Ole Miss Missed Out

Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M can skip this blog. They passed the opening-day test. The rest of the Southeastern Conference? To quote the Head Ball Coach (Steve Spurrier): “Not too good.”

Instead of peaking on Monday night in the finale of the first week, the SEC valleyed. No. 12 Ole Miss built a 28-13 halftime lead over No. 4 Florida State and then vanished, 45-34, as FSU scored 33 straight points. Ole Miss could not contain redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois, who pulled it together late in the first half with a touchdown pass to Travis Rudolph and then really settled down over the final two quarters.

This outcome for the SEC’s Rebels essentially mirrored Kentucky’s performance against Southern Mississippi, in which the Wildcats squandered a 35-10 advantage and lost 41-35 … at home.

Recounting some of the SEC’s other failures: LSU, ranked No. 5, lost to unranked Wisconsin 16-14 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay; Mississippi State lost 21-20 to South Alabama at home; Vanderbilt blew a 10-0 halftime lead and lost 13-10 to South Carolina (which is at least an SEC team).

Maybe Alabama has simply outgrown everyone in the conference. The defending national champions flattened No. 2 USC 52-6 behind a freshman quarterback. There’s no mercy in that program. One game is early to pass judgment, but the Crimson Tide appear ready to defend that title and their toughest opposition will not come from within their own conference.

Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman