SEC Football: Standings after week 3

Here’s how all of the SEC football teams look three weeks into the 2018 season

After just three weeks of college football it’s hard to tell who is a real contender and who is not, although after a few conference clashes and a few top-25 matchups we can finally start separating the 14 SEC football teams into categories and see where they stack up thus far.

SEC East

Elite Teams

Georgia – They’re the team to beat in the East, for sure. They can do it all, and do it all really well. Until someone takes them down, UGA is going to be a top-3 team in the nation and the top team in the East.

Contenders

Kentucky – The Wildcats haven’t necessarily showed me they could contend quite yet, but they’re 1-0 in SEC play with a statement win over the Gators. That’s big. They face Mississippi State this weekend. Winning against the Bulldogs of the SEC West would be a much bigger statement.

Missouri – Drew Lock is the sole reason that Missouri stands a chance in the East. Yes, the defense has improved and the players around Lock are stepping up a little bit, but he is the face of this team and is on a mission to take Missouri to a great bowl this year.

Vanderbilt – Coming down to the last seconds, Vandy played a heck of a game in South Bend. Notre Dame nearly lost to the team that everyone has immediately written off in the SEC for years. Maybe they shouldn’t be ignored this year…

Best-of-the-Rest

Florida – After an embarrassing loss to Kentucky at home in week 2, Florida bounced back with a dominant win over the Colorado State Rams, 48-10. The Gators now have 7 consecutive SEC games ahead of them, including travelling to Georgia and Mississippi State. Oof. That loss to Kentucky is truly going to hold them back in the SEC East race.

Tennessee – Tennessee has won the games they’re supposed to very handily. Their one real test so far, the West Virginia Mountaineers, dismantled them. I just can’t see the Volunteers coming close to a division title this year.

South Carolina – South Carolina is not out of it, but they’re not contenders either, at least for now. The loss to UGA will hurt them in the race, but after Hurricane Florence caused their week 3 game to be called off we just need to see South Carolina play more.

SEC West

Elite Teams

Alabama – It’s not even close. Alabama shut down an Ole Miss offense that put up 76 points last week. And the Alabama offense is as good as it’s ever been, probably better than that. Until someone beats Bama, I can’t be convinced they’re not the best team in the nation once again.

Contenders

LSU – All of the sudden the team everyone had at 6-6 or 5-7 this year… well… they’re 3-0 with incredibly impressive wins over Miami and Auburn. A time-expiring field goal shocked Auburn at home as LSU looks like they’re up for the challenge. Baton Rouge is calling #WeWantBama.

Auburn – The shock loss to LSU hurts, but isn’t devastating. Auburn gets, among others, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Alabama on the road this year. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham is a fantastic player and needs to step up if Auburn wants to stay in this congested race.

Mississippi State – Mississippi State is really talented, but they haven’t really played anyone yet to prove that. Even so, they’re ranked 14th in the nation after week 3, and with key SEC East tilts against Kentucky and Florida approaching, the Bulldogs are hungry for some statement wins as they look to make a push towards the top-10.

Texas A&M – The Aggies took Clemson down to the wire in week 2, and they have dominated their lesser opponents. If you can hang with the Clemson Tigers for four quarters and play the kind of football that quarterback Kellen Mond and this Aggies squad plays, then you deserve to be in the SEC West conversation.

Best-of-the-Rest

Ole Miss – It’s not the Ole Miss offense that would have me worried. They’re fine. It’s the defense that has struggled immensely. They let the mighty powerhouse of Southern Illinois score 41 on them a week before Alabama dismantled them and put 62 on the scoreboard. It’s not that Ole Miss is bad– they just won’t be able to compete with the big dawgs, the big guys.

Outcasts

Arkansas – Where do I start? They lost to Colorado State and then went on to lose to North Texas by 27 this week. That’s inexcusable for an SEC football team, and Arkansas won’t be able to compete at all in the SEC West if they’re playing like that.

All stats from Sports-Reference.com

And that’s how the SEC football teams look at the moment. What are your thoughts on how the Southeastern Conference stands right now?