Texas is the new No. 1 in the SEC power rankings after a statement win that flipped the top of the league board after just two weeks.
The Longhorns earned the bump by knocking off the nation’s No. 1 team with a 21-point fourth quarter, and that kind of finish changes the conversation fast. If Texas can carry that momentum forward, this could be the season Arch Manning supporters have been waiting for.
The SEC, as a whole, kept stacking up results in Week 2 even if it didn’t match the perfect start it had in Week 1. Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Missouri all picked up important nonconference wins against Power Four opponents, while Alabama opened SEC play with a win over Kentucky. Two weeks in, the league still owns the top spots in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25.
There were also a few performances that jumped off the page. Hollywood Smothers delivered two second-half touchdowns in Texas’ comeback against Ohio State, and Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor turned heads with what he did against the Golden Gophers. On the other end of the spectrum, Oklahoma came up short in a 17-10 loss to Michigan.
At the bottom, Vanderbilt stays at No. 16.
The Commodores are 2-0, but wins over Austin Peay and Delaware haven’t moved the needle much yet. A victory over NC State would, and the Jared Curtis show is set to keep rolling in Nashville.
Arkansas sits just ahead of Vanderbilt at No. 15. The Razorbacks are in a rough spot, but the loss to Utah doesn’t push them below the Commodores at this stage.
Kentucky checks in at No. 14 after giving Alabama a real first-half battle. The Wildcats had the Crimson Tide on the ropes before halftime, but they couldn’t sustain it for four quarters.
Florida is No. 13, with the offense piling up numbers against FAU and Campbell. The question now is whether that production carries over when the Gators face D.J. Durkin’s Auburn defense.
South Carolina falls to No. 12 because the Gamecocks still haven’t been tested by a top-level opponent. They’ve handled Kent State and Towson, but this week brings their first real proving ground against Kamario Taylor and Mississippi State.
Mississippi State jumps to No. 11 from No. 13 after one of the most eye-catching wins of the weekend. Taylor has quickly become one of the most entertaining players in college football, and the Bulldogs’ win over Minnesota was as complete as Mississippi State has looked in a long time.
Missouri moves up to No. 10 from No. 12.
Austin Simmons has looked like one of the SEC’s best quarterbacks through two games, and the Tigers handled Kansas to move to 2-0. This team looks ready to make noise in league play.
Oklahoma drops to No. 9 from No. 5 after the trip to Ann Arbor went sideways. The defense was solid, if not perfect, but the offense never found enough rhythm.
It wasn’t efficient on third down, John Mateer was off target, and Ben Arbuckle never really committed to the run game. The Sooners have plenty to clean up.
Auburn comes in at No. 8 after a strong start under Alex Golesh. The Tigers survived Baylor by one point in the opener and then rolled Southern Mississippi 43-8.
Tennessee is No. 7 after beating Georgia Tech by 21. DeSean Bishop powered that win with 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns, giving Josh Heupel and the Volunteers another solid nonconference result.
Alabama lands at No. 6 after a messy first half turned into a runaway finish. Kentucky led 17-13 at the break, but the Crimson Tide cleaned it up after halftime and outscored the Wildcats 32-0 the rest of the way.
Texas A&M is No. 5 after surviving a real fight with Arizona State. The Aggies were only up four heading into the fourth quarter before taking over, outscoring the Sun Devils 24-0 in the final period. The defense helped swing it with a pair of pick-6s.
LSU is No. 4. The Tigers were only up 10-7 at halftime, and Sam Leavitt threw three interceptions, but they remain one of the better teams in the SEC even if that performance trims them back a little.
Georgia is No. 3 after an explosive showing against Western Kentucky. The Bulldogs raced out to a 49-6 lead, and Gunner Stockton was sharp, going 13 of 16 for 234 yards and five touchdowns. It raises the question again: does Georgia have an offense this year?
Ole Miss stays at No. 2 after handling Charlotte with no drama. The Rebels jumped out to a 27-0 first-half lead and cruised. All eyes now turn to Oxford for the showdown with LSU.
That leaves Texas on top. One massive fourth quarter was enough to move the Longhorns into the No. 1 spot.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Now Has To Silence A Brent Venables Debate Fast
The loss to Michigan has already sparked a familiar kind of noise around Brent Venables, with his recent contract extension becoming an easy target for criticism in the wake of a rough result. Paul Finebaum went public with the kind of blunt take that tends to gain traction fast, calling the extension a poor decision and pointing to Venables performance despite Oklahomas recent College Football Playoff appearance.
For Oklahoma, the debate is bigger than one September setback, even if that kind of loss can shape the conversation for days. A single game should not be treated as a verdict on Venables or on where the Sooners season is headed, but it does mean the pressure to steady things now is real, and the longer the chatter lingers, the harder it gets to keep the focus on football. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Just Added Another Huge Name To Its Softball Future
Oklahomas pipeline in softball keeps widening, and the latest addition is Sophia Schlader, the Waukee Northwest junior who has officially committed to the Sooners. She arrives with plenty of high school hardware already on her rsum, including back-to-back state championships and a stack of individual records that have made her one of the most decorated players in Iowa.
Schladers rise has matched the kind of national profile Oklahoma has built its roster around, and her recognition as Gatorades Iowa softball player of the year only adds to the appeal. For a program that lives at the top of the sport, landing another highly ranked prospect in her class is the sort of move that keeps the future looking as loaded as the present. [Read more 🡒]
Mackenzie Alleyne Just Forced A Bigger Oklahoma Offensive Decision
Mackenzie Alleyne gave Oklahoma one of the few bright spots in an otherwise frustrating 17-10 loss to Michigan, and the timing of his breakthrough mattered as much as the production. His touchdown was his first catch since arriving from Washington State, and he wound up as the Sooners highest-graded offensive player in the game, a notable development for a unit that struggled to find much rhythm.
Alleynes background only makes the fit more intriguing. He already knows Oklahoma quarterback and offensive coordinator from his previous stop, which can help fast-track trust in an offense still searching for answers. With Trell Harris out for the foreseeable future, Alleynes performance adds another layer to the Sooners receiver picture and forces a bigger conversation about how much more involved he should be going forward. [Read more 🡒]