Week 2 SEC conference power rankings
The SEC football season kicked off during Labor Day weekend with all members in the expanded 16-team conference participating in the Week 1 action around college football. Many of the SEC's top teams were thoroughly dominant against weaker competition on the gridiron in Week 1.
Week 1 brings plenty of scoring and explosive contests around SEC football to impact this week's power rankings in the middle
Over half of the SEC's 16 teams scored at least 50 points in the first full weekend of the college football season. The dominant weekend for the SEC led to the teams combining for a record of 13-3 for Week 1.
But it wasn't all positive for the SEC in Week 1. Two of the bigger non-conference games in Week 1 involving the SEC saw the No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies and Florida Gators fall short to their opponents at their home stadiums, each by double digit margins.
The No. 13 LSU Tigers were also downed by a ranked foe in Week 1, at a neutral site against the No. 23 USC Trojans on Sunday night (Sep. 1).
Here's a look at the SEC power rankings after Week 1 of the 2024 college football season.
. 1-0 (0-0 SEC). . . 16. . Week 1 Result: 23-19 win vs. Old Dominion. 533. South Carolina.
Last week: 13 (-3)
Despite toppling the Old Dominion Monarchs in Week 1 on Aug. 31, the South Carolina Gamecocks and head coach Shane Beamer still fall to the bottom spot on this week's SEC power rankings entering Week 2.
South Carolina narrowly defeated a mid-level G5 foe at home, beating Old Dominion by a score of 23-19 thanks to a late game-winning touchdown run from freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
The Gamecocks struggled to move the football consistently, compiling fewer than 300 total yards of offense while being outgained offensively on their home turf by Old Dominion. Sellers, a first-year starting quarterback, was also put under constant pressure against a much smaller Old Dominion defensive front in Week 1.
South Carolina will look for more consistency on the offensive side of the ball while continuing to generate turnovers at a high rate on defense when it opens SEC play in Week 2 on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats.