Look, I know y’all are going to have some issues with this week’s power rankings.
I can see the discourse now. “But X team beat Y team head-to-head.” “If only these 2 teams had played each other…”
I hear ya.
But now that every team in the SEC has at least 1 conference loss, you can play the “Team A beat Team B, but lost to Team C; Team C beat Team A, but lost to Team B” game until you want to rip your eyes out.
Yes, head-to-head results matter. But they’re not the only thing that I consider. These power rankings are based on which teams I believe would win any given game played on a neutral field this coming weekend.
With all that said, let’s dive into this week’s SEC power rankings:
16. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-4 overall, 0-4 in SEC)
- Previous ranking: 15
- Last week: 31-21 L vs. Arkansas
- This week: at Kentucky
This, at least, was an easy call. The Vanderbilt Commodores are now last in my rankings after losing at home to an awful Arkansas squad. Just keep getting Jared Curtis reps. Better times are ahead, but this season is a lost cause at this point.
15. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-4, 1-3)
- Previous ranking: 16
- Last week: 31-21 W at Vanderbilt
- This week: OFF
The Arkansas Razorbacks finally managed to climb out of the SEC cellar with a nice road win in Nashville. But there’s still a lot of work left for Ryan Silverfield‘s squad if it wants to climb any higher.
14. Texas A&M Aggies (4-3, 1-3)
- Previous ranking: 14
- Last week: 41-0 W vs. The Citadel
- This week: at Alabama
Yes, Marcel Reed only played a half in this game and then left with the Texas A&M Aggies leading 28-0. But I still thought his showing was pretty… pedestrian. The defense was great, so that’s a good sign. But heading to Tuscaloosa this weekend to face an angry Alabama team will be a tough task.
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-2, 2-2)
- Previous ranking: 9
- Last week: 31-0 L at No. 22 LSU
- This week: vs. Oklahoma
When Mississippi State gets Kamario Taylor back, it’ll likely move back up the rankings pretty quickly. But the team I saw on Saturday at LSU isn’t beating anyone above it on this list.
12. Auburn Tigers (4-2, 2-2)
- Previous ranking: 13
- Last week: 27-24 W at No. 1 Georgia
- This week: vs. LSU
What a win for the Auburn Tigers and head coach Alex Golesh. To go on the road and win at Sanford Stadium is no easy task. So why isn’t Auburn higher? As my colleague Spenser Davis outlined in this column, the underlying metrics were not favorable to Auburn. If that game is played 100 times, Georgia probably wins 98 times. I need to see more before I give Auburn a significant bump.
11. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3)
- Previous ranking: 10
- Last week: OFF
- This week: vs. Tennessee
It was a great week for the South Carolina Gamecocks to sit on the sidelines and watch the rest of the league tear itself apart. Now, though, a red-hot Tennessee squad heads to Columbia to play a game it can’t afford to lose if it wants to make the Playoff.
10. Texas Longhorns (4-2, 1-2)
- Previous ranking: 4
- Last week: 27-24 L vs. Florida
- This week: vs. Ole Miss
This is not a fun team to watch. Texas has all the talent in the world, but Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning aren’t getting the job done. Having to host Ole Miss this weekend is about the last thing the Longhorns need.
9. Oklahoma Sooners (3-3, 1-2)
- Previous ranking: 8
- Last week: 21-13 L vs. No. 15 Kentucky
- This week: at Mississippi State
Oklahoma turned back into a pumpkin after that incredible win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry. At this point, though, after seeing the rest of the results around the conference, maybe it’s just that Kentucky is this good and Texas is this bad? If the Sooners lose in Starkville next weekend, though, it’ll be time to press the panic button.
8. Florida Gators (5-2, 3-2)
- Previous ranking: 11
- Last week: 27-24 W at No. 7 Texas
- This week: OFF
The Florida Gators sure seem to have Texas’s number, huh? Back-to-back years, Steve Sarkisian has suffered a loss to the Gators that was devastating for his team’s Playoff hopes. Tramell Jones Jr. showed why he’s the future at Florida. The question is whether or not he’s the present, too.
7. Missouri Tigers (5-2, 2-2)
- Previous ranking: 3
- Last week: 31-3 L at No. 9 Ole Miss
- This week: OFF
Eli Drinkwitz‘s road woes continue as the coach of the Missouri Tigers. He hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent on the road since beating then-No. 24 Kentucky back in 2023. Not exactly the kind of victory you tell your grandkids about. Yes, winning against a ranked opponent on the road is hard, but that’s the next step for this Mizzou program. If Drinkwitz wants to compete for Playoff berths, you have to be competitive against top teams on the road. Mizzou wasn’t on Saturday afternoon.
6. LSU Tigers (5-2, 2-2)
- Previous ranking: 7
- Last week: 31-0 W vs. No. 16 Mississippi State
- This week: at Auburn
LSU took advantage of a Mississippi State team without its star QB on Saturday in Baton Rouge. But you can only play the team that’s lined up across from you, and LSU’s injury-plagued defense stepped up and made a statement. Now a trip to the always-difficult Jordan-Hare Stadium awaits. This is a big opportunity for Lane Kiffin and company.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-2, 3-2)
- Previous ranking: 2
- Last week: 26-10 L at No. 14 Tennessee
- This week: vs. Texas A&M
This was the kind of loss Alabama was supposed to be past in Year 3 of the Kalen DeBoer era. Tennessee is a very good team, but Alabama clearly wasn’t focused after a tough loss to Georgia last week. If DeBoer can’t get this season back on track this weekend against a reeling Texas A&M team, it will be time to start questioning whether or not Year 4 will happen.
4. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1)
- Previous ranking: 1
- Last week: 27-24 L vs. Auburn
- This week: OFF
I don’t expect the Georgia Bulldogs to be down for long. They clearly had a major letdown after a big-time win at Alabama the previous week. If anything, this will be a plus in the long run, as Kirby Smart now gets to use this loss to refocus his group. Practice won’t be fun in Athens the next couple of weeks heading into the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (in Atlanta this year).
Check out our guide to where Kalshi is legal.
3. Kentucky Wildcats (6-1, 4-1)
- Previous ranking: 5
- Last week: 21-13 W at Oklahoma
- This week: vs. Vanderbilt
The Kentucky Wildcats didn’t need a 2-point conversion or overtime to pick up this win. Will Stein already has the Wildcats bowl-eligible. Every Coach of the Year watch list needs to start with him at this point. What an incredible job.
2. Tennessee Volunteers (6-1, 3-1)
- Previous ranking: 12
- Last week: 26-10 W vs. No. 6 Alabama
- This week: at South Carolina
New DC Jim Knowles is worth every penny Tennessee is paying him. What a showing on Saturday on Rocky Top. Can you imagine how good Josh Heupel‘s team would be if it was getting even mediocre play from the quarterback position?
1. Ole Miss Rebels (5-1, 3-1)
- Previous ranking: 6
- Last week: 31-3 W vs. No. 13 Mizzou
- This week: at Texas
Someone has to be No. 1 this week, so why not the Ole Miss Rebels? Pete Golding and company just thoroughly outclassed a very good Mizzou team in Oxford. Trinidad Chambliss is one of the best players in the nation. The defense might be figuring some things out. Texas might be in even more trouble this weekend.
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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.
