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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 10 SDS SEC Power Poll.
Oregon already has run away with the Pac-12 North, but three of the four other divisions between these two conferences remain undecided. The SEC West and Pac-12 South should be particularly thrilling, especially if Alabama pulls off a win as a road favorite against LSU this weekend.
The SEC claims five of the top six in our combined power rankings this week, with the Pac-12 representing six of the next nine.
That’s a good indication of where the Pac-12 has gone this year — it’s thin at the very top and rich in nine-win programs.
STEVE PREFONTAINE CLONES
If you’ve never heard of Steve Prefontaine, he’s the Elvis of American distance running. Iconic, charismatic, super talented, a little rebellious, died young. But on the track, Prefontaine’s signature style was to storm to the front and run flat out, then hold on for dear life. He despised tactical racing in which the fastest competitors tucked behind others and roared around on the final turn to win. So he redlined the pace and hoped to win on heart. Sometimes it worked. Other times it made for spectacular theater. That’s where Mississippi State is right now. The bell lap is coming. Ready?
1. Mississippi State
THE CHASE PACK
If anyone is going to sprint past the Bulldogs on the final stretch, it’s the Crimson Tide, which host the Bulldogs next weekend in Tuscaloosa. But first Alabama must win in Baton Rouge. Oregon and Auburn — Alabama, too, come to think of it — are perhaps the hottest teams in the country. The Ducks seem poised to quack into the Pac-12 championship game with no problem, but the SEC West schools have some tough games remaining.
2. Alabama
3. Oregon
4. Auburn
CAPABLE SPOILERS
The Tigers already have spoiled Ole Miss’ season — both Auburn’s and LSU’s. Now Ole Miss is a spoiler as well, hoping to take down in-state rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils and Bruins are aiming to take down the Pac-12 South, giving them a chance to spoil Oregon’s season.
5. LSU
6. Ole Miss
7. Arizona State
8. UCLA
THE JUICY UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS
Fear not, SEC East, you have two teams hovering under this distinction. You’re not totally extinct and irrelevant in 2014. Just close. Meanwhile, Texas A&M is clinging to a tenuous position here, having suffered all three of its losses to teams in the top 11 of the current College Football Playoff poll. The majority of the Pac-12 South could squeeze into this category by the end of the season.
9. Georgia
10. Arizona
11. Missouri
12. Utah
13. Texas A&M
14. USC
BANKING ON DEFENSE
Sometimes defense and a power running game can lots of win games. Sometimes it means you’ll be going to a mediocre bowl game and that teams with elite talent will torch you (Stanford vs. Oregon, Florida vs. Alabama).
15. Stanford
16. Florida
17. Washington
FEISTY LOSERS
Razorbacks fans make me chuckle. The way they defend Bret Bielema’s 0-13 SEC record seems more like they’re defending a coach that barely missed on a conference title in consecutive seasons. But I digress. These teams haven’t stopped competing, and most of them have picked up conference wins they weren’t supposed to get. Arkansas personifies this — even in losses, they’ve given teams quite the scare.
18. Arkansas
19. Kentucky
20. Cal
21. Tennessee
PROJECTED OUT OF A BOWL
Rather than discuss the boring, depressing fate of these three teams in 2014, let’s touch on an even more depressing subject: Conner Halliday. The senior suffered a devastating ankle injury just three games from the end of his college career, putting his NFL draft status in doubt. Halliday, Washington State’s quarterback, recorded five games of 500+ passing yards the last two seasons. Had he not suffered the injury, it’s likely he would’ve finished his career No. 2 in the Pac-12 in all-time passing yards and touchdown passes.
22. South Carolina
23. Oregon State
24. Washington State
WE BEAT UMASS
Vanderbilt went 3-1 against non-conference opponents, even if two of the wins came against an FCS school and another that just transitioned to FBS (Old Dominion). Colorado has played several competitive Pac-12 games only to lose late. But hey, they both beat UMass. There will always be that.
25. Vanderbilt
26. Colorado
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.