SEC Power Poll (Week Four): Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida Gators on Collision Course for Atlanta Showdown
by T Kyle King on Sep 26, 2010 9:42 AM EDT
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If you want the short version of this week’s SEC Power Poll ballot, here it is: it’s 1993 all over again. Alabama is the defending national champion, the Crimson Tide and the Gators are headed for an SEC Championship Game showdown, and Georgia is 0-3 after losses to South Carolina and Arkansas. Beyond that, the specific placements of the eleven teams of the SEC plus us twelve teams of the SEC are as follows:
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0): After a first-half effort eerily reminiscent of the Bulldogs’ first half against the Razorbacks, Nick Saban’s team demonstrated the heart of a champion with a comeback win on the road.
2. Florida Gators (4-0): We always knew it was just a matter of time before Urban Meyer’s crew put it together. Now they have.
3. Auburn Tigers (4-0): Like the Tide, the Plainsmen staged a comeback to claim victory over a division title contender. Should I unban Johnnycolorado just to see if he’ll apologize?
4. LSU Tigers (4-0): The Bayou Bengals held off West Virginia. I can’t downgrade Louisiana State, since the Tigers keep on winning, but I also can’t shake the sense that they’re not as good as their record.
5. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1): The Hogs are better than they were, but they’re not yet an elite team. Still, there’s no shame in a Cotton Bowl berth!
6. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-1): The ‘Cocks are better than they were, but they’re not yet an elite team. Still, there’s no shame in a Capital One Bowl berth!
7. Kentucky Wildcats (3-1): Oh, that’s why the ‘Cats didn’t play anyone for the first three weeks! Is it basketball season yet?
8. Mississippi St. Bulldogs (2-2): Last week, I told you the Western Division Bulldogs were the best 1-2 team in the league. Well, now they’re the best 2-2 team in the league, dang it.
9. Mississippi Rebels (2-2): I almost moved Ole Miss ahead of its in-state rival, since beating Fresno State represents a significantly greater achievement in 2010 than beating Georgia, but the Rebs remain hamstrung by losses to Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt.
10. Tennessee Volunteers (2-2): The Blazers have been a peskier opponent for more SEC teams than you may realize, but, even so, being taken to double-overtime by a Conference USA club at home is not the hallmark of a good football team.
11. Vanderbilt Commodores (1-2): Taking the weekend off was a darned fine idea. I wish we’d thought of it.
12. Georgia Bulldogs (1-3): What’s worse than seeing your team’s six-game winning streak over Arkansas end? Seeing your team’s nine-game winning streak over Mississippi State snapped. There’s simply no way to argue with a straight face that this isn’t the worst team in the SEC right now.
Honestly, it’s inconceivable to me that this week’s SEC Power Poll won’t consist of a bunch of ballots identical to that one, because the only placement I even consider arguable concerns Ole Miss, which played the best Bulldog squad to compete against an SEC opponent this weekend. Nevertheless, your comments and constructive criticisms are welcome in the comments below.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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11. Vanderbilt Commodores (1-2): Taking the weekend off was a darned fine idea. I wish we’d thought of it.
Actually, I believe Georgia did take the weekend off.
I’m not much of a bar person myself. I haven’t been to one in months. Nothing good comes from them. I am invited to meet some dorks at a bar this afternoon though. I think I am not going, however, because it is raining down here in Auburn. Even if I do go, I’ll bet I won’t get a DUI! Those Auburn cops get off on slapping DUIs on everyone. Word on the street is that they sit outside the bars stalking patrons. I either won’t drink or will take a taxi home. The phone number for one of the taxi services is 444-4444, easy enough to remember, so no one has an excuse. That is what that Georgia player should have done. He and everyone else should be more like me. Be honest. At least Georgia gets its best player back now though. So they will probably win the occasional game henceforth throughout the season. Let’s just hope not against Auburn.
You're right.
There are taxis available in Athens, and anyone who’s out drinking ought to avail himself of them.
I spent a few years in Athens myself, and, any time I went downtown drinking, I always had a designated driver or someone who knew I would be calling for a ride. I wish players would behave better, but that isn’t mandatory; all we need them to do is behave badly with greater forethought.
Go 'Dawgs!
In my early days of legal drinking,
I did the same thing – designated driver or someone to call to come pick my sorry butt up at the bar. How hard is that concept?
I can bake like a demon.
Don't unban him
He’s making us look bad
Do you remember that spelling bee you won in the first grade? Rock? "R-O-K"?
The Georgia Bulldogs are like
A horse I once bet on to win the 5th race at Hialeah. He came in first . . . in the 6th race.
by Hogbody Spradlin on Sep 26, 2010 1:47 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Vandy
Vandy did beat Ole Miss on the road by two touchdowns. I would think they would be ranked ahead of them.
That's a fair point, . . .
. . . and there’s where the power poll/resume ranking distinction comes into play.
Retrospectively (the way resume ranking examines the situation), you obviously are correct. Prospectively (as a power poll looks at it), Vanderbilt was idle, while Ole Miss beat a solid Fresno State team. If we were going retroactively, losses to Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt would doom Ole Miss to twelfth place for the rest of the year, but, from a power poll standpoint, I believe the Ole Miss team that showed up against Fresno State yesterday would beat the teams ranked below it if they faced one another on a neutral field next Saturday.
Go 'Dawgs!
I also was having a hard time understanding Vanderbilt's ranking
below Ole Miss and Tennessee, since they’ve only lost to undefeated teams and beat Ole Miss…
Thank for explaining, now I understand your reasoning for placing them behind Ole Miss, but I still don’t get why they’re behind Tennessee. Do you really think that Saturday’s Tennessee team was impressive enough to beat the Vandy that played Ole Miss last week?
Ole Miss obviously played poorly in that game, but Vanderbilt beat them by 2 touchdowns and did you see the Tennessee game?
At this point
whats the incentive for two notoriously secretive coaches (Meyer and Saban) to show the whole playbook on Saturday- I mean this is why I was rooting for USCe- at least then Florida would have a reason to try and open it up as is both teams look like they might as well make December Hotel reservations.
(And don’t say national title implications- if anyone doubts Florida and/or Bama getting a shot with one loss after beating #1 and the only team to beat them on the last week of the season this year I don’t know what to tell you).
The only way this thing doesn’t happen is Cam Newton staying health (and not getting offered discount electronics- seriously if Bama boosters aren’t selling Cam hot Ipods next month I’ll be disappointed) mans like an Athletic Jamarcus or a Bigger, Faster, worse passing Tebow.
by Socraticsilence on Sep 27, 2010 11:49 AM EDT reply actions
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