LSU (2019), Alabama (2020) and Georgia (2021 and 2022) have combined to win the last 4 national championships.

They also all faced tough games on Saturday, but ended up passing those tests with flying colors. LSU scored a narrow win at Mizzou. Alabama held on to beat Texas A&M in College Station. Georgia, the No. 1 team in the land, looked dominant against an undefeated Kentucky squad.

Yes, it was statement week for the blue-blood football programs in the SEC. So how did that impact our weekly SEC power rankings?

Let’s dive into those rankings right now, shall we?

14. Vanderbilt (2-5 overall, 0-3 in SEC)

Previous ranking: 14
This week: 38-14 L to Florida
Next week: vs. Georgia

It has been a rough start to SEC play for the Commodores, to say the least. Now they have to host Georgia, the No. 1 team in the country that seemed to get back on track against Kentucky this weekend. Yikes. Things are going to get worse before they get better in Nashville.

13. Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3)

Previous ranking: 12
This week: 41-28 W over Western Michigan
Next week: OFF

The Bulldogs weren’t convincing in a nonconference win over Western Michigan. And QB Will Rogers was banged up in this game. The good news? Mississippi State is off this coming weekend. The Bulldogs will have a chance to rest and get healthy, which is good ahead of a brutal stretch run of games.

12. Arkansas (2-4, 0-3)

Previous ranking: 13
This week: 27-20 L at No. 16 Ole Miss
Next week: at Alabama

I liked the fight the Hogs showed on Saturday at Ole Miss. OK, now for the stuff I didn’t like. I didn’t care for OC Dan Enos’ play-calling abilities. Rocket Sanders was ineffective running the ball. The Hogs made too many mistakes. And yet … they still lost by a touchdown on the road against a ranked team. I’ll bump them up from No. 13 in these rankings this week, but next week’s trip to Alabama could have them right back down at No. 13 this time next weekend.

11. Auburn (3-2, 0-2)

Previous ranking: 11
This week: OFF
Next week: at LSU

Auburn fans will hope that Hugh Freeze and the Tigers’ offense fixed their passing issues during the off week. Heading to Death Valley on Saturday to play Heisman contender Jayden Daniels and a high-flying LSU offense won’t be easy. The LSU defense has some issues, but the offense is firing on all cylinders. Auburn will need to throw effectively if it wants to keep pace.

10. South Carolina (2-3, 1-2)

Previous ranking: 10
This week: OFF
Next week: vs. Florida

A big opportunity awaits the Gamecocks next weekend when Florida comes to Williams-Brice Stadium. If Spencer Rattler and co. win that game? They can compete for a solid finish in the SEC East. A loss would be, well … not great. Losing to Florida will also hurt the Gamecocks’ chances of making a bowl game this year, so the importance of this contest can’t be overstated.

9. Florida (4-2, 2-1)

Previous ranking: 9
This week: 38-14 W over Vanderbilt
Next week: at South Carolina

The Gators looked good against Vanderbilt. But it was against Vanderbilt, so not much credit will be given. Win at South Carolina next week and I’ll be back in on Billy Napier’s squad. This team is talented, but it is very inconsistent. If the Gators play good, clean football, they can hang with most teams in the SEC. We’ll see if they can take their show on the road next weekend.

8. Kentucky (5-1, 2-1)

Previous ranking: 5
This week: 51-13 L at No. 1 Georgia
Next week: vs. Mizzou

The Wildcats moved the ball pretty well at times against the Georgia defense. That’s about all I have to say about that game. Mark Stoops and company should turn the page and pretend this game in Athens didn’t happen. They have a tough Mizzou team coming to Lexington next week and can’t afford to let 1 loss become 2.

7. Tennessee (4-1, 1-1)

Previous ranking: 7
This week: OFF
Next week: vs. Texas A&M

Not much to say about the Vols this week as they were off. They host a Texas A&M team that just gave Alabama all it could handle on Saturday. Rocky Top will be loud this coming weekend. Can Joe Milton find throwing lanes and dodge pressure from the Aggies’ solid defense? Can the Vols’ defense hold up against Max Johnson and the A&M receivers? This game is a huge opportunity for both of these squads.

6. Mizzou (5-1, 1-1)

Previous ranking: 4
This week: 49-39 L to No. 23 LSU
Next week: at Kentucky

Mizzou doesn’t have a chance to feel sorry for itself after self-inflicted wounds in a loss to LSU on Saturday. The Tigers played well on offense, but this team simply makes too many mistakes that come back to bite it in the butt in key moments. A road trip to Kentucky won’t be easy. The Tigers will need to play clean, error-free football if they want to escape Lexington with a win.

5. Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1)

Previous ranking: 8
This week: 26-20 L to No. 11 Alabama
Next week: at Tennessee

This Aggies team has talent. I know I jumped them 3 spots after a loss, but I do believe that they’d beat any of the teams ranked 6-14 on this list tomorrow if the game was on a neutral field. Max Johnson makes one big mistake a game, but is solid otherwise. The defense has some dudes. The receiving corps is solid. This team will win some games moving forward.

4. LSU (4-2, 3-1)

Previous ranking: 6
This week: 49-39 W at No. 21 Mizzou
Next week: vs. Auburn

Luther Burden and Brady Cook got a ton of hype heading into this game (and they performed well in the loss), but Jayden Daniels … my goodness. He’s the top Heisman contender from the SEC. He’s a superstar. He’s a tough, dual-threat leader of this squad. The defense made enough plays at key moments to secure the win. LSU is looking good heading into the second half of the season.

3. Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1)

Previous ranking: 3
This week: 27-20 W over Arkansas
Next week: OFF

Wins in the SEC are difficult to come by. Ole Miss scored a big one in narrow fashion in Oxford on Saturday night. It wasn’t pretty, but at the end of the day, the Rebels are 5-1 heading into their off week. Now they can rest up and get right. They’ll be a very dangerous team in the second half of the season.

2. Alabama (5-1, 3-0)

Previous ranking: 2
This week: 26-20 W at Texas A&M
Next week: vs. Arkansas

Nick Saban was right about this game. The Crimson Tide have a lot to be proud of, but they also have a lot of things to fix moving forward. Still, the Tide are right where they want to be passing the halfway mark of the season – sitting atop the SEC West standings. We’ll see if they can keep things rolling next weekend against Arkansas.

1. Georgia (6-0, 3-0)

Previous ranking: 1
This week: 51-13 W over No. 20 Kentucky
Next week: at Vanderbilt

Yeah … that’s what we’ve been looking for. People have been concerned about Georgia not looking as good as it has in the past couple of years. Well, those concerns can be (temporarily) put to rest. While other top teams like Texas and Notre Dame struggled on Saturday, Georgia took care of business. The No. 1 spot should belong to the Dawgs until someone proves otherwise.