Week Five SEC Power Poll Ballot: There's the West, Then There's the Rest, Then There Are the Mississippi Schools and Kentucky
by T Kyle King on Oct 3, 2011 8:45 AM EDT
in SEC Football
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PrintThe opening day of October did much to muddy the Southeastern Conference picture, though Saturday clarified (for those who, inexplicably, still harbored doubts) which are the top two teams in the league. From third on down, though, the SEC is a hodgepodge, with several teams having claims for our attention. (For instance, if you’re an Eastern Division team who beat a Western Division team this weekend, raise your hand. Keep ‘em up high while we count.)
Here, from my perspective, are the twelve teams of the SEC, arrayed in order from first to worst:
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0 overall, 2-0 SEC): I may or may not rank the Tide first on my BlogPoll ballot, which is based on resume ranking, but, since this is a power poll, I’m giving the nod to ‘Bama for obliterating two solid SEC squads on consecutive Saturdays.
2. LSU Tigers (5-0, 2-0): Barring an enormous upset, the Alabama-Louisiana State game is going to be a national championship semifinal.
3. Auburn Tigers (4-1, 2-0): You pretty much could’ve ranked the third- through sixth-place teams in any order with a straight face, but I went with the Plainsmen here because they had the most impressive weekend of any of the once-beatens. By the way, if it were up to me, Auburn would be 2-1 in SEC play. I’m just sayin’.
4. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-1, 2-1): Given the defending SEC East champions’ record, and their three-point loss to the No. 3 team in the conference, I think a No. 4 ranking makes perfect sense.
5. Arkansas Razorbacks (4-1, 0-1): The Hogs’ comeback against the Aggies was impressive, but that glaring "1" in the loss column is going to hamper Arkansas for a while.
6. Florida Gators (4-1, 2-1): The good news is that the Sunshine State Saurians are very mortal. The bad news is that all you have to do to beat them is be Alabama.
7. Georgia Bulldogs (3-2, 2-1): This club is three points worse than the fourth-best team in the conference and 14 points better than the tenth- and 11th-best teams in the conference. Any questions? Yeah, me, too.
8. Tennessee Volunteers (3-1, 0-1): I have absolutely no idea what to make of this team at this point. That’s not a notion that’s conducive to sound sleep for this Georgia fan this week.
9. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-1, 1-1): The Commies’ bye week gave me time to reconsider the caliber of the Music City Mariners’ achievements. Also, Vandy’s lone loss looks a little less respectable after Saturday.
10. Mississippi Rebels (2-3, 0-2): I respect the "anyone, anytime, anywhere" gumption that led the Rebs to go on the road as an uppity mid-major and beat an established power like Fresno State on the Bulldogs’ home field. Wait, what?
11. Mississippi St. Bulldogs (2-3, 0-3): The Western Division Bulldogs avoided the cellar, for which the coaching credit belongs to Mike Bobo more than to Dan Mullen.
12. Kentucky Wildcats (2-3, 0-2): Can we just settle the whole conference expansion issue right now by trading the Blue and White to the Big East as part of a Texas A&M/Kentucky/TCU SEC/Big East/Big 12 round-robin deal?
In light of my own uncertainty about the accuracy of my ballot, I certainly would understand if some of you had misgivings, as well, so I welcome your feedback in the comments below.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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Ole Miss ahead of Miss State?
Not that it matters much but I’d wager that the bizzaro bulldogs whoop the Rebs again in the Egg bowl.
You know what a consultant is, don't you? A consultant is a guy that knows 100 different sex positions but doesn't know a woman.
-Erk Russell
by Dawg in Beaumont on Oct 3, 2011 9:00 AM EDT reply actions
I have a power pole...
BANG-POW….Okay, that was too easy and childish…i just couldnt help myself. I will watch my infantilism from here on out. I am just excited to see my wife in 3 weeks! Yay, me!
The bloom is coming off the rose in Starkville
In perusing some of the MSU sites after the game, not too many people are very impressed with Mullen allowing the team to gather at mid-field on our “G” and do their little boogie-woogie. I don’t think the picture of Nickoe Whitley whizzing in the hedge is common knowledge yet, either, so that’ll be interesting to see if there’s any fallout. You stay classy, Bizarro Dawgs. See you in 5 years with Houston Nutt as your coach. I’m kidding. (maybe not…)
And about the little pre-game incident:
I will say this: we’re never going to back down as a football team," Mullen said. "We have pretty tough guys, so they’re not going to back down to anybody. When they came running at us, our guys weren’t going to back down to anybody. There was nothing we were doing, I thought, that led to it. From my understanding, their guys charged at us and our guys are just not going to back down. Dan Mullen from The Clarion-Ledger
I don’t expect a team to “back down.” But self-discipline and self-awareness is on the coaches. I’m glad our defense punched them in the mouth. Mullen’s offense scored 3 points. Three.
I think they should be ranked a bit higher than Ole Miss, but that Egg Bowl is going to be must-see noon kickoff football. Woo.Hoo.
"If we score, we may win. If they never score, we'll never lose."
-Erk Russell
by DavetheDawg on Oct 3, 2011 9:27 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Logo claimage
I’m reminded of the incident in Nashville a couple of years ago when our team’s celebration of a game-winning FG over Vandy (oy!) drifted onto the ‘Dores’ midfield star. I think there’s no question but that the locus of the celebration was unintentional, but Richt made it pretty clear that such was unacceptable. Clearly the Bizarro Bulldogs intentionally rallied themselves in the middle of the field as a pregame self-hype measure. That it was on top of the G may have been nothing more than coincidence, but if so, it demonstrated a bit of negligent thinking that, based on the above Mullen quote, was not and will not be corrected by the head coach.
by NCT on Oct 3, 2011 10:50 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
In fairness...
It was a pretty emphatic FG they kicked in the first quarter.
Imagine if they weren’t pumped to play the Dawgs…
"Don't go ninja'n nobody that don't need ninja'n!" ~ Kung Fu Hillbilly.
I remember hearing later we danced on Vandy's star because they planted a flag on the G after their win the previous year
It doesn’t excuse it though. Act like you’ve beaten Vandy before (which we had). I was quite glad to see Richt out there angry as he was. It looked like he might have slapped a player or two too. When they had their helmets on.
The 984 Has Spoken!
Every game
our punter punts from the endzone, and the whole team rallies around the receiver at the end of warmups. They ended up at midfield, but it was just as likely they’d end up out of bounds at the 15 yard line.
We’re bad, but Ole Miss is worse. I’m pretty sure they’ve given up 400+ yards in every game since BYU, even Southern Illinois.
by Save Bandit on Oct 3, 2011 6:09 PM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions
I'd rank the teams this way, too...
Except, I’d swap Arky and South Carolina, only because I believe the Hogs beat the Gamecocks later this season (wishful thinking, I suppose), and I’d swap MSU and Ole Miss, but, as DavetheDawg indicates above, it’s pointless, really.
The upcoming UT game makes me nervous, especially with Washington out, for I do not know what to make of UT. Playing on the road at night in the SEC is tough, and the unexpected only enhances my anxiety.
"Don't go ninja'n nobody that don't need ninja'n!" ~ Kung Fu Hillbilly.
isn’t the definition of a power poll ranking based on who you think would win on a given weekend?
"It'll only be reviewed because the guys up in the booth want to watch it a few times too." AJ's one-handed catch at Colorado
Not on any given weekend, no. Based on today, right now.
Maybe the hogs will beat the cocks, but that’s not where things stand today. Power polls don’t look to what may or may not happen in 4 weeks, they look at how teams fared after last Saturday. Will MSU beat Ole Miss? Likely. However, Ole Miss played well last Sat and MSU played horribly. So, for today, Kyle puts Ole Miss in front of MSU. That can very likely change next Monday after this Sat’s games.
"The ball ain't heavy." - Herschel Walker
by tankertoad on Oct 3, 2011 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
"Power polls don’t look to what may or may not happen in 4 weeks, they look at how teams fared after last Saturday."
I see. So is that why "that glaring “1” in the loss column is going to hamper Arkansas for a while."?
It's a poll, I don't think T Kyle was taking a personal shot at just you txhog.
Again, the past is relevant in a power poll, but predictions on the future well down the road aren’t.
"The ball ain't heavy." - Herschel Walker
Three reasons:
1. Both are 2-3 overall.
2. Mississippi State is 0-3 in the conference, which is worse than the Rebels’ 0-2.
3. Going on the road and beating Fresno State by ten points at night is more impressive than anything the Bizarro Bulldogs have done this season.
As always, reasonable minds may differ.
Go 'Dawgs!
Actually
I was pleased to see Ole Miss win in what amounted to a very difficult road trip. Call me crazy (or a Nutt) but I believe the Conference is a better place with Houston Nutt in it. Just not coaching our team.
"If we score, we may win. If they never score, we'll never lose."
-Erk Russell
by DavetheDawg on Oct 3, 2011 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Are you calling me reasonable?
I think I attach more weight to the beatdown by Vanderbilt. It’s but one loss, but O what a loss it was. Also, Miss. St. came within the length of Relf’s arms from taking Auburn to overtime (and probably beating them, right?).
I think Miss. St. is a better side than than the Oxford Nutts, night wins notwithstanding. We may have played similar games against the two teams, but Miss. St. looked better in every phase to my eyes.
by first and thom on Oct 3, 2011 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Serious Question
Why do you have our next opponent listed below us? What good could possibly come of that?
NOBODY TREETIN US SRZLY GONNA #SHOCKTHEWORLD #OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE
______________________________________________
Pat Summitt is already a legend, and will always be a Hero.
by bobothevol on Oct 3, 2011 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Georgia football players are the best! Continue to believe in them!!!
SEC football teams have two teams with no losses and six teams with one SEC loss after five weeks into the season—8 teams of the total eleven. This is remarkable! We all know the rankings will get all shook up, as we are now into the middle core of the schedule; each SEC team win is accompanied by SEC team loss. Cheer on the Georgia Dawgs, fans!
Believe the best for the team and believe the best in each player—especially in each unsung hero lineman in the trenches. Call each lineman by name; let them know they are important and not forgotten. Because they do not get the same attention as the ball-carriers and receivers do, it is just the reason to name them and claim their contributions. Their actions are often hidden in the mass at the “line.” The lineman may be the only one to know how well he did—accountable only to himself. As long as he says “I did my best” in each and every play, he can stand proud and later look the coach in the eye with courage and conviction—even if the play blew up or the coach’s anger is directed at him. Tell each player—“the plays that turn the ballgame are the ones where everyone does his best—like you are doing. Those who do so consistently are the real heroes of the game.” GO DAWGS!!!
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