Tennessee spoiling Kentucky’s dream season leads to a big shake-up in this week’s SEC power rankings where Alabama and Georgia remain 1-2.
Credit the top of the SEC for handling their business in routine fashion this week. Alabama blanked Mississippi State at home 24-0. Georgia defended their home field with a 27-10 victory over Auburn. LSU had some trouble at Arkansas, but they emerged with a 24-17 win.
In sharp contrast, Kentucky’s dreams of joining the SEC elite came crashing down in spectacular fashion in Knoxville. The Wildcats haven’t won at Tennessee since 1984, but many people believed this was their year to break the ugly streak. Instead, Mark Stoops’ team laid an absolute egg in a 24-7 loss to the Volunteers.
The other big loser of the week was South Carolina. They looked ready to get a big win in Gainesville until Florida overcame a 17 point deficit in the second half. The loss dropped Will Muschamp’s team to a completely average mark of 5-4 overall and 4-4 in the SEC.
We’ll start this week’s power rankings with a team who would do anything to have a respectable record.
If you believe in moral victories, Arkansas hanging with LSU surely qualifies. There haven’t been many bright moments for Chad Morris’ team this year, but Saturday gave Arkansas fans glimpses of hope for the program. The Razorbacks’ rushing defense deserves credit for keeping this game close. They limited the Tigers to just 164 yards on 48 attempts. Unfortunately, Arkansas only ran for 16 yards on 19 carries. That was the difference between a near miss and a massive upset for the Hogs.
Vanderbilt’s hopes for bowl eligibility are on life support after a narrow loss at Missouri. The Commodores record now stands at an ugly 4-6 overall, and a hideous SEC mark of 1-5. Derek Mason’s team has to win out to make the postseason.
The effort in Columbia was a clear sign that Vanderbilt is still fighting. They had the ball with a chance to win as the clock expired. Unfortunately, Kyle Shurmur’s final pass couldn’t find a friendly receiver for the ggame-winningscore.
Don’t place the blame on Shurmur though. He was excellent in this one. He threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Vanderbilt just needed someone else on the roster to make one more winning play. Instead, they came away just short.