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SEC Power Rankings after Week 1 of 2019: Yes, Vols are tanking

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 31: The Tennessee Volunteers warm up before the season opener against the Georgia State Panthers at Neyland Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 31: The Tennessee Volunteers warm up before the season opener against the Georgia State Panthers at Neyland Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images
Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images /

Everybody will point out how ugly the Florida Gators looked on offense in their season-opening win over the Miami Hurricanes, gaining only 304 yards and committing four turnovers en route to a 24-20 victory. But they beat a Power Five team on a neutral field that went 7-6 last year and returns almost all of its starters on defense.

Dan Mullen’s second team is still in great shape to be elite, and they showed it on defense with 10 sacks on the night while facing a mobile quarterback. That’s pretty impressive no matter how you slice it, and you could say they overcame four turnovers. So this didn’t hurt them one bit in our SEC Power Rankings.

Doing it a week ahead of everybody else’s opening weekend combined with the fact that it was in Florida, in the middle of August, will lead to ugly play. What else can you expect with so much heat? Florida looked great in numerous ways and has earned the right to be a top 10-caliber program. There is nothing wrong with beating Miami in a close win.

Up next, they’ll move to 2-0 with a home game against UT Martin, and then they can prove if they’ve taken the next step with a chance at revenge over the Kentucky Wildcats, which will be on the road. Since the Vols and Towson come to town after that, they should get to 5-0 before facing the next team on this list.

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