College football conference power rankings: Week 13

Nov 19, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau (13) celebrates a rushing touchdown by running back Phillip Lindsay (23) (background) in the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes defeated the Cougars 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA /

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Nov 19, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain celebrates the win over the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. The Gators defeat the Tigers 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

2. SEC

It’s a down year by the SEC’s lofty standards, as no team outside of No. 1 Alabama has really proven to be great. Still, it’s hard to drop the conference below second when it features the runaway favorite for the national title.

Many of the top SEC programs enjoyed a traditional late-season cupcake week, including the Crimson Tide, who rolled past Chattanooga. The fact that Alabama is a 20-point favorite in a rivalry game against a top 15 Auburn team says it all about how dominant the Crimson Tide have been in 2016.

There were a couple of important games in the SEC on Saturday, most notably No. 23 Florida’s 16-10 win over No. 16 LSU in a makeup of a contest originally postponed by Hurricane Matthew. Jim McElwain has done an impressive job guiding the Gators to the SEC East title, as his squad is dealing with countless injuries and was a huge underdog in Death Valley.

If Florida can somehow pull off the extreme longshot miracle of beating Florida State and Alabama in back-to-back weeks, it will sneak into the playoff. LSU had a tough week beyond the loss, as it will now play second fiddle to Texas in the coaching carousel should it decide Ed Orgeron is not the man for the job.

While it will be disappointed to fall short of the East crown, No. 19 Tennessee has a good shot at nine wins in the regular season after trouncing Missouri. South Carolina also reached bowl eligibility this week, an impressive accomplishment under first-year head coach Will Muschamp, but there weren’t many positive developments elsewhere in the SEC.

No. 25 Texas A&M, Georgia, Kentucky and Arkansas all looked sluggish against far weaker opponents. One of the worst losses in Week 13 outside of the state of Texas belonged to Ole Miss, which gave up 38 points to Vanderbilt to fall to 5-6 on the season.

The SEC is far behind the Big Ten at this point, but the strength of Alabama keeps it in the second spot.

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