The Power Poll officially returns late Thursday/early Friday, with actual analysis instead of a haphazard compilation of whatever data I feel like putting together at 1:30 a.m. This should be revolutionary stuff.
Here is my final ballot:
1 LSU
If you can't be the best team in the country without being the best team in your conference, you can't help but be the best team in your conference if you're the best in the country. Congratulations, LSU, for keeping the crystal football in the conference in which it belongs.
2 Georgia
Sigh. Between the spelling-challenged Dawgs and the return of Cullen Harper to C******, it's going to be a long, nauseating season in 2008.
3 Florida
Despite laying a Carr-like egg against Michigan in the Capital One Bowl, I still believe the Gators could beat anyone other than LSU and Georgia. Mike DeBord -- or, more likely, Rich Rodriguez -- basically opened up the skulls of the Florida defenders, stuck a set of electric beaters in their brains, and ran it on high speed for about 10 minutes. Michigan? In the spread????
4 Tennessee
It might have been different if Florida hadn't dropped 59 on Tennesee early in the season. Sure, it was early, but it was still 59 points.
5 Auburn
Again, the synapses of Brandon Cox could put this team anywhere from No. 3 to No. 7. So this seems fair.
6 Mississippi State
Oh, so they did score a TD against UCF. Okay. Thanks, Sly and George, for setting offensive football back at least 50 years.
7 Kentucky
As usual, the Wildcats squander an opportunity to ride their senior talent to the SEC CG. Or a bowl anyone can remember, for that matter.
8 Alabama
Um, this is what they paid $4 million for? I hope the Tide kept their receipt.
9 Arkansas
At least Florida can argue they were caught off guard when Michigan came out in the spread.
10 South Carolina
Hooray! We're the best of the sucky teams!
11 Vanderbilt
Please, someone win a sixth game for Bobby Johnson. The man deserves it.
12 Mississippi
I'm as happy as the next person to see the Nutt remain in the SEC. But he's got a long road ahead of him to rebuild this program.