SEC power rankings, Week 6: Alabama, Georgia dominate in big tests and LSU gets right
Alabama and Georgia dominated in the biggest tests on Saturday, pushing the cream to the top of the SEC power rankings entering Week 6.
The SEC welcomed back all 14 teams two weeks ago but, truth be told, the conference didn’t really get things rolling until last week. With two matchups between top-15 teams in the country, that was always going to be the case. And that was furthered by the fact that other teams who suffered a loss in their openers had opportunities to bounce back.
After two weeks of SEC play, however, there is very little certainty about the hierarchy. It’s clear that Alabama, Georgia and Florida — in whatever order you please — sit at the top. But for the 11 teams behind them, things are a bit more difficult to decipher. Yet, that’s the task at hand.
These are how the 2020 SEC power rankings shake out entering Week 6 of the college football season now that every team in the conference has two games in the books.
Week 5 Result: Loss to Tennessee, 35-12 | Week 6: at LSU
After losing to Alabama in the season-opener, Missouri had to hope for at least a more respectable showing as they went on the road to Knoxville on Saturday. Instead, they were dominated on both sides of the ball. If this defense can’t stop the run and if newly-appointed starting quarterback, Connor Bazelak, can’t get the offense sparked, the Tigers are in trouble this year.
Week 5 Result: Loss to LSU, 41-7 | Week 6: vs. South Carolina
Freshman quarterback Ken Seals and Vanderbilt were getting plenty of love as potentially being better than expected after only losing by five against Texas A&M. But after getting lambasted by LSU to the tune of a 34-point loss, that’s not the case. The Commodores are clearly problematic and their opener may say more about the Aggies than Derek Mason’s club.
Week 5 Result: Loss to Florida, 38-24 | Week 6 at Vanderbilt
Playing Tennessee close in their first game of the year looks better after the Week 5 action in the SEC but, at the same time, what Collin Hill and the Gamecocks offense were able — or, rather, unable — to do against a Florida defense that looked vulnerable is a bit damning. If this is what we can expect from South Carolina, they may catch one team sleeping but certainly not multiple.
Week 5 Result: Loss to Ole Miss, 42-41 | Week 6: vs. Mississippi State
Mark Stoops’ Wildcats played Auburn closer than the final score in Week 4 would indicate and then took Ole Miss to overtime before falling again. That does speak highly of the potential that Kentucky has but it also leaves them sitting at 2-0. Again, this offensive line and defense are solid and the run game looked good against the Rebels but they also have a wholly defined ceiling as a team.
Week 5 Result: Win over Mississippi State, 21-14 | Week 6: at Auburn
Just when you thought Arkansas was going to struggle when they blew a 7-5 lead at halftime against Georgia only to lose by 27, the Razorbacks came back with a huge game. Sam Pittman had the answer for the Mike Leach offense and Feleipe Franks played a good enough game to get the Hogs by. They now have a recipe to win and look better for it.
Week 5 Result: Loss to Alabama, 52-24 | Week 6: vs. Florida
For anyone thinking that Texas A&M was going to be one of the best teams in the SEC this season, Saturday was a sobering wake-up call. Kellen Mond remains uninspiring, especially in big games, and the albeit talented defense had no answers for what Alabama threw at them. Granted, Bama might be the best college football has to offer but Jimbo Fisher’s team didn’t look even close to that level.
Week 5 Result: Loss to Arkansas, 21-14 | Week 6: at Kentucky
Fans in Starkville are being treated to the full Mike Leach experience. He’s the exact type of coach who is going to do things like rack up 40-plus points against LSU but then follows that immediately with a loss to a team perceived to be one of the worst in the conference. Mississippi State is going to be fun under Leach and with K.J. Costello but having them at No. 5 last week as an overreaction.
Week 5 Result: Loss to Georgia, 27-6 | Week 6: vs. Arkansas
There were high hopes for Bo Nix in his second year as Auburn’s starting quarterback but he appeared to be a way off from meeting them when up against Georgia. The Tigers struggled mightily in this matchup to win in the trenches on either side of the ball and the offense was stagnant for much of the game. If Auburn is going to make serious noise, they need to be better in all phases.
Week 5 Result: Win over Kentucky, 42-41 | Week 6: vs. Alabama
If nothing else, Lane Kiffin is going to have Ole Miss putting up some serious points this season. The defense is undoubtedly a problem as they allowed a mediocre Kentucky offense to put up 41 points on them. That will likely limit the Rebels’ ceiling. However, they should be one of the most exciting teams in the conference and definitely have the firepower to put a scare into some of the top teams in the SEC.
Week 5 Result: Win over Vanderbilt, 41-7 | Week 6: vs. Missouri
While LSU may be coming in at No. 5, there is still a decisive tier above them while they are jumbled together with several teams. In any case, the defending champion Tigers went on the road and looked dominant against Auburn. A good team should do that but, given what Myles Brennan and this team looked like in a season-opening loss, there was no evidence they were a good team before this past week.
Week 5 Result: Win over Missouri, 35-12 | Week 6: at Georgia
Tennessee may not win many style points in the 2020 season but Jeremy Pruitt’s team is going to win a ton of games this year based on what they do. This is one of the best offensive lines in the country playing opposite a defense that is improving by the game. With the run game and defense, they may not win the SEC but they are going to be in every single game.
Week 5 Result: Win over South Carolina, 38-24 | Week 6: at Texas A&M
Kyle Trask undeniably looks like the real deal at this point, now having thrown 10 touchdowns in just two games. I still have my concerns about how their defense will fare in some games but, with what the Gators have shown to this point, they have the offensive firepower to compete with any team in the SEC and, maybe, the rest of the country.
Week 5 Result: Win over Auburn, 27-6 | Week 6: vs. Tennessee
Georgia jumps back up to the No. 2 spot in the SEC power rankings because they found a quarterback. Stetson Bennett IV may not be a world-beater but he’s looked good in six quarters of action. More importantly, the Bulldogs defense has been lights-out, holding Arkansas and Auburn to a combined 16 points through two games. It may have been a rocky first two quarters of the 2020 season but the Dawgs are here to challenge atop the conference.
Week 5 Result: Win over Alabama, 52-24 | Week 6: at Ole Miss
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Alabama might be the best team in college football. Mac Jones doesn’t look like another mediocre quarterback but, instead, like an absolute stud who can take advantage of all the weapons at his disposal. Couple that with a playmaking defense and the Crimson Tide are going to be tough for anyone in the SEC to top this season.
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