The season may have just gotten underway, but the picture is already clearing in the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference race.

Annual contenders seem to be in a position to vie for the league title again, and a slight realignment has perhaps evened out the divisions. There's also the interesting note that one of the most important games of the season -- Tennessee at Kentucky -- could decide the East Division in what is basically Week 1.

Last week, Georgia edged Mississippi State 19-14 to improve to 1-0 in the only league game played. While Florida's home game against Auburn fell victim to Hurricane Irma, this weekend's clash with Alabama seems to be on, which is good because the Gators have had weather put the kibosh on two games in a row.

Alabama is have to replace the redoubtable Ross Depperschmidt due to graduation, but the Crimson Tide return such all-conference talent as flanker Bobby Morgan, flyhalf Ignacio Guisasola, lock Bobby Collins, prop Shawn Dawley, and wing Caleb Strum. With experience and talent up front, they should be solid. While Bama also graduated all-conference scrumhalf James Puente, the Tide bring in Mira Costa (CA) High School star Harrison Dulgarian, who knows a thing or two about the position.

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Tennessee beat South Carolina 32-22 over the weekend, but that was a non-division game since South Carolina now is in the West Division. Volunteers wing John Via was especially elusive in UT's win, and the team's substitutes also made an impact. Moments after he took the field, Tennessee freshman Jace Walter scored a try to open the second half.

"Our restarts proved to be the difference," Volunteers head coach Marty Bradley said. "We were also able to bring on fresh legs in the second half with no dropoff."

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The result was no great tragedy for South Carolina, which now competes with Alabama, Auburn, and Florida. Last year, USC was in the East with Tennessee and Kentucky. Though the Gamecocks went a creditable 4-2, they missed out on the playoffs while 3-3 Florida, second in the West, made it to the postseason. That may not be the reason for the realignment, but it doesn't hurt.

Kentucky, meanwhile, remains a team to watch. A week ago, the Wildcats defeated Cincinnati 37-29 with St. Edward (Ohio) High School product and No. 8 Anthony Mencini working hard and hooker Brock Yoho putting in a full day's work. Center Eli Warfield ran hard lines and chewed up a ton of meters.

"As we expected, we were little rusty in the first half as it was our first game, but I felt we controlled the flow of the game put together a lot of good phases and in the second half it started to click," UK coach Gary Anderson said.

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This weekend, Alabama tries to show it can still be thinking conference title with its opener at Florida on Saturday. Meanwhile, Ole Miss travels to Mississippi State, and Tennessee is at Kentucky for its much-anticipated East matchup.