Moral Victory! power ratings for Week 4

Now teams are starting to play somebody.

1. Alabama, 4-0 (1-0)
The Tide couldn't be in better position after dominating a Razorback offense that gave Georgia fits last week.
Last week: No. 1
Next week: At Kentucky

2. Georgia, 3-1 (2-0)
Has there ever been a more boring last-second victory? The Bulldogs messed around with the Sun Devils and were lucky to win. Still, they haven't faced a single cupcake yet, and they've handed South Carolina its only loss. They can take a big leap in the polls with a victory over LSU on Saturday.
Last week: No. 2
Next week: At home against LSU

3. South Carolina, 3-1 (1-1)
Spurrier chalked up a signature victory over Ole Miss, the nation's No. 4 team, and are trying not to think about that last drive in Athens.
Last week: No. 5
Next week: At home against SC State

4. Auburn, 4-0 (1-0)
Tigers looked uninspired — and surrendered 30 points — in a win over a bad Ball State team. But they're undefeated, and their stomping of Miss State a couple of weeks ago looks pretty good after the Bulldogs' near-upset of LSU.
Last week: No. 3
Next week: At home against Ball State

5. LSU, 4-0 (2-0)
How good are the five-star Bayou Bengals? They couldn't deliver a knockout blow of Washington or Vandy, and they were mighty lucky to escape Starkville with a W. Next up: Georgia and Florida.
Last week: No. 4
Next week: At Georgia

6. Florida, 4-0 (1-0)
With Tebow recovering from a concussion, the Gators' bye week couldn't have come at a better time.
Last week: No. 6
Next week: Bye

7. Miss State, 2-2 (1-2)
Dan Mullen is playing to win, and his Bulldogs dang near beat LSU. Now can they avenge last year's whipping at the hands of the Yellow Jackets?
Last week: No. 10
Next week: At home against Georgia Tech

8. Ole Miss, 2-1 (0-1)
The Rebels are proof that the polls should open, say, in the fourth week of the season. Think these guys miss Peria Jerry and Michael Oher?
Last week: No. 9
Next week: At Vanderbilt

9. Kentucky, 2-1 (0-1)
Oh well, lots of teams have gotten the snot beaten out of them by Florida. And by Alabama, too.
Last week: No. 12
Next week: At home against Alabama

10. Vanderbilt, 2-2 (0-2)
The Commodores have whipped two inferior teams. Beating Ole Miss at home on Saturday would be a huge deal and would put them back where they expected to be at this point in the season. But can they do it?
Last week: No. 11
Next week: At home against Ole Miss

11. Tennessee, 2-2 (0-1)
The problem with making the third game on your schedule the game of the year? Well, you've still got nine more teams to play, and the too-narrow win over Ohio shows you've got to come to play everyday. Auburn will be much, much tougher.
Last week: No. 8
Next week: At home against Auburn

12. Arkansas, 1-2 (0-2)
Sure, Petrino's got some horses or hogs or whatever they call talented athletes in Arkansas, but the Bama whipping shows he's still got a ways to go. Going into Week 5, his only victory is over Southeast Missouri.
Last week: No. 7
Next week: In Cowboys Stadium against Texas A&M

Moral Victory! power ratings: To be somebody, you've still got to play somebody

Once again, our power ratings aren't based on what we think teams are going to do, but how they're doing so far. We fully expect Florida to make a dramatic leap within the next few weeks, but first they've got to play somebody. All together now: TO BE SOMEBODY, YOU'VE GOT TO PLAY SOMEBODY!

Anyway, here are the rankings:

1. Alabama, 2-0 (0-0)
Week 1: Handled Va Tech, one of the nation's top teams
Week 2: Developed some new depth against FIU, one of the worst
Last week: No. 1
Next week: At home vs. North Texas (1-1)

2. Georgia, 1-1 (1-0)
Week 1: Lost on the road to the vaunted OSU Cowboys, which lost to Houston this past week
Week 2: Showed some pride and beat Spurrier's Gamecocks
Last week: No. 3
Next week: At Arkansas (1-0)

3. South Carolina, 1-1 (0-1)
Week 1: Outslugged NC State, a decent ACC team
Week 2: Lost in a surprising shootout to UGA in Athens
Last week: No. 2
Next week: At home vs. Florida Atlantic (0-1)

4. LSU, 2-0 (1-0)
Week 1: Journeyed to Washington, winless in 2008, and struggled to win
Week 2: Slipped and slid to a two-touchdown win over Vandy
Last week: No. 5
Next week: At home vs. La-Lafayette (2-0)

5. Auburn, 2-0 (1-0)
Week 1: Thrashed recent bowl team La Tech
Week 2: Dominated Miss State with the new improved AU-Burns offense
Last week: No. 6
Next week: At home vs. West Virginia (2-0)

6. Florida, 2-0 (0-0)
Week 1: Whipped Charleston Southern
Week 2: Whipped Troy, which was a bowl team last year. Prediction: Gators will face Men of Troy in January
Last week: No. 9
Next week: At home vs. Tennessee (1-1)

7. Vanderbilt, 1-1 (0-1)
Week 1: Defense dominated Western Carolina
Week 2: Defense held its own against LSU, but receivers couldn't hang on
Last week: No. 10
Next week: At home vs. Miss State (1-1)

8. Ole Miss, 1-0 (0-0)
Week 1: Beat an overmatched Tiger team in Memphis
Week 2: Bowed down to the porcelain god and prayed the flu would go away
Last week: No. 4
Next week: At home vs. SE La (2-0)

9. Kentucky, 1-0 (0-0)
Week 1: Dominated Miami-Ohio, a middling MAC squad
Week 2: Got their breath back after scoring 42 points in the opener
Last week: No. 7
Next week: At home vs. Louisville (1-0)

10. Tennessee, 1-1 (0-0)
Week 1: Beat the ever-lovin’ dog out of the lowly Hilltoppers, praised Crompton
Week 2: Made fun of UCLA's baby-blue uniforms, then lost to the Bruins again
Last week: No. 8
Next week: At Florida (2-0)

11. Miss State, 1-1 (0-1)
Week 1: Scored a bunch of points against Jackson State
Week 2: Got scored on a bunch by Auburn
Last week: No. 12
Next week: At Vanderbilt (1-1)

12. Arkansas, 1-0 (0-0)
Week 1: Proved they could beat a non-FBS (Mo St) team by more than a field goal
Week 2: Took a week off to celebrate
Last week: No. 11
Next week: At home vs. Georgia (1-1)