It was Cupcake Week in the SEC so there wasn’t a lot of movement in the SEC power rankings except for Ole Miss, Arkansas and Tennessee.
The drama in the SEC this week was all at the bottom of the conference. While the majority of the top teams in the league enjoyed matchups against non-conference cupcakes, there was real drama at the bottom of the standings.
In particular, Missouri and Vanderbilt did a lot to raise their stock. The Tigers sauntered into Knoxville and beat Tennessee to a pulp. No one was shocked to see Missouri come out with a win, but dominating the game en route to a 50-17 final score certainly raised some eyebrows.
Vanderbilt got a huge home win against Ole Miss to increase their chances of achieving bowl eligibility. It wasn’t a work of art for Derek Mason’s squad, but the final result was all that mattered. The Commodores still need one more win to make a bowl, but knocking off the Rebels puts them in great shape to extend their season.
We start our power rankings this week in a familiar spot. There were no surprises in Starkville on Saturday.
Arkansas fans have to be in a hurry for this season to reach its merciful conclusion. The Razorbacks weren’t anywhere close to competing with Mississippi State on Saturday. Chad Morris may need multiple seasons to acquire enough talent to make his squad a decent SEC team.
The problems start at quarterback. Trevor Storey continues to struggle mightily in Morris’ system. He only managed to throw for 137 yards with an interception in this one. The rushing game wasn’t much better. The Bulldogs’ physical front held Arkansas to just 69 yards on 35 carries in this one. Basketball season is a welcome arrival for fans in Fayetteville.
Tennessee fans thought their program was gaining momentum after knocking off Kentucky last week, but Missouri emphatically ended those notions on Saturday. Turnovers certainly didn’t help the Volunteers stay with the Tigers. Keller Chryst took over for an injured Jarrett Guarantano and threw two costly interceptions. Carlin Fils-aime also put the ball on the ground for a fumble that turned into a touchdown for Missouri. There wasn’t really anything positive for Jeremy Pruitt and his staff to take away from this game. The Vols now desperately need to beat Vanderbilt if they want to achieve bowl eligibility.