When Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks went into Sanford Stadium last Saturday and took down Georgia, it further confirmed just how tough the Southeastern Conference is this season. And by tough I mean ridiculously deep.
Coming into the season, there were six consensus teams that appeared in nearly every preseason top 25 poll -- Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn and Arkansas. It says something about your league when two coaches with national-title rings, Spurrier and Alabama's Nick Saban, happen to be coaching what are considered the seventh- and eighth-best teams in the conference.
Of course, conference predictions rarely shake out as predicted, and it was only inevitable that at least one of the predicted outsiders (in this case, South Carolina) would prove to be better than expected and at least one of the touted teams would tank. We don't know yet which team(s) that will be, but Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn all have a loss already.
Saban's Crimson Tide -- which put together an impressive defensive performance in last week's 24-10 win over Vanderbilt -- have a chance to make their own statement on Saturday against Arkansas. Throw in high-powered Kentucky, which will do its best to outscore in-state rival (and equally defensively challenged) Louisville this weekend, and you've got as many as nine teams that could make an appearance in the rankings at some point.
Now, at least a couple of these teams will turn out to be frauds (with Auburn and Arkansas my current leaders in the clubhouse), but I'm guessing South Carolina won't be one of them. Most of us assumed that by this, the third year of Spurrier's tenure in Columbia, that the Gamecocks would have morphed into a high-flying passing team as is Spurrier's forte. But to the Ball Coach's credit, he's recognized his team's true strength rests with its defense and is game-planning accordingly. Against the Bulldogs, South Carolina jumped to an early lead, then kept Georgia's defense on its toes throughout with an efficient mix of runs and high-percentage passes (QB Blake Mitchell finished 20-of-31 for 174 yards). It was Spurrier doing what he does best: calling the right plays.
Spurrier's team debuts at No. 18 in this week's Power Rankings, while Georgia -- which, in retrospect, I prematurely bumped to the top 10 last week following an impressive opener against Oklahoma State -- falls to 20th. Expect both to remain part of the mix the rest of the season, though with no shortage of jostling as they take turns both knocking off and getting knocked off by their comparable SEC peers.
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Did I consider moving LSU up to No. 1 this week? Yes, briefly. There's nothing that says an idle team can't fall from No. 1. But I figured, the Trojans have their own showcase game coming up this weekend at Nebraska. There's no harm in waiting a week in order to make a proper comparison.
Last game: Beat Idaho, 38-10.
Next game: Saturday at Nebraska.
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There's only one team on the Tigers' schedule that matches up with them: Florida. This is not to say LSU is invincible -- they'll have a few weeks where they won't bring their "A" game -- but you're going to need a powerful defense to both stop their running game and pressure QB Matt Flynn.
Last game: Beat Virginia Tech, 48-7.
Next game: Saturday vs. Middle Tennessee.
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Sooners coach Bob Stoops said following Saturday's beatdown of Miami: "I feel we're on schedule, or about where we'd hoped we would be." Apparently, then, QB Sam Bradford's 83 percent completion rate, eight touchdowns and no picks through two weeks are just part of the master plan.
Last game: Beat Miami, 51-13.
Next game: Saturday vs. Utah State.
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QB Tim Tebow is right behind Bradford at No. 2 on the NCAA passing charts this week, but Saturday brings his first true defensive test (and he'll be playing without WR Andre Caldwell). The big question is whether Tennessee has the horses to challenge Florida's still-suspect defense.
Last game: Beat Troy, 59-31.
Next game: Saturday vs. Tennessee.
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It's only a matter of time before we start seeing more of super frosh Noel Devine. Against Marshall, his first carry (with 12:25 remaining) went for a 12-yard touchdown. He added a 10-yard TD and a 39-yard run after that. Now, if only the Mountaineers had a Devine-caliber freshman on defense ...
Last game: Beat Marshall, 48-23.
Next game: Thursday at Maryland.
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If the 'Horns go on to great things in 2007, the second half of Saturday's TCU game will be remembered as the turning point. Down 10-0 at the half, they rolled off 27 unanswered points behind 12-of-16 passing from Colt McCoy and 99 rushing yards from Jamaal Charles.
Last game: Beat TCU, 34-13.
Next game: Saturday at UCF.
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Was the Badgers' narrow escape from Las Vegas an early-season wake-up call or a sign of trouble? I'm inclined to go with the former. RB P.J. Hill still had a solid game (30 carries, 147 yards) and QB Tyler Donovan made a huge play to win it (a 29-yard bootleg run with 1:53 remaining).
Last game: Beat UNLV, 20-13.
Next game: Saturday vs. The Citadel.
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The Bears thought their game at Colorado State was over following freshman Jahvid Best's 64-yard touchdown that put them up 34-14 with 5:49 remaining, but as soon as Cal put in its second-team defense, the Rams scored two touchdowns in less than a minute thanks to an onside kick.
Last game: Beat Colorado State, 34-28.
Next game: Saturday vs. Louisiana Tech.
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This has got to be music to the ears of any Knights fan. Through two games, oft-maligned QB Mike Teel ranks fourth in the country in pass efficiency (71.4 percent completions, 594 yards, five TDs, one INT), while Ray Rice is in his customary spot at No. 3 in rushing (179.5 yards per game).
Last game: Beat Navy, 41-24.
Next game: Saturday vs. Norfolk State.
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Well, we know this much: The Cards aren't going to be winning a national championship this year. They'll still win no shortage of games -- any offense with Brian Brohm would -- but you know you're not quite ready to face USC or LSU when your defense gives up 555 yards to Middle Tennessee.
Last game: Beat Middle Tennessee, 58-42.
Next game: Saturday at Kentucky.
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