SEC Power Rankings: Little change this week, but Georgia-Florida battle looms
Each week we’ll take a look at every Southeastern Conference football team’s performance and rank them, in ascending order.
Click here for week six scores.
Click here for week five’s rankings.
14. Vanderbilt (0-4)
After a week off, the Commodores started in a 21-0 hole against a one-win Ole Miss squad that put up 645 yards of offense and allowed Rebels quarterback Matt Corral to set multiple school passing records (19 straight completions and a 91.1 percent completion percentage, both previously held by Eli Manning). There won’t be a break on defense for the SEC’s only winless team; the ‘Dores visit Mississippi State next week.
Derek Mason says: (On players Jayden Harrison and Michael Owusu going onto the field with the same jersey numbers) “They’ve got different numbers in practice. You don’t realize (their game numbers) until you’re out there. But that should’ve been caught. It was just a miscalculation on our part.”
13. Mississippi State (1-4)
Mike Leach’s offense had never been shut out before Kentucky locked it down in week three, and now he has two zero-point efforts through five games in his SEC rookie season. Will Rogers and K.J. Costello combined to throw for 163 yards and two interceptions on 48 pass attempts, and Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith finished with more total yards (203) than the entire Bulldogs offense (200). Yikes.
Mike Leach says: “I thought we played sloppy and dumb at times. You know, Alabama is a team that’s been put together for over a decade and they have a culture that’s extremely hard-working and competitive that permeates their entire program. We’re a program trying to get there.”
12. Mississippi (2-4)
Ole Miss was always going to whoop Vanderbilt, it was just a matter of “by how much?” The answer: 54-21, the Rebels’ highest point total this season and the second-highest output by any SEC team this year (they were on the wrong end of a 63-point day by Alabama a few weeks ago). They’ll have a week to rest up before hosting South Carolina.
Lane Kiffin says: “I thought our coaches did a great job of getting guys to play with great energy. We just said, ‘Hey, why don’t you guys have the same energy we had when we played Alabama?’ And I thought our guys did.”
11. Tennessee (2-3)
The Volunteers had a scheduled off week. They host Arkansas on Saturday.
10. Kentucky (2-4)
You can debate whether the Wildcats’ defensive performance against No. 5 Georgia was strong or if the Bulldogs played conservatively given the lackluster offense they were up against, but regardless it doesn’t matter: UK’s offense, by the numbers, is the worst in the conference. The Cats can run the ball with the best of ‘em, but their inability to do anything else has derailed a promising 2020 campaign.
Mark Stoops says: ”In the end, you have to play really perfect and make some big plays to beat a team like that and we didn’t do it.”
9. South Carolina (2-3)
The Gamecocks had a scheduled off week. They host Texas A&M on Saturday.
8. LSU (2-3)
So the Tigers really aren’t that good, huh? Perhaps Auburn is better than many (present company included) have given it credit for, but the defending national champs are having quite a hangover: one of its two wins this season was over Vanderbilt (the other was South Carolina) and they’ve given up at least 400 total yards to every other opponent this season. The good news: this week is their bye. The bad? Alabama’s up next.
Ed Orgeron says: “Obviously, we’ve got to get better at a lot of things.”
7. Missouri (2-3)
The Tigers fell back to Earth following last week’s upset of Kentucky. A brawl at the end of the first half, resulting in three ejections, was the most intriguing development of a 41-17 rout at Florida. With the outcome probably went any true drama surrounding the East Division race; it’s either Georgia’s or Florida’s crown to lose.
Eli Drinkwitz says: (on the halftime brawl) “It’s an ugly scene for football, it’s an ugly scene for college football, and I’m not proud of it, and I don’t know who started it, but we’ve got to figure it out, we’ve got to get it fixed.”
6. Arkansas (2-3)
A&M proved too much to handle for the Hogs, who were less in this game than the final score (42-31) indicated. Arkansas lost its ninth straight to the Aggies, whom they’ve played every season since 2009 (three seasons prior to their SEC debut). A chance to bounce back at home comes this week in the form of Tennessee, against whom they’ve won two straight (2011 and 2015).
Sam Pittman says: “It was just hard to get ‘em off the field.”
5. Auburn (4-2)
With more than half its games in the books, Auburn remains something of an enigma. Three of its wins, arguably, should be losses. The other was impressive based on the historical standing of LSU — the Tigers’ 48-11 drubbing of last year’s national champs was the biggest in the series, in fact — but less so given how poorly LSU has played this season. One loss (Georgia) makes sense while the other (South Carolina) is a head-scratcher. They rank high because no one else is really making a good case, but it’s hard to feel good about ‘em.
Gus Malzahn says: ”Our bodies are really talking to us. We need to heal up. We’ve got four left. We’ll have a chance to kind of evaluate and look at the areas we need to improve on to get the best plan for the next four games.”
4. Florida (3-1)
A two-week break courtesy of COVID-19 must’ve done the Gators some good: they hammered a Missouri squad for their first authoritative victory in 2020. It was the first time this year that Florida’s defense dictated the terms of engagement; they didn’t give up an offensive touchdown until the game was well in hand. That’s encouraging as they prepare for Georgia in a clash that should settle the East Division.
Dan Mullen says: (On the halftime brawl) “It is what it is, an emotional game sometimes. I’m not real pleased on how it all played out.”
3. Georgia (4-1)
Stetson Bennett’s performance aside, it’s hard to be too displeased with how Georgia performed at Kentucky: it did all that it needed to in order to bounce back from a disappointing second half against Alabama. The Bulldogs’ offense to this point hasn’t shown itself to be as dynamic as Florida’s, but their defense is in a league of its own. That proved not to matter much against the Crimson Tide, though, and they’re dealing with several injuries coming out of Lexington.
Kirby Smart says: ”I know they didn’t score but three points but they maintained the ball and were able to have success there rushing it.”
2. Texas A&M (4-1)
It’ll be a while before the Aggies are tested again by a top-25 foe; a trip to Auburn closes their regular season on Dec. 5. Games against South Carolina, Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU await before then, and for A&M they only represent stumbling blocks: it can’t afford a single hiccup as it clings to a slim hope of ‘Bama slipping. A strong showing against upstart Arkansas was a good sign that they’re ready for that patient journey.
Jimbo Fisher says: “It’s a big Southwest Classic and what we’re doing with a rivalry game, and Arkansas the game with us is always a dog fight.
1. Alabama (6-0)
Alabama held Mississippi State to 147 passing yards, the fewest ever thrown by a Mike Leach-coached team. The Crimson Tide in three straight weeks have had their best defensive outings of the season, which should concern any other program in the league; Alabama already had the league’s best all-around offense and the other side is rounding into form with few apparent road blocks in front of it.
Nick Saban says: “All in all this was a good game for us. It’s great to win at home. Great to win on your birthday. So I was really happy about that present as much as any.”
