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Welcome to this week’s edition of the Team Speed Kills power rankings.
In this edition, the following blogs partook in the voting process:
We were able to snag the participation of seven of the SEC blogs this week as well as 13 members of our staff. Here are the results:
14. South Carolina Gamecocks
(Score: 13.45; Highest Vote: 13; Lowest Vote: 14; Last Week: 12)
“Sits at 2-2 and now Kentucky and Vandy are in the rear view mirror. It’s going to get worse, most likely.” -- And The Valley Shook
“It’s hard to imagine this team winning another game outside of their two remaining cupcake games. checks schedule, sees UMass. Uh oh.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“Now that he’s lost to Kentucky, Will Muschamp only needs to lose to Florida and Tennessee to snag the ultra-rare ‘Lose to every team in the SEC East’ achievement.” -- Rock M Nation
“Will Muschamp will make an excellent addition to the SEC Nation panel in 2 years.” -- Cam Newton
“Needs to find any kind of offensive identity and the schedule gets rough quickly.” -- Alex Dusza
“Five games in a row at home might not even save South Carolina.” -- Christopher Novak
13. Vanderbilt Commodores
(Score: 12.95; Highest Vote: 10; Lowest Vote: 14; Last Week: 13)
“I’ll let our own Tom Stephenson do this for me.” -- Christopher Novak
Oh no, Matt Bevin, you don't just get to delete a tweet before Vandy nation gets to laugh at you. pic.twitter.com/nJIc5fJ1XZ
— Tom Stephenson (@tcstephenson1) September 25, 2016
“Yes, South Carolina beat Vandy in Nashville in the opener, but the ‘Dores have since blown out a decent Middle Tennessee State team and won a thriller over a good Western Kentucky team. Georgia Tech you say? Doesn’t ring a bell.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“Western Kentucky is no cupcake, but most people expected more from Vandy this season. Derek Mason is starting to bear a frightening resemblance to a Commodore going down with his ship.” -- Rock M Nation
“Pulled an upset win over Western Kentucky. Despite the winless SEC record, that’s enough to keep them out of the cellar for a week.” -- And The Valley Shook
“Beating WKU in OT resulted in a botched tweet from Gov. Matt Bevin, so that’s a win if there ever was one.” -- Cam Newton
12. Kentucky Wildcats
(Score: 12.4; Highest Vote: 12; Lowest Vote: 14; Last Week: 14)
“In what world does it make sense that Mark Stoops is only able to perform at a high level against South Carolina?” -- Cam Newton
“Got the must-win over South Carolina. The season might still be lost, but they will at least go down fighting.” -- And The Valley Shook
“UK is still very bad; but of the other teams that are similarly bad, they aren’t the most bad. That’s good!” -- Rock M Nation
“Honestly, these last three teams could be in any order from 12-14, but we’ll throw Kentucky a bone because they are (relatively-speaking) hot right now. Boom Williams continues to be one of the most underutilized and underappreciated players in college football after rushing for 123 yards on 15 carries.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“Kentucky has a date with Alabama this Saturday. I don’t think anyone would blame them if they stood them up.” -- Christopher Novak
11. Mississippi State Bulldogs
(Score: 11.05; Highest Vote: 10; Lowest Vote: 12; Last Week: 11)
“As an aside: Mississippi State’s jerseys looked like the Patriots’ ones. I’m not crazy right?” -- Christopher Novak
“Dan Mullen’s group has now had late-game battles with South Alabama and UMass, one of which they lost. Yet they still aren’t the worst in the SEC. Remember when the conference had real depth?” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“They didn’t lose, per-say, but the Bulldogs also didn’t win last weekend. They just kind of... happened. They haven’t looked good yet this season, which probably means they’re going to beat Auburn this weekend.” -- Rock M Nation
“Rallied to beat UMass. Read that sentence again. Just let it roll around in consciousness.” -- And The Valley Shook
10. Missouri Tigers
(Score: 9.75; Highest Vote: 9; Lowest Vote: 11; Last Week: 10)
“Hung 79 on Delaware St, a winless FCS team. Impressive.” -- And The Valley Shook
“I don’t care who their opponent was, the University of Missouri scored SEVENTY-NINE points last weekend. The same football team that scored 163 points all season in 2015 put nearly half of that on the scoreboard in a single contest. The SEC East is once again a group of malnourished rats fighting each other for scraps in a rarely used dumpster - if Mizzou can keep up this pace, it’s very possible for them to let the bigger rats cripple each other en route to the litter-filled alleyway that is Atlanta.” -- Rock M Nation
“Nobody was paying any attention, but Mizzou quietly decimated Delaware State’s entire athletic program in a four hour span Saturday afternoon. Seriously, can someone check to make sure Delaware State didn’t decide to close its doors permanently?” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“Mizzou outscored the typical output of their men’s basketball team.” -- Christopher Novak
9. LSU Tigers
(Score: 8.5; Highest Vote: 7; Lowest Vote: 10; Last Week: 8)
“Long live Les.” -- Christopher Novak
“After the worst start in his LSU career, Les Miles is officially done in Baton Rouge. Whether or not you agree with the decision, it’s hard to imagine this will result in a net positive for the Bayou Bengals this season. There are a lot of potential “Ls” still on the schedule, and the offense is absolutely anemic. Also, how fitting was it that Les Miles’ tenure at LSU ends after a horrible mismanagement of the clock?” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“LSU is definitely more talented than a lot of teams above them on this list, but that’s sort of the reason that their current head coach is a man who can win games as an interim leader without speaking in coherent sentences. I joke, but Ed Orgeron is totally going to paste Mizzou this weekend.” -- Rock M Nation
“Malachi Dupre, the school’s #1 receiver headed into the season and a preseason all-SEC selection, has 99 yards receiving on the season. He also decided to not go out of bounds and stop the clock with 20 seconds left, instead fighting for a meaningless yard and setting up the frantic ending. I’m not saying he got Miles fired, but let’s just say he’s emblematic of the team’s struggles on offense.” -- And The Valley Shook
“Have you seen this Les Miles guy? Man, he’s really something! I can’t wait until he’s coaching Kentucky next year!” -- Cam Newton
8. Georgia Bulldogs
(Score: 7.95; Highest Vote: 7; Lowest Vote: 9; Last Week: 5)
“Lost by 31 points. Still the co-favorite to win the East.” -- And The Valley Shook
“Mark Richt got fired so they could get that performance?” -- Alex Dusza
“Kirby Smart needs to take a page out of Bill Snyder’s playbook and send Mizzou a heartfelt thank-you note. If the Dawgs had dropped their game in Columbia, their fans would almost certainly be tossing the “bust” label around. Not that Smart has earned it, necessarily, I just don’t think fans would be too tickled about UGA sitting at 2-2 while their ex is undefeated and looking wonderfully tan.” -- Rock M Nation
“Yikes. It’s difficult to find anything positive from the Dawgs’ performance against Ole Miss. It’s stunning to see how porous the offensive line play is. Nick Chubb and the rest of those stud running-backs aren’t going to matter if the big guys up front don’t open up any holes for them. Honestly, I was watching this game at the same time as the Alabama-Kent State game, and I couldn’t tell the difference between the Bulldogs and the Golden Flashes.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“If you’d have asked me which Georgia football team was going to get blown out this week, I would’ve picked the other one who dons red and black.” -- Christopher Novak
7. Auburn Tigers
(Score: 7.1; Highest Vote: 5; Lowest Vote: 10; Last Week: 9)
“Gus won the Loser Leaves Town match. Is he getting a push now?” -- Christopher Novak
“There were some impressive performances across the SEC this past week, but none were bigger than Daniel Carlson’s eighteen points on 6/6 kicking. At this point in the season it’s safe to say that this Auburn defense is a legitimate force, as well as one of the best in the conference. However, it also seems pretty safe to assume that this offense isn’t going to get it all figured out this year. The quarterback play simply isn’t good enough. Big Kamryn Pettway needs to get more touches, that guy is a hoss.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“They lost, and in doing so beat LSU. Auburn out-Les’d Les Miles, forcing him to delete his account. I never thought I’d see the day, yet here we are. The win also pointed the Coach O cannon squarely in Mizzou’s direction, so thanks for that.” -- Rock M Nation
“A team so bad that losing to them is grounds for firing your coach.” -- And The Valley Shook
6. Florida Gators
(Score: 6.45; Highest Vote: 5; Lowest Vote: 10; Last Week: 7)
“For a few hours, it looked like every other Florida-Tennessee game in recent memory. Until it didn’t.” -- And The Valley Shook
“Look at the positive side of things, Gator fans. Your defense is incredibly stout. Not stout enough to keep a 21-point lead safe, mind you, but still quite formidable.” -- Rock M Nation
“At halftime of the game on Saturday, it looked like Florida was well on its way to making a return trip to Atlanta. The Gator defense was as dominant as ever and Austin Appleby was making some big time plays. And then Florida came back out of the locker room and got hammered. They could not get anything going on the ground all game, and they gave up way too many big plays. With a more favorable draw from the West (Miles-less LSU at home and at Arkansas vs. A&M on the road and Alabama at home for Tennessee), the Gators are hardly out of the East race, but they are definitely looking up at Tennessee right now.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“2016 wound up being the C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-Combo Breaker.” -- Christopher Novak
5. Arkansas Razorbacks
(Score: 5.05; Highest Vote: 3; Lowest Vote: 7; Last Week: 3)
“I know they lost, but Arkansas is a Top 3 team to me. I’d certainly take them over every team in the East.” -- Christopher Novak
“The 45-24 final score was not indicative to how competitive the game between the Razorbacks and Aggies really was. Twice Arkansas came away with zero points despite having the ball on the Aggies’ one-yard line, and both times A&M capitalized by immediately answering with big time touchdowns from Trevor Knight. Austin Allen is really starting to come into his own, and the Hogs are not far away from being true contenders in the West. They need to do a better job of limiting big plays defensively.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“They caught a big L last week, but that doesn’t mean the Fightin’ Berts aren’t a team to be very nervous about if they appear on your schedule. Austin Allen has been solid, and Rawleigh Williams III will punch your middle linebacker in the helmet without taking recoil damage before outrunning your track/football dual-sport nickel safety to the endzone.” -- Rock M Nation
“A&M just has their number. Given that A&M is on their schedule every year, they might want to work on that.” -- And The Valley Shook
4. Tennessee Volunteers
(Score: 4; Highest Vote: 3; Lowest Vote: 5; Last Week: 6)
“Prevented publication of approximately a million “Butch Jones is a terrible coach” columns with that second half. Instead, they were saved to file.” -- And The Valley Shook
“Congratulations, Vols. You beat a good Florida team. A solid Gators squad playing at the very pinnacle of health, that one. Truly a victory worthy of great praise. Worthy of reward, I’d say. Why don’t you go ahead and play a Georgia team coming off an exorcism this weekend. You just broke an 11-year losing streak, you’ve earned a gimme against a team that was just shaken to their spiritual core. I’m sure you’ll take care of business and put the game out of reach early.” -- Rock M Nation
“It only took three and a half games, but the country finally got a look at what the Vols’ ceiling is in 2016. Tennessee looked downright frightening in the second half against a stout Florida team on Saturday. The Gators’ defense, which had looked impenetrable prior to the game, was rocked by Josh Dobbs and the Tennessee offense, and despite missing a number of relevant contributors due to injury, the Volunteer defense played lights-out. If Tennessee can play close to that level more consistently, they will win the East with ease.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“Everyone knows it takes the 12th time to beat Florida. Tennessee just had us all fooled this whole time.” -- Christopher Novak
3. Ole Miss Rebels
(Score: 3.36; Highest Vote: 3; Lowest Vote: 5; Last Week: 4)
“You KNOW you thought that Ole Miss was going to gag that away. You know it.” -- Christopher Novak
“After the deflating loss to Alabama last week, it would’ve been easy for the Rebels to come out flat and put on an uninspiring performance against Georgia this past Saturday. Chad Kelly and company quashed that notion quickly. Ole Miss completely dominated the Bulldogs in every phase of the game. The Rebel passing attack may be the best in the country, and honestly, the loss to Florida State is looking more and more like the superior team lost that game.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“They’re 2-2, sure, but those two losses came at the hands of two of the nation’s best. They just banished Georgia to the 50th Dead World - if you want to come fight them for this spot then be my guest. Plus, Chad Kelly is cooking. He’s chucking up bombs and then sliding into adult film stars’ DMs. The man is on fire, but an extinguisher is not required.” -- Rock M Nation
“It turns out Ole Miss’ problem is not blowing huge leads, it’s blowing huge leads to teams that are awesome. Seeing that there is a shortage of awesome teams left on their schedule, this bodes well for the future.” -- And The Valley Shook
2. Texas A&M Aggies (21)
(Score: 1.95; First-Place Votes: 2; Lowest Vote: 2; Last Week: 2)
“Myles Garrett.” -- Cam Newton
“Impressive win over Arkansas again gives the Aggies the most impressive non-Bama resume in the SEC. I still feel like Lucy is holding the football, waiting for us to try and kick it.” -- And The Valley Shook
“The Arkansas performance could be a turning point. They offer the best threat to Alabama in the West.” -- Alex Dusza
“The scary part about the Aggies isn’t their bounty crop of playmakers bee-lining for the endzone, it’s their nasty defense. Myles Garrett is in desperate need of a nerf; he’s too overpowered for the game of college football, and his defense is only allowing 21 points/game to teams not named Prairie View. That may seem like too big a number for an elite defense, but it’s damn impressive for a unit whose offense willingly concedes the time of possession battle.” -- Rock M Nation
“The 2016 Aggies are for real. After battling it out with Arkansas for three quarters, Kevin Sumlin’s squad dominated the final period of play. The match-up in Dallas was a battle of two very good looking teams, and A&M was the one who executed during all of the key moments. This is an impressive team.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“A&M pulls this same song and dance every year. This time it feels a little different, no? Hello? Bueller?” -- Christopher Novak
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (18)
(Score: 1.1; First-Place Votes: 18; Lowest Vote: 2; Last Week: 1)
“Every week they play, it makes me that much more excited for the games against Arkansas and Texas A&M.” -- Christopher Novak
“Honestly, any power poll that doesn’t include the Tide at the #1 spot is just fishing for clicks, and we at RBR do not condone such activities. The month of October will reveal whether or not anyone has a shot at preventing Nick Saban from accepting his third straight SEC Championship trophy, as Alabama plays three teams ranked in the top five of this poll.” -- Roll ‘Bama Roll
“48-0 isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? [pause for dramatic effect] 79-0. Please don’t smite me, Lord Saban.” -- Rock M Nation
“There were some injuries in their ritual sacrifice of Kent State, exposing weaknesses in the Tide’s… no, not really. Far and away the #1 team.” -- And The Valley Shook