SEC Power Poll Ballot: Week Three

1. Alabama

The Tide rolled again over the weekend. This team looks like the complete package and would be getting more first-place votes if the Gators hadn't been crowned national champions before the season began.

2. Florida

The Gators' offense looked like a shell of its former self in the win against the Vols. Right now, I'm just more impressed with 'Bama.

3. Ole Miss

The Rebels are still largely an unknown. That won't be the case after this Thursday in Columbia. Expect an old-style Spurrier shootout in that one.

4. LSU

The Tigers turned in another lackadaisical performance this past weekend against LA-Lafayette. However, that win at Washington now looks pretty decent.

5. Auburn

The Tigers showed they can win in more ways than one against West Virginia, going to Chris Todd's arm when the running game ran out of steam. Still, you have to worry about the defense, which gave up lots of yards against the Mountaineers. It's not going to be every week that Auburn can get away with a performance like that by forcing six turnovers. Still, Auburn has to be the conference's biggest surprise so far.

6. Georgia

This team appears to be verging on schizo at this point. What was thought to be a defensive juggernaut has quickly turned into something more like Texas Tech after two straight shootouts against South Carolina and Arkansas. Still, the 'Dawgs are winning against decent teams, so you have to give them some credit. If the defense comes back around...

7. South Carolina

Similar to Georgia, the Gamecocks appeared to have a good defense and poor offense after week one. Now, though, their offense is firing on all cylinders and their special teams and defense are crumbling. Expect some shootouts this year, at least until the defense is fully healed.

8. Arkansas

The Hogs showed lots of offensive firepower against Georgia, but the worry with them was always that their defense would be awful, and that it was against the 'Dawgs. The Hogs can win some games on Ryan Mallet's arm, but they won't be able to sustain success with that defense, which, unlike South Carolina's and Georgia's, probably won't get much better this season.

9. Kentucky

The 'Cats struggled to get a victory over woeful Louisville. Whether or not that can be chalked up to rivalry or to the 'Cats own shortcomings remains to be seen.

10. Tennessee

You have to give Tennessee's defense plenty of credit for what they did against Florida. However, they're probably not going to win many games because they simply have no option at quarterback. If and when they find that quarterback, though, this offense could be good, because Bryce Brown looks like the real deal.

11. Mississippi State

The Bulldogs nabbed Dan Mullen his first SEC win on the strength of a great defensive performance against Vandy. Now the question is, can they win any more in conference?

12. Vanderbilt

Vandy looked rough offensively against Mississippi State. This team may have a long, tough road ahead of it.