SEC Football Power Rankings, Week 2:
No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores (Preseason: 14th)
Yes, the Vanderbilt Commodores are the only 2-0 team in the Southeastern Conference. No, they aren’t good.
A bad Hawaii team traveled to Nashville and played in a stadium still under construction and almost knocked off the ‘Dores with a 4th quarter comeback that saw the Warriors outgain the Commodores by almost 100 yards for the game. They also averaged just 1.5 yards per carry against a Hawaii defense that gave up over 200 yards per game on the ground in 2022 (6th-worst in all of college football).
They picked up their second win against a hapless Alabama A&M team that went 4-7 in the FCS last season. It was a convincing win, and those can be few and far between in Nashville, but it is not necessarily an indication of anything positive for Clark Lea’s team.
If the ‘Dores can knock off Wake Forest in Winston-Salem this weekend, they may warrant being slid up a couple of spots in these power rankings, but until Vanderbilt shows they can beat a decent team, they belong at the bottom of the SEC football power rankings.