It has been a hectic three weeks for SEC football.
LSU went from looking terrible, to good, and then awful again by losing to Missouri.
Everyone thought Mississippi State was a darkhorse contender after Week 1. The Bulldogs lost to Arkansas in their second game.
Arkansas has been competitive in all three of its contests.
Auburn was somewhat impressive in Game 1. The Tigers got bullied by Georgia and barely beat Arkansas the next two weeks.
Florida was the darling of the first two weeks. Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and the Gators scored a combined 89 points in their first two games. The Gators’ offense showed up against Texas A&M, but it turns out the Gators’ defense is not what the league is accustomed to seeing.
Ole Miss is just 1-2. Those two loses are against top-10 competition. The win is against a feisty Kentucky team. Head coach Lane Kiffin has the Rebels’ offense rolling so far.
Tennessee has possibly been the most ‘as advertised’ team in the 2020 SEC football season. It won its first two contests. Then, it played Georgia more competitive than Auburn did.
South Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri all got their first win last week. That leaves Vanderbilt as the only winless team through three weeks.
Vanderbilt is 0-3, Georgia and Alabama are 3-0. Everyone else is 1-2 or 2-1.
What does all this mean? Not much really. Alabama and Georgia are the class of the conference, which is not much different than the last three seasons. The biggest question that remains is, “Who is the third-place team in the SEC?”
Right now, the answer would have to be Texas A&M following the Aggies’ thrilling win over Florida. Over time, this certainly could change. Maybe Florida’s defense figures it out and beats Georgia. Maybe Auburn rights the ship and can beat Alabama or Texas A&M late in the season. Maybe Tennessee is for real.
So many questions remain. Only time will tell. Now, COVID-19 is rearing its ugly face toward college football. Florida is getting hit hard by the virus. Alabama head coach Nick Saban has tested positive, putting the biggest game of the season in limbo against Georgia.
Here is what I make of the first three weeks of the 2020 season:
SEC Power Rankings
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Texas A&M
- Florida
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- Ole Miss
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- Mississippi State
- LSU
- South Carolina
- Vanderbilt
These rankings certainly will change. These are simply my observations through three weeks of chaotic SEC football.
As for Auburn:
Auburn needs to figure out some chemistry between Bo Nix and his offensive line. The offensive line has been a work-in-progress. Nix needs to have a little more faith in the unit assigned to protect him.
Auburn has numerous weapons. Offensive coordinator Chad Morris must find a way to utilize his playmakers more effectively.
The defense needs to toughen up against the run and get after the quarterback. The defense could certainly benefit from some guys returning from injury.
Not all of this will be accomplished in one week. Some of these goals may never get done. The one thing that is encouraging is the fight these players have shown the last two weeks, and they have the talent to bring it all together.
Only time will tell.
Photo courtesy of AuburnTigers.com
