Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/31/2010 at 11:02am

We want to be upfront with this: We know it's silly to attempt to devise a college "power poll" of teams when all they've been doing for the past eight months or so is hitting on themselves and preparing for the season and trying to stay out of jail or stay eligible.

It's just as silly as Mark Schlabach and ESPN.om projecting the BOWL GAMES before the season has started.

It's just as silly as ranking the Heisman Trophy hopefuls before they've taken one meaningful snap in the 2010 season.

Frankly, it's all just as silly as preseason Top 25 rankings. The first poll, the first bowl game projection, the first look at the Heisman  -- all of that should probably not hit until every college team has hit the halfway point in the season, six games. And then that would likely be too early to be meaningful.

Yet, it's all about trotting out these rankings and prognostications before anyone else. We foresee the day soon enough when they'll be projecting bowl games and Heisman winners three years out based on National Signing Day winners in February ... wait, you say they ALREADY HAVE?????

That said, allow us to join the silliness for this week, at least regionally. We'll have a slightly better idea how the Southeastern Conference stacks up after the powerhouses have mauled their opening weekend patsies and LSU has either bombed or done the league proud against North Carolina in Atlanta.

Here is Week 1 of the Southeastern Conference power rankings:

1. Alabama. Have you taken notice of the national recruiting rankings the past four years? Does anyone not think Nick Saban will find eight quality defenders, plus depth, to fill the holes the Crimson Tide has on defense? And what about returning Heisman Trophy running back Mark Ingram (who will miss the first game after having work done on his knee)? It's funny to hear Tide "experts" say he's not even the team's best running back, and that Trent Richardson is.

2. Florida. If new quarterback John Brantley is all he's cracked up to be, and somebody can handle the quarterback running package, then Urban and the Gators should not miss a beat in the weaker East. But how much will Meyer miss Charlie Strong calling defensive signals? He seemed to miss Dan Mullen on the offensive side last year.

3. Arkansas. Yes, we've consumed the Kool-aid and we're all in. Even though Arkansas has recruited in the teens, 20s and 30s the past five years, we've joined the masses convinced that the Hogs are close to the big two. Well, consider that Ryan Mallett wasn't counted in any of those recruiting classes, since he transferred. He's worth untold numbers of stars. The Razorbacks won't get a better chance than they have this year with the schedule and the relative strengths of the other league teams.

4. LSU. Les Miles has a chance to prove to everyone that he's no fool. If he wins 10 or 11 games and is loved again by Tiger fans, he'd be foolish not to get out of Baton Rouge at season's end. And to think it all depends on whether he gets better quarterback performance. Why didn't LSU go after Jeremiah Masoli?

5. Georgia. The Bulldogs have more talent overall than No. 3 Arkansas, but where they lack for the time being is at quarterback. Dawg fans need to give Aaron Murray time to develop. Plenty of good players surround him.

6. South Carolina. There was some thought three years or so ago that Steve Spurrier had Georgia's number. Not the last two years. Their early season matchup may decide which head coach hangs around after the season. If Spurrier would quit expecting his quarterbacks to be HIM, he might win more than 7.

7. Auburn. What in the heck is in the water those ESPN guys are swilling? They broadcast the Auburn spring game on ESPNU about a thousand times, did they not notice even once the big dropoff in Tigers defensive talent? You cannot out-offense people in this league. You may win 8 with Gus ball, but you won't win the league.

8. Ole Miss. If the Rebels can get Jeremiah Masoli eligible - and any school that can get Jerral Powe cleared surely can get Masoli on the field - they'll win two more games than anyone expected in the spring. That puts them around 7 wins and Nutt goes bowling. HDN will shock a good team on the schedule late, too. UPDATE: Doesn't look good for Ole Miss on the Masoli front, based on the NCAA's ruling Tuesday.

9. Kentucky. We want to be convinced Joker Phillips can run the show before we go too far out on a limb and pick them 8th. The Cats have more skill and good linemen than anyone gives them credit for -- not UF or Bama-type speed and linemen, but up there with the lower two-thirds of the league.

10. Mississippi State. Dan Mullen's breakthrough year might come a year early, and Starkville could be a dangerous place late in the year (watch out, Hogs). But we're figuring 2011 for a State move upward.

11. Tennessee. OK, this IS downright silly. The Volunteers at 11? There has to be way more talent than 11th in the league. But Derek Dooley also didn't do all that much with Louisiana Tech against WAC competition except scare Boise for a half last year. We'll wait and see here, too. We actually heard someone predict the Vols for TWO wins. Well, they can get those every year just showing up for Vandy and Kentucky.

12. Vanderbilt. The Commodores un-athletic department took the "interim" off Robbie Caldwell's title earlier this month. And he was downright funny and entertaining at SEC Media Days. But that doesn't mean he can't be shown the door after another Vandy two-win season.

Tagged: ESPN.com, LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels, Mark Schlabach, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Florida Gators, Kentucky Wildcats, South Carolina Gamecocks, Georgia Bulldogs, Vanderbilt Commodores, Tennessee Volunteers, Southeastern Conference, Heisman Trophy, The Associated Press