SEC West

Alabama — Grade: A+

Bama over San Jose State, 48-3

The Crimson Tide did everything one could ask them to do. The offense piled up nearly 600 yards of total offense while the defense stifled San Jose state. The Spartans couldn’t manage 90 yards passing or rushing. Bama looked like a team that could defend their national title.

Auburn — Grade: B

Auburn over Arkansas State, 52-26

Gus Malzahn’s offense was as potent as ever against the Red Wolves. Cam Newton was dynamite, scoring five touchdowns. The Achilles’ heel for Auburn, however, may still be their defense. Arkansas State’s offense moved the ball better than a team of this caliber should if Auburn wants to consider itself a real contender in the SEC West. Auburn forced no turnovers and gave up more than 300 yards passing to Arkansas State.

Arkansas — Grade: A

Arkansas over Tennessee Tech, 44-3

The major question surrounding the Hogs this year was similar to that of Auburn’s- can they stop anybody? Arkansas answered that question a bit more definitively than the Auburn Tigers. The Razorback defense stiffened after giving up a first quarter field goal. The Golden Eagles failed to reach 200 yards total offense. Ryan Mallett put on a clinic, completing 88% of his passes and tossing three touchdowns, two to Joe Adams. Yes, this was an FCS opponent, but the Hogs did exactly what they needed to do.

LSU — Grade: D+

LSU over North Carolina, 30-24

Really, guys? Put up a 30 spot in the first half and then a goose egg in the second? It would appear that Les Miles doesn’t know how to coach from behind or with a lead. This would be a much higher grade if LSU had beaten the real North Carolina, but this UNC team was more depleted than Democrats will be in the next Congress. The Tiger defense has been referenced as the big strength of this team, but they made T.J. Yates look like a Davey O’Brien award winner. They win, so they get a passing grade, but sheesh.

Ole Miss — Grade: F-

Jacksonville State over Ole Miss, 49-48 2OT

Is there any such thing as an F minus? I would give them a “G” or an “H” if I thought I could get away with it. Boy, oh boy. Houston Nutt just had a Jack Crowe moment times two. Yes, Jack Crowe is the head coach for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, but he, like Nutt is a former head coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Crowe got fired after an embarrassing loss to the Citadel in 1992. Now, he hands Houston Nutt his most embarrassing loss. It’s funny how things come full circle. The only question to answer now is, which is worse: the actual loss to Jacksonville State, the inevitable excuses that will come from Houston Nutt, or how many players, coaches, and random victims he can manage to throw under the bus to deflect the blame?

Mississippi State — Grade: A+

Mississippi State over Memphis, 49-7

Slow down, guys! Almost 400 yards passing? Another 200 rushing? I understand that the Memphis Tigers aren’t world beaters, but this was an impressive display of offense. The defense was just as impressive, only giving up a single meaningless touchdown in the last two minutes. I’m not prepared to say that Mississippi State is gearing up to contend for the SEC West, but they will certainly be more than most teams want to handle and look like they’ll win a majority of their games.

SEC East

Florida — Grade: C

Florida over Miami (OH), 34-12

The Florida Gators only accumulated 212 yards of total offense against the Redhawks. That Tim Tebow guy sure made a bit of a difference. Getting yards and points were much easier when he was around. Had it not been for a defensive score in the second quarter, the Gators were looking at the prospect of being behind 10-0 to a team that only won a single game last year. One thing is for sure, both Georgia and South Carolina are feeling a bit more confident after watching this one play out.

Georgia — Grade: A-

Georgia over Louisiana-Lafayette, 55-7

Despite the lopsided score, the Georgia offense was only marginally impressive. Freshman quarterback Aaron Murray threw for 160 yards and three touchdowns. The Bulldogs failed to reach 400 yards total offense against the Ragin Cajuns. In the Bulldogs’ defense, AJ Green was not in the rotation at wide receiver. The new 3-4 defense looks to be a big improvement, and the Bulldogs hope that the new scheme will answer the biggest concern for the Bulldogs as they head into the season. Overall, it was a very solid performance for the Bulldogs, albeit not a flashy one offensively.

Kentucky — Grade: B-

Kentucky over Louisville, 23-16

Joker Phillips got his tenure in Lexington off to a good start by beating rival Louisville at their place. The offensive numbers are nice- 466 yards total offense, almost split evenly between rushing and passing. And they only gave up 16 points…on the road…to a rival… So what’s the big deal? The big deal is that their defense got slashed in the running game, and the Wildcats will face much better rushing offenses than Louisville in the SEC.

South Carolina — Grade: A+

South Carolina over Southern Miss, 41-13

Perhaps no SEC team saw their stock rise more than South Carolina after the first week of games. The Gamecocks dominated every facet of the game against Southern Miss. They threw the ball effectively, ran it effectively, and played outstanding defense for four quarters. And they did it against a team that is predicted to be pretty darn good. The question in Columbia, however, is sustainability. Can they keep up this level of play for the entire year? For their grade this week, that question is irrelevant. They may have been the best team in the conference during week one.

Tennessee — Grade: B+

Tennessee over Tennessee-Martin, 55-0

Looking at the score, one would think that the UT is back in the business of competing for the SEC Championship. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details. The passing game was pedestrian at best. The running game was firing on all cylinders, but UTM is likely the biggest pushover any SEC team scheduled to play in non-conference. The offense turned the ball over twice, but the defense dominated from start to finish and only surrendered 142 total yards. Playing a team like UTM, knowing what the Vols really have on defense won’t be known until next week when the Oregon Ducks waddle into Knoxville.

Vanderbilt — Grade: C

Northwestern over Vanderbilt, 23-21

Northwestern vs. Vanderbilt obviously makes for a better Quiz Bowl matchup. Yet, Northwestern won eight games last year and were the favorites coming into Nashville. Vandy made them sweat and by some accounts, outplayed the Wildcats. The Commodores racked up nearly 200 yards rushing and tossed it for 240 more. The two teams played so evenly that the difference was a missed two point conversion by Vandy with a little more than two minutes left in the game. Vanderbilt can walk away with their head held high, and who knows…they might just knock someone off they shouldn’t at some point in the year. It might be LSU next week.