Sunday Morning QB after beating OFF

Today I will do a power ranking of the SEC and grade their performance to date.

1. Alabama– I give the Tide an A+. They have come out and looked even better than expected. The defense looks as strong as ever, and the offensive line has been as good as advertised. Their very pedestrian performance vs Mississippi notwithstanding, this is the team to beat in the SEC- aGAIN.

2. Georgia– The Bulldogs have looked really good this season. They have the best QB in the SEC imo, and their offense is clicking. Murray has also benefited from a punishing running game. Their defense had been playing lights out until Tennessee yesterday, but I think it was more of an aberration than the norm. They have a huge game next week vs SC to help clear the East picture a little. A+

3. Florida– The Gators have looked exceedingly better than predicted. Boom wants them to become “Bama East” and is trying to mold them that way. So far, so good in 2012. They are already 3-0 in the SEC with wins @A&M and @Tennessee. They are physical and play good defense. A week off to get ready for LSU at home is just what they needed. A win next Saturday and it will be hard to deny that the Gators are back. A+

4. SC– Spurrier’s boys have looked good this season for the most part. They have had a couple of sluggish performances, but have turned it on when need be. Conner Shaw is looking very good and Lattimore’s knee is looking better each week. They get Georgia at home this week- with the winner one step closer to winning an East title. A

5. LSU– Miles and crew have been full of lackluster performances this season. They have also had a talent drop since August- losing various players to drugs, grades, and injury. Mettenberger has a big arm, but he’s not very agile and looks very much like a 1st year starter at QB. Their performances to date makes one wonder if they have actually gotten over the loss to Bama in last year’s NC game. We’ll see what they are made of this coming Saturday in the Swamp- I think Florida takes them down. C-

6. State– The Bulldogs have performed fairly well to this point. They rolled Auburn in a dominant performance, and then kind of sleepwalked through their other three games. Tyler Russell has been solid at QB, even with spotty performances from his WR’s. The OL has played better than expected to this point, keeping Russell upright and healthy. The defense looked great against Auburn, but has gone through the motions with very vanilla gameplans in the others. The Bulldogs big tests are on the horizon. B+

7. Texas A&M– the Aggies have looked solid so far under new coach Kevin Sumlin. Their R-Fr QB is a baller that gets after it, and the defense has been better than expected. They lost a tough one to Fla at home, but just destroyed UPig yesterday. They have some tough tests ahead and we will learn more about where this team is headed. B+

8. Tennessee– I could type a 3 page paper on this team. But just watch 60 seconds of this youtube clip- it sums this team up perfectly- D-

9. Auburn– They were badly overrated in the preseason. They have had a tough schedule to this point, and the new coordinators have struggled mightily. I’m betting this offweek helped Auburn tremendously, and they go on to win their next 3 games- UPig, @Mississippi, and @Vandy. C-

10. Missouri– this bunch is learning that life in the SEC is a little tougher than they thought it would be. SC and Georgia have humbled this bunch somewhat, and they still have more tough games ahead. Lets hope that when Pinkel goes drinking, he has someone driving for him this time. C-

11. Mississippi– Freezus has this bunch playing hard and getting after people. Their lack of depth will begin to show, but RebelBear fans have to be pleased to this point. They had a big moral victory last night vs Bama, staying within 19 in Tuscaloosa. With the implosion of UPig, playing Auburn in Oxford, and everyone learning that Vandy coach James Franklin is indeed mortal- this team could get to 6 wins ans visit me in Port City for the Independence Bowl. B+

12. Vandy– Franklin’s team spent all offseason preparing for the SC game, and they failed to deliver. This has seemingly started a downward spiral that would make Houston Nutt proud. With almost all of their starters being Jr’s or Sr’s, this team has been very disappointing so far. F

13. Kentucky– Everybody knew coming into the season that this team wasnt very good, and they have lived up to those expectations completely. They got fired up and scared SC for a half last night, only to be outscored 31-0 in the 2nd half. Joker Phillips- good coordinator, bad HC. D

14. UPig– You almost have to feel sorry for the Pig faithful. Almost. Their slimeball coach gets fired for conduct nobody is surprised about from him- so what do they do? Hire a nutjob as his replacement for this season. They would have lost 3-4 games even if Petrino had stayed because of OL problems and defensive losses- but this team has quit. They are done and just riding things out. They will play hard until things get tough for them, and then they quit. F