Florida Gators Looking Toothless: SEC Power Rankings After Week 11

If you think that things couldn’t have gotten a lot worse for the Florida Gators football program, then they did. They got a lot worse. They got Put-Will-Muschamp-On-The-Freaking-Hotseat Worse. That’ll happen when you lose at home to Vanderbilt for the first time since two years after the Second World War ended (that’s 1947 folks!).

Elsewhere in the SEC, Alabama got a fright from LSU but dealt with them unsympathetically, we saw the Good Johnny and Bad Johnny at The Last Home Game at the old Kyle Field (but A&M scored 50 which was enough to beat Mississippi State), and there were wins for Ole Miss, Missouri, Auburn and Georgia.

Anyway, here’s your SEC Power Rankings. Hint: Florida isn’t No.1.

1. ALABAMA: Top of the BCS, Top of the SEC, top of the world. Alabama started slowly against LSU, before hitting their stride in the fourth quarter and absolutely dominating their hated rivals. Word to the wise though: They might want to play better in the first half of games. Florida State might not be so forgiving.

2. AUBURN: Went to Tennessee, saw the Volunteers couldn’t stop the run, and put at least 400 yards on the ground of them. Offensively, this team is scary good. So this Gus Malzahn experiment is working, right?

3. MISSOURI: Took advantage of South Carolina being off to dart up the SEC Power Rankings (unfair I know, but there it goes) with a predictably convincing 48-17 smashing of Kentucky. We’d like to note that Dorial Green-Beckham (4 TDs in this one)’s kicking into gear. Suddenly, Missouri have TWO really, really, really, good receivers to be thrown to. And their ‘D’ is pretty good, too. Future SEC opponents, watch out.

4. SOUTH CAROLINA: Steve Spurrier was really angry about how his team played against Bye Week. “We’re not a very good team”, he whined after drinking a wine or two on the Steve Spurrier Gamecock Regional TV Football Show, or whatever it’s called. That’s cool, Steve….next week it’s Florida.

5. TEXAS A&M: Aggies fans complain at me that Johnny Manziel & Co are only one horsecollar away from being 9-1. True. But Johnny Manziel has had to play his balls off this season because your D has, to coin a British expression, been a load of balls. The defense once against showed its unballsiness and was terrible. You know, Giving-Up-41-To-Mississippi-State Terrible.

6. GEORGIA: A slow start against Appalachian State, but the Dawgs put up 31 in the second half to run away with the victory. The Dawgs can’t afford such a slow start against Auburn (especially with its defense). Gurley’s 75 yards on 13 attempts shows us that either Appalachian State’s pretty good at stopping the run, or Gurley’s still not right conditioning-wise. We’d argue the latter.

7. OLE MISS: Hugh Freeze said some grace over some burnt pig, and Ole Miss beat the Razorbacks by 10. It wasn’t the most comfortable of victories, especially with Ole Miss held scoreless in the fourth quarter. But when you’re playing Brandon Allen, you know you’re going to be OK in the end. And Allen couldn’t throw properly at the end.

8. LSU: Started like men on fire against Alabama, but turnovers ensured that the men of fire were turned into the Ring of Fire in the fourth quarter by Nick Saban’s running attack. Those of you who’d actually watched LSU this year would know that LSU couldn’t stop anybody later in games, and that Zach Mettenberger’s offensive line went on vacation. It’s happened all year long.

9. VANDERBILT: We half-thought about putting Vandy above LSU after their victory in The Swamp, but save to say, Florida’s not very good. But credit goes to James Franklin. Anyone think he might be somewhere bigger next year?

10. FLORIDA: This UF team is so bad that we might see Will Muschamp and OC Brent Pease replaced at year-end. We wouldn’t be surprised, either.

11. MISSISSIPPI STATE: Nice comeback from Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs, but their defense couldn’t stop Johnny Manziel. Then again, nor could Alabama. Would still be surprised if Starkville keeps Dan Mullen around. He’ll get clang’d.

12. TENNESSEE: Can’t stop the run, and taught a lesson. Easy.

13. ARKANSAS: Lost by 10 to Ole Miss and must be wondering “If only we had a QB”.

14. KENTUCKY:  The best thing about the boys from Lexington is the basketball team.