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 6 SDS SEC Power Poll.

The Pac-12 decided the SEC East looked mighty entertaining and decided to turn both of its divisions into a similar crapshoot.

Instead of a Oregon-UCLA showdown in California, with the winner locking up a clear path to a College Football Playoff spot, both teams lost as favorites last week.

Arizona State added another Hail Mary to the conference’s end-of-season highlight video and Cal beat Washington State despite allowing nearly 750 passing yards. Stanford QB Kevin Hogan continues to plague the Cardinal, which would’ve knocked off Notre Dame otherwise.

The result? The four SEC West contenders are better than any of the Pac-12 programs at this point, and the SEC now claims five of the top six in our combined power rankings.

BATTLE ROYALE FOR A PLAYOFF SPOT

The SEC West winner must avoid losing two games and must knock off the SEC East champion, which right now is as close to a given as it’s ever been. Barring a major surprise, these four teams are in a royal rumble, with the winner securing a playoff spot.

1. Auburn
2. Mississippi State
3. Ole Miss
4. Alabama

RANKED LIKE PLAYOFF CONTENDERS

The Bulldogs just lost RB Todd Gurley for an undetermined amount of time while the school investigates potential NCAA rules violations. Arizona, meanwhile, is unscathed in a bizarre Pac-12, launching last weekend’s national meltdown by beating Oregon early Friday morning (Eastern Time). Both are ranked in the top 13 of the AP poll. But will they really stay in contention into November?

5. Arizona
6. Georgia

THE DISAPPOINTMENTS

All three of these teams, the Pac-12’s best hopes for a playoff spot, lost last weekend. UCLA or Oregon will inherit a second loss Saturday, while Stanford already has two. And the Cardinal slip ahead of the Ducks despite a loss, mainly because there’s no way that Oregon’s patchwork offensive line would be able to withstand Stanford’s blistering defense if the two teams played today.

7. UCLA
8. Stanford
9. Oregon

FRINGE TOP 25 TEAMS

The Aggies’ bubble burst last weekend in a blowout loss at Mississippi State. A&M could lose three consecutive games if the team falls at home to Ole Miss. Meanwhile, Arizona State and Missouri are semi-good teams with no chance at a playoff spot.

10. Texas A&M
11. Arizona State
12. Missouri

WINDOW DRESSING

The fact that these teams are the upper middle class of the SEC and Pac-12 says good things about the depth in both conferences. LSU and USC are sinking, though, while Utah and Cal are rising.

13. LSU
14. Utah
15. Cal
16. USC

NOT FAR BACK, BUT NOT GETTING THERE IN 2014

All of these teams have flirted with play well enough to belong at the bottom of the Top 25 in occasional spurts this season. But they just aren’t consistent enough or good enough to maintain that this season. Depending on the coaching outlook at Florida, though, all three of these teams are capable of ascending into the rankings next fall.

17. Arkansas
18. Washington
19. Florida

COMPETITIVE LOSERS

There aren’t many teams in these two conferences that just bomb week after week. These programs are definite losers in 2014, but they’re in close enough range to win some games here and there. And with the exception of South Carolina, managing to get six wins and reach a bowl game is an ambitious, exciting goal.

20. Washington State
21. Kentucky
22. South Carolina
23. Tennessee
24. Oregon State

WE BEAT UMASS

Vanderbilt should equal Colorado’s win total of two after a rousing win against Charleston Southern this weekend. I can’t decide if I’d love to see these two teams play for the unintentional comedy or hate it.

25. Vanderbilt
26. Colorado