ATHENS — Georgia maintained its footing atop the SEC Power Poll in unanimous fashion, as the panel of nine voters kept the Bulldogs No. 1 on their weekly ballot.
Georgia overcame a slow start to defeat then-No. 14-Clemson 34-3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, marking Kirby Smart’s 40th consecutive regular-season victory.
It was a explosive scoring week for the SEC’s most elite teams, leaving Alabama (63-0 win over Western Kentucky) and Texas (52-0, Colorado State) deadlocked for second with 126 points in the SEC Power poll.
College football experts Ryan Fowler (Tide 100.9) and Anwar Richardson (OrangeBloods.com) shared their viewpoints on the No. 2 position with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this week.
“Considering Texas returns 46 players that went to Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama by double-digits last season (34-24), it’s hard to argue against Steve Sarkisian’s squad at No.2,” Richardson said.
“Quinn Ewers completed 20 of 27 passes for 260 yards, three touchdowns and one interception during his team’s 52-0 victory on Saturday, and Texas displayed its speed at the skill positions on offense and looked better in the secondary than last year.”
Fowler, however, was more impressed with how Jalen Milroe performed and the Tide defense tackled.
“Milroe answered some of the critics with 5 touchdowns, (and) he is playing with a different confidence level under Kalen DeBoer and OC Nick Sheridan,” Fowler noted. “(Receiver) Ryan Williams will be a household name in college football.”
Ole Miss is making its case for national recognition — beyond Lane Kiffin’s colorful Twitter account — after drumming Furman 76-0 in Oxford to earn the No. 4 spot, just four points off the pace set by Alabama and Texas.
Tennessee (69-3, UT-Chattanooga) sits a distant fifth with 108 points while Missouri’s 51-0 win over Murray State has the Tigers sixth with 99 points.
SEC Network host Chris Doering remains most impressed by Tennessee, keeping the Vols at No. 3 while ranking Missouri fourth — both ahead of Alabama (fourth) and Texas (fifth) on his ballot.
Vanderbilt was the biggest riser in the ranks, escaping the 16th-place basement position to move up to 13th with a 34-27 overtime win in Nashville over two-touchdown favorite Virginia Tech.
Florida, on the heels of a 41-17 home loss to Miami, fell from 11th to 15th in the SEC Power Poll with third-year Coach Billy Napier’s future very much in doubt.
Games of the Week
Texas steps into the national spotlight with a road trip to play Michigan in a noon game in Ann Arbor. The Longhorns’ 52-0 win over the Rams was the program’s second-largest margin of victory in a shutout win in the past 100 years.
Tennessee, meanwhile, looks to build on its momentum with quarterback Nico Iamaleava leading the Vols into a neutral site showdown with AP No. 24 team North Carolina State (7:30 p.m., ABC) in Charlotte, N.C.
SEC Power Poll: Week 2
(Key: Current rank, last week’s rank, and points added/lost in cumulative poll vote)
1. (1) Georgia — 144 points (Highest vote: 1st, Lowest vote: 1st)
T-2. (2) Texas — 126 points (Highest vote: 2nd, Lowest vote: 6th)
T-2. (3) Alabama — 126 points (Highest vote: 2nd, Lowest vote: 5th)
4. (4) Ole Miss — 122 points (Highest vote: 2nd, Lowest vote: 4th)
5. (5) Tennessee — 108 points (Highest vote: 3rd, Lowest vote: 6th)
6. (7) Missouri — 99 points (Highest vote: 4th, Lowest vote: 7th)
7. (9) Oklahoma — 87 points (Highest vote: 5th, Lowest vote: 8th)
8. (6) LSU — 84 points (Highest vote: 5th, Lowest vote: 8th)
9. (10) Auburn — 66 points (Highest vote: 7th, Lowest vote: 9th)
10. (8) Texas A&M — 64 points (Highest vote: 8th, Lowest vote: 10th)
11. (12) Kentucky — 54 points (Highest vote: 6th, Lowest vote: 12th)
12. (13) Arkansas — 42 points (Highest vote: 10th, Lowest vote: 13th)
13. (16) Vanderbilt — 40 points (Highest vote: 7th, Lowest vote: 16th)
14. (15) Mississippi State — 28 points (Highest vote: 11th, Lowest vote: 15th)
15. (11) Florida — 20 points (Highest vote: 12th, Lowest vote: 16th)
16. (14) South Carolina — 14 points (Highest vote: 13th, Lowest vote: 16th)
SEC Power poll voting panel
Chris Doering, SEC Network
Jenni Carlson, Beyond the Boxscore
Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports
Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel
Josh Ward, Knoxville WNML
Ryan Fowler, Tuscaloosa Tide-100.9
Anwar Richardson, Orange Bloods
Aaron Torres, Fox Sports Radio
Mike Griffith, AJC-DawgNation
