Alabama Football: Power Ranking the SEC after week one
By Ronald Evans
- No. 11 – Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0)
The Bulldogs beat Southeastern Louisiana, 48-7, which is not a bad win. The Lions were one of the best FCS teams last season, with a 9-4 record, losing in the second round of the FCS Playoffs to Samford.
- No. 10 – Auburn Tigers (1-0)
Although UMass won in week zero, one ranking of all FBS teams, still had the Minutemen last, at No. 133, going into week one. The Aubies prevailed down on the Plains, 59-14.
- No. 9 – Vanderbilt Commodores (2-0)
I would like to give the Dores more credit for being 2-0, but a resume with wins over Hawaii and Alabama A&M does not deserve a higher ranking.
The next two teams could be ranked as tied for No. 8, but for a clean ranking, the list maintains a traditional format.
- No. 8 – Kentucky Wildcats (1-0)
After a slow start in Lexington, the Wildcats took down Ball State, 44-14. Alabama football fans will remember Ball State quarterback, Layne Hatcher who spent one season in Tuscaloosa before transferring to Arkansas State. Hatcher started for the Cardinals against UK.
- No. 7 – Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0)
The Western Carolina Catamounts have been slowly improving from 1-8 in the 2020 season, to 4-7 in 2021 and 6-5 last season. The FCS program was no match for the Razorbacks, losing 56-13.
- No. 6 – Texas A&M Aggies (1-0)
The New Mexico Lobos are an FBS team coming off a 2-10 season. Maybe the Aggies deserve a tad more credit for the win, but Jeff Sagarin had several FCS teams ranked above New Mexico last week. The TAMU 52-10 win does not count for much.
- No. 5 – Ole Miss Rebels (1-0)
One of the FCS teams Jeff Sagarin had ranked above New Mexico was Mercer. The Ole Miss 73-7 win over the Bears bumped Lane Kiffin’s team above Jimbo Fisher’s team.