ESPN released its SEC power rankings following Week 8 of the 2016 college football season.
Alabama still reigns supreme after a dominant performance against Texas A&M in which the Tide’s defense controlled the game in a 33-14 win. The Aggies, who still have much to play for with a favorable remaining schedule, stay put at No. 2. Several other teams experienced a shakeup after this past weekend’s games, but no team saw a bigger vertical move than Auburn.
Here’s a look at the full SEC power rankings including a brief portion of the summary for each team:
1. Alabama: “There was maybe a 10-minute stretch where the No. 1-ranked team in the country was on the ropes, but that ended quickly when Alabama’s defense asserted itself.” — Alex Scarborough
2. Texas A&M: “Don’t jump off the bandwagon yet. Although the loss hurts, remember that the Aggies had opportunities to score more than the 14 points they managed.” — Alex Scarborough
3. Auburn: “Who wants to play Auburn right now? The answer should be nobody.” — Greg Ostendorf
4. Tennessee: “A much-needed off week arrived for the beat-up Volunteers, who at least get the benefit of a much more manageable schedule in the season’s final five weeks.” — Sam Khan Jr.
5. LSU: “The Tigers’ hot streak continued Saturday when they ran away from Ole Miss behind 284 rushing yards from Leonard Fournette in his return from a month-long injury absence.” — David Ching
6. Florida: “At the moment, (the Gators) control their own destiny as the only SEC East team with one conference loss. — Sam Khan Jr.
7. Arkansas: “It’s one thing to lose. It’s another to get run from the stadium like Arkansas did Saturday at Auburn.” — Greg Ostendorf
8. Ole Miss: “The Rebels hung with LSU for a half, but got shut out after intermission in their 38-21 loss. They have now lost two in a row and are out of contention in the SEC West with a 1-3 conference mark.” — David Ching
9. Georgia: “The Bulldogs were off this weekend and take on Florida on Saturday in Jacksonville.” — Sam Khan Jr.
10. Kentucky: “Now sitting at over .500 overall (4-3) and in SEC play (3-2), they are in good shape to make a run at a bowl bid. The past two seasons they haven’t been able to finish the deal after getting to five victories; will this be the year they break through?” — Sam Khan Jr.
11. Vanderbilt: “Things are looking up for the Commodores, who beat Tennessee State 35-17 to notch consecutive wins for the first time in the Derek Mason era.” — Sam Khan Jr.
12. Mississippi State: “The Bulldogs were in position to get a victory at Kentucky but weren’t able to hold on.” — Sam Khan Jr.
13. South Carolina: “The Gamecocks’ offense finally showed some life (albeit vs. UMass) and they might have a new quarterback: True freshman Jake Bentley was impressive in his collegiate debut, playing a virtually mistake-free game and making several impressive throws.” — Sam Khan Jr.
14. Missouri: “The Tigers couldn’t get a stop to save themselves in a 51-45 loss to Middle Tennessee.” — Sam Khan Jr.
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
