SEC power rankings, Week 6: Auburn continues to impress with Bo Nix

The SEC power rankings entering Week 6 sees Alabama remain in the top spot but their in-state rival, Auburn, continues to impress behind freshman quarterback Bo Nix.

Tennessee did not play in Week 5, meaning they did not have the opportunity to disappoint. That likely will not be the case this week; they face No.3 Georgia in Knoxville and will be praised if they can even keep it close.

The Commodores recorded their first win of the season on Saturday, but they still failed to impress in a 24-18 win against Northern Illinois. Their offense remains reliant on Ke’Shawn Vaughn and the running game. Vaughn recorded 138 yards and a touchdown. The running game as a whole recorded 189 yards on the ground. Quarterback Riley Neal had 189 yards through the air, with a touchdown. Balance can be good, but we need to see more from the passing game before we can be confident in a potential bowl game run. Vanderbilt has a good opportunity to prove themselves with a conference game against Ole Miss this week.

Kentucky continues to look lost without Terry Wilson leading their team. It took them 58 minutes to find the end zone and put points on the scoreboard in their Week 5 loss to South Carolina. Quarterback Sawyer Smith completed just 34 percent of his 32 passing attempts for 90 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. They will look to regroup during a much-needed week off. Then they head to Arkansas with their sights set on their first conference win of the season.

Arkansas took a big step forward in their Week 5 loss to Texas A&M. They fought the No. 23 Aggies hard in their annual appearance in Arlington. They went into the fourth quarter up 24-21 but fell just short; losing 31-27. Rakeem Boyd again proved to be the rock for their offense, rushing for 89 yards and catching two passes for a total of 99 yards. The Razorbacks are off this week but have a chance in Week 7 to make a statement while hosting a struggling Kentucky Wildcats team.

South Carolina refuses to quit on their season. They won 24-7 against Kentucky, bouncing back from a tough loss to Missouri. Their defense held Kentucky to just 212 total yards and forced two turnovers. Hillinski managed the game, completing 55 percent of his 27 passes for 140 yards and no turnovers. Instead, the offense focused on their running game. Clemson transfer Tavien Feaster ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. In a near-identical stat line, Rico Dowdle ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. The Gamecocks have a week off to prepare for their Week 7 trip to Athens. It will be an uphill battle to pull off an upset of No.3 Georgia, but this squad has fight.

Ole Miss had fans excited when Luke Logan put a 33-yard field goal through the uprights, it gave the Rebels an early 10-7 lead over No.2 Alabama. It was all downhill from there. Alabama outscored them 51-21 for the remainder of the game. With Matt Corral out, freshmen John Rhys Plumlee led the offense against the Crimson Tide. He put together a noble effort, totaling 250 total yards, including 109 on the ground, and three touchdowns. The Rebels defense, though, allowed 575 total yards, 418 through the air. Their season will face a big pulse check in Week 6 when they host a struggling Vanderbilt team. They need a win to continue to be considered a middle-tier SEC team.

Mississippi State’s early-season momentum came to a screeching halt with their 56-23 Week 5 loss to Auburn. Their offense looked decent and gained developed over the course of the game, led by Garrett Shrader. The freshmen quarterback threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns while running for another 89 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Their defense looked overwhelmed, though. They allowed 580 yards; 219 on the ground and 361 through the air. They have a week off to prepare for a trip to Knoxville, which should allow them to get their season back on track.

The Aggies again leave us wanting more. They just escaped with a 31-27 victory over an Arkansas team they should have dominated. They could not get their running game going, they totaled just 90 yards on the ground, 33 of which quarterback Kellen Mond was responsible for. Mond, though, bailed out their offense. He completed 65 percent of his 35 attempts for 251 yards and three touchdowns. Mond is seriously talented, but he can only take this team so far on his own. They have an off week to prepare for their Week 7 game against Alabama. If they can use their home-field advantage to pull off an upset, it would have colossal implications for the way the SEC plays out this season.

Missouri had the week off after controlling their Week 5 game against South Carolina. They should look equally comfortable this week as they host Troy. As we have seen already this season, though, we cannot assume wins for the Tigers.

It may have been against an FCS team, but we finally saw a glimpse of what Florida’s offense can be.

Towson University, a top-ranked FCS team, put together a strong drive early against Florida. From that point on, it was all Gators. Kyle Trask completed 90 percent of his 20 passing attempts for two touchdowns and 188 yards. We also got to see Emory Jones in action. The highly touted dual-threat quarterback completed six of eight passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, he also ran once for 29 yards. Dameon Pierce ran the ball six times for 84 yards and a touchdown. Lamical Perine also ran the ball six times, but only totaled 16 yards.

Florida will play in the 3:30 SEC primetime slot against Auburn in the conference’s game of the week. The winner of this match-up will be considered a top contender to pull off a run at the SEC title game.

Auburn impresses me more each team they take the field. They dominated a good Mississippi State team in their 56-23 victory on Saturday.

Their offense continues to evolve as the season goes on. Freshmen phenom Bo Nix looks drastically more comfortable in the pocket and throwing the ball downfield, compared to his Week 1 debut against Oregon. He completed 76 percent of his 21 passing attempts for 335 yards and two touchdowns against the Bulldogs. He also ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Running back JaTarvious Whitlow found the end zone three times, and for the fourth straight week.

Auburn heads to the swamp to take on Florida in Week 6. A victory on the road would be their third statement win of the season and would force us to consider them legitimate SEC West title threats.

LSU was idle in Week 5, following a dominant performance against Vanderbilt the week prior. They should handle their Week 6 noon game just as easily. They host Utah State, a Mountain West squad.

Georgia earned their Week 5 week off, after beating No.7 Notre Dame 23-17 in the premier game of Week 4. They now travel to Rocky Top in what should be the first of a series of dominate SEC East performances.

The Crimson Tide continue to dominate opponents who are no match for their high power air attack. Tua Tagovailoa’s 418 passing yards and six touchdowns highlight an Alabama offense committed to pushing the ball downfield and challenging the way they have won past championships. wide receiver Devonta Smith, who is often forgotten, proved that the depth of talent in their receiving corps. has no end. The player considered the fourth-best wideout on the team caught 11 balls for 274 yards and five touchdowns. Alabama is off this week and will set their eyes on their Week 7 trip to College Station.

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