SEC football is always entertaining, to say the least.
Alabama went into Athens and gave us a thriller against Georgia. In Oxford, Ole Miss firmly announced itself as a Playoff contender with a win over LSU. In Starkville, Tennessee needed overtime to beat a suddenly feisty Mississippi State squad.
It was an impactful week for our SEC power rankings, too. There was plenty of shuffling following Saturday’s results around the league.
Let’s start at the bottom and work our way to the top with our post-Week 5 SEC power rankings:
16. Kentucky (2-2 overall, 0-2 in SEC play)
- Previous ranking: 16
- Last week: 35-13 L at South Carolina
- This week: at Georgia
The SEC is relentless. Get blown out at South Carolina? Well now you have to head to Athens to face an angry Georgia team. Then, after its second bye of the season (very early to have both byes over), Kentucky hosts Texas and Tennessee. This has the chance to spiral into one of the worst seasons for the Wildcats in recent memory.
15. Arkansas (2-3, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 13
- Last week: 56-13 L to No. 22 Notre Dame
- This week: OFF
Well, the inevitable finally happened. The Arkansas Razorbacks have officially announced the firing of head coach Sam Pittman. Now interim head coach Bobby Petrino has a week off to try to regroup. Can the Hogs get back to .500 and above? If they do, Petrino probably deserves some serious consideration for the full-time job.
14. Florida (1-3, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 15
- Last week: OFF
- This week: vs. Texas
The Gators and Longhorns both had the week off to prepare for a battle in The Swamp between 2 teams that have disappointed thus far. The difference? Texas has disappointed its way to a 3-1 record. Florida has disappointed its way to a 1-3 mark. Will Billy Napier be the next SEC head coach fired?
13. Mississippi State (4-1, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 12
- Last week: 41-34 (OT) L to No. 15 Tennessee
- This week: at Texas A&M
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are a team to be reckoned with. That’s the step they needed to take in Year 2 under Jeff Lebby. Losing at home in overtime against a ranked Tennessee squad hurts, but it isn’t the end of the world. Playing at Texas A&M next weekend is a tough spot, but this is still a team that could have multiple SEC wins before all is said and done.
12. South Carolina (3-2, 1-2)
- Previous ranking: 14
- Last week: 35-13 W over Kentucky
- This week: OFF
This was exactly the kind of showing South Carolina desperately needed. After allowing Kentucky to score first, the Gamecocks absolutely dominated this game. Now Shane Beamer and company get a week off before paying a visit to LSU in Death Valley on Oct. 11.
11. Auburn (3-2, 0-2)
- Previous ranking: 9
- Last week: 16-10 L at No. 9 Texas A&M
- This week: OFF
To quote Andy Dwyer from Parks & Rec, “Close only counts in horse grenades.” Auburn has fought hard the past couple of weeks and has almost pulled off big-time road upsets, but the Tigers have come up short each time. A loss is a loss in college football, and there are no moral victories to be had on The Plains. The Tigers now get a week to regroup before Georgia comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
10. Texas (3-1, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 11
- Last week: OFF
- This week: at Florida
The Longhorns rise a spot despite an off week simply because Auburn did not look impressive suffering its second-straight loss. Texas now starts an SEC gauntlet in Week 6 at Florida. The Gators are down, sure, but this won’t be easy for the Longhorns with the way Arch Manning and the offense are playing right now.
9. Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0)
- Previous ranking: 8
- Last week: OFF
- This week: vs. Kent State
The Sooners have kind of caught a break with when John Mateer’s hand injury happened. They were off in Week 5 and now host a hapless Kent State squad in Week 6. Oklahoma is down in the No. 9 spot purely out of caution on my part. If Mateer can return for the Week 7 Red River Rivalry and lead the Sooners to a win over Texas? They’ll be right back in the top 5 of these rankings. I just need to see it first.
8. LSU (4-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 1
- Last week: 24-19 L at No. 13 Ole Miss
- This week: OFF
The offense is a problem. No wonder Brian Kelly got so… defensive… when asked about the offense a couple of weeks ago in a postgame press conference. LSU has enough talent that it should be able to put up more than 19 points against anyone. Ole Miss’s defense is good, but not as good as it was last year. Will a week off help Garrett Nussmeier heal up from whatever ailment he doesn’t want to discuss? Will it help the offensive line learn how to block? We’ll find out soon enough!
7. Vanderbilt (5-0, 1-0)
- Previous ranking: 7
- Last week: 55-35 W over Utah State
- This week: at Alabama
Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt offense are elite. But if you’re an SEC team that allows 35 points against Utah State, you’re just not going to move up in my power rankings. That’s just how it is. The defense needs to get its act together before a trip to Tuscaloosa this coming weekend.
6. Tennessee (4-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 4
- Last week: 41-34 (OT) W at Mississippi State
- This week: OFF
Credit to Tennessee for ending up on the right side of the scoreboard in Starkville, but this defense just isn’t where we thought it would be. Until Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson are able to return to the lineup, I’m going to play it cautiously with the Vols. The good news is that they have a week off now to recover and regroup before playing Arkansas and Alabama in their next 2 games.
5. Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0)
- Previous ranking: 3
- Last week: 16-10 W over Auburn
- This week: vs. Mississippi State
If the Texas A&M Aggies can’t get things going offensively, they’re at risk of getting upset at home this weekend by an upstart Mississippi State squad. The good news is that the defense is firing on all cylinders. And if Le’Veon Moss can continue to run like he did against Auburn, the Aggies will at least be able to compete against anyone in the SEC.
4. Mizzou (5-0, 1-0)
- Previous ranking: 5
- Last week: 42-6 W over UMass
- This week: OFF
I know the Mizzou Tigers don’t have the most impressive résumé thus far, but there are 2 quality wins over Kansas and South Carolina. But this offense has figured out its identity behind a trio of transfers in QB Beau Pribula, RB Ahmad Hardy and WR Kevin Coleman Jr. Hardy is a legitimate Heisman candidate at this point. Mizzou gets a week off and then Alabama comes to town for a massive matchup for the Tigers’ Playoff hopes.
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3. Georgia (3-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 2
- Last week: 24-21 L to No. 17 Alabama
- This week: vs. Kentucky
No, losing at home to Alabama to snap a 33-game win streak at Sanford Stadium wasn’t great. The offense looked lost at times. The defense was on its heels for most of the first half. But this Georgia team is still one of the best in the SEC. A win at Tennessee is still a great one for the Bulldogs’ résumé. The Dawgs are still going to be heard from the the Playoff race and the SEC title race.
2. Alabama (3-1, 1-0)
- Previous ranking: 10
- Last week: 24-21 W at No. 5 Georgia
- This week: vs. Vanderbilt
The second half wasn’t pretty offensively, but no one goes into Sanford Stadium and wins at night. That was a statement win by Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide. But there’s no more room for missteps. The Tide absolutely cannot follow up this massive win with a home loss against Vanderbilt. This weekend’s marquee game is the biggest of the DeBoer era so far.
1. Ole Miss (5-0, 3-0)
- Previous ranking: 6
- Last week: 24-19 W over No. 4 LSU
- This week: OFF
I said Austin Simmons was the best value bet to win the Heisman Trophy before the season began. Do I get credit for picking the position correctly? An Ole Miss QB is firmly in the Heisman conversation, but its former DII champion Trinidad Chambliss, not Simmons. I’ll have to save my Simmons bet for next season, but for now, this is Chambliss’s show. He’s earned the right to continue to start for an Ole Miss squad that is mowing down SEC opponents at an impressive rate. If any team has earned a week off, it’s the Rebels.
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.
