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 14 SDS SEC Power Poll.
It’s up for debate which conference is the best in college football in 2014. But pitting the Pac-12 and SEC in a combined power ranking, being as objective as possible, the SEC is better top to bottom.
In addition to claiming four of the top five (Oregon is the exception), Vanderbilt and Kentucky are the only two SEC schools in the bottom six.
None of that matters this weekend, as just two teams from each conference get to play.
PLAYOFF OR BUST
If the Tide and Ducks can manage to win two more games, these teams will meet in the national championship. But that’s a big if. Right now both teams and their respective fan bases want to hold serve as favorites in conference championship games to assure each a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff. (Famed political analyst Nate Silver predicts Alabama has a 68 percent chance to make the playoff even with a loss to Missouri.)
1. Alabama (11-1)
2. Oregon (11-1)
MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH
I guess if the college football world caught fire and went looney at the same time, which isn’t beyond the realm of possibility, Arizona could beat Oregon in the Pac-12 title game and make the playoff with chaos elsewhere (Florida State, Baylor and Ohio State all losing). But these teams gave it a real go this season, only to fall short. Eight-team playoff, anyone?
3. Missouri (10-2)
4. Mississippi State (10-2)
5. Ole Miss (9-3)
6. Arizona (10-2)
SHE’S NOT A DIME, BUT STILL CUTE
These programs never really had a shot to be Miss America this season, but still gave the fans a lot of darned enjoyable moments. Still, with the exception of the Sun Devils, a chunk of the fan base must be disappointed.
7. Auburn (8-4)
8. UCLA (9-3)
9. Georgia (9-3)
10. Arizona State (9-3)
WINDOW DRESSING
The Trojans are just the fifth-best team in the Pac-12. Make it the seventh-best in the SEC for LSU. Even the Big 12 would have trouble matching that, and the ACC and Big Ten can forget it. These conferences may not be as top heavy as some years, but the depth of the upper middle class is pretty impressive.
11. LSU (8-4)
12. USC (8-4)
13. Utah (8-4)
ALMOST GOOD
Using selective facts, fans or writers can make any of these teams come across as good. But the opposite is true as well. At the end of the bowl season, a few of these teams may — emphasis on may — sneak into the bottom portion of the AP Top 25. But one can hardly call these flawed teams “good” in 2014.
14. Arkansas (6-6)
15. Texas A&M (7-5)
16. Stanford (7-5)
17. Washington (8-5)
SEC EAST DRIVEL
Rank these however you’d like, to be honest. Tennessee beat South Carolina, which beat Florida, but that’s how the SDS power rankings shaped out this week. The Gators should be 7-5 had a non-conference game against Idaho not gotten canceled, and UF did play Florida State tough (though that’s not particularly impressive this season). Georgia went 1-2 against these teams with a competitive win against the Vols. But considering the tradition at UF and UT, as well as the recent success at SC under Steve Spurrier, these results are gross.
18. Florida (6-5)
19. South Carolina (6-6)
20. Tennessee (6-6)
NOT GOING BOWLING
Bears and Wildcats fans should commiserate in Vegas or something. UK started 5-1 and Cal started 4-1. Both missed the postseason. Oregon State lost long-time coach Mike Riley to Nebraska, and Washington State lost it’s potential record-setting quarterback in addition to several close games. Talk about a group of teams ready for August 2015.
21. Cal (5-7)
22. Kentucky (5-7)
23. Oregon State (5-7)
24. Washington State (3-9)
WE BEAT UMASS
In addition to the Minutemen, here’s the final combined body count for these programs this season: Charleston Southern, Old Dominion and Hawaii. Yikes. Should major college football ever move to a relegation system, the Commodores and Buffaloes would be headed to the Sun Belt and Mountain West.
25. Vanderbilt (3-9)
26. Colorado (2-10)
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.
