The SEC is dominating the top spots in the AP rankings this week.
With Notre Dame’s slide out of the Top 5 and Mighican’s fall from the Top 10, both Tennessee and Missouri were able to claim spots in the Top 10 of the week three rankings.
The SEC now makes up six of the top seven spots in the AP Poll with the Volunteers and the Tigers moving up.
Georgia still claims the top spot in the nation while Texas jumped Ohio State for the No. 2 ranking after the Longhorns’ win over Michigan in Ann Arbor. Alabama hangs onto the No. 4 spot after a late-game surge to defeat USF, while Ole Miss moved up one spot to No. 5 following a 52-3 win over Middle Tennessee.
Missouri moved up to No. 6 after a 38-0 win over Buffalo on Saturday in Columbia. Tennessee, meanwhile, jumped a poll-high seven spots to No. 7 after a 51-10 win over then-No. 24 NC State in Charlotte.
Tennessee moved through their first test with ease and while the game wasn’t perfect, even a flawed effort from Josh Heupel’s group has plenty of firepower to overwhelm and dominate opponents. The Vols wouldn’t have been in a position to win without a standout performance from the defense as Tennessee held NC State to just 143 total yards compared to the Vols’ 460.
The Vols’ next true test comes against No. 15 Oklahoma, who has risen up one spot throughout the first three weeks with a 2-0 record. What’s notable, though, is that Tennessee began the season just one spot ahead of Oklahoma at No. 15, showing just how much separation the Vols have created between themselves and the Sooners in just two games. Oklahoma remains at No. 15 after surviving Houston on Saturday night.
LSU makes for the SEC’s eighth-ranked team at No. 16 as the Tigers gain back two spots following a 44-21 win over Nicholls State.
The Tigers round out the SEC’s eight ranked teams but the conference does have a few that received votes: Texas A&M with 68, Vanderbilt with 18, and South Carolina with 10.
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Here’s a look at the SEC’s Week 2 results (incl. Week 2 rankings):
No. 16 Oklahoma State def. Arkansas 39-31 (OT)
No. 3 Texas def. No. 10 Michigan 31-12
Texas A&M def. McNeese 52-10
No. 1 Georgia def. Tennessee Tech
South Carolina def. Kentucky 31-6
California def. Auburn 21-14
No. 6 Ole Miss def. Middle Tennessee 52-3
No. 9 Missouri def. Buffalo 38-0
Florida def. Samford 45-7
No. 4 Alabama def. South Florida 42-16
Vanderbilt def. Alcorn State 55-0
No. 14 Tennessee def. No. 24 NC State 51-10
No. 18 LSU def. Nicholls State 44-21
No. 15 Oklahoma def. Houston 16-12
Arizona State def. Mississippi State 30-23
Week 3 SEC AP Poll Rankings:
No. 1 Georgia
No. 2 Texas
No. 4 Alabama
No. 5 Ole Miss
No. 6 Missouri
No. 7 Tennessee
No. 15 Oklahoma
No. 16 LSU
Receiving votes: Texas A&M (68), Vanderbilt (18), and South Carolina (10).
One Response
The Vols looked very good against NC State but let’s remember the season is young and so is Nico.