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Power ranking the SEC after week 5: New number one, Texas A&M football continues rise

Here's how we see the SEC shaking out after week five of the action all around the conference.

By Graham Harmon

Sep 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies running back Le'Veon Moss (8) runs with the ball as Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Jaheim Singletary (15) defends during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies running back Le'Veon Moss (8) runs with the ball as Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Jaheim Singletary (15) defends during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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Power ranking the SEC after week 5: #6 - Texas

If I had told you coming into the weekend that Texas would have struggled with Mississippi State more than Florida did, I’m not sure many would have believed me. I’m not going to buy any backup quarterback excuses, given the hype around the Longhorn QB2—and it wasn’t his fault, anyway.

No, this was something more surprising: the Longhorns plainly let Mississippi State control the game for most of the first half. The Bulldogs had a lot of success on the ground early on, gashing the Longhorn defense several times on the first drive.

However, with no Blake Shapen, the MSU pass offense was nowhere to be found. In a way, though, this makes the rushing success that MSU had far more surprising: you’d think that Texas would be able to walk down on all the receivers and load up the box to completely stymy the Bulldog rush game, but that’s not at all what happened.

MSU had their second-highest YPC of the year against Texas—more than they averaged against Arizona State or Toledo—and their third-highest rush success rate. The Longhorns themselves struggled when they got behind the chains, with only a 29% success rate on passing downs.

I’ve suspected a performance like this has been coming for this Longhorn team for quite some time, which is why I’ve had them a little bit lower than others. Make no mistake: top six in the SEC is still good for a top-15 team overall, but some of the games on the Longhorn schedule are beginning to look a lot more intimidating after that performance.

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