This week’s SEC Power Rankings see Florida hit rock bottom, Missouri opens some eyes and Auburn in line to play spoiler.
We are now in the home stretch of the 2017 college football season. The College Football Playoff picture is really starting to emerge. While not all conferences are as lucky, the SEC has potentially three programs that could punch their ticket into the playoff. As many as two could punch playoff tickets simultaneously.
Those three programs are the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (9-0), the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) and the No. 10 Auburn Tigers (7-2). Georgia has already clinched the SEC East but has two more conference games left in Kentucky at Auburn. Alabama has two SEC West rivals left in the No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-2) and Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Auburn has to play Georgia and Alabama, possibly Georgia again if the Tigers win the SEC West.
Heading into Week 11, the SEC has five of the top 25 teams in the eyes of the College Football Playoff Committee: Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State and the No. 24 LSU Tigers (6-3). However, after those five programs, it gets pretty bad, pretty quickly in the SEC.
With the season winding down, let’s do our due diligence and attempt to power rank the SEC heading into Week 11. The top is as good as the middle is bland as the bottom is bad. So let’s do this thing!
My how the Florida Gators have fallen. Since beating the SEC East rival Tennessee Volunteers on a fluke Hail Mary, this Florida has cratered most catastrophically. Florida has lost four straight SEC games and needs to win out to be bowl eligible. Too bad the Gators have already fired former head coach Jim McElwain three years into the job.
Interim head coach Randy Shannon is providing zero inspiration in a lost season. Florida may not win a game the rest of the year. The Gators just got ear-holed by the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, 45-16. If Florida thinks it is still an elite job, Gator Nation doesn’t get it. This program looks worse than it did during the end of the Will Muschamp era and that’s saying something.
It’s about time for Bret Bielema to exit stage right from his post in Fayetteville. He has no credibility as a good SEC coach. His Arkansas Razorbacks almost lost to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at home. The Hogs probably aren’t winning their last three games if we’re being honest.
Those games would be at No. 24 LSU for the Battle of the Golden Boot, home versus a top-25 Mississippi State team and an emerging rivalry game with a surprisingly surging Missouri team in the Battle Line. There’s no reason Arkansas needs to give Bielema a sixth year. His Hogs are getting slaughtered most weeks in SEC play. It needs to stop.