Week 7 SEC power rankings: Longhorns fall towards the basement; Georgia remains top dawg despite loss
16. Vanderbilt
The Commodores won their first three games of the year, but have gone 0-4 in conference since— now losing to what was considered up until this point to be the worst team in the SEC. They have to venture on the road to take on a red-hot Kentucky team, who is all of a sudden angling for a Playoff spot in Will Stein's first year.
15. Arkansas
The Hogs finally got one. It may be their only conference win of the year, with games against Missouri, Auburn, South Carolina, Texas, and LSU still left on the docket, but it's something for Ryan Silverfield to build on— even if it was over Vanderbilt.
14. Texas
The vibes couldn't possibly be lower in Austin right now. They are 0-2 coming out of their bye week, and are only a couple of bounces away from having started the season 2-4; they have to face Ole Miss and Mississippi State at home before a two-game road trip to Missouri and LSU. There are at least two, if not three, more losses on this slate right now for the Longhorns.
13. Oklahoma
The Sooners briefly soared with their win over Texas, but were brought right back down to earth with a loss to Kentucky. They have a showdown in Starkville with a banged-up Mississippi State team this week, but they have to actually score points to be able to win games— a hard prospect to consider right now.
12. Florida
The Gators got a win on the road in Austin behind a breakout performance for Tramell Jones, but the embarrassing losses to Missouri and South Carolina are still lingering. They have an off week before they take on Georgia on Halloween, so we'll see if the proof of concept can extend out that far.
11. Auburn
Auburn got as significant a win as they've had in a decade with their triumph over Georgia this week— the first time winning in Athens since 2005. All the numbers say they shouldn't have, but a win is a win— we'll see if they can parlay that into a win over LSU this week.
10. Mississippi State
With Kamario Taylor and Fluff Bothwell, this is a much different team, but getting shut out in Death Valley off of a bye is a bad look no matter what. We'll see how State looks once they get those two back, but with OU and Texas coming up next, it will be a tough row to hoe.
9. Texas A&M
The Aggies did what they needed to do against The Citadel, but a road game against Alabama looms this week. The Tide certainly look more vulnerable than they did previously, but A&M has yet to win a road game— or even look competitive in one— this year.
8. Missouri
Missouri had to eat a little bit of humble pie this week against the Rebels, but their Playoff dreams are still alive— if only slightly. The elephant in the room is a trip to Athens later this year, but if they can navigate that, they could well make the 12-team field.
7. Ole Miss
Ole Miss is slowly starting to rebuild some momentum following that embarrassing result in Gainesville, but their win over LSU just looks better and better. If they can deliver the killing blow to Texas this week, their national status should take another jump— but Georgia looms a few games afterwards.
6. Tennessee
Tennessee should, by rights, be 6-0 right now and one of the top teams in the country had they made a QB switch earlier in the year. They have a huge trap game spot coming up with a trip to South Carolina this weekend before the bye, but then they host three of their last four games— but with two of those three being LSU and Kentucky, it won't be easy.
5. South Carolina
Beamer's squad had a much-needed week off, but they have a heck of a task against Tennessee this week. Which LaNorris Sellers will we see take the field— the one from the Alabama game, or the one from the Florida game?
4. Alabama
Alabama's offense all of a sudden looks mortal again, but in fairness, they were missing Ryan Coleman-Williams this past week. They are going to look to get back on track against Texas A&M headed into the bye— but they open November in Death Valley, which won't help matters.
3. LSU
The Tigers will get a chance to conquer their road demons with a trip to Auburn this weekend— LSU has lost both of their first two road games under Kiffin, so if they falter here, it will constitute a worrying trend. November will tell the story, though, with a contest against Alabama and a trip to Tennessee on the docket.
2. Kentucky
Kentucky is one of the hottest teams in the country right now, and they will look to hold onto that momentum with a game against Vanderbilt this weekend. From there, they have to navigate games against Tennessee, Florida, and Missouri before the rivalry game against Louisville. They can handle one more loss in that bunch and still make the playoff— watch their candidacy closely.
1. Georgia
I get it, I get it, but there's more flukishness about the loss to Auburn than some would like to admit. It won't look good on their resume, but the Bulldogs will have plenty more chances to impress down the stretch of the schedule here.
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