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SEC Football: Week 13 power rankings

By John Buhler

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
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; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats kicker Austin McGinnis (99) reacts along side wide receiver Kynan Smith (42) after scoring the game winning field goal against the Louisville Cardinals during the second quarter at Papa John
Nov 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats kicker Austin McGinnis (99) reacts along side wide receiver Kynan Smith (42) after scoring the game winning field goal against the Louisville Cardinals during the second quarter at Papa John /

Five-loss teams

While it was a down year for the SEC collectively, 2016 did see six of the seven SEC East teams achieve bowl eligibility, including three that didn’t qualify in 2015. One of the SEC East teams that broke through this season were the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky went 7-5 (4-4) this season and beat in-state rival Louisville on a last second field goal on Saturday. Mark Stoops has done a phenomenal job of recruiting and building this football program. Kentucky is a tough out every week the Wildcats play.

The Wildcats achieved bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010 and beat a former College Football Playoff contender in the Louisville Cardinals. This program is definitely heading in the right direction under Stoops. He is no longer on the hot seat in Lexington.

This is what you signed up for, Bulldog Nation. Georgia fired long-time head coach Mark Richt after Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate last season despite winning nine regular season games. The Bulldogs stumbled to 7-5 in 2016 under first-year head coach Kirby Smart.

Blowing a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter to in-state rival Georgia Tech was humiliating on Saturday. However with a roster full of underclassmen, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

Georgia is bowl-eligible and can get better during bowl practices. Defensively, this team is getting there, but the offense is too inconsistent to be more than a middle of the pack team in a weak SEC in 2016.

If any head coach is on the hot seat in the SEC entering the holidays, wouldn’t it have to be Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema? Arkansas lost the Battle Line Rivalry on the road to the worst team in the SEC in Missouri. The Razorbacks should be at least two wins better than 7-5 (3-5).

Bielema continues to get outcoached in the SEC. That is terrifying, as the SEC has never had a worse collection of head coaches. Who is No. 2 to Nick Saban, honestly? Jim McElwain? It should be Bielema who once took the Wisconsin Badgers to three straight Rose Bowls.

The Arkansas defense doesn’t stop anybody. At times, the offense completely evaporates for the Hogs. Bielema won’t get the axe this year, but pigs get feed and hogs get slaughtered. Bielama has to enter the 2017 college football season on the hot seat.

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