Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mizzou and Auburn were all idle on Saturday. Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas A&M, LSU and Arkansas will all be off this coming Saturday.

Yes, we’ve hit the thin stretch of the SEC season. But Saturday’s games still delivered plenty of excitement. Ole Miss struggled early before pulling away. Tennessee gave Alabama a battle for 3 quarters in Tuscaloosa.

So, how did Saturday’s action affect the SEC power rankings?

Here’s how we’d rank each SEC squad heading into Week 9:

14. Vanderbilt (2-6 overall, 0-4 in SEC)

Previous ranking: 14
This week: 45-6 L to Mississippi State
Next week: vs. Mizzou (3-4)

After scoring 20 points on South Carolina last weekend, the Commodores went back to not scoring touchdowns against SEC foes. Vanderbilt managed only 6 measly points (2 field goals) in a blowout home loss to unranked Mississippi State. This is not a good team. The Commodores will have likely their best remaining chance at an SEC victory when Mizzou comes to Nashville next weekend.

13. South Carolina (4-4, 1-4)

Previous ranking: 13
This week: 44-14 L to No. 17 Texas A&M
Next week: OFF

The Gamecocks are a mess. We just saw how bad Vanderbilt is. How did the Commodores almost beat this team last week? Things are not good in Columbia right now. Therefore, the bye week comes at a great time. This team needs to figure out an identity and figure out how to put some points on the board moving forward. What an ugly showing in College Station. At one point, the Aggies had 443 total yards to 6 for the Gamecocks. That’s not a typo. Embarrassing.

12. Mizzou (3-4, 0-3)

Previous ranking: 12
This week: OFF
Next week: at Vanderbilt (2-6)

The Tigers desperately needed this off week. For their sake, they’d better hope they learned to tackle during the time off. If this team goes to Vanderbilt and loses this coming week, Mizzou fans will be irate. With momentum on the recruiting trails, this is bordering on a must-win game for coach Eli Drinkwitz. Don’t give anyone in the strong 2022 recruiting class a reason to reconsider their decision.

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

Previous ranking: 8
This week: 31-17 L to No. 12 Ole Miss
Next week: OFF

Perhaps I overreacted to LSU’s 7-point win over Florida last week. The Tigers are who we thought they were after Saturday’s 31-17 loss to Ole Miss in Oxford. Yes, they took a 7-0 lead into the second quarter, but after that, the Rebels absolutely dominated. That led to some fans saying coach Ed Orgeron should be relieved of his duties before the end of the season, particularly now that the Tigers have an idle week with which to get a new interim up to speed. We’ll see what LSU decides to do.

10. Mississippi State (4-3, 2-2)

Previous ranking: 11
This week: 45-6 W over Vanderbilt
Next week: vs. Kentucky (6-1)

I have a hard time giving any team too much credit for a win over Vanderbilt. But the Bulldogs did look good. Will Rogers had another big day, throwing for 4 more touchdowns against the overmatched Commodores. But next week’s visit from 6-1 Kentucky will be a much tougher test for Mike Leach’s squad. That’ll show us where the Bulldogs really stand in the SEC hierarchy.

9. Florida (4-3, 2-3)

Previous ranking: 9
This week: OFF
Next week: vs. No. 1 Georgia (7-0) in Jacksonville

It all comes down to this for the Gators. Win the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville and perhaps something can be salvaged from this disappointing season. Lose, and the hot seat rumors surrounding Dan Mullen will only intensify. Of course, beating Georgia is going to be a comically tough task, as the Dawgs’ defense has looked like one of the best in recent memory. We’ll see if Mullen and the Gators can pull an upset out of their hats.

8. Tennessee (4-4, 2-3)

Previous ranking: 10
This week: 52-24 L to No. 4 Alabama
Next week: OFF

Yes, I’m bumping the Vols up 2 spots after a 28-point loss at Alabama. That’s because Josh Heupel’s squad gave the Tide a battle for 3 quarters. The Vols only trailed 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter. And while I realize there are no moral victories in college football, especially in a rivalry series where you’ve lost 15 games in a row, this team is on the right track under Heupel. They will be a tough out moving forward.

7. Arkansas (5-3, 1-3)

Previous ranking: 7
This week: 45-3 W over UAPB
Next week: OFF

Arkansas went up 45-0 in the first half before taking its foot off the gas pedal. Yes, the Hogs were expected to win and win big over an FCS foe in Little Rock, but it was nice to see them get back on track nonetheless. Now, they’ll get a chance to take some time off in Week 9 before getting back to work and trying to clinch a bowl berth against Mississippi State in Week 10. That will be a critical game for the Hogs.

6. Auburn (5-2, 2-1)

Previous ranking: 6
This week: OFF
Next week: vs. Ole Miss (6-1)

I’m really excited for this game between the Tigers and Rebels. Auburn will be the fresher squad coming off a bye, but the Rebels are playing their best football these days. Auburn has been a surprise to me in Year 1 under Bryan Harsin. Win this game, and Auburn can have a great year. Lose and it will likely end up being a mediocre campaign. Do the Tigers have some magic left at Jordan-Hare Stadium?

5. Texas A&M (6-2, 3-2)

Previous ranking: 5
This week: 44-14 W over South Carolina
Next week: OFF

For all intents and purposes, the Aggies were leading 44-0 before a couple of garbage time touchdowns by South Carolina, so this final score could have been a lot worse. Either way, the Aggies are fully back on track after a couple of hiccups against Arkansas and Mississippi State. Now, they get a week off to rest and recover. This is not a team I’d want to see on my schedule down the stretch.

4. Kentucky (6-1, 4-1)

Previous ranking: 4
This week: OFF
Next week: at Mississippi State (4-3)

Kentucky earned its week off this week after traveling to Georgia last weekend. Yes, that was a lopsided loss, but not all is lost for the Wildcats. This is still a special Kentucky squad with plenty of big-time goals on the horizon. A road trip to Mississippi State in Week 9 won’t be easy, but that’s the kind of game Mark Stoops’ squad will have to win to take the next step as a program.

3. Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1)

Previous ranking: 3
This week: 31-17 W over LSU
Next week: at Auburn (5-2)

It was a slow start for the Rebels, as they trailed the Tigers 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. Then, Heisman frontrunner Matt Corral and company turned on the jets. The Rebels scored the next 31 points in what became a 31-17 home win over LSU. The Ole Miss offense is for real. If the Rebel defense can play like it did this week, Auburn will be in trouble at Jordan-Hare Stadium next weekend.

2. Alabama (7-1, 4-1)

Previous ranking: 2
This week: 52-24 W over Tennessee
Next week: OFF

Don’t be fooled. This wasn’t as big of a blowout as the final score might indicate. The Tide only held a 24-17 lead entering the fourth quarter. But the 28-7 margin in the final 15 minutes is something that is sure to please coach Nick Saban, who has lamented the way his team has finished games in the past. Now, if the Tide can actually put together 60 minutes of football Saban can be proud of? Watch out! We’ll see if the Tide make the most of their upcoming off week and look like a Playoff contender when they return to the field in Week 10.

1. Georgia (7-0, 5-0)

Previous ranking: 1
This week: OFF
Next week: vs. Florida (4-3) in Jacksonville

The Bulldogs had a well-earned off week in Week 8, resting up for next weekend’s trip to Jacksonville to take on rival Florida. This is still the best team in the entire country with the best defense we’ve seen in years. The Bulldogs will be in the No. 1 spot for the foreseeable future.