This week is the big deal. No, not that Big Dance stuff, I’m talking about conference play. No more hiding behind waxings of Southeast Podunkville State. No more everybody posting .800 winning percentages. It’s all getting real Thursday, when the conference schedule opens.

Which brings around a topic for this week’s power rankings — they’re a little crazy. Texas A&M and Vandy are near the bottom of the SEC’s preseason records — which means that a) they were a little unlucky and b) they played some good competition. Only 2 teams lost series matchups last week, so they’re sitting at 13th and 14th.

No worries, nobody thinks they will stay there long, so save the hate mail for at least a week, when we can prematurely judge everyone a bad series of conference play.

14. Auburn

Yes, I chose Auburn for the CWS in the preseason. No, I’m not going back on that. Yes, they had a bad week. Losing a series to Southeast Louisiana is rough. Giving up 8 runs in each of the 2 losses suggests the type of pitching depth issues that Auburn is having. The Tigers do have 4 guys hitting .400, including the epic Ike Irish, but the bullpen and a bad week stick them here. That said, going to Arkansas to open conference play won’t be easy.

13. Alabama

And the other SEC team to lose a series falls here. The Tide lost a series to Columbia, dropping games 10-7 and 15-3. And just like that, Alabama’s sub-2 season ERA jumps to nearly double at 3.65. Ben Hess has been excellent and the hitting has been fine. They had a bad week, and we’ll see them jump next week, assuming they don’t have an awful trip to Florida.

12. Kentucky

The Wildcats are 14-2 and have a 2.85 team ERA. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they’ve hit just 9 home runs. As a team. That wouldn’t even be at the top of the league’s individual standings. (UF 2-way star Jac Caglianone has 13.) UK hosts Mississippi State and it’ss one of the Cats’ best shots to win a series this season. Win or face a long season.

11. Mississippi State

After a rough start, the Bulldogs have won 5 in a row. That — combined with a rough week for the Alabama schools — got them out of the cellar. State could continue its winning ways in Lexington, but much like the Wildcats, losing this series marks a team that won’t win many more series weekends this spring.

10. Georgia

Georgia had a nice week with the bats, scoring 17, 18, and 15 runs in 3 of their 5 games. Connor Tate had a 3-homer game and is hitting over .500. Charlie Condon has also been tearing up pitching, and if Georgia continues swinging the bat this way, it’ll cover a multitude of pitching and defensive sins. The next test is hosting a series against South Carolina, which could be a real slugfest.

9. Missouri

Mizzou had a 3-1 week and impressively, allowed just 6 runs across the 4 games. That’s the good news. The bad news is they open conference play by hosting Tennessee. Good luck getting those guys out. But hey, in the meanwhile, Mizzou is as high in these rankings as in recent memory, and has put together a nice pre-conference season.

8. Texas A&M (No. 11 in Baseball America poll)

The Aggies had a 5-win week and are showing signs of putting things together. That said, they host LSU to open conference play. It’s either a chance to make a bold statement or to stick themselves in the middle of the SEC pack. A&M needs to improve on having the league’s 13th highest team batting average, which will matter.

7. South Carolina (No. 19 BA)

With just 1 loss, the Gamecocks have been one of the surprises of the pre-conference slate. They’re also tied with Florida for the league lead with 45 homers. With 65 runs in 5 games, it was a good week for Carolina. They open SEC play at Georgia.

6. Vanderbilt (No. 8 BA)

It’s more of the same with Vandy. They can pitch (3.32 ERA, 203 strikeouts), but they haven’t hit (league-worst .247 team average, also last in runs scored. In 3 of their 5 games last week, they scored just 2 runs. That won’t work often in league play, which the ‘Dores open by hosting Ole Miss. Speaking of which …

5. Ole Miss (No. 6 BA)

The Rebels are still near the top, having only been jumped by an amazing Arkansas week. Their 4-0 week included a sweep of Purdue. Ole Miss is 3rd in the SEC in batting average and is tied for the 2nd-fewest errors. This is a solid, solid team who should have a great series in Nashville.

4. Arkansas (No. 7 BA)

The Hogs jump because some of their pitching woes are disappearing. Will McEntire not only pitched a complete game on Saturday, but he did it in just 97 pitches. The Hogs swept a talented Louisiana Tech team and will host Auburn to open SEC play.

3. Tennessee (No. 4 BA)

It’s been a sloppy start for the Vols, who took a loss to Boston College. Pitching has carried the day early, and Chase Burns was sharp, doing nothing to hurt UT’s league-best 2.17 team ERA. On offense, the Vols have been good, but not great. Yes, they are tied for 3rd in the SEC with 38 home runs, but it’s more hit-or-miss than last year. They’ll just beat them with pitching and hit enough to be dangerous, starting this weekend at Mizzou.

2. Florida (No. 2 BA)

Holy Jac Caglianone: 3 more homers, which leads him to 13, leading not just the SEC, but Division I baseball. He’s also 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA on the mound. This guy hasn’t just been the best player in the SEC in pre-conference play. He might have been the best hitter and the best pitcher — he’s at least in both conversations. No wonder fans are calling him “Jactani” — homage to Shohei Ohtani. Florida’s .352 batting average leads the league, and their 45 homers ties for tops. If UF’s bullpen can hold together, they’ll play for a long time this spring/summer. The Gators host Bama to open the SEC slate.

1. LSU (No. 1 BA)

This is one thing that hasn’t changed. Thatcher Hurd had an outstanding week on the mound, with 11 scoreless innings. Jared Jones also hit 4 homers, because of course he did. Tommy White blasted a 3-run homer and grand slam over the weekend — part of a 14-RBIs in 5 games surge. The shoulder obviously is fine. LSU has the strongest team and the best depth in the country. They open SEC play with A&M and figure to continue playing great baseball.