We are now one-third of the way through the college football regular season for most teams, which is a wild thing to say.
It seems like just yesterday, everyone was preparing for the 2026 campaign with all their goals and dreams intact. Now, though, we have some separation between the contenders and the pretenders.
While October will be a month that really shows us who these teams are, it’s worth updating our SEC football power rankings one more time in September to see where things stand as we prepare for Week 5.
So, without further ado, here’s where all 16 SEC squads stand as October rapidly approaches:
16. Arkansas (2-2 overall, 0-1 in SEC)
- Previous ranking: 16
- Last week: 34-6 W vs. Tulsa
- This week: at Texas A&M
Beating Tulsa by 4 touchdowns was a positive sign for Ryan Silverfield and the Arkansas Razorbacks. Now they visit a reeling Texas A&M squad. If they’re going to pull off an upset in league play this year, now’s as good of a chance as any.
15. Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 15
- Last week: 21-15 L at Auburn
- This week: at Georgia
The Vanderbilt Commodores played hard on the road, but ultimately didn’t make enough plays to win. Freshman QB Jared Curtis is still finding his footing as the starter. If only he’d have started the first 2 games of the year, too…
14. South Carolina (2-2, 0-2)
- Previous ranking: 13
- Last week: 49-18 L at No. 8 Alabama
- This week: vs. Kentucky
I don’t want to say this team has given up on Shane Beamer, but… well, the signs are starting to become clear. Star pass rusher Dylan Stewart is now suspended indefinitely after crashing out against Alabama. Things are looking bleak for South Carolina as an upstart Kentucky team prepares to visit.
13. Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 12
- Last week: 41-13 L at No. 2 Georgia
- This week: OFF
The Oklahoma Sooners have a John Mateer problem. The defense actually didn’t perform terribly at Georgia, but Mateer lost a fumble that the Bulldogs returned for a touchdown and he consistently put his defense in tough situations. Brent Venables needs to use this off week to see if a change is necessary.
12. Auburn (3-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 14
- Last week: 21-15 W vs. Vanderbilt
- This week: at Tennessee
I’ll bump the Auburn Tigers up a couple of spots this week, but I’m still not sold on Alex Golesh‘s squad. This is a team that should’ve beaten Baylor by multiple scores in Week 1 and should’ve taken care of business against Vanderbilt at home much more comfortably than it did.
11. Texas A&M (2-2, 0-2)
- Previous ranking: 11
- Last week: 35-6 L at No. 10 LSU
- This week: vs. Arkansas
I want to move the Texas A&M Aggies down a couple of spots, but I just think they’re still better than the bottom tier of SEC squads. That said, if Marcel Reed doesn’t start playing a lot better, Mike Elko is going to have a decision to make at QB moving forward.
10. Mizzou (3-1, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 10
- Last week: 31-24 L at No. 24 Mississippi State
- This week: vs. Florida
Eli Drinkwitz and clock management continue to go together like peanut butter and motor oil. Play-calling, clock management, and other things that are supposed to be handled by coaches continue to hamper the Missouri Tigers. It’s time to let Austin Simmons fling it this weekend in a hugely important home game against Florida.
9. Kentucky (3-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 9
- Last week: 45-21 W vs. South Alabama
- This week: at South Carolina
The Kentucky defense has some work to do, but what Will Stein and Kenny Minchey have already accomplished with the offense is impressive. Now the Wildcats visit a South Carolina team that’s in shambles, looking to improve to 4-1. I didn’t think we’d be here this quickly. Awesome job by Stein.
8. Tennessee (3-1, 0-1)
- Previous ranking: 7
- Last week: 20-17 L vs. No. 1 Texas
- This week: vs. Auburn
I know the frustrations are building with Josh Heupel on Rocky Top, and it feels like the Tennessee Volunteers wasted a big-time opportunity to take a step toward Playoff contention. However, losing by 3 at home to the No. 1 team in the country isn’t going to make me panic on this team. Faizon Brandon looked like a true freshman. That’s going to happen a couple of times. He’ll learn from this and get better.
7. Mississippi State (4-0, 2-0)
- Previous ranking: 8
- Last week: 31-24 W vs. No. 19 Mizzou
- This week: vs. Alabama
Great players will their teams to victory. That’s what Kamario Taylor did for the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday night in Starkville. He’s now second in the SEC in pass yards (1,192) and first in TD passes (14). Jeff Lebby has a superstar on his hands.
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6. Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 3
- Last week: 52-28 L at No. 21 Florida
- This week: OFF
Pete Golding needs to use the off week to get his defense in order. Ole Miss got absolutely bulldozed by Florida on Saturday afternoon in the Swamp. Now, I’m not sure anyone can stop Jadan Baugh at this point, but there are still some cracks beginning to form in the Rebels’ defense that must be fixed if they’re going to make a return trip to the Playoff.
5. Alabama (4-0, 2-0)
- Previous ranking: 5
- Last week: 49-18 W vs. South Carolina
- This week: at Mississippi State
This felt like a statement game for Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide. After back-to-back weeks of slow starts against Kentucky and Florida State, Alabama came out on fire this time. The Tide led 35-10 at halftime and never looked back. A trip to Mississippi State looms large as a much tougher challenge than it appeared before the season.
4. Florida (4-0, 2-0)
- Previous ranking: 6
- Last week: 52-28 W vs. No. 4 Ole Miss
- This week: at Mizzou
The Florida Gators are 4-0. Jadan Baugh is striking the Heisman pose, much to the chagrin of Danny Kanell. Things are great in Gainesville under first-year coach Jon Sumrall. Can the Gators avoid a potential trap game at Mizzou this weekend? If they go to CoMo and beat the Tigers, it could quickly turn into a special season.
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3. LSU (3-1, 1-1)
- Previous ranking: 4
- Last week: 35-6 W vs. No. 23 Texas A&M
- This week: vs. McNeese
The chance to play McNeese comes at a perfect time for the ailing LSU Tigers. Yes, they dominated Texas A&M on Saturday night, but QB Sam Leavitt was hobbling around, TE Trey’Dez Green was out and star LB Whit Weeks left the game on crutches. Lane Kiffin‘s squad needs to get healthy ahead of a brutally tough November run.
2. Georgia (4-0, 2-0)
- Previous ranking: 2
- Last week: 41-13 W vs. Oklahoma
- This week: vs. Vanderbilt
The Georgia Bulldogs continue to roll. The way things are going right now, we probably won’t know how good Kirby Smart‘s squad truly is until next weekend in Tuscaloosa. But hey, you can only play the teams in front of you, and the Bulldogs continue to embarrass whoever they line up against.
1. Texas (4-0, 1-0)
- Previous ranking: 1
- Last week: 20-17 W at No. 14 Tennessee
- This week: OFF
Was I overly impressed with the Texas Longhorns this week? I was not. Tennessee’s defense did a good job of controlling the Texas offense. Steve Sarkisian needs to figure some things out as a play-caller. But a win is a win, especially on the road in the SEC. Now Texas gets to rest up ahead of the Red River Rivalry against a struggling Oklahoma squad.
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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.
