Every Friday, we rank the SEC and Pac-12 teams in one power poll. The order of the SEC teams is based on the Week 12 SDS SEC Power Poll.
This week shouldn’t create too much commotion atop the Pac-12 or SEC. Oregon hosts a Colorado team that hasn’t won a conference game all season, while Alabama and Mississippi State host pushover opponents as well.
The real SEC action happens in the East Division this weekend, as Georgia roots for red-hot Tennessee to win the Bulldogs a division title by proxy, and Missouri fans hope to continue to pile up wins.
Overall, the SEC claims five of the top six in our combined power rankings, while the Pac-12 claims five of the top 11.
IN THE PLAYOFF AS OF TODAY
The SEC West will be decided on Nov. 29, as the Tide (Iron Bowl) and Bulldogs (Egg Bowl) face strong in-state rivals. If both win, they could meet again in the College Football Playoff. The Ducks, meanwhile, should cruise into the Pac-12 championship and then get a test from a decent team, perhaps USC.
1. Alabama (9-1)
2. Oregon (9-1)
3. Mississippi State (9-1)
SEC SECOND TIER
All of these teams have been ranked inside the Top 10 for a good portion of the season (the Rebels and Tigers inside the Top 5). But there’s only so much room at the top when everyone plays everyone else, as the SEC West has hammered home this season. Georgia is in the SEC clubhouse at 6-2 in conference play, desperately wishing it could redo the Florida game but still with a solid shot to win the East.
4. Georgia (8-2)
5. Ole Miss (8-2)
6. Auburn (7-3)
PAC-12 SECOND TIER
This isn’t a bad group, but it’s not what we imagined before the season. UCLA never played like a true playoff contender, USC got knocked down early, Stanford turned out to be garbage, the Arizona schools are good, not great, and the list goes on.
7. UCLA (8-2)
8. Arizona (8-2)
9. USC (7-3)
DON’T FORGET ABOUT US
Missouri could vault into the second tier of the SEC by winning an East Division title, but first must knock out Tennessee and Arkansas. Otherwise this Tigers team will have lost at least three games, including 34-0 to Georgia and a home loss to the Big Ten’s worst team in Indiana. Arizona State, despite the surprise loss at Oregon State, has a chance to win the Pac-12 South. And LSU can finish a respectable 9-4 by beating Texas A&M and winning a bowl.
10. Missouri (8-2)
11. Arizona State (8-2)
12. LSU (7-4)
GOOD OR BAD?
The Vols are on fire since pulling the redshirt off QB Josh Dobbs, but is two-plus games a large enough sample size to crown UT the division favorites in 2015? Arkansas has come close with no cigar in several big games this season, while Texas A&M is 2-4 since beginning the season 5-0 as the AP No. 6. Utah, too, has pulled off four wins of six points or less.
13. Utah (7-3)
14. Texas A&M (7-4)
15. Arkansas (5-5)
16. Tennessee (5-5)
HEADED FOR A MEDIOCRE BOWL
Congratulations, South Carolina and Florida! You’re about to be bowl eligible! What a season. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Mr. Muschamp. And Steve Spurrier, greatest SEC coach ever? Harumph.
17. Stanford (5-5)
18. South Carolina (5-5)
19. Washington (6-5)
20. Florida (5-4)
PROJECTED OUT OF A BOWL GAME
The Wildcats have to beat Louisville to make a bowl. The Bears must beat either Stanford (a six-point favorite) or BYU. Oregon State? Washington or Oregon. Not likely.
21. Cal (5-5)
22. Kentucky (5-6)
23. Oregon State (5-5)
24. Washington State (3-7)
WE BEAT UMASS
The proud. The few. The power conference teams that beat UMass in 2014. (Add Penn State and former Vandy coach James Franklin to that list.) The Buffaloes (Oregon, Utah) and Commodores (Mississippi State, Tennessee) probably have done all the winning they will do for this season.
25. Vanderbilt (3-7)
26. Colorado (2-8)
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
