SEC football continues to provide plenty of drama and intrigue. Just when you thought Florida quit on the season, it goes out and beats Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns comfortably.
Just when it looked like Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt were going to pull off another win against Alabama, Ty Simpson and company came roaring back and won in blowout fashion.
The only constant? Kentucky still looks lost. We’ll start with the Wildcats in our weekly SEC power rankings and then work our way up to the No. 1 spot.
Here’s a look at where each team stands in our updated SEC power rankings after Week 6:
16. Kentucky (2-3 overall, 0-3 in SEC)
- Previous ranking: 16
- Last week: 35-14 L at No. 12 Georgia
- This week: OFF
Mark Stoops says he isn’t going anywhere and I believe him. Once rumored to be in the mix for the LSU and Texas A&M jobs back when they were open, Stoops chose to stay at Kentucky. Now, I don’t think the Wildcats are willing to pay his massive buyout this year, so they’ll probably run it back in 2026. Will he be able to save his job next year? Not at this rate.
15. Arkansas (2-3, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 15
- Last week: OFF
- This week: at Tennessee
The Arkansas Razorbacks made the decision they needed to make by firing coach Sam Pittman ahead of the bye week. That gave Bobby Petrino a chance to really implement his systems ahead of a trip to Rocky Top this weekend. The Hogs beat the Vols last year in Fayetteville. It would be a monumental upset to win in Knoxville this year.
14. Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2)
- Previous ranking: 13
- Last week: 31-9 L at No. 6 Texas A&M
- This week: OFF
I still think Mississippi State will win an SEC game this year. The Bulldogs are competing. The A&M game was close for a while until the Aggies broke it open late. You don’t get any credit for moral victories in the SEC, but at least Mississippi State isn’t a pushover anymore. That makes the league that much more fun.
13. South Carolina (3-2, 1-2)
- Previous ranking: 13
- Last week: OFF
- This week: at LSU
South Carolina has had a big win over Kentucky and then a week off to try to get ready for LSU. But playing at Death Valley is no easy task. The Tigers are coming out of a bye as well, and their last time out, they lost to Ole Miss. Which team will take the first step to salvage its season on Saturday night in Baton Rouge?
12. Auburn (3-2, 0-2)
- Previous ranking: 12
- Last week: OFF
- This week: vs. Georgia
Florida just showed it’s possible to welcome a top-10 team to your place and send them home with a loss. Well, No. 10 Georgia heads to Jordan-Hare on Saturday night. Will Auburn make a QB change? We’ll see, but it seems like that’s at least in play for this weekend. Why else bring in Ashton Daniels alongside Jackson Arnold this offseason?
11. Texas (3-2, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 10
- Last week: 29-21 L at Florida
- This week: vs. Oklahoma (in Dallas)
Brutal loss for the Texas Longhorns. This team isn’t a Playoff-caliber squad as currently constructed. The biggest problem isn’t Arch Manning — it’s the offensive line. My colleague, Neil Blackmon, broke down what’s plaguing the Longhorns. Oklahoma will (likely) have a backup QB playing in the Red River Rivalry. Can Texas take advantage and get back on track?
10. Florida (2-3, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 14
- Last week: 29-21 W over No. 9 Texas
- This week: at Texas A&M
Billy Napier is apparently the master of winning big games once it’s too late to actually matter. This Florida team isn’t getting to the Playoff barring a miraculous SEC title run. So naturally, now DJ Lagway looks like he did last year, the receivers come alive and Napier remembers he has a pretty darn good running back. Good win, but what’s the point?
9. Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 7
- Last week: 30-14 L at No. 10 Alabama
- This week: OFF
Vanderbilt gets a week off to regroup after falling at Alabama. It wasn’t the Commodores’ best effort, but the defense had shown some cracks the past couple of outings before facing the Tide. Now they get a week off to regroup before back-to-back games against LSU and Mizzou. We’ll see if they can come back strong at home against a pair of SEC Tigers.
8. Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0)
- Previous ranking: 9
- Last week: 44-0 W over Kent State
- This week: vs. Texas (in Dallas)
The Oklahoma defense did what it needed to do against a truly atrocious Kent State squad. I’m still not sure if Michael Hawkins Jr. is the answer at QB while John Mateer is out, but he did well on Saturday. Now he has to face a Texas defense that maybe isn’t as good as it looked a couple of weeks ago. There’s a ton of intrigue in Dallas this weekend.
7. LSU (4-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 8
- Last week: OFF
- This week: vs. South Carolina
Will a week off help Garrett Nussmeier get back to 100%? Let’s hope so, because this LSU team isn’t winning many more games without its quarterback looking like he did in 2024 when he was slinging the ball all over the place. LSU’s defense should be able to dominate this matchup, so Nussmeier and the offense won’t have to do too much.
6. Tennessee (4-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 6
- Last week: OFF
- This week: vs. Arkansas
Tennessee had the week off. Did that help Rickey Gibson and Jermod McCoy get any closer to returning? The Vols should be good against Arkansas on Rocky Top this weekend, but tougher tests await and the defense needs to be better moving forward.
5. Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0)
- Previous ranking: 5
- Last week: 31-9 W over Mississippi State
- This week: vs. Florida
It wasn’t pretty early, but the Aggies turned Saturday night’s game into a comfortable win when all was said and done. Now Texas A&M prepares to host Florida. The Gators just showed they haven’t given up on the season yet, so the Aggies will need to be careful with this one.
4. Mizzou (5-0, 1-0)
- Previous ranking: 4
- Last week: OFF
- This week: vs. Alabama
Mizzou has a big-time opportunity to prove it is a top-tier SEC program this weekend. College GameDay was never going to feature Alabama twice in a row, but it’s still hard not to feel like the Tigers should be hosting the popular ESPN pregame show this weekend. The atmosphere at Faurot Field will be intense.
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3. Georgia (4-1, 2-1)
- Previous ranking: 3
- Last week: 35-14 W over Kentucky
- This week: at Auburn
Georgia had a get-right game against a hapless Kentucky squad. Now though, a trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium looms large. Winning on the road in the SEC is never easy, and weird things happen on The Plains, but this is a game the Bulldogs can’t afford to lose if they want to make it back to Atlanta.
2. Alabama (4-1, 2-0)
- Previous ranking: 2
- Last week: 30-14 W over No. 16 Vanderbilt
- This week: at Mizzou
This Alabama team proved it can handle success better than last year’s squad. Vanderbilt came out and punched the Tide in the mouth early, but Ty Simpson and company stayed calm and battled back to earn a major victory. A road trip to Columbia won’t be easy this weekend, but the Tide can take a huge step toward the SEC title game with a win over Mizzou.
1. Ole Miss (5-0, 3-0)
- Previous ranking: 1
- Last week: OFF
- This week: vs. Washington State
After the win over LSU, Ole Miss gets a bit of a chance to regroup. Coming out of the bye week, the Rebels now host a Washington State squad that no longer has OC Ben Arbuckle or QB John Mateer. Look for Trinidad Chambliss and company to continue to roll as they prepare for a trip to Georgia on Oct. 18 that will have major SEC title implications.
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.
