SEC Football: Week 13 power rankings

By John Buhler | Nov 28, 2016

Nov 12, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron celebrates with tight end Caleb Roddy (85) after a Tigers touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. LSU won 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nov 26, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Derek Mason is dumped with Gatorade following a win over Tennessee Volunteers at Vanderbilt Stadium. Vanderbilt won 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Six-loss teams

While they were absolutely boat raced against arch rival Clemson on Saturday night, the South Carolina Gamecocks did the impossible by achieving bowl eligibility under new head coach Will Muschamp in 2016.

South Carolina achieved its crucial sixth win in Week 12 by beating the Western Carolina Catamounts. For most of 2016, the Gamecocks played competitively on defense to make bowl eligibility a reality as opposed to a fairy tale in Columbia.

Darius Rucker is going to play that show in Columbia like he talked about. South Carolina can feel proud about the success of its football team in 2016. Muschamp seems to have this program heading in the right direction. Another strong recruiting class could have the Gamecocks in the mix to win the SEC East in a few seasons.

Saturday night in Nashville featured one of the best efforts in college football this season. Needing a win at home against the No. 17 in-state rival Tennessee Volunteers, the Vanderbilt Commodores played their hearts out to win 45-34 to achieve bowl eligibility at 6-6.

Vanderbilt wanted it more than Tennessee and this program is starting make some noise under third year head coach Derek Mason. The Commodores are looking more like the Stanford Cardinal with a great running game and a smash-mouth defense. Despite being a school with tough academic standards, this is one of the most physical teams in the SEC. Mason seems to have been the right hire.

The Commodores will lose two key players in linebacker Zach Cunningham and running back Ralph Webb to the 2017 NFL Draft. However, big wins in the SEC over rivals Georgia, Ole Miss, and Tennessee have the Commodores bowling for the first time in the Mason era in Nashville.

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