Dari Nowkhah in his weekly thoughts on the major storylines across the SEC has focused on the Kentucky phenomenon that has swept the league.

“Say it out loud and see if you can believe it any more than I can. Ready? Here we go. Kentucky. Is. One. Win. From. A. Trip. To. The. SEC. Championship. Game,” he wrote. “Crazy, right? Wrong. That Cats defense held Missouri without a single first down the entire second half (Tigers had 13 in the first half). It’s allowed 74 points in six SEC games. What wins championships in this league? Defense and running the football.”

The SEC Network host heaped praise on quarterbacks who won and put up big performances last week, from Kentucky’s Terry Wilson, to Georgia’s Jake Fromm and Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald.

“This Saturday will be Statement Saturday for teams in the SEC, but this PAST Saturday was Statement Saturday for Wilson, Fromm and Fitzgerald. Props to all three of you,” he wrote.

Ahead of the big showdown in Tiger Stadium on Saturday, Nowkhah also called Alabama and LSU the two best teams in the league.

Here are Nowkhah’s latest power rankings for the SEC:

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Georgia
4. Kentucky
5. Mississippi State
6. Florida
7. Texas A&M
8. South Carolina
9. Tennessee
10. Missouri
11. Auburn
12. Vanderbilt
13. Ole Miss
14. Arkansas