Georgia didn’t face much of a challenge in Week 3 of the college football season, easily dispatching FCS opponent Samford 42-14. But thanks to Mississippi State’s upset of LSU, Georgia moved up one spot to the penultimate position in the SEC Country Power Poll.
The 2017 SEC Country Power Poll, consisting of 29 voters from around the SEC, placed Georgia in the No. 2 spot behind the Alabama Crimson Tide. Georgia began the season at No. 4 in the SEC Country Power Poll and has advanced one spot each week.
Georgia’s win over Samford on Saturday in Athens, Ga., was its most impressive performance of the season, even if it came against the weakest opponent it will face all year. UGA scored at least 40 points for the first time since 2015, and the defense put up another dominant display against the run, limiting Samford to 22 yards on the ground.
Georgia’s move up in the SEC Country Power Poll was reflected in the national polls. The Bulldogs jumped from No. 13 to No. 11 in the AP Top 25. They didn’t fare quite as well in the Amway Coaches Poll, moving from No. 13 to No. 12. In both polls, Georgia is ranked as the second-best SEC team behind Alabama, which claimed the top spot in both polls.
Georgia welcomes Mississippi State to Sanford Stadium this week. Mississippi State made the biggest leap in the SEC Country Power Poll this week, moving from No. 8 to No. 3 following a 37-7 blowout of LSU. With Mississippi State’s big win, the battle of the Bulldogs will be one of the marquee games in college football on Saturday. Georgia coach Kirby Smart gave Mississippi State glowing reviews after his team’s win over Samford.
“Physical. Big. They have all kinds of ways to run the ball,” Smart said, according to Chip Towers of DawgNation. “I don’t think I’ve ever played [Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen] when he didn’t have a running quarterback. It’s really hard to defend because your box count is never good. Dak Prescott, Chris Reif, he’s had all kinds of big, ol’ quarterbacks, and he’s got one now. [Mississippi State QB Nick Fitzgerald is] tough to defend because the guy can throw the ball, too.”
Your Week 3 Power Poll rankings
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1ST PLACEVOTES | PREV | HIGHVOTE | LOWVOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (13 - 1) | 377 | 29 | 111 | ||
| 2 | Georgia (13 - 2) | 330 | 0 | 325 | ||
| 3 | Mississippi State (9 - 4) | 318 | 0 | 827 | ||
| 4 | Auburn (10 - 4) | 275 | 0 | 428 | ||
| 5 | Florida (4 - 7) | 251 | 0 | 728 | ||
| 6 | Vanderbilt (5 - 7) | 216 | 0 | 11411 | ||
| 7 | LSU (9 - 4) | 207 | 0 | 2410 | ||
| 8 | Kentucky (7 - 6) | 201 | 0 | 10510 | ||
| 9 | Tennessee (4 - 8) | 138 | 0 | 6513 | ||
| 10 | South Carolina (9 - 4) | 104 | 0 | 5913 | ||
| 11 | Arkansas (4 - 8) | 87 | 0 | 9713 | ||
| 12 | Texas A&M (7 - 6) | 71 | 0 | 13814 | ||
| 13 | Ole Miss (6 - 6) | 58 | 0 | 12713 | ||
| 14 | Missouri (7 - 6) | 6 | 0 | 141014 |
This week's voters:Alex Hickey (SEC Country)Alex Martin Smith (SEC Country)Andrew Astleford (SEC Country)Ben Wolk (SEC Country)Blake MorganBrandon Walker (SEC Country)Chip Towers (DawgNation)Chris Kirschner (SEC Country)Christopher Walsh (SEC Country)Eric Bolin (SEC Country)Hale McGranahan (SEC Country)Jeff Sentell (DawgNation)Joe Mussatto (SEC Country)Jordan Mcpherson (SEC Country)Justin Ferguson (SEC Country)Ken Bradley (SEC Country)Kyle Tucker (SEC Country)Lauren Shute (SEC Country)Marq Burnett (SEC Country)Mike BambachMike Griffith (SEC Country)Nick SussPete ScantleburyRyan YoungSam SpiegelmanSeth Emerson (DawgNation)Thomas Neumann (SEC Country)Trent Shadid (SEC Country)Zach Abolverdi (SEC Country)