SEC Week 6 power rankings: Bulldogs back on top as other preseason favorites fade
16. Arkansas
The Hogs ketp it much closer against Tennessee than most expected, but Razorback heartbreak was alwasy going to be on the menu in this one. A late punt by Ryan Silverfield's team when the game was tied ended up leading to a Volunteer victory, keeping Arkansas at the bottom of the heap.
15. Vanderbilt
The Commodores got well and truly smacked by Ole Miss in their contest up in Nashville. They've been competitive more often than the Hogs have been, but they're dangerously close to sinking below Arkansas if they put out another performance like that.
14. Auburn
The Tigers had an off week and got to watch Georgia and Alabama beat each other up, not to mention Florida and LSU getting smacked down. A successful hate watch week for the Tigers precedes a wakeup call in the form of a trip to Athens— we'll see what Golesh has up his sleeve for this one.
13. Tennessee
The Vols' close escape has them tumbling a few spots in this ranking, down from 11th last week. Despite Heupel's specialty being offense, it's the defense that is carrying this team so far this year— but they won't go too far without figuring out a way to be two-dimensional.
12. Texas
There's a clear issue in Austin right now with the offense, which is far less than the sum of its highly-paid parts. The real worry should be the defense, who, though they've assembled generally impressive numbers, has done so in conference against two of the worst offenses in the SEC.
11. Oklahoma
This was a win that Venables badly needed, and it could provide a lot of momentum for them. Kentucky is red-hot at the moment, so OU coming home and taking them down would no doubt boost them into the top 25, even if I'm still a little skeptical on their potential right now.
10. Florida
No one saw Florida's breakout coming, and no one saw this fall-off coming, either. The Gators are all of a sudden in the ditch but will have to figure something out ahead of a trip to Austin. If they can get Jadan Baugh going again, they'll be in fine shape.
9. Texas A&M
Speaking of nonfunctional offenses, the Aggies looked worse than ever against Missouri. They have a bit of a respite against the Citadel this week, but a trip to Tuscaloosa looms large— the defense is playing admirably in recent weeks, but without anything to build on on the other side of the ball, they can only do so much.
8. South Carolina
I think this is the South Carolina team everyone anticipated seeing in the offseason— the only question is whether Beamer's team can sustain this level of play. This is the kind of victory that gives you momentum heading into the bye, and they're fortunate to get Tennessee on the other side of the Alabama game in two weeks: we could be seeing another late surge by this squad.
7. LSU
Lane Kiffin's Tigers have not only come back down to earth, they've practically crash-landed. Losing in overtime to Kentucky on the road is enough to all but completely quash their playoff hopes with Alabama still on the schedule (though they do get that one at home).
6. Kentucky
The Wildcats are riding very high at 5-1 right now, though two overtime wins in a row by one point each is enough reason for skepticism as to future results. A trip to Norman will help prove just how good this offense actually is.
5. Mississippi State
The Bulldogs were on a bye this week as they prepare for a trip down to LSU. Kamario Taylor struggled against pressure in the Alabama game, and that's where LSU specializes, so this will be an intriguing matchup— one that could turn into quite the barn-burner.
4. Ole Miss
The Rebels took Vanderbilt to the woodshed, which helped get some of the stench off from the Florida loss two weeks ago. Their game against Missouri this weekend at home is one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend, but it's been relegated to the SEC Network for some reason.
3. Missouri
The Tigers looked human on offense for quite a while against the Aggies before breaking open some things late, but their defense looked stellar for much of the day. Ole Miss can challenge them a lot more downfield than could the Aggies, though, so this is a pivotal road trip for their suddenly-bright Playoff hopes.
2. Alabama
Keelon Russell and this Tide offense struggled mightily against Kirby Smart's defense, but that's true of just about everyone the Bulldogs play. The Tide have games at Tennessee and home against A&M before the bye, where they should be 7-1, with their eyes on a rematch with Smart's crew in Atlanta.
1. Georgia
The Bulldogs have retaken their spot atop the power rankings and the AP Poll. It wasn't a pretty win in many ways, but it was maybe the most impressive of any team yet this year— this is looking like a team that can cruise to 12-0, with their toughest remaining matchup being on the road in Oxford.
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