1. SEC
With the best team in the nation by far and six ranked squads overall, the SEC remains the top conference in the land through eight weeks.
Alabama’s grip on the top spot only gained strength this week, as the Crimson Tide defense simply looks unbeatable. Texas A&M dropped just three spots in the polls with the 19-point loss in Tuscaloosa and actually led the Crimson Tide in the third quarter. The Aggies can still claim the title of second-best team in the SEC and have the ability to win out and reach the New Year’s Six.
No. 19 LSU is the team to watch in the SEC following an impressive 38-21 win over a talented Ole Miss squad. The Tigers have set offensive school records in every game since Ed Orgereon took over, and should test the Crimson Tide in two weeks if Leonard Fournette can keep playing this well.
Auburn also owns four straight wins and is all the way up to No. 15 in the AP ranking after dominating Arkansas from start to finish in a 56-3 beatdown. While the Tigers probably aren’t good enough to win the Iron Bowl on the road, the defense is playing at its highest level in years and the creative spark is finally back in Gus Malzahn’s offense.
No. 15 Florida and No. 17 Tennessee, the two best teams in the East, each had a much-needed week off. The Volunteers have the more favorable schedule and are in good shape to reach the SEC title game despite countless injuries to key players.
Somehow, Kentucky is in sole possession of second place of the SEC East with Saturday’s win over Mississippi State and is actually having a quietly decent season at 4-3. Vanderbilt is in a similar position at 4-4 and has a good chance of making a bowl game, which would be huge for head coach Derek Mason in year three.
There are some really bad teams in the SEC like Missouri (who dropped an ugly one to Middle Tennessee State), South Carolina and Mississippi State. Even so, the depth at the top and in the middle makes the SEC the top conference in the land.