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Rivalry Week brought plenty of noise, but only one big move in our final power rankings of the regular season. Why hello, Auburn, welcome to the top spot.
Meanwhile, the race to the bottom doesn’t quite carry the same prestige, but there was plenty of action there. With the regular season behind us, where do the SEC’s teams rank? Let’s take a look.
14. Tennessee (4-8, lost to Vanderbilt 42-24)
Well, it was a historic season for UT. First eight-loss season in program history, first 0-8 SEC season, and (so far as my limited memory goes) first time to finish last in our power rankings. As a program, Tennessee would just as soon forget the 2017 season. Getting blown out by 18 at home in this dismal game was a fine capstone.
13. Florida (4-7, lost to Florida State 38-22)
The Gators imploded so badly that they gave up a pick-six and a fumble return score to an equally pitiful Florida State squad. Also, Chip Kelly taking the UCLA job isn’t exactly a boost to program morale.
12. Arkansas (4-8, lost to Missouri 48-45)
The Razorbacks didn’t quit, going down valiantly in the final two weeks. Still, it’s a 4-8 season and Bret Bielema is finished in Fayetteville. Somehow had to find the bottom of the West, and these guys did it.
11. Vanderbilt (5-7, defeated Tennessee 42-24)
The Commodores looked sharp to begin the season and to end the season. Unfortunately, in the middle, the program regressed from last season. Finishing strong gets them out of the fellowship of the miserable below, but not by much.
10. Ole Miss (6-6, defeated Mississippi State 31-28)
The Rebels could have quit so many times. Instead, the scrapped and fought and knocked off Kentucky and Mississippi State on the road to finish at .500. There’s plenty of talent left for whoever follows Matt Luke.
9. Kentucky (7-5, lost to Louisville 44-17)
Consecutive 7-win regular seasons seems to indicate progress, but a badly broken defense leaves Kentucky fans grumbling. Getting beat by Lamar Jackson wasn’t shocking, but looking this clueless was.
8. Texas A&M (7-5, lost to LSU 45-21)
Somebody had to fall to the back of the SEC West pack, and it ended up being A&M. Its season started with an embarrassing collapse to UCLA, and ended with a whipping at the hands of LSU. You might notice that of the bottom half of this league, only Vandy and Kentucky aren’t hiring a new coach.
7. Missouri (7-5, defeated Arkansas 48-45)
From the walking dead to the upper half of the SEC. Barry Odom deserves legitimate Coach of the Year discussion. Meanwhile, during this six-game winning streak, the Mizzou offense went from a gimmick to the best show in the SEC.
6. South Carolina (8-4, lost to Clemson 34-10)
Carolina was simply outflanked in this one. There’s no shame in it, and the Gamecocks should have their heads held high for a mildly overachieving season.
5. Mississippi State (8-4, lost to Ole Miss 31-28)
So what did the Bulldogs look like without Nick Fitzgerald? Like Arkansas with a more mobile, but less accurate QB. No player was more pivotal to his team’s success than Fitzgerald.
4. LSU (9-3, defeated Texas A&M 45-21)
A strong finish by LSU lifts the Tigers just below the league’s Big 3. Of course, Troy beat LSU, which beat Auburn, which beat Alabama. Either the Trojans are crashing the CFP or it was that kind of topsy-turvy season.
3. Georgia (11-1, defeated Georgia Tech 38-7)
Owning Tech spoke well of Georgia’s focus and attention to detail. Can they find a way to knock off Auburn in the rematch next weekend?
2. Alabama (11-1, lost to Auburn 26-14)
Is it enough? While UGA and Auburn control their fate, the Tide (whose best wins are against LSU and at Mississippi State) are left waiting and watching.
1. Auburn (10-2, defeated Alabama 26-14)
The King is dead, long live the King. Auburn looked bad stumbling against LSU. Finishing the season by crushing Georgia and handling Alabama has them deservedly in the Playoff picture. Can they overcome the “beating a good team twice” handicap next week?
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
