SEC FLAVOR
The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll released Tuesday contained seven SEC teams:1. ALABAMA2. Clemson3. GEORGIA4. Ohio State5. Wisconsin6. Oklahoma7. AUBURN8. Notre Dame9. Washington10. Stanford11. LSU12. Virginia Tech13. Penn State14. West Virginia15. Michigan State16. TCU17. Southern California18. MISSISSIPPI STATE19. Central Florida20. Boise State21. Michigan22. Miami23. Oregon24. SOUTH CAROLINA25. FLORIDA
Just two years ago, Southeastern Conference football often was portrayed as Alabama and the 13 dwarfs.
That does not accurately describe what transpired during the opening weekend of the 2018 season.
Although Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide looked sharp in a 51-14 trouncing of Louisville, there were plenty of other impressive showings as SEC teams won 13 of 14 opportunities, with Tennessee’s loss to West Virginia the lone exception. Auburn and LSU both knocked off top-10 teams, with Auburn defeating Pac-12 Conference favorite Washington 21-16 in Atlanta and with LSU dismantling reigning ACC Coastal Division champion Miami 33-17 in Arlington, Texas.
“I think the league is very strong this year, and I thought that before watching any games,” Saban said Monday in his weekly news conference. “You never know where you are until you actually go out and play, because some teams have more depth than others and can sustain injuries or have better luck with injuries. It’s a long season, but there are a lot of good teams in our league.