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SEC Power Poll, Week 1: Out of the Gate

Secpowerpoll2008_medium

1. Alabama Crimson Tide, 182 points (unanimous)
2. LSU Tigers, 169
3. Arkansas Razorbacks, 142
4. South Carolina Gamecocks, 134
5. Georgia Bulldogs, 132
6. Tennessee Volunteers, 120
7. Missouri Tigers, 108
8. Mississippi St. Bulldogs, 86
9. Florida Gators, 76
10. Auburn Tigers, 62
11. Texas A&M Aggies, 58
11. Vanderbilt Commodores, 56
13. Mississippi Rebels, 23
14. Kentucky Wildcats, 17

Oh, hey, Alabama is No. 1 in our first edition of the SEC Power Poll this year. I don't know that we've ever had that before; let me check the archives.

The consensus seems to be, yet again, that Alabama and LSU are the cream of the crop, followed by the trio of Arkansas, South Carolina and Georgia, with everyone else following in clumps of various sizes. And, of course, Ole Miss and Kentucky are far, far behind.

Voters?

ALABAMA

The Tide actually played the toughest opponent out of anyone in the conference, and treated them like the same type of cupcake most everybody else played.--Arkansas Expats

I predict Alabama will have to lose two games to not get into the BCS NCG.--Georgia Sports Blog

ARKANSAS

Somewhat underwhelming in week one, but Tyler Wilson showed that he is one of the nation's premier quarterbacks.--Red Cup Rebellion

The Hogs predictably beat up on Jacksonville State. Although, the fact that Knile Davis averaged just 3.9 yards on 18 carries is interesting. That ankle must still be pretty sore.--College and Magnolia

AUBURN

Really? Clemson? By the transitive property, Auburn lost to West Virginia by 96 points.--Georgia Sports Blog

You disappoint the SEC and Gamecock fans.--Leftover Hot Dog

FLORIDA

How can Florida not have a player capable of scoring points?--Arkansas Expats

Fear and loathing for the vanilla offense and pliable defense could explode into disgust in College Station.--Alligator Army

GEORGIA

If you're a Georgia fan, you're probably not happy the Dawgs failed to cover a cupcake game. But if you're somebody who identified running back and special teams as weak spots this season, Georgia may have answered a few questions.--Get the Picture

Are we going to say that the 3 defensive starters held out were the reason Georgia's D looked so ordinary?--A Sea of Blue

KENTUCKY

If it has always been your dream to watch Joker Phillips coach a game, you better get to Lexington soon.--College and Magnolia

They're ... better than last year? Maybe?--Rock M Nation

LSU

Two Tiger running backs ran for more than 120 yards against North Texas. With that run game and that defense, Zach Mettenberger's arm could fall off and LSU would still be fine.--College and Magnolia

Dominant against a lesser foe, though Zach Mettenberger is still something of an unknown quantity.--Alligator Army

MISSOURI

The new-ness is appealing.--Leftover Hot Dog

The offense hit a lull and still scored 62 points. Those are lulls you can live with, I guess.--Rock M Nation

MISSISSIPPI

Oxford's a nice place.--Arkansas Expats

The Grove came close to burning down.--For Whom the Cowbell Tolls

MISSISSIPPI STATE

I didn't know Jackson was even a state.--Georgia Sports Blog

Not quite dominant, and the efficiency gap on turnovers is worrisome: Two pick-sixes bookended a fumble in Jackson State territory that turned into a Bulldogs punt.--Alligator Army

SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina early in the season on a Thursday night: all of the turnovers, bizarre playcalling, and single-digit victories every single year.--Red Cup Rebellion

SEC road games for top teams are supposed to be tough -- just not at Vanderbilt.--A Sea of Blue

TENNESSEE

The Volunteers may be ready to surprise some folks this year.--For Whom the Cowbell Tolls

Enjoy the lofty poll position while you can, Big Orange fans. Meanwhile, the rest of us will enjoy the thought that Derek Dooley just bought us all an extra year of making fun of his hair, his pants, his press conference comments, and his disciplinary practices.--Dawg Sports

TEXAS A&M

Can you have a bye-week bounce when you haven't played a single game?--Get the Picture

It was a masterstroke to schedule an away game in the path of a hurricane so it could be postponed, thereby sparing the Aggies from displaying the league-wide malaise that infected most of the rest of the conference.--Dawg Sports

VANDERBILT

They've got talent, and the coaching is there, but they're so perpetually unlucky it hurts.--Red Cup Rebellion

More athletic than they used to be, still not as athletic as most in the conference.--Rock M Nation