All for Tennessee
Fansided

SEC Power Rankings following Week 1 of 2018 season

By Caleb Calhoun

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 01: A detailed view of the helmets worn by the Tennessee Volunteers before their game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 01: A detailed view of the helmets worn by the Tennessee Volunteers before their game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
10 of 15
Next
Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images /

If we’re going on talent, the Georgia Bulldogs are likely one of the the top teams in the league. And they are in the top half of our SEC Power Rankings. But we have to be fair to everybody. Based on what we said in our opening slide, these rankings are based solely how you’re playing at this current moment, and they almost solely take into account this season.

On top of that, the heaviest weight on the season is the quality of the opponent. As a result, Kirby Smart’s team has to be down here. We can’t ignore the fact that they opened the season against the Austin Peay Governors, an FCS school.

To be fair, this is an FCS program that went 8-4 last year. So they are one of the few winning FCS programs SEC teams faced this year. On top of that, the Dawgs did what they do. They used an efficient offense and dominating defense to win the game easily.

These guys shut out Austin Peay 45-0. With so many starters replaced on defense, pitching a shutout is a huge deal for the confidence of these guys. Sure, they’re loaded with talent, but doing that with little experience really matters.

Now, though, it’s time for them to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke. The Dawgs have the perfect chance to do that this week against a South Carolina Gamecocks team on a roll dating back to last year. A road trip against the Missouri Tigers is also on the slate for this month. So these guys could easily shoot up these rankings soon enough.

Home/Vols Football