Week 2 of the college football season was another strong one for the SEC. Outside of Oklahoma’s loss at Michigan and Arkansas embarrassing itself at Utah, the SEC picked up some solid wins, including a couple on the road.
Week 3 will provide some more big games (looking at you, LSU-Ole Miss) and more opportunities to see which teams are legitimate Playoff contenders.
But for now, we’ll work with what we have. Here are the latest SEC football power rankings following the conclusion of Week 2:
16. Arkansas (1-1 overall, 0-0 in SEC)
- Previous ranking: 16
- This week: 43-10 L at No. 20 Utah
- Next week: vs. Georgia
The way the Arkansas Razorbacks have played the first 2 weeks of the season, it’s hard to see them getting out of the cellar any time soon. Hopefully they work on not showcasing their play calls to opposing defenses this week or Georgia might win 140-0.
15. Vanderbilt (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 15
- This week: 35-26 W vs. Delaware
- Next week: vs. NC State
I’m not sure why Vanderbilt is favored by 3.5 points against NC State in Week 3 (via Kalshi). Even with the game being in Nashville, I’d have NC State favored. The Commodores have been far from inspiring in wins over lesser programs to start the year.
14. Auburn (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 14
- This week: 43-8 W vs. Southern Miss
- Next week: vs. Florida
The Auburn Tigers looked a little better than they did in Week 1. But Alex Golesh needs to get some things ironed out on offense if the Tigers are going to take down Florida at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night.
Florida is favored by 2.5 points on Kalshi. Use Kalshi promo code SDS to earn a $25 bonus when you trade your first $25:
13. Kentucky (1-1, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 12
- This week: 45-17 L vs. No. 12 Alabama
- Next week: at Texas A&M
The Kentucky Wildcats came out with some fire against Alabama in Will Stein‘s SEC debut. They played hard for the first half before errors started compounding and things quickly got out of hand. I don’t see things improving much this weekend with a trip to Texas A&M on the schedule. But better times will (eventually) be on the horizon.
12. Mississippi State (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 13
- This week: 38-13 W at Minnesota
- Next week: at South Carolina
Kamario Taylor and the Mississippi State Bulldogs have gained a lot of fans with the way they’ve played the first 2 weeks. Taylor is an absolute stud at quarterback, and he completely dismantled Minnesota on Saturday afternoon. But this weekend will be the real test for Jeff Lebby and company. With only 1 SEC victory out of 16 tries through 2 years, Lebby needs to snag this road win at South Carolina.
11. South Carolina (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 11
- This week: 45-9 W vs. Towson
- Next week: vs. Mississippi State
South Carolina has looked good to start the year, albeit against some less-than-stellar competition. LaNorris Sellers has his confidence back and the Gamecocks are rolling. But Mississippi State has also been hot. This week will show which of these 2 teams is better suited for a big year.
10. Oklahoma (1-1, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 4
- This week: 17-10 L at Michigan
- Next week: vs. New Mexico
The Oklahoma Sooners need to hit the panic button. The defense is always going to be solid under Brent Venables, and it was on Saturday in Michigan. But this offense has lots of problems. If the Sooners can’t run the ball and if QB John Mateer doesn’t start making better throws and better decisions, things could spiral in Norman.
9. Mizzou (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 10
- This week: 38-21 W at Kansas
- Next week: vs. Troy
The Missouri Tigers got a big win in the Border War on Friday night, taking down Kansas by multiple touchdowns. The Mizzou offense looks legit. QB Austin Simmons is slinging it, and the Tigers don’t even have star RB Ahmad Hardy back yet. Jamal Roberts is showing he could start for most programs. Mizzou gets one last nonconference tuneup this week before the SEC grind begins.
8. Florida (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 8
- This week: 52-3 W vs. Campbell
- Next week: at Auburn
The Florida Gators have been piling up the points through 2 weeks, though coach Jon Sumrall isn’t happy with some second-half performances thus far. He knows the Gators face a major step up in competition this coming Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. We’ll see if the new-look Gators can handle the pressure.
7. Tennessee (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 9
- This week: 45-24 W at Georgia Tech
- Next week: vs. Kennesaw State
The Tennessee Volunteers had a statement win in Atlanta on Saturday, trouncing Georgia Tech. Part of that could be that Georgia Tech is not what it once was, but the Vols looked great. Faizon Brandon is as-advertised and DeSean Bishop looks strong running the ball. This team is going to be tough to beat.
6. Ole Miss (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 7
- This week: 41-9 W vs. Charlotte
- Next week: vs. LSU
The most-anticipated game of the year is finally here. Ole Miss gets a chance at revenge against Lane Kiffin. Oxford is going to be rocking. The Rebels look good in Year 1 of the Pete Golding era. LSU had some struggles last week. This is going to be a thrilling football game. You’re not going to want to miss it.
5. Alabama (2-0, 1-0)
- Previous ranking: 6
- This week: 45-17 W at Kentucky
- Next week: vs. Florida State
It wasn’t pretty early on, but that was a statement win for the Alabama Crimson Tide. That’s a game they’d have lost in Year 1 of the Kalen DeBoer era. But this year, they turned it on in the second half and used a stifling defense to pull away. Keelon Russell looked sharp in his first road SEC start, which is an encouraging sign moving forward.
4. Texas A&M (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 5
- This week: 48-20 W vs. Arizona State
- Next week: vs. Kentucky
I’m not sure that Texas A&M‘s defense, even as good as it has been under Mike Elko, can count on 4 turnovers every week. The offense will eventually need to move the ball a bit better, but this week, the defense put Marcel Reed and company in winning positions time and time again. This is a really solid team and a definite Playoff contender.
3. Georgia (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 3
- This week: 70-20 W vs. Western Kentucky
- Next week: at Arkansas
I’m loving what I’ve seen from the Georgia Bulldogs this year. Kirby Smart has an elite team. I’m just not willing to move them up the list until they play someone with a pulse. That might not happen this weekend, either, as Arkansas has looked terrible thus far.
2. Texas (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 2
- This week: 24-23 W vs. No. 1 Ohio State
- Next week: vs. UTSA
Wow. What a win for Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns. Credit to them for figuring things out in the second half (defense) and the fourth quarter (offense). Ohio State controlled that game for 45 minutes before Texas got any sort of rhythm going. Big win, yes, but Texas needs to figure out how to play more competitively for 60 minutes if it’s going to make a run at a national title.
1. LSU (2-0, 0-0)
- Previous ranking: 1
- This week: 45-14 W vs. Louisiana Tech
- Next week: at Ole Miss
Yes, I still have the LSU Tigers at No. 1 in this ranking. The defense has been amazing thus far, and the offense is still putting up lots of points even with QB Sam Leavitt’s turnover issues. I think Lane Kiffin will get Leavitt ready to play for Saturday night in Oxford. I trust that he’ll play his best game of the year and that matchup against Ole Miss will be as exciting as Texas-Ohio State.
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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.
