6. Florida
The Gators were off this week, which is good considering the rash of non-conference upsets SEC football endured in Week 1.
They host Tennessee-Martin on Saturday.
7. Mississippi State
Joe Moorhead’s second season as State’s head coach started off well with a decent-enough victory over Louisiana on Saturday.
Last year’s Bulldogs team relied heavily on elite defensive play and just enough of a running game to keep themselves competitive. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, a Dan Mullen holdover, didn’t do much beyond being an extra running back in Moorhead’s intriguing match-up offense.
Moorhead seems to have found his man in former Penn State QB, Tommy Stevens, who was 20 of 30 for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Ragin’ Cajuns. What’s more, MSU RB Kylin Hill made a resounding statement as one of the SEC’s best, rushing for 197 yards and a touchdown.
While defensive coordinator Bob Shoop’s squad gave up 430 yards on Saturday, the loss of three first-rounders from a generational defense makes the rebuild a little more understandable. They can’t nor will they be as good in 2019, but as long as Shoop’s there, they’ll keep themselves competitive.
The Bulldogs host Southern Miss on Saturday.
8. Kentucky
The Wildcats had their struggles in the first half of their game with a sneaky-good Toledo team, but nobody said that following up a 10-3 season (damn near unheard of in Lexington) was going to be easy. Especially while trying to replace a top ten pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and one of the best running backs in program history.
They did well, though. While the Wildcats’ defense surrendered 24 points and 347 total yards to a tricky Rockets offense, the offense did show plenty of grit on a day where the Wildcat family honored former UK quarterback, the late Jared Lorenzen.
Current QB Terry Wilson proved that he could be more than the predominant runner he was in 2018 by passing for 246 yards and two touchdowns.
With a favorable draw from the SEC football West this season and a pretty wide-open East as of right now, it seems more than possible for the Wildcats to have another 8-10 win season. They host Eastern Michigan this Saturday.