The 2014 college football season is only two weeks old, but the Southeastern Conference, or SEC, still sits on top of the college football world.
Eight SEC teams are currently ranked in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today polls. Five of these schools – Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Texas A&M and LSU – are all ranked in the top 10 in both polls.
SEC teams are currently 19-1 against nonconference opponents. The only loss came from the Temple Owls 37-7 rout over Vanderbilt in the opening week of the season.
Alabama is currently ranked at no. 3 nationally in the AP poll, which is the highest of any SEC team. The Crimson Tide started the season with a grind-it-out 33-23 win over West Virginia. In week two, Alabama demonstrated its dominance in a 41-point shutout victory over Florida Atlantic.
In a press conference, head coach Nick Saban expressed how pleased he was with the way his team played in week two.
“I guess I will say we did a real workman-like job in the last game,” Saban said. “I was pleased by the way we competed in the game and gave good effort and played with toughness. We executed better in the game on both sides of the ball. We did make improvement from the first game to the second game.
Obviously, there are other things we can improve on, finishing drives on offense and tackling better on defense and creating turnovers on defense. Being more efficient and effective on special teams, making special teams a little more of a weapon for us.”
Junior wide receiver Amari Cooper has shined for the Crimson Tide through two games this season. Of Alabama’s 680 receiving yards, Cooper has racked up 319 of them. He also has 25 receptions on the year.
Alabama will take on Southern Mississippi in Tuscaloosa Saturday at 6 p.m. central time.
“We have a lot of really good competition to play coming up in our league as well as this game this weekend against Southern Miss,” Saban said.
As expected, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia are all on track to compete for a BCS playoff spot, but the biggest surprise of the season so far is sophomore quarterback Kenny Hill and 7th-ranked Texas A&M.
The Aggies began the year ranked No. 21 in the nation according to the AP Top 25. This quickly changed after the Aggies dismantled both of its first two opponents. In Week one, Texas A&M upset conference foe and 9th ranked South Carolina 52-28.
Then, the Aggies defeated the Lamar University Cardinals 73-3 in week two.
Much of this success comes from the strong play of quarterback Kenny Hill. Hill, a three-star prospect out of Carroll High School in Texas, has thrown for 794 yards and seven passing touchdowns. He has also completed 61of his 86 passes for a 70.9 completion percentage.
In a press conference, head coach Kevin Sumlin expressed how the team has great chemistry and that both Hill and backup quarterback Kyle Allen, a freshman, have helped each other become better players.
“They’ve both helped each other,” Sumlin said. “The biggest thing I see, which you can’t fake about, is how they support each other. Kyle was congratulating Kenny, and the first guy to go down there after Kyle threw the touchdown was Kenny.”
In the week two ESPN Heisman Watch Experts’ Poll, both Alabama’s Cooper and Texas A&M’s Hill were mentioned in the eight player race. One other SEC player was mentioned in the poll in Georgia’s junior running back Todd Gurly.
This weekend, Texas A&M will play Rice at home in College Station.
“I said last year after we played them, everyone was on us for our performance, I said I wouldn't be surprised if they won Conference USA, and they did,” Sumlin said. “He's done a fabulous job with that program. To be where they are and win that league, to come from what Rice used to be and to be consistent, and go to Notre Dame and come to our place. They are not going to be afraid.”
No. 14 Ole Miss has also fared well so far this season. In week one, the Rebels took down Boise State 35-13 in a game that was closer than the score shows. Last weekend, Ole Miss crushed conference opponent Vanderbilt 41-3.
In a press conference, head coach Hugh Freeze gave his thoughts on the Vanderbilt game.
“We’re excited to get a road-SEC win, and I thought our kids played a pretty solid game,” he said. “Bo Wallace really managed us well. We played really solid defensively. I was a bit concerned before the game that we were a little flat. I do expect that though and I’ve always believed you don’t get your kids up to their emotional peak but two or three times a year. But good teams will still go out and execute and find a way to win games.”
The Rebels have a very effective passing attack this year. Receivers Cody Core, Laquon Treadwell, Vince Sanders and tight end Evan Engram all have over 100 receiving yards.
Ole Miss faces off against the Rajin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday in Oxford.
“I'm very familiar with what they do having played in that conference with them,” Freeze said. “Their quarterback is very talented, and they have talent around him with receivers and running backs and offensive line. They are very balanced, and they do a lot of the same stuff we do.”
Week three is another big week for the SEC with a few huge games. On Saturday, No. 6 Georgia takes on No. 24 South Carolina in a huge conference matchup. Also the upset-minded Tennessee Volunteers have a very tough test against 4th-ranked Oklahoma.
In other action around the conference, No. 20 Missouri takes on AAC member Central Florida. LSU takes on in-state rival Louisiana Monroe at home. Kentucky and Florida face off in a conference matchup, and Mississippi State travels to take on South Alabama. Arkansas will play Texas Tech in an away game, and Vanderbilt will look to earn their first win of the season in a home matchup against Massachusetts.
