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Most conference power rankings are crowded at the top.
In the ACC it’s Clemson and Louisville at No. 1 and 2; the Big Ten has Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Penn State shuffling for the top spot; the Big 12 is between Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia; and the Pac-12 is a complete toss up between four or five teams.
That’s not the case in the SEC, where it’s one team and then the rest.
Alabama isn’t just the best team in the SEC by far — it has clearly set itself apart from the rest of college football.
ESPN released its SEC power rankings following Week 11 of the 2016 season, and though it’s easy to declare who deserves No. 1, the rest becomes a real challenge.
Check them out below:
1. Alabama: “…Alabama’s offense was lights out as Jalen Hurts had his best performance of the year with a career high 347 yards and four touchdowns passing in the 51-3 win over Mississippi State.” — Alex Scarborough
2. LSU: “Leonard Fournette limped off the field? No problem. Just hand it to Derrius Guice. The sophomore broke a school record with a 96-yard TD run and ran 21 times for 252 yards in a 38-10 road win over Arkansas.” — David Ching
3. Auburn: “The Tigers had a chance to make the Iron Bowl meaningful in the SEC West race and the College Football Playoff race. Auburn’s offense had its worst game of the season though, registering a season-low 164 yards in a 13-7 loss to Georgia.” — Edward Aschoff
4. Texas A&M: “The Aggies’ November woes under Kevin Sumlin continue as they lost 29-28 to Ole Miss at home on Saturday night.” — Sam Khan Jr.
5. Florida: “It hasn’t been the smoothest path, but the Gators are now just one win away from winning the SEC East for the second straight season.” — Greg Ostendorf
6. Tennessee: “The Volunteers kept their East hopes alive thanks to a five-touchdown effort from quarterback Joshua Dobbs in Saturday’s 49-36 win over Kentucky.” — Greg Ostendorf
7. Ole Miss: “The Shea Patterson era began this weekend and did so triumphantly as the Rebels rode their true freshman quarterback to a road win over the Aggies.” — Sam Khan Jr.
8. Arkansas: “Any momentum from last week’s win over Florida evaporated quickly against LSU.” — David Ching
9. Georgia: “…This was the signature win Smart needed in his first year as Georgia’s head coach, and it just happened to be the first — and only — home win over an SEC opponent this season. – E.A.” — Edward Aschoff
10. Kentucky: “…Despite back-to-back losses, they can still become bowl eligible by beating Austin Peay next weekend.” — Greg Ostendorf
11. Mississippi State: “Poor Nick Fitzgerald got knocked around all day by the Alabama defense.” — Alex Scarborough
12. South Carolina: “…a win over Western Carolina next Saturday, and the Gamecocks can still become bowl eligible.” — Greg Ostendorf
13. Missouri: “Coach Barry Odom got his first SEC win, halted a five-game losing streak and an 11-game conference slide when the Tigers beat Vanderbilt 26-17 on Saturday.” — David Ching
14. Vanderbilt: “The Commodores are still mathematically alive for a bowl bid, but they face long odds since they need to win their remaining games against Ole Miss and Tennessee.” – — David Ching
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).
