Power ranking the SEC after week 2: UT into second place, pass rush lifts SC

Power ranking the SEC after week 2: #1 Georgia

The Bulldogs are simply the class of the conference until they aren’t. After a very physical game against Clemson last week, UGA was a bit slow out of the gate against lowly Tennessee Tech, but it was really never a contest.

Georgia has to be licking their chops looking at what South Carolina did this past week to the Bulldogs’ upcoming opponent, the Kentucky Wildcats. It could turn into a splattering pretty early on up in Lexington, and UGA could coast into their bye with eyes firmly set on the September 28 matchup with Alabama.

That’s the first of four huge games for UGA, all of which look like they may come against top-10 ranked teams (at least, at the time that Georgia plays them). The others are Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Texas; it should be mentioned, too, that all of these games are on the road save the one against the Volunteers.

Given how tough that slate is, the Bulldogs could conceivably make it into the playoff with a 9-3 record, though I think it beggars belief that they would fall that far. 10-2 feels like the regular season floor right now for Smart’s squad, and 11-1 seems most likely.

I think it’s the Tide that will pose the biggest challenge against UGA. Only Alabama has the horses on both sides of the ball where you don’t immediately think the Bulldogs will completely control the line of scrimmage; Texas will be coming right off of Red River (and has the aforementioned LOS concerns), and Ole Miss, while improved up front, is a step below Georgia there.