SEC Power Rankings: Showing Balance as Games Tighten Throughout

This weekend there are three key matchups with undefeated teams squaring off in Arlington, Texas and in Knoxville along with the Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) visiting Oxford in a morning wake-up tilt. The headliner has 3-0 Florida invading 3-0 Tennessee with both teams suffering from injuries. Also we have 3-0 Arkansas and 3-0 Texas A&M battling for advantage in the West along with LSU invading Auburn. Tennessee was last 3-0 in 2004 as the Vols are on a 9 game winning streak, longest since 1998.

Ole Miss has lost 10 straight to Georgia with the most recent win coming in 1996 in Athens. This year things could be different, however, as the Dawgs appear to be one of the weaker 3-0 teams. Barely escaping a 28-27 win over 11th (SEC) Missouri, Georgia looked terrible the week prior versus Nicholls State. On the other hand, the Rebels almost pulled off the unthinkable with a near 5 point loss to Bama. Quarterback Kelly never looked better in amassing 43 points against conceivably the nation’s best defense.

Here’s how we currently rank the SEC in overall strength…..

Comparing the two divisions at this juncture, the East is clearly the “least” as the bottom four dwellers have already surrendered 333 points compared to 246 for the West’s bottom four. Other games this week find SC at KY; Kent State at AL; MSU at UMASS; Delaware State at Missouri and Vanderbilt at Western Kentucky.

Returning to the Ole Miss – Georgia contest, a win has never been more critical for the Rebs in the Hugh Freeze era than this one. With difficult road games still on the horizon in Baton Rouge, College Station and Fayetteville, this is shaping up to be a must win if the Rebs are to turn this season around quickly. From what we’ve seen thus far, we believe they will. Whatever is going wrong for the Rebs in the third quarters has got to be righted now. Maybe the half time message should go something like this on Saturday…”I’ve been down so long, it looks like up to me.” Hotty Toddy my friends!

Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.

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