It was a year that Alabama dominated — and then didn’t — but still could.

It was a year in which the SEC lost to Troy and beat Florida State and wondered if either result was surprising.

It was not a year for head coaches to buy green bananas, although even the ones who were fired before the fruit could risen could afford all the replacement bananas they could ever want with their buyout checks.

It was, to steal the old Esquire Magazine line, the 81st Edition of the Craziest SEC Year Ever. And here is the Power Poll to prove it.

Rank	Team	Last Week
1.		3.	For the first time in a decade, the Bulldogs broke through, winning the league and avenging their only loss along the way to becoming becoming the ninth program to earn a College Football Playoff berth. I was tough on Mark Richt for years but it looks like changing coaches was a Smart move. (If there is a Heisman Trophy for terrible puns, I just struck the pose.)
2.		2.	For one glorious week, Auburn was leading the parade in a Ferrari. Then the oil pump stopped working and the traffic passed them by. Two of the greatest wins in program history are rewarded by a trip to play Central Florida — and not even in Florida. Tough ending to a memorable year.
3.		1.	Can you be No. 3 in your conference Power Poll and still win the national championship? Sure you can. Can your fans still complain about it? Sure they can.
4.		5.	LSU closed out strong and can carry a lot of momentum into next year with a bowl win over Notre Dame. Who ever thought Ed Orgeron could sneak up on someone? He might in 2018.
5.		7.	Not even Bitcoin appreciated in value faster than Mizzou in the second half of the season.
6.		4.	Hiring a coach from the Penn State staff was a bold move and will result in extra cowbell expense for MSU as it equips his family.
7.		6.	The least notable team in the SEC, which doesn’t mean the worst. The magic of Will Muschamp is that his team does win some games but then you can’t remember who they beat or how they managed to beat them.
8.		9.	I’m not sure that there are many other SEC teams that could have survived a post-season ban and the loss of a starting quarterback and still managed to get bowl eligible (albeit without a bowl) and win their rivalry game. Not a great year for the Rebels, but far from the disaster it could have been.
9.		8.	Is this really any different than the old Franchione Grab, except for a lot more money? Granted, Jimbo Fisher has a BCS title so we will see. But sometimes, those who are grabbed from end up happier than those who do the grabbing.
10.		10.	UK had the SEC’s worst record against the spread this year which means that they failed to deliver even when people had hope. I’m not putting anyone on the hot seat but all this shuffling probably raises expectations for Stoops and staff next fall.
11.		12.	Beating Tennessee was a high point. Missing out on a bowl because that was the only SEC win you could get, not so much. Derek Mason needs to find a way into the postseason next year.
12.		14.	Having lodged in the cheap seats of the Power Poll, the Gators went out and poached a coach from one of the mid-range teams. Always look up, I guess.
13.		13.	There weren’t many people who disliked Bret Bielema. But Razorback fans didn’t like their inability to succeed in the SEC. Full disclosure: I thought Bielema would be able to remake Arkansas into Wisconsin of the Ozarks. I wondered why he couldn’t. Then I watched Wisconsin play and the thought occurred to me that maybe he actually did. I’m not sure the Badgers would be successful in the SEC West either.
14.		11.	Adding a botched coaching search on top of an 0-8 SEC season is like putting ice cream on top of your filet mignon. (By “botched,” I don’t mean that Jeremy Pruitt isn’t a good choice. He is. But UT could have locked him up a month ago, he could have changed his name to “Gruden” and everyone would have been happy.)