, the MU could very readily repeat.

Ole Miss Rebels: Laid to waste a ULL team most figured to be a pretty good Sun Belt squad. Bo Wallace is hitting over 75% of his passes. Are the 2014 Rebels more the team that looked so very average against Boise or the machine of this past week? Conference play will be telling.

Georgia: Good news: The Dawgs offense is what we thought it could be. Bad News: The Dawgs defense is what we feared it would be.

Florida: Put the brakes on that love for Roper and the “improved Driskel.” Sure, the Gators are moving the ball better (at times), but this is a team whose default offensive play is shooting themselves in the foot. Kentucky exposed issues on the offensive line. Defensive line gets after the QB, and the secondary is terrifying.

Arkansas: I loved the Bielema hire and always thought he could get them to the upper tier of the league. Sure, Texas Tech is awfully soft, but you can't ignore that's a road win the Hogs would not have gotten last season. Won't contend this year, but will wreck someone's season for sure: lookin' at you, Mississippi teams.

Mississippi State Bulldogs: The more Dan Mullen demands to be taken seriously, given the soup cans the Bulldogs have faced, the more I think there are issues lurking. Still that was a good win over a rising USA program.

Tennessee Volunteers: Better teams than this one have gone to Norman at night and struggled. Worley hung in there, and the running game surprisingly made a little bit of noise. Rebuild is still on track for 2015.

Kentucky: Defensive line was never going to be the issue, and still isn't. The lack of a running game and implausibly bad blown coverage is still very much a concern. That said, Towles is going to be a good one.

Vanderbilt: I repeat, possibly the worst SEC team of the past 15 years. UMass gifted that win to the 'Dores. Derek Mason may as well be Sisyphus given the amount of work the Commodores have in front of them.