Whew, that was fun, wasn’t it?
We had elite, impactful SEC football on during every time slot on Saturday. Ole Miss-Texas A&M got the early window started with a bang. Mizzou continues to be the SEC team that gives 2-time reigning champion Georgia the toughest tests. Alabama-LSU … well, it’s Alabama-LSU, come on.
Week 10 was college football at its best. Enjoy it while it lasts, because the regular season is winding down, unfortunately. The best is still yet to come, though.
Here’s how the exciting Week 10 slate impacted our power rankings as we turn the page to Week 11:
14. Vanderbilt (2-8 overall, 0-6 in SEC)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: 31-15 L to Auburn
Next week: at South Carolina
Next week will be Vanderbilt’s best chance at an SEC win and I still don’t think the Commodores can do it. There’s a gap between Vanderbilt and the rest of the league and it’s only getting bigger. It’s just not a very fun team to watch this year. Thankfully, the year is almost over. Hopefully the Commodores can improve this offseason and be more competitive next SEC season.
13. South Carolina (3-6, 1-5)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: 38-28 W over Jacksonville State
Next week: vs. Vanderbilt
Yes, this team theoretically could make it to a bowl game if it beats Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Clemson the next 3 weeks. However, that now looks a lot more difficult. You can’t let Jacksonville State come into your home stadium and hang around like that. Rough look for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks.
12. Mississippi State (4-5, 1-5)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: 24-3 L to Kentucky
Next week: at Texas A&M
This offense is terrible. I know Will Rogers and Woody Marks were out for this game, but you can’t tell me the offense was firing on all cylinders before those injuries. What Zach Arnett did to former coach Mike Leach’s offense is egregious. Honestly, it might warrant a reevaluation of Arnett’s status as head coach after the season. This is bad, y’all.
11. Arkansas (3-6, 1-5)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: 39-36 W at Florida (OT)
Next week: vs. Auburn
Kenny Guiton, folks. What an effort from the first-time offensive coordinator in a tight overtime game at The Swamp. KJ Jefferson looked like KJ Jefferson again. This is what the Hogs were hoping for coming into the 2023 season. Let’s see if they can pull off some more magic next weekend against Auburn in Fayetteville.
10. Auburn (5-4, 3-3)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: 31-15 W at Vanderbilt
Next week: at Arkansas
I wish I could give Auburn a boost here, but the Tigers were already the best of the “bad” SEC teams and a 16-point win at Vanderbilt doesn’t do anything to change that. The Tigers now have a very interesting finish to the season. Would it surprise anyone if they went 2-1 at Arkansas, vs. New Mexico State and vs. Alabama to close the season? A 7-5 record in Hugh Freeze’s first year would be a great accomplishment.
9. Florida (5-4, 3-3)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: 39-36 L to Arkansas (OT)
Next week: at LSU
Not a good look for Billy Napier and company. You can’t lose at home to a team that comes into the game with a 2-6 overall record. Napier’s comments after the game won’t do him any favors, either. Is this job too big for him? The next few weeks will test that. The Gators need to win 1 game against LSU, Mizzou and Florida State to earn bowl eligibility this year. Missing a bowl game would be disastrous for Napier.
8. Texas A&M (5-4, 3-3)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: 38-35 L at No. 10 Ole Miss
Next week: vs. Mississippi State
The good news? Mississippi State is an absolute mess. The Aggies should make quick work of the Bulldogs next weekend. That’ll get them to bowl eligibility and while that’s not exactly where this team thought it would be, it’s important. Could the Aggies go 3-0 to end the year? Sure. There’s talent on this squad. We’ll see if Jimbo Fisher can close 2023 with a bang and get some of the critics off his back.
7. Kentucky (6-3, 3-3)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: 24-3 W at Mississippi State
Next week: vs. Alabama
Good work by the Wildcats to get bowl-eligible with a dominant SEC East-West “rivalry” win. The defense was elite against a bad Mississippi State offense. The offense did enough to make it a non-competitive game. Can Kentucky shock the world and beat Alabama next weekend? Ole Miss fans will be rooting hard for the Wildcats.
6. Tennessee (7-2, 3-2)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: 59-3 W over UConn
Next week: at Mizzou
A week after first place in the SEC East was up for grabs, second place in the SEC East will be contested in Columbia when the Vols visit a Mizzou team they have absolutely owned under Josh Heupel. These Tigers are better than recent iterations, though, so the Vols will have to bring their A game to Faurot Field. UConn was a nice tuneup for this all-important game.
5. Mizzou (7-2, 3-2)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: 30-21 L to No. 2 Georgia
Next week: vs. Tennessee
Mizzou, once again, gave Georgia more of a game than anyone else has managed to do. QB Brady Cook threw 2 bad interceptions late to overshadow what was an incredible effort beforehand. Cody Schrader will be playing on Sundays soon, and this Mizzou squad will put several guys into the NFL. Now it’s supremely important that the Tigers don’t let 1 loss become 2. They need to regroup in a hurry to square off against a Tennessee squad that has embarrassed them in back-to-back years.
4. LSU (6-3, 4-2)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: 42-28 L to No. 8 Alabama
Next week: vs. Florida
Jayden Daniels taking a big hit late in the game hurt the Tigers, but the defense was the bigger issue. That defense has hurt the Tigers all year long. Now with 3 losses, LSU’s hopes of a special season are officially over. But Daniels still has outsider Heisman hopes. He can make a statement for this school and this program moving forward.
3. Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: 38-35 W over Texas A&M
Next week: at Georgia
Here we go! The Rebels keep winning and have a chance to do what Mizzou couldn’t on Saturday – go into Sanford Stadium and take down Georgia. Ole Miss has to be feeling good about its ability to make winning plays at the moment. Jordan Watkins is back. Quinshon Judkins is Quinshon Judkins. Saturday’s atmosphere should be electric with College GameDay in town. Get your popcorn ready!
2. Alabama (8-1, 6-0)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: 42-28 W over No. 14 LSU
Next week: at Kentucky
The legacy programs held serve this week. Alabama beat LSU at home and Georgia beat Mizzou at home. Jalen Milroe continues to develop into one of the SEC’s best quarterbacks. Credit to Nick Saban and his staff for working with Milroe to develop him to this level. The path to Atlanta looks clear for the Tide. Georgia-Alabama on the first weekend in December? Yes, please!
1. Georgia (9-0, 6-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: 30-21 W over No. 12 Mizzou
Next week: vs. Ole Miss
Mizzou continues to be the SEC team that plays the Bulldogs best. The Tigers just didn’t have enough gas in the fourth quarter to pull off the massive upset on the road. The tough home games continue next week for the Dawgs, who will take on a top-10 Ole Miss team between the hedges. Georgia should overtake Ohio State for the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday, too, in this writer’s opinion.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
