Did I miss something?
I am pretty darn sure I watched every snap of Mississippi State’s win over then-No. 12 LSU.
This was no upset; it was a beat down.
Heck, MSU quarterback Nick Fitzgerald had just four fewer total yards (266) than the entire Tiger offense had as the Bulldogs rolled to a 37-7 victory.
The win vaulted the Bulldogs from the ranks of the unranked to No. 17 in the Associated Press poll this week. I think that’s about right for a 3-0 team that has outscored its first three opponents 143-28.
I would say the AP voters got that about right, but what I can’t understand for the life of me how five voters had the Tigers ahead of the Mississippi State team that just kicked their tails from one end to the other of Davis Wade Stadium.
Seriously, guys?
Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun had LSU at No. 16 on his ballot, eight spots ahead of Mississippi State at No. 24. That’s simply idiotic.
He is a respected, longtime beat writer for the Florida Gators. Maybe he was watching reruns of Tennessee hand the Gators Saturday’s game on a silver platter rather than watching the Bulldogs dismantle the Tigers.
This was no fluke. Anyone who knows anything about football knows that.
Dooley wasn't alone, though. Terry Hutchens of CNHI Sports Indiana had LSU at No. 16 and Mississippi State at ... well, nowhere on his ballot. I am certainly OK with him not having State ranked, but to still have LSU as high as No. 16
The other three voters to rank LSU ahead of Mississippi State this week were Steve Patterson (Quad City Times), Grace Raynor (The Post and Courier) and Jonny Miller (WBZ NewsRadio 1030 in Boston). Much like Hutchens, neither Patterson or Miller ranked Mississippi State at all. At least Raynor was kind enough to include the Bulldogs.
Still, these five need to get their act together. Their actions are simply an embarrassment to the voters who take their job seriously.
Another tough test
State will get another chance to impress voters Saturday, when it plays at No. 11 Georgia in a game that has major implications on the both the SEC West and East races.
That’s life in the SEC, though. When you get a big-time win over a top-15 team, you regroup and play a team ranked even higher the next week.
Georgia (3-0), the preseason pick to win the East Division, is off to a strong start in Kirby Smart’s second season as coach. Its most impressive performance was a 20-19 victory at Notre Dame, the sort of statement game that Georgia lacked while stumbling to an 8-5 mark in Smart’s debut year.
Asked what challenges Georgia presents, Dan Mullen replied: “Besides all their 5-star players?”
SEC rankings
MSU jumped up to No. 3 in the ESPN power rankings this week. If Todd Grantham’s defense continues to play like it has in the first three games, the Bulldogs have a chance to make some noise in the West.
Georgia, Saturday’s opponent, is No. 2.
Don’t look now, but there might be a new team ready to be a major player in the East — Vanderbilt, No. 4 this week in the SEC power rankings.
I know, it was just as hard to type that as it if for you to comprehend that. But the Commodores’ 14-7 win over then-No. 18 Kansas State was a statement win, one that put the rest of the division on notice that this is no longer a “gimme.”
