After a long, hot summer, relief is finally upon us: FOOTBALL IS HERE!
And if football is here, that of course means we need to decide which teams are better than the other teams. Because what’s the point of football if not to generate discussion and content and feelings of superiority and inferiority?
So, this week we kick off the Grind City Media power rankings with what will be a weekly look at the best of the best, the SEC. It just means more!
1. Georgia – The Dawgs are attempting to complete college football’s first three-peat in almost a century. It remains to be seen if Carson Beck and Mike Bobo can bring the same mojo as the departed Stetson Bennett and Todd Monken.
2. LSU – The best QB in the conference and a loaded team, on both sides of the ball. Kinda feels like now it’s up to Brian Kelly, and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.
3. Alabama – Yeah, I guess they’re third? But with questions at QB and two new coordinators, Alabama is going to have to prove themselves for the first time in a long while. Now who wants to bet against them?
4. Tennessee – The Volunteers looked great last season, until injuries hit and things sort of fizzled out toward the end of the year. Can Josh Heupel get things moving in the right direction again?
5. Texas A&M – I honestly don’t know what to make of the Aggies. Last year was a disaster, and Jimbo Fisher seems to have managed to convince everyone that having a lot of talent on the roster is good enough for a bounce back season. But do we really think Bobby Petrino calling plays will make that much of a difference?
6. South Carolina – I really, really like South Carolina. Shane Beamer and Spencer Rattler seemed to have this program on the right trajectory by the end of last season, and I’d probably have them ranked higher if not for having a killer schedule this season.
6. Arkansas – I put them in the same group as South Carolina, with a popular populist coach, a veteran returning QB, but also a really tough schedule ahead. And I was underwhelmed by their spring game, although maybe you can chalk that up to them just not trying to show too much.
8. Ole Miss – I love Quinshon Judkins and Lane Kiffin clearly knows how to put up points, but I don’t know which of their QBs is going to end up as their leader, and their defense also still seems a few players away.
9. Mississippi State – I have no idea what to make of new coach Zach Arnett, other than he seems kinda like a gym bro. Will Rogers has been awesome, but what happens to their offense now that Mike Leach is gone?
10. Kentucky – The Wildcats seem destined to remain the third- or fourth-best team in the SEC East. Will Mark Stoops ever figure out how to field an explosive offense?
11. Auburn – I’m putting the Tigers here almost solely because Hugh Freeze is their coach, and hopefully all the craziness of the last few years has passed. Then again, bringing in Hugh Freeze to be a stabilizing influence seems like a dubious plan as well.
12. Florida – Billy Napier has at least emphasized recruiting, which will placate a chunk of Gators fans. But trusting Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz to lead the most important season of your career must lead to some sleepless nights.
13. Missouri – They’re returning a lot of starters from last year! That’s about all I got.
14. Vanderbilt – Anchor down, y’all.