Half the SEC Power Poll Ballot
by Year2 on Nov 23, 2010 3:01 PM EST
in SEC Football
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1. Auburn
The Tigers have struggled with teams that do both sides of the ball reasonably well. Here comes the best of all of those on their schedule.
2. LSU
I'm still not sure how good this team is, but it sure is interesting to watch. Also, I'm cautiously optimistic about Jordan Jefferson's light finally turning on. If he uncorks a classic 10-for-22, 105 yard, 0/2 effort this week then forget it, but he might finally be coming around.
3. Alabama
The teams that have been able to challenge the secondary have given the Tide the most problems. Now comes Cameron Newton, who is good enough to challenge the secondary with both his arm and legs. How Alabama's back eight play might very well determine the game.
4. Arkansas
In most other years, Arkansas would be getting tons of recognition for its stellar year so far. I bet most people have forgotten that the Razorbacks were half a quarter away from beating Bama. Anyway, a win over LSU this weekend would vault the Pigs back into the spotlight and, if Auburn takes the Iron Bowl, quite possibly put them in a BCS bowl.
5. South Carolina
The epic beatdown of Troy was far more a classic Spurrier thing than it was a normal South Carolina thing. If the Gamecocks soundly put away a thoroughly mediocre Clemson team this weekend, then seriously watch out in Atlanta.
6. Mississippi State
Poor Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are much better than they were last year, but because this year's SEC West is perhaps the best conference division there's ever been, they're stuck back in fifth place behind the four top-12 teams that beat them.
7. Florida
So which Florida team will show up on Saturday? The Gators have had their way with Mickey Andrews's defense, but he's retired now with a Stoops brother at the helm. The 2008 team, which no one would ever confuse the 2010 squad for, had a Stoops brother defense and was held to just 24 points. FSU doesn't have the personnel that the '08 Sooners had, but this Gator team doesn't have nearly the personnel that '08 Gator team had either.
8. Georgia
This team is really not all that far off from where it wants to be, despite the 5-6 record. Not getting Ole Miss from the West didn't help, nor did South Carolina finally putting the pieces together. It should beat a down Georgia Tech team this weekend, but you never know with this bunch.
9. Tennessee
One of two things must be true: either Tyler Bray wasn't ready earlier this year, or he's just slicing up bad defenses. The third option is Tennessee's coaching staff being too inept to play him earlier, but I don't know if we're there yet with that bunch.
10. Kentucky
Soft scheduling netted another bowl, but when you're talking about Kentucky, I guess you can only complain so much about that.
11. Ole Miss
Has there been a stranger team this season? It lost to Vandy by two scores, yet pushed LSU for four quarters. Having an unreliable team makes for high variance, I guess.
12. Vanderbilt
Vandy is sitting on the same 2-9 that its weekend opponent Wake Forest is. Here's hoping the Commodores come away with that one.
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Re: Tennessee
One of two things must be true: either Tyler Bray wasn’t ready earlier this year, or he’s just slicing up bad defenses.
Both. One of the first things he did when he came into the opener against UT Martin was throw an interception. Doesn’t mean we can’t dream.
Bring it across, shape it down
I agree that the answer is both
But the fact that he has been slicing up bad defenses shouldn’t take away from the fact that he appears to be really really good. Pocket presence + great arm + throws catchable ball + obvious football instincts + ridiculously quick delivery + general moxie. These are things that can be observed regardless of the strength of the opponent. And, to be fair, he first exhibited these sorts of traits in the second half against USC, whose defense isn’t too too bad.
Some would argue that the coaching staff should have played him earlier. And when you hear interviews from the players, it becomes pretty obvious that they knew this guy was legit back in the summer during 7-on-7 drills. Dooley’s rationale for not playing him until he did — which is a reasonable enough rationale that I’m inclined to defer — is that Bray didn’t appear to be in command of the offense in any way, shape, or form until after September. And when Dooley started to begin seeing lightbulbs go off, he started to work him in more and more until it became blatantly obvious that this kid was not just our best quarterback, but might be something really special.
...just apologize for not thanking me.
Our secondary is incredibly awful
At least it was around the time of the Tennessee game. I think Bray should have played earlier, as well, but I don’t think you can use the South Carolina game as proof.
Team Speed Kills. All SEC, all the time.
Ratified
I don’t have any disagreements, so it would be odd to say the same thing twice.
Team Speed Kills. All SEC, all the time.
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