College football season opening results revealed a line of demarcation in the SEC.
Six teams that were ranked all won their openers.
Four of eight teams that were unranked lost their openers.
Here my SEC power rankings after week one:
1. Alabama (1-0, last week 42-3 over Duke, Saturday home vs. New Mexico State): There is something deliciously ironic about a red-faced, volcanic Nick Saban MF’n an official who flagged the Tide for excessive celebration because he wanted his team to have fun in ‘Bama’s 39-point win over Duke.
2. Georgia (1-0, last week 30-6 at Vanderbilt, Saturday home vs. Murray State): The Bulldogs had to immediately audible upon arriving Vanderbilt Stadium. Their scheduled pregame walk through their fans took a shorter, different route when Georgia’s lead state trooper was pulled away to break up a fight on a sidewalk. After that, it was smooth sailing. The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and then sort of lost interest scoring three field goals the rest of the way.
3. LSU (1-0, last week 55-3 over Georgia Southern, Saturday at Texas): Quarterback Joe Burrow said the Tigers didn’t show all of their new offense in evaporating Georgia Southern. Guess if the Tigers had done that, they would have scored on all 13 possessions.
4. Auburn (1-0, last week 27-21 over Oregon, Saturday home vs. Tulane): Auburn coach Gus Malzahn could have attempted a game-winning 43-yard field goal against Oregon with nine seconds left. Instead, he ordered true freshman QB Bo Nix to throw deep to Seth Williams for a 26-yard TD. Shades of LSU’s Matt Flynn to Demterius Byrd 22-yard game-winner in 2007 over Auburn with one second left.
5. Texas A&M (1-0, last week 41-7 over Texas State, Saturday at Clemson): The Aggies, still high from last year’s seven-overtime regular season win over LSU, now have concession cups celebrating the win with the score of the game. That’s sort of unfair. LSU can’t do the same thing because it doesn’t have room on one cup for all the scores of the seven straight wins it had against A&M prior to last season.
6. Florida (Last week open date, 1-0, Saturday home vs. UT Martin): The Gators, after a season-opening 24-20 win over Miami on Aug. 24, need every day to clean up their laundry list of first-game mistakes. But there isn’t enough time to clear the cluttered mind of Florida QB Feleipe Franks, whose game-management decisions are as scattered as his emotions. One of these games, Florida is going to get a delay-of-game penalty when Franks takes a victory lap around the stadium after converting a third-down possession on a quarterback sneak.
7. Mississippi State (Last week 38-28 over Louisiana-Lafayette, 1-0, Saturday home vs. Southern Mississippi): The Bulldogs discovered two truths in the opener. They can throw the ball a helluva lot better than last season with Penn State grad transfer Tommy Stevens as starting QB. And MSU’s defense looks like exactly what it is – a unit that lost three NFL round draft choices.
8. Kentucky (Last week beat Toledo 38-24, 1-0, Saturday home vs. Eastern Michigan): The Wildcats led by just 24-17 entering the final quarter. But then my favorite new name in college football, a UK freshman running back appropriately named Kavosiey Smoke, left a vapor trail on a 40-yard TD run with 8:26 left in the game that allowed Wildcats’ fans to exhale.
9. South Carolina (Last week lost 24-20 to North Carolina, 0-1, Saturday home vs. Charleston Southern): When Will Muschamp was a Texas defensive coordinator under head coach Mack Brown, he was named “head coach in waiting.” Saturday as South Carolina’s head coach losing to the 68-year old Brown in Brown’s debut as North Carolina coach, Muschamp is now a head coach waiting to beat Brown.
10. Missouri (Last Saturday lost 37-31 at Wyoming 0-1, Saturday home vs. West Virginia): Even though Clemson transfer quarterback Kelly Bryant lost in his starting debut, his spirits were lifted afterward when he was awarded a participatory trophy and ring.
11. Ole Miss (Last week lost at Memphis, 15-10, 0-1, Saturday home vs. Arkansas): It’s obvious that the supposed post game altercation involving new Rebels’ starting quarterback Matt Corral throwing his helmet at head coach Matt Luke is fake news. Corral didn’t have time to throw all day.
12. Vanderbilt (Lost to 30-6 to Georgia, 0-1, Saturday at Purdue): There was nothing here for Vandy fans to see that gave them hope that a bowl bid is possible.
13. Arkansas (Last week 20-13 over Portland State, 0-1, Saturday at Ole Miss): A struggling seven-point win over a FCS (Division 1-AA) team that was 4-7 last season is not what Razorbacks’ fans expected for the start of year two under head coach Chad Morris. It’s the type of performance that gives fans a reason not to attend games. Which leads me to. . .
Revoked SEC membership until further notice
Tennessee (Last week lost to Georgia State, 0-1, Saturday home vs. BYU): A boat outside of Neyland Stadium catching fire Saturday morning was an ominous precursor to the dumpster fire that took place later in the day. I haven’t seen Tennessee fans with so many stunned faces since the 2001 SEC championship game when LSU beat the supposedly Rose Bowl-bound Vols 31-20 despite losing starting quarterback Matt Mauck and starting running back LaBrandon Toefield to injury.
Saturday’s game was so shocking – the Vols getting handled by a Sun Belt Conference football program that just started in 2010 and that had a 2-10 record last season – that it made LSU fans feel a tinge better about losing to Troy two seasons ago. At least Troy's program had a history of success.
