SEC Baseball: Power Rankings After Week 1 of Conference Play

Here's how every SEC team ranks after the first weekend of in-conference play.

The first weekend of conference play in college baseball is over, and it was one of the most exciting opening weekends in recent SEC history.

Some teams had incredible performances over the weekend, while others faltered and fell. There are still plenty of questions to be answered within each program-- and some new ones have arisen. Are some of the historical powerhouses crumbling early? Will a new team rise to the top by the time this season is over and done with?

Here are my SEC power rankings after one weekend of tough competition.

1. Tennessee

It's no surprise that the Vols are on top after sweeping South Carolina and improving to 19-1 on the season. Tennessee hasn't faced too much heavy competition so far this season, but the team has a high-scoring offense and powerful bullpen that is hard to overlook.

2. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt proved that it could compete after a ninth-inning comeback victory over Michigan during the week. The Commodores continue to produce on the mound, and as long as they can keep up offensively, they've got a solid chance to make it far in the postseason.

3. Arkansas

Is Arkansas as dominant as it was this time last year? Probably not, but the Hogs are still pretty good. It will be interesting to see how the team holds up as they face tougher opponents, but for now, they have found a way to win in the most improbable ways.

4. Ole Miss

Out of every team in the SEC, the Rebels have arguably the best offense. The team's biggest struggles are in the bullpen-- as shown in their midweek loss to Southeastern Louisiana and Friday night loss to Auburn. How long can the offense continue to carry the team to victory?

5. Georgia

The Bulldogs' Friday night starter, Johnathan Cannon, is going to be a difficult pitcher for any SEC opponent to face. They are solid offensively but have also had a few shaky moments. There have already been some big highs and lows this season, but UGA looks to be on the upward trend.

6. Florida

Florida is a difficult team to figure out. The Gators have dropped some games that they definitely should have won but can also dominate on any given night against any opponent. Playing against Alabama didn't seem to be a huge test for the Gators, but they have an extremely difficult conference schedule over the next month.

7. Texas A&M

Texas A&M did what seemed unthinkable: the Aggies traveled to Baton Rouge and narrowly missed a sweep of LSU. Are they that good, or did they have good luck against an overrated Tigers team? Texas A&M performed well on all sides of the ball over the weekend, and it will be interesting to see if the team can keep that up over the rest of the season.

8. LSU

It's early in the season, but there's a chance that LSU might have another season full of struggles. The Tigers couldn't keep up with a visiting Texas A&M team, but they had some great moments on Sunday that showed that this weekend might've been nothing but a fluke.

9. Mississippi State

Mississippi State is coming off of their national championship in a bit of a slump. The team shows potential, but inconsistencies at the plate, in the field and on the mound have hurt them greatly since the beginning of the season. However, the Bulldogs rebounded with a 20-3 victory against Georgia on Sunday after dropping the first two games of the series. They look to carry that momentum and finally put the pieces together.

10. Auburn

There weren't heavy expectations placed on Auburn at the beginning of the season, but they have shown flashes of true talent. Despite suffering two big losses against Ole Miss' bats over the weekend, they managed to pull off a 19-5 victory to make the series interesting. The Tigers certainly aren't a bad team, but can they keep up with a grueling SEC schedule?

11. Alabama

The Crimson Tide had a hot start to the season, but have fizzled some lately. They salvaged a close victory over Florida on Sunday-- a feat that deserves recognition-- and can compete with just about anyone. Alabama might be down, but the team is certainly not out in the race to the top of the SEC.

12. Kentucky

Kentucky had its chances against Arkansas but just couldn't pull it together. The Wildcats do have the potential to shock the South, but they are going to have to work very hard to keep up in the very talented SEC East division. They will have a big test this coming weekend against a hungry Georgia team.

13. South Carolina

South Carolina's baseball team won America over when it clinched a series victory over the Texas Longhorns last season. Unfortunately, they couldn't carry the momentum from that huge victory into this weekend. The Gamecocks were playing a tough Tennessee team but struggled to keep things competitive at the right moments.

14. Missouri

Last season, the Tigers were among the worst teams in the SEC. This season, it looks like it might be more of the same. After faring relatively well against non-conference opponents early in the season, it looked like Missouri might have a better chance to at least make the SEC Tournament this year. The Tigers didn't rise to the occasion against Vanderbilt, but there is still plenty of time left to pick up big wins.