Georgia had one of its most dominant performances in years this weekend with a 31-3 beatdown Mississippi State at Sanford Stadium. But the big win wasn’t enough to move Georgia in the SEC Country Power Poll.
The 2017 SEC Country Power Poll, consisting of 27 voters from around the SEC, placed Georgia in the No. 2 spot behind the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Despite staying put in the SEC Country Power Poll, Georgia did make moves in the traditional Top 25 polls. Georgia jumped from No. 11 to No. 7 in the AP poll, and moved from No. 12 to No. 8 in the coaches poll.
Mississippi State, ranked third in the SEC Country Power Poll before the loss to Georgia, entered the contest riding high after beating LSU 37-7 the previous week. But the Bulldogs of the SEC West were knocked down early in the game Between the Hedges. Georgia forced Mississippi State into a three-and-out on the first possession of the game, then scored on a 59-yard flea-flicker from Jake Fromm to Terry Godwin on its first offensive play of the game.
The Georgia defense was relentless in the game, never allowing the typically potent Mississippi State offense to get into rhythm. Mississippi State was held to 280 yards of total offense a week after racking up 465 yards against LSU. Georgia also snagged its first 2 interceptions of the season when Deandre Baker and Dominic Sanders intercepted Fitzgerald on consecutive possessions.
“We came out and played with a lot of toughness,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the game. “Our mantra all week was discipline, discipline, discipline. I thought we executed pretty well.”
Next up for Georgia is a trip to Knoxville, Tenn., to face the Tennessee Volunteers, which dropped from ninth to 10th in the SEC Country Power Poll this week following a narrow 17-13 win against UMass.
Your Week 4 Power Poll rankings
RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1ST PLACEVOTES | PREV | HIGHVOTE | LOWVOTE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alabama (13 - 1) | 351 | 27 | 111 | ||
2 | Georgia (13 - 2) | 324 | 0 | 222 | ||
3 | Auburn (10 - 4) | 291 | 0 | 435 | ||
4 | Florida (4 - 7) | 257 | 0 | 537 | ||
5 | Mississippi State (9 - 4) | 242 | 0 | 338 | ||
6 | LSU (9 - 4) | 196 | 0 | 7410 | ||
7 | Kentucky (7 - 6) | 181 | 0 | 8511 | ||
8 | Texas A&M (7 - 6) | 151 | 0 | 12514 | ||
9 | Vanderbilt (5 - 7) | 115 | 0 | 6513 | ||
10 | Tennessee (4 - 8) | 111 | 0 | 9513 | ||
11 | South Carolina (9 - 4) | 101 | 0 | 10813 | ||
12 | Arkansas (4 - 8) | 78 | 0 | 11413 | ||
13 | Ole Miss (6 - 6) | 54 | 0 | 13914 | ||
14 | Missouri (7 - 6) | 5 | 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)Joe Mussatto (SEC Country)Jordan Mcpherson (SEC Country)Justin Ferguson (SEC Country)Ken Bradley (SEC Country)Kyle Tucker (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)