SEC power rankings: Should LSU be ranked above Alabama?

SEC power rankings entering Week 8 see Georgia and Florida reeling after losses while LSU makes their case to be ranked in front of Alabama.

Vanderbilt has had a season of lows, but this week was their season-low. The Commodores remain stuck in neutral with their quarterback battle. Neither starter Riley Neal or Deuce Wallace, who came in the game in relief, proved they deserved to be leading the offense. UNLV (2-4) has no business competing with Vanderbilt, but they came into Nashville and racked up 378 yards in their 34-10 victory.

Arkansas played hard in Week 7 but was outlasted by Kentucky. Rakeem Boyd, once again, put his team on his back. He scored twice while rushing for 134 yards on just 15 carries. Both Nick Starkel and Ben Hicks saw time as the offense’s chief play-caller. Their defense, though, could not hold up against a beat-up Wildcats team; they allowed 421 yards.

The Volunteers need this win. They came to play in front of an energized Neyland Stadium crowd and controlled Mississippi State along the way to a 20-10 victory. Tennessee’s defense held the Bulldogs to just 267 yards and forced three turnovers. Senior Daniel Bituli led the way with seven total tackles. Senior Nigel Warrior had four tackles along with an interception. This was a key win for the Vols, whose next game will be against Alabama. The team appears to have flipped a switch since changing to Brian Maurer as their starting quarterback. Head coach Jeremy Pruitt is hoping this momentum will continue.

Kentucky came away with a win in a gut-check game against the Razorbacks. It was the first time they have who without Terry Wilson as their starter and their first win since Week 2. It was their new starting quarterback, Lynn Bowden Jr., who led them to victory. He threw for 78 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 196 yards and two touchdowns. There is reason to believe this dynamic playmaker could help propel Kentucky to a bowl game.

Ole Miss played well in a game they were outmatched in, but ultimately their defense could not hold up to the Missouri offense. John Rhys Plumlee gave their offense the spark that Matt Corral has been unable to consistently provide. He found the end zone twice threw the air and twice on the ground. Their defense, however, allowed 563 yards to Mizzou and allowed 23 points in the third quarter that was too much to overcome.

It is a tale of two teams this season for Mississippi State. This week, we got a disappointing version of their team. It took them four quarters to find the end zone against a Tennessee team that had not previously won a game against a non-FCS team this season. Neither Tommy Stevens nor Garrett Shrader could get the offense going; they combined for three interceptions. Perhaps the most shocking was that their star tailback Kylin Hill was held to just 13 yards on 11 carries.

This week was supposed to belong to the winner of LSU and Florida. The Gamecocks stole their headlines with their wild 20-17 double-overtime defeat of Georgia. The South Carolina offense appears much more efficient under the care of quarterback Ryan Hilinski, they also responded when he left the game early with an injury. Their defense, however, was the key to victory. They forced three interceptions against Jake Fromm. The star Bulldogs quarterback had previously not thrown a single interception this season. South Carolina gets a huge bump for opening up the SEC East to chaos. Now, let’s see if they can ride this momentum into a wild run at division contention.

The Aggies’ schedule once again has gotten the best of them. Kellen Mond led Texas A&M to the end zone for the game’s first score. After that, though, it was all Alabama. Mond played well, throwing for 264 yards and rushing for another 90, combining for three touchdowns. The Alabama offense looked much better, though. The Aggies allowed 448 yards total, with 293 of them coming through the air. The Aggies have now lost to Clemson, Auburn, and Alabama. They get a chance to get hot with upcoming games against Ole Miss, Mississippi State, UTSA and South Carolina.

Auburn is coming off a BYE following their tough loss to Florida in the Swamp. They will get the chance to ease back into SEC play with a Week 8 match-up against Arkansas.

Mizzou has quietly won their last five games including their 38-27 week 7 victory at home against Ole Miss. Kelly Bryant continues to manage the offense well, throwing for 329 yards and one touchdown, with 110 of those yards being pulled in by Johnathon Johnson. Larry Rountree III ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Missouri should continue rolling as they head to Nashville and then Lexington to play back to back weeks against less than intimidating SEC east foes.

The Gators’ hopes at an SEC title came crashing back down to Earth after losing 42-28 against LSU. Florida’s staple has. once again, been their defense this season. They looked completely overwhelmed by Joe Burrow and the LSU offense, though. LSU racked up 512 yards on the Gators. Florida also failed to force a turnover from the Tigers. The team teams went into halftime tied, but Florida couldn’t play four quarters against LSU and was outscored 21-7 in the second half. The Gators head to Columbia to play a dangerous South Carolina team, hoping to not be the second team in a row to be upset by the Gamecocks.

Georgia had so many opportunities to win at home against an unranked Gamecocks team in Week 7. They took advantage of so little of those opportunities. The otherwise reliable Jake Fromm threw three interceptions on Saturday. Fromm now has three interceptions thrown all season. Georgia’s defense, known for creating chaos in the backfield, forced zero turnovers. Perhaps the deepest disappointment of all was when their king of consistency, kicker Rodrigo Blankenship missed a kick that ended their hopes of escaping with just s scare. Georgia can still win the SEC East, but this needs to be their wake-up call. They can not come out flat, they cannot underestimate any opponent, and they cannot lose the turnover battle again if they want to finish the season as the team that lived up to the lofty expectations they have put on themselves.

This is not your dad’s LSU Tigers team. These are the new LSU Tigers. The ones who have swagger, have been revitalized by Joe Brady’s offense, and shred one of the best defenses in the SEC for a decisive victory. Burrow dominated the Gators’ defense. He completed 87 percent of his 24 passing attempts for 293 yards and three touchdowns. Clyde Edwards-Halire also ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. LSU went possession for possession with Florida in the first half, but they never panicked. They played with a controlled mentality and a tempo that showed confidence in their game. Ultimately they outlasted their opponents. It is the mental fortitude and confidence which will give them the ability to beat Alabama.

Alabama continues to roll over any opponent they face. They dominated Texas A&M in College Station, coming away with a 47-28 victory on the road. Najee Harris led the way on the ground, running for 114 yards on 20 carries while catching three balls for 19 yards and a touchdown. Tagovailoa once again showed why he deserves to be both a Heisman candidate and a top NFL Draft prospect. He threw for 293 yards and four touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his 34 attempts. Alabama has two tune-up games against Tennessee and Arkansas before they showdown with LSU at home on Nov. 9.

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