ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

This is when it gets good. This is when this poll probably starts changing every week. The SEC beats up on itself. That's what this conference does. I may be wrong, but I really don't see any SEC teams unbeaten at season's end. The league is too deep and too balanced. That said, we have a new No. 1 this week rolling into that top spot:

1. Alabama: It's probably a stretch at this point to stay that Alabama is the best team or even the strongest team in the conference. The Crimson Tide are thin in some areas and still really young. But winning the way they did last Saturday at Georgia and already having two top 10 wins ... it's a no-brainer to put the Tide No. 1 in this week's poll. Roll Tide!

2. LSU: The defending national champion Tigers are probably saying: What about us? We've yet to lose this season and also went to a top 10 team's house (Auburn) and won. Ultimately, it's a debate that will be settled on the field, but the Tigers' defense didn't look quite as dominant last Saturday in a 34-24 home win over Mississippi State. It looks like Jarrett Lee will be the quarterback of record the rest of the way.

3. Georgia: There's no getting around the fact how thoroughly the Bulldogs were whipped on both lines of scrimmage. But in terms of still being alive in the Eastern Division race, nothing has changed. It's still out there for them if they can shore up some things and take care of business the rest of the way. The off date this coming Saturday comes at a good time, because several key players are banged up.

4. Florida: After being so good in special teams all year long, Florida was upset last Saturday at home thanks in part to the simplest of special teams plays. The Gators had a potentially game-tying extra point blocked late and fell, 31-30, to Ole Miss. That's not their biggest problem, though. They still don't have a running game outside of quarterback Tim Tebow, who was held to 7 yards on 15 carries against the Rebels.

5. Vanderbilt: Has Vanderbilt arrived or what? ESPN's College GameDay is coming to Vanderbilt this week to do its show live from campus. The unbeaten Commodores are nationally ranked for the first time in nearly 25 years. They were off last week, which was good for quarterback Chris Nickson to rest his shoulder that was injured in the Ole Miss game. The Auburn game will tell us a lot more about this club.

6. Auburn: The offense is still not right, and it looks like both Chris Todd and Kodi Burns are still going to share the quarterback duties. But Todd's throwing shoulder is clearly not 100 percent, which means Burns might get even more opportunities. They know how to play defense at Auburn, though, and that always gives you a chance.

7. Ole Miss: Houston Nutt's bunch was close at Wake Forest a few weeks ago and then came home and turned the ball over six times in a loss to Vanderbilt. The 31-30 win over Florida last week illustrates how capable this team is, especially now that Greg Hardy and Peria Jerry are back healthy in the defensive line. This is a team nobody will want to play down the stretch.

8. Kentucky: Of all the teams in the league, Kentucky's the hardest to get a true read on at this point. We think they're pretty good on defense, and we think they're growing on offense. We'll find out for sure this weekend when they travel to Alabama. But in drilling Western Kentucky 41-3 last Saturday to remain unbeaten, Kentucky kept its third different opponent out of the end zone. The Wildcats have given up just two touchdowns all season.

9. South Carolina: It sounds like it's Stephen Garcia's job. The redshirt freshman quarterback played pretty well in South Carolina's 26-13 win over UAB last week and was particularly impressive running the ball. He had a team-high 86 rushing yards, the most for a South Carolina quarterback in six years. The Gamecocks face a key test at Ole Miss next week if they're going to get to eight wins.

10. Tennessee: Talk about a dangerous game for Tennessee. The 1-3 Vols are teetering emotionally and opening up their quarterback competition. They come back home this week to a stadium that won't be close to being full and face a Northern Illinois team more than capable of springing the upset. It's been a while since Tennessee has been this anemic in the passing game.

11. Miss. State: Despite another loss to fall to 1-4 and 0-2 in the conference, Mississippi State moves out of the bottom spot thanks to a spirited effort at LSU. The Bulldogs, starting Tyson Lee at quarterback, played some of their best offense of the season in a 34-24 loss to the defending national champions. With Sylvester Croom running the show, this is a team that will keep fighting.

12. Arkansas: The past two weeks have been about as ugly as it gets for Arkansas. The Hogs were flattened 52-10 by longtime rival Texas last Saturday, only a week after being routed 49-14 by Alabama. The Hogs didn't score an offensive touchdown against the Longhorns. Their only touchdown came on a fumble return by the defense late in the game. It doesn't get any easier, either. They take on Florida this Saturday.