Power Rankings – Week 3

Published on Monday, 9/11/17, at 5:20 p.m. Eastern.

Oklahoma jumps up to No. 3, Oklahoma St. enters the top five, South Carolina is up to No. 17 and Vanderbilt is in — and rightfully so!

When Lincoln Riley was hired at OU, I praised the hire and said he would be “great” and it would be a “seamless transition” on multiple radio shows across the country. In fact, I said in terms of in-game coaching, the Sooners might be getting an upgrade. (Before anyone interprets that as a shot at Bob Stoops, like Larry ‘Legend’ Bird used to tell opponents who belatedly contested his long-range jumpers, “read about it” right here.) Well, Riley and OU just went into The ‘Shoe and won by double digits over Ohio St., which was 34-2 in Urban Meyer’s first 36 home games.

Are the Gamecocks going to take an 8-0 record into Athens the first weekend of November? Is Vanderbilt a legit contender to win the SEC East? We’re only two weeks in, folks, so overreactions are going to happen when we only have a small sample size to use in forming opinions. But with the way Kyle Shurmur and Jake Bentley are playing right now, not to mention how Vandy and S-Carolina have emerged from their first two games injury free, they appear capable of going toe to toe with anybody in these Dark Ages of the SEC East.

1-Alabama
2-Clemson
3-Oklahoma
4-Penn St.
5-Oklahoma St.
6-Washington
7-Wisconsin
8-Southern Cal
9-Michigan
10-FSU
11-Ohio St.
12-LSU
13-Georgia
14-Auburn
15-Louisville
16-Va. Tech
17-South Carolina
18-Washington St.
19-Stanford
20-Miami
21-Kansas St.
22-TCU
23-Oregon
24-UCLA
25-Vanderbilt

Next Five: Florida, N.C. St., Tennessee, Mississippi St. & Boise St.

Also Considered: Notre Dame, Utah, Colorado, Maryland & Ga. Tech.

WAYYYY TOO-DAMN EARLY Coach of the Year Candidates:

1-Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma)
2-Will Muschamp (South Carolina)
3-Derek Mason (Vanderbilt)
4-D.J. Durkin (Maryland)
5-Willie Taggart (Oregon)

Honorable Mention: Dan Mullen/Todd Grantham (Mississippi St. HC/DC)