In the past, I've requested comments on draft Power Poll ballots. This year, I'm going to try something new: I'm going to ask a few questions on teams I'm unsure of. My hope is that this will spark discussion related to the Power Poll. Let me know what you think.
--South Carolina and Georgia. The media has anointed Georgia the SEC East frontrunner, but you guys know that I have felt that USC is the stronger team and that we'll win head-to-head. After UGA's win last night, should I revise that notion and rank UGA ahead of us in this week's ballot? Both teams have sent mixed messages thus far. Georgia finished strong against Mizzou, but will it be able to take over games late against USC and other SEC squads that have better depth than Mizzou? Why did Georgia struggle in the trenches in the first place against Mizzou? On the other hand, it's not like our narrow win over Vandy picked up any clout after Vandy lost to Northwestern. Do the Dawgs or the 'Cocks look like the better team at this point?
--Arkansas. Obviously, they have to drop. However, how far? On the one hand, I feel like they should be given a small pass due to the injury to Tyler Wilson. They win the game with him. On the other hand, he got hurt in the first place because they couldn't protect him. More worrisomely, they gave up 500+ yards to ULM. Granted, that's partially because their offense couldn't stay on the field after Wilson went out, but still, a defense that's capable of competing at a high level in the SEC shouldn't have that kind of performance against a Sun Belt team. Ever.
--Mizzou. I was high on Mizzou last week, but after last night, I'm not sold on their formerly touted offense's ability to score points on SEC defenses, and I'm definitely not sold on their defensive depth. How far should they drop?
--Florida and Tennessee. Obviously, we'll soon have a better idea of which of these two teams is better, but which of these two teams looks better right now? Last week, I would have said Tennessee, but Florida showed a little gumption this week in coming back to beat TAMU, and UT's win over N.C. State has lost some appeal after State struggled against UConn.