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The stage is set in both the SEC and Pac-12 for an explosive final third of season, beginning this week with Alabama playing host to LSU. But before we look forward, here’s a look at how the SEC and Pac-12 stack up against one another in our hybrid Week 10 Power Rankings.
The Elite
Nothing changes this week among the top-five, save for the fact that Florida basically sewed up the SEC East in Week 9 with a win over Georgia. Stanford eked out a win over a Washington State team that’s playing out of its mind right now, and Utah rolled with a win over Pac-12 punching bag Oregon State. With one or no losses (LSU, 7-0, 4-0 SEC), these teams essentially control their own destinies by winning out.
- LSU Tigers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Stanford Cardinal
- Florida Gators
- Utah Utes
The Challengers
The above teams aren’t going to skate to division titles without getting through these four two-loss schools. Each has suffered a tough loss, but are capable of shaking up the divisional races down the stretch.
- Ole Miss Rebels
- UCLA Bruins
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Mississippi State Bulldogs
Talented Spoilers
At three and four losses, the teams are no longer in hunt for their respective divisions. That said, all five are capable of taking down anyone on any given Saturday (or Thursday night) — as demonstrated by Washington State’s 30-28 scare of No. 8 Stanford. None of these programs are without their flaws, but their talent is starting to overcome those shortcomings, making these teams dangerous.
- Southern California Trojans
- California Golden Bears
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Washington State Cougars
The Underachievers
If we told you before the season that Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia and Oregon would win their respective divisions, you probably wouldn’t be all that surprised. All four have stumbled this year and hover around three and four losses. The silver lining is that all four programs are more than capable of returning to power, some as soon as next year.
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Oregon Ducks
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Auburn Tigers
Flashes of Greatness, but…
The Huskies and Wildcats (plural) have shown flashes of dominance this year, but too many holes are becoming painfully evident. What looked to be slam-dunk bowl berths a few weeks ago isn’t so certain now for Arizona, Kentucky and Washington as we enter the final third of the season. The wheels are starting to come off in Arizona as Rich Rodriguez-to-Virginia-Tech-rumors are swirling at a furious pace. For Kentucky — the Wildcats that hired the other Stoops brother — it has lost three straight and needs two wins in its final four games to become bowl eligible.
- Washington Huskies
- Arizona Wildcats
- Kentucky Wildcats
The Bottom
Umm…your black uniforms are nice? There’s not much to say about the bottom rung on the list. The group contains two of the best defenses in the SEC in Missouri and Vanderbilt, but offensive woes are almost at desperation levels. The Gamecocks and Buffaloes have shown some fight, while Oregon State is still winless in the Pac-12.
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Colorado Buffaloes
- Missouri Tigers
- Oregon State Beavers
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
