We’re a quarter of the way through the 2024 SEC football season, this past Saturday’s results have led to some shuffling at the top and bottom of SEC power rankings.
How have the power rankings changed after Week 3 of the season?
1. Texas Longhorns (up from 2)
Is there a QB controversy in Austin?! Maybe, but what isn’t a controversy is whether or not the Horns should be #1. They absolutely should after a 3-0 start featuring three blowout wins, including dismantling Michigan in Ann Arbor. They’ve been the nation’s most impressive team so far.
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2. Georgia Bulldogs (down from 1)
The Bulldogs are not without flaws. UGA was fortunate to walk out of Lexington a winner, but it was by no means a great performance for the presumed title favorites. No need to panic. Kirby Smart’s title-winning teams had games like this one. But for now, they fall to second in the power rankings.
3. Ole Miss Rebels
Are the Rebels for real? Probably, but it’s impossible to know because they still haven’t played anyone with a pulse. That won’t change this Saturday either. But they demolishing the teams they have played, so that’s good enough to have them here.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (up from 5)
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Alabama’s response to struggling for 3+ quarters at home with USF was to dominate Wisconsin on the road. Pretty good, if you ask me. Granted USF may literally be a better team than the Badgers, but this was an impressive win for the Tide nonetheless.
5. Tennessee Volunteers (down from 4)
Leading 65-0 at the half to then win 71-0 is insane. The Vols have a death machine look to them. But like Ole Miss, we don’t have the greatest idea of how good they truly are. That will change this Saturday though after Josh Heupel takes his team on the road to face his alma mater and former employer in Norman.
6. Missouri Tigers
Mizzou got its first test of the season with Boston College, and while it was by no means a cakewalk, they got the win. They’re not quite as flashy as the team ahead of them, but the Tigers still look to be a complete team capable of being one of the league’s best.
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7. Oklahoma Sooners
Last week I said OU was in this spot by default because despite not looking particularly impressive, I didn’t know who I could have ahead of them. Yeah well copy and paste that to this week. The Sooners beat Tulane. The Sooners are 3-0. I don’t know that the Sooners are good.
8. LSU Tigers
Luck seemed to be on the Tigers side (and water is wet) in their win at South Carolina. After getting down 17-0, seemingly everything broke in their favor, and they got an exciting win. The defense is still a massive problem, and the offense is somewhat disjointed. But LSU is a solid team.
9. Texas A&M Aggies
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Does Florida suck? Absolutely. Was it still a good sign that the Aggies went on the road and wiped the floor with them while dealing with a weather delay? Of course! Marcel Reed may be the ultimate answer for A&M at QB. A Collin Klein offense needs a QB who can run, and he provides that.
10. South Carolina Gamecocks (up from 13)
You almost had it, Gamecocks. You almost had it. That was a heartbreaking loss for South Carolina against the Tigers. You’re dominating the game, but then your QB gets hurt, officiating takes an unfortunate turn, and you miss a game-tying FG at the end of regulation. Painful. But even with the loss, this team clearly is good enough to make some minor noise.
11. Arkansas Razorbacks (down from 10)
Things were looking iffy for a minute there in Fayetteville, but the Hogs managed to get the win over UAB. Crisis averted. Now, can Arkansas be feisty enough to spring some upsets in SEC play?
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12. Auburn Tigers (down from 11)
Congrats to Auburn for not losing to a G5 team from the state of New Mexico for the second-straight year. We’ll just ignore that you only led by four at the half and instead focus on the 45-19 final score. Is Hank Brown the savior at QB? Probably not, but he can’t be any worse than what AU had before.
13. Kentucky Wildcats (up from 16)
Despite another loss and 1-2 start, I’ve moved the Cats up from the cellar. They were right there with Georgia, and South Carolina doesn’t look like an awful loss (even though it was a home blowout). This team certainly isn’t great, but they aren’t horrible.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores (down from 12)
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Oh, Vandy. Just when I thought you had something special brewing, you go and lose to Georgia State. That’s a real shame. But at least you’ve still got that win over Virginia Tech to prop you above the true disaster programs of the SEC.
15. Florida Gators
Graham Mertz? DJ Lagway? Doesn’t matter. The Gators are awful. Getting torched at home by the backup QB for a Texas A&M offense that looked totally incompetent to start the year is a crystal clear sign that the end is near for Billy Napier in Gainesville. But can his team at least beat #16 in my rankings?
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs
You know what losing by 24 points at home to a MAC team gets you? Last place. Mississippi State looks like the worst team in the SEC. They look like arguably the worst P4 team in the country. It’s only fitting that the Bulldogs and Gators get to subject fans to a matchup between each other this coming Saturday.
AUSTIN — For the first time in modern Texas politics, Democrats will field candidates in every one of the state’s 150 House districts.
It’s a milestone party leaders hope will boost turnout, money and organization up and down the ballot, even as Gov. Greg Abbott enters the cycle with a well-tested ground game of his own.
Democratic leaders say the move is less about flipping deeply red districts and more about expanding the electorate and forcing Republicans to defend territory they have long taken for granted.
Houston Rep. Christina Morales, the new chief of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, said a full slate of candidates creates infrastructure that can benefit statewide races, regardless of the odds in individual districts.
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Campaigns that once existed only on paper now bring door-knocking, phone banking and voter registration efforts, she said.
Morales also is coordinating with national Democrats, trying to harness energy from Texas’ high-profile Senate race, marked by a bitter GOP feud.
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In that primary, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston.
The Democratic Senate contest, featuring state Rep. James Talarico of Austin and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, has drawn wide voter interest and donor support.
But attention and money only go so far.
Abbott enters the cycle with a major advantage: a mature, statewide voter-mobilization network built over decades of Republican control.
“Abbott has made it his own,” said longtime GOP strategist Thomas Graham, citing sustained relationship-building at the precinct level and focus on local concerns. “Democrats are still rebuilding a statewide party. The ground game heavily favors the governor.”
The main switchyard at a Midlothian power plant. The federal government is sending Texas more than $60 million to strengthen the state’s power grid. Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune
Texas is home to approximately 400 data centers — some currently operational, others still under construction and a number that are still in the planning stages. Experts say the boom comes with a lot of uncertainty.
Texas data center power demand
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What they’re saying:
“Data centers are a relatively large power demand in a small area, something like, you know, 100 or 200 megawatts of power. That’s more than a small city or a small town would be consuming itself,” said Carey King, a research scientist with the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.
Over the past year, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas has received more than 200 gigawatts worth of large load interconnection requests, approximately 73% of which are from data centers. That has led to questions about whether the state’s grid is up to the task of supplying power to the facilities.
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“Many of us who suffered through winter storm Uri still have PTSD over, you know, fears that the grid won’t be able to meet demand,” said Luke Metzger, the executive director of Environment Texas, a local nonprofit working to safeguard the state’s natural environment.
Question of infrastructure
That’s not the only question. King points out that there is also a question of whether all the proposed data centers will actually be built. He says if they don’t end up materializing, it could spell trouble for anyone making investment decisions based on the projections. And if infrastructure is built to accommodate the needs of projects that never come to fruition, those costs could be passed off to consumers in the form of higher rates.
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Experts say these speculative data center projects have led to uncertainty around how much power will actually be needed to meet the demands of the state’s data centers.
Senate Bill 6, which was signed into law last June, outlined new requirements for data center projects, including stipulating that data centers put up more capital up front for things like transmission studies and interconnection fees. The bill is, in part, intended to reduce some of that uncertainty around speculative power loads.
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Potential environmental impact
But concerns still remain around the potential environmental impact of the state’s data centers.
“There are an estimated 130 new gas-powered power plants that have been proposed for Texas, in part to meet this demand for data centers, and if they’re all built, that’s going to have as much climate pollution as 27 million cars,” said Metzger.
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Above all, Metzger says the biggest uncertainty is water, as there is no central entity in the state that collects and compiles information on those needs.
On average, a single data center consumes millions of gallons of water annually, according to researchers with the University of Michigan. Metzger says that’s of particular concern here in Texas, where water supply is already being pushed to its limits.
“Texas is a very drought-prone state, and already, you know, you know, according to the Water Development Board, you know, we don’t have enough supply to meet demand,” said Metzger. “There is no way to make more water. And so, I think ultimately, you know that that could be the greatest concern for the state.”
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Over the past year, residents across Central Texas have spoken out about data centers in places like Round Rock and Taylor, citing additional concerns including falling property values, noise, and health impacts.
What’s next:
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Moving forward, experts recommend that local leaders undergo long-range planning to determine whether they’re able to allocate limited resources to data centers in the long run prior to approving these projects.
The Source: Information in this article comes from FOX 7 interviews with experts.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a Silver Alert for an elderly man who has been missing since Friday afternoon in Austin.
The Austin Police Department is looking for Charles Evans, a 73-year-old man diagnosed with a cognitive impairment. Evans was last seen at 5:37 p.m. on Jan. 9 in Austin.
Silver Alert issued for missing 73-year-old man in Austin
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Police describe him as a 6’3″ tall white male, weighing 225 pounds, has gray hair, hazel eyes, and who uses a walker.
Law enforcement officials believe his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-5000.
