My Final SEC Power Poll

The last one of the season is a lot like the rest of ’em:  easy at the top and bottom and a huge, muddled mess in the middle.  Overall, I think it’s fair to say that Alabama salvaged a mediocre season (at least in terms of won-loss results) for the conference.

1. Alabama. Gee, this was a tough call.  Well coached, with a consistent, tough defense and an offense that did enough, the Tide deserves all the accolades it’s gotten.
2. Florida. There aren’t many 13-1 teams that have seasons you’d call a disappointment, but the Gators qualify.  The schedule set up nicely for another national title shot, but an Alabama team that seemed to want it a little more derailed those plans.
3. LSU. Huge, huge drop from #2 to #3.  The Tigers finished out the year 4-4 and only beat one ranked team (then #18 Georgia, believe it or not).  They’re in this slot only because there’s no other school in the conference that can take it away from them.
4. Ole Miss. If any program would like a mulligan on the season, it’s this one.  Houston Nutt made an uncharacteristic mistake in backing the wrong pony in Jevan Snead.  We can only wonder how much better the season would have turned out if Dexter McCluster had been the centerpiece on offense from the get go.
5. Georgia. Hard to know what to say about the Dawgs.  On the one hand, getting eight wins out of a team that played Sagarin’s seventh toughest schedule and finished 118th in turnover margin (minus-16!) is fairly remarkable.  On the other hand, Georgia suffered two of the most wretched losses in conference play, to Tennessee and Kentucky.  Certainly no SEC team wasted more talent in 2009 than Georgia, and I’m hard pressed to come with any team nationally that did.
6. Auburn. Sure, the schedule helped, but it’s hard to argue that this team didn’t overachieve, which is a credit to the players and the coaches.  I’m still not sold on a future with Ted Roof as the defensive coordinator, though.
7. Arkansas. I simply don’t get the love for this team.  For all his obvious physical talent, Mallett still has a ways to go from a decision-making standpoint before he’s an elite quarterback.  And for all his prowess as an offensive mind, Petrino still doesn’t have a team that plays consistently on defense or special teams.  The Hogs would have been a great Conference USA team this season, but it’s hard to get very excited about an SEC team that fails to win a single game in an opponent’s  stadium.
8. Tennessee. For all the snake oil and hoopla, all this season boiled down to in the end for the Vols was an improvement of one game in the loss column.
9. South Carolina. This program is stuck in a seemingly endless loop – good start, followed by the inevitable second half collapse (2-5 over their last seven games).  It’s always next year in Columbia.
10. Kentucky. I couldn’t rank the ‘Cats any higher than this.  They lost to South Carolina heads up and lost to a Clemson team that the ‘Cocks beat soundly.  Still, Brooks’ last year was nothing to be ashamed of.  Just ask Georgia.
11. Mississippi State. I know I have them ranked low, but considering the dearth of talent in the program, Dan Mullen deserves some consideration for SEC coach of the year honors.  The schedule (Sagarin’s toughest) didn’t do these guys any favors, either.
12. Vanderbilt. For all the shuffling going on with assistant coaches right now, I’m puzzled that Vandy’s not in the mix looking for a new offensive coordinator.  It doesn’t matter how fundamentally sound a team is or how well it plays defense if it averages less than nine points per game in conference play.