This is a weekly ranking compiled by Bama's Rivals dude. Similar to Cream ****, only better:
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SEC Power Poll
With so much uncertainty beyond Alabama heading into the season, the decision was made to postpone the debut of the 2010 Power Poll by a few weeks. And considering the way the start of the season played out, a two-week delay may not have been enough.
1.) Alabama -- Upcoming “feel good” trip to Durham followed by season-defining gauntlet of Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina. Five-game stretch against Joe Paterno, David Cutcliffe, Bobby Petrino, Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier for the Crimson Tide. Meanwhile, five of Boise State’s 12 regular-season opponents don’t have Rivals.com sites. The computers have to factor that in somehow, don’t they?
2.) Florida -- Most inappropriate SEC texter: Chris Rainey or Houston Nutt? I gotta go Rainey here.
3.) LSU -- Bizarro world: Jordan Jefferson’s lackluster play has LSU fans calling for Jarrett Lee. Where’s Mickey Guidry when you really need him?
4.) South Carolina -- Marcus Lattimore is South Carolina’s version of Fred Taylor. Now if Stephen Garcia could just be its Noah Brindise.
5.) Arkansas -- One week from Saturday will only be large if the Hogs take care of business in Athens Saturday. After winning at Auburn in Petrino’s SEC road debut two seasons ago, the Hogs have dropped their last seven league road games.
6.) Auburn -- Orange and blue. Tigers for mascots. Saturday’s date with Clemson will resemble an Auburn spring game, with Clemson fans helping to ensure a near sell-out of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
7.) Kentucky -- Of all the proposed “surprise” teams in the East, the Wildcats are my pick for two reasons: Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke. One reason why I’m not betting the house on UK: rush defense.
8.) Georgia -- I’ll stop short of calling Saturday’s game against Arkansas is a must-win for Mark Richt because I‘m not convinced the powers that be truly understand how close the Bulldogs are to irrelevancy. And that would be the case even with an eligible A.J. Green.
9.) Mississippi State -- Dan Mullen has made the Bulldogs more fun to watch, but they’re not nearly as physical as Jackie Sherrill’s State teams. Or Emory Bellard’s for that matter.
10.) Tennessee -- Not so long ago, Florida was the gateway game to Atlanta for the Volunteers. Now it’s a conceded loss for UT fans trying to figure out how their team will get to six wins.
11.) Ole Miss -- If you can’t earn your way to New Orleans, just schedule a trip of your own. After falling to Jacksonville State at home in week one, beating Tulane on the road probably felt like a Sugar Bowl win to the Rebels.
12.) Vanderbilt -- It’ll be interesting to see how well Robbie Caldwell’s sense of humor holds up over the course of a long season. “Aw shucks” might become “Aw $#!#”.
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SEC Power Poll
With so much uncertainty beyond Alabama heading into the season, the decision was made to postpone the debut of the 2010 Power Poll by a few weeks. And considering the way the start of the season played out, a two-week delay may not have been enough.
1.) Alabama -- Upcoming “feel good” trip to Durham followed by season-defining gauntlet of Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina. Five-game stretch against Joe Paterno, David Cutcliffe, Bobby Petrino, Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier for the Crimson Tide. Meanwhile, five of Boise State’s 12 regular-season opponents don’t have Rivals.com sites. The computers have to factor that in somehow, don’t they?
2.) Florida -- Most inappropriate SEC texter: Chris Rainey or Houston Nutt? I gotta go Rainey here.
3.) LSU -- Bizarro world: Jordan Jefferson’s lackluster play has LSU fans calling for Jarrett Lee. Where’s Mickey Guidry when you really need him?
4.) South Carolina -- Marcus Lattimore is South Carolina’s version of Fred Taylor. Now if Stephen Garcia could just be its Noah Brindise.
5.) Arkansas -- One week from Saturday will only be large if the Hogs take care of business in Athens Saturday. After winning at Auburn in Petrino’s SEC road debut two seasons ago, the Hogs have dropped their last seven league road games.
6.) Auburn -- Orange and blue. Tigers for mascots. Saturday’s date with Clemson will resemble an Auburn spring game, with Clemson fans helping to ensure a near sell-out of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
7.) Kentucky -- Of all the proposed “surprise” teams in the East, the Wildcats are my pick for two reasons: Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke. One reason why I’m not betting the house on UK: rush defense.
8.) Georgia -- I’ll stop short of calling Saturday’s game against Arkansas is a must-win for Mark Richt because I‘m not convinced the powers that be truly understand how close the Bulldogs are to irrelevancy. And that would be the case even with an eligible A.J. Green.
9.) Mississippi State -- Dan Mullen has made the Bulldogs more fun to watch, but they’re not nearly as physical as Jackie Sherrill’s State teams. Or Emory Bellard’s for that matter.
10.) Tennessee -- Not so long ago, Florida was the gateway game to Atlanta for the Volunteers. Now it’s a conceded loss for UT fans trying to figure out how their team will get to six wins.
11.) Ole Miss -- If you can’t earn your way to New Orleans, just schedule a trip of your own. After falling to Jacksonville State at home in week one, beating Tulane on the road probably felt like a Sugar Bowl win to the Rebels.
12.) Vanderbilt -- It’ll be interesting to see how well Robbie Caldwell’s sense of humor holds up over the course of a long season. “Aw shucks” might become “Aw $#!#”.
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