The most notable movement this week came from the “Just Off the Pace” category after Texas A&M’s humiliating loss to Ole Miss. Meanwhile, the team making the biggest jump might surprise you. Was there any shakeup among the SEC favorites?
Here are the SEC power rankings after Week 8:
Note: () by each team indicates whether teams moved up, down or remained unchanged.
PROJECTED OUT OF A BOWL GAME
14. South Carolina Gamecocks (-1)
13. Missouri Tigers (-1)
12. Vanderbilt Commodores (+2)
Vanderbilt‘s win over Missouri snapped an 11-game SEC losing streak, which was the 2nd-longest streak of any Power 5 school against its respective conference (if you were wondering, Colorado snapped its 14-game losing streak against Pac-12 teams with a win over Oregon State last week). That win was enough for the Commodores to jump more than any team in our rankings this week. However, it still isn’t enough for us to say they’ll make a bowl game or that they’re trending up. It’s not crazy to think that Vandy may not experience another win the rest of this season with these remaining games left: at No. 18 Houston, at No. 11 Florida, vs. Kentucky, vs. Texas A&M, at Tennessee. Meanwhile, Missouri hasn’t scored a touchdown in 13 quarters dating back to its 24-10 win over South Carolina, which is the only reason we have the Tigers ranked ahead of the Gamecocks.
TRENDING UP OR DOWN?
11. Kentucky Wildcats (-)
10. Auburn Tigers (-)
Both of these teams were vying for big road wins this past week. Simply put, Kentucky laid an egg in Starkville. The Wildcats took a 10-7 lead in the first quarter, but they apparently got back on the bus after that, and the Bulldogs outscored them 35-6 the rest of the way. We all know Dak Prescott is good, but letting him account for 6 total touchdowns (a career-best) and 465 yards of offense (2nd-most in his career) is inexcusable. It’s a bit of an understatement to say Auburn put up a much more respectable performance at Arkansas, taking the Razorbacks to four overtimes in an eventual 54-46 loss.
MIDDLE OF THE PACK
9. Tennessee Volunteers (-)
8. Arkansas Razorbacks (-)
7. Mississippi State Bulldogs (-)
The middle of the pack remains the same. Mississippi State broke open its game against Kentucky with a 21-point second quarter that the Wildcats never recovered from in what turned out to be the closest thing to a complete game for the Bulldogs this season. Unfortunately, Mississippi State wasn’t able to replicate that in its two biggest games of the season vs. LSU and at Texas A&M. That was a very gutsy win for Arkansas, which could’ve been deflated at so many times during that game against Auburn: allowing the Tigers to force OT despite only having one minute to get in position, immediately falling behind by a TD in the first OT, then trailing by a touchdown and a 2-point conversion in the third OT. Instead, the Hogs showed some moxie by notching a second straight win in a one-possession game after going 0-9 in those games under Bret Bielema previously. Tennessee knows all about close games as five of its seven games this season have been decided by one possession. The Vols can’t be too disappointed after taking Alabama down to the wire in Tuscaloosa, but it still represents a huge missed opportunity for UT.
JUST OFF THE PACE
6. Texas A&M Aggies (-2)
5. Georgia Bulldogs (+1)
4. Ole Miss Rebels (+1)
Good luck trying to figure out these three teams. Texas A&M doubters said the team would collapse after starting the season 5-0 just like it did last season, and they’re right so far as the Aggies have promptly lost two straight. However, Texas A&M still has a chance to regain some confidence before its final regular season game at No. 4 LSU. Its next four games are vs. South Carolina, vs. Auburn, vs. Western Carolina and at Vanderbilt. Still, no one expected the game of the week in Oxford to be a laugher with the Aggies offense posting fewer than 200 yards for just the second time under Kevin Sumlin. Ole Miss moved up a spot by virtue of that convincing win, and Georgia also moved up a spot during its bye week.
RELATED: SEC’s most exciting plays of Week 4
SEC FAVORITES
3. Florida Gators (-)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (-)
1. LSU Tigers (-)
The top three teams in the SEC remain unchanged after Week 8. Of course, Florida had a break, but Alabama certainly didn’t. The Tide needed a late touchdown from Derrick Henry with 2:24 left to grab the lead for good against the Vols, who were a 15-point underdog. It also helped that, in a game where points were at a premium, Tennessee missed three field goals even though two of them were 51-yarders. Alabama will need to solve its struggles at home. In three SEC home games, the Tide trailed Ole Miss, trailed Arkansas and was tied against Tennessee. LSU got a decent test from C-USA opponent Western Kentucky, which only trailed 20-13 midway through the third quarter before the Hilltoppers started to unravel. Still, the Tigers continue to show progress in one key area, and that’s quarterback. Brandon Harris threw for a career-high 286 yards and matched his career-best with 3 passing TDs. LSU and Alabama get to settle who deserves the top spot in our rankings when they meet a week from this Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
