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
9 of 15
Next
Photo by Lance King/Getty Images
Photo by Lance King/Getty Images /

Will Muschamp and the South Carolina Gamecocks still haven’t proven anything dating back to last year. They beat one winning team down the stretch of the season, and that was a Michigan Wolverines program reeling amidst the criticism of Jim Harbaugh. So at this point, they still haven’t really proven anything.

Playing the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers was not going to help their case at all. Given the test other conference teams faced, the competition alone forced us to drop these guys a few spots in our SEC Power Rankings.

However, we have to be fair. South Carolina did blow out Coastal Carolina by a greater margin than other programs blew out FCS schools. Even if the Chanticleers just started at this level, they still count as an FBS win. That’s enough for us to keep them in the top half of these rankings.

Jake Bentley showed he can run this offense with 250 yards and four touchdowns, and the 263 rushing yards to add to that shows that Muschamp truly has the necessary balance he was looking for in place. That’s a huge deal for the program. And it’s a big positive for them as well.

Now, South Carolina has quite a few tests coming up to be able to prove themselves. This September alone, they face the Vanderbilt Commodores and Missouri Tigers on the road. But this week is the major focus. They go on the road to face the next team in our SEC Power Rankings in a game that could decide the East.

Home/Vols Football