Georgia looks good. Alabama looked good (in a loss). Missouri looks good. The Ole Miss Rebels were really impressive as they punished Vanderbilt for the simple crime of being good last year. All in all, it was a banner week for the SEC.
But I think the team that impressed me the most in Week 6 was Kentucky. Relative to expectation (and given that they’ve now demonstrated a repeated ability to take control of incredibly tricky circumstances late in games against conference opponents with really talented offenses), the Wildcats are punching above their weight and deserve all the recognition in the world.
Back-to-back one-point overtime wins against conference opponents? That’s something to enjoy, regardless of your affiliation. Unless it happened to your favorite team; then maybe don’t enjoy it.Â
But how high should it lift Will Stein's squad in our latest SEC power rankings? Let's get into it.
No. 16: Arkansas Razorbacks
Man, things just keep not working for the Razorbacks and Ryan Silverfield in his first season in Fayetteville. Even when it looks like they’re going to be able to take advantage of an underwhelming Tennessee team, the Vols escape and hand Arkansas a 24-17 loss.Â
With the Hogs now sitting at 2-4 on the season, they’ll need to turn things around in a hurry if they want to make it to a bowl game this season. The margin for error is non-existent at this point.
No. 15: Vanderbilt Commodores
Three straight losses. For a team that is 3-3, that probably doesn’t feel very good. Especially this most recent defeat: Commodore fans might be having flashbacks to rougher seasons after losing by 35 points against Ole Miss in a game that could have been even more lopsided had the Rebels wanted it to be. Luckily for them, Vandy gets the Razorbacks this weekend.Â
No. 14: Texas A&M Aggies
Look: Objectively speaking, losing to Kentucky, LSU and Missouri is hardly the worst thing in the world. But, I mean, losing to that collection of teams by a combined 60 points is probably not ideal when you began the year with Playoff hopes. Texas A&M fans probably aren’t too thrilled with the way their team keeps struggling relative to where it should be competing.
No. 13: Auburn Tigers
Hey, folks, Auburn really needed a bye week! Things haven’t been easy for Alex Golesh in the first half of his first season: Beating Baylor in Atlanta to start the year is starting to look a little better as the Bears enter Big 12 play, but that loss to Florida isn’t as permissible as it once was given that the Gators have somehow completely and totally imploded since crushing Ole Miss in Gainesville.Â
This team got a bye week and now gets the delightful honor of facing Georgia on Saturday. I’m sure there’s no way that game gets out of hand or ugly.
No. 12: Florida Gators
What on earth is this Florida team? What can we reasonably expect from the Gators in any given week? The potential is there, I’m not going to deny that; beating Ole Miss by 24 proves as much. But back-to-back deflating losses to Missouri and South Carolina (the latter of which is a mess of a team that prior to this week hadn’t been able to get out of its own way) is just not ideal.
No. 11: South Carolina Gamecocks
Good for you, South Carolina. Shane Beamer has to be absolutely thrilled that the hot seat cooled down a little bit following that 38-19 win over a ranked opponent. Which, I mean, Florida isn’t ranked anymore; the Gators are struggling a bit, as we’ve discussed.
But still, getting a 19-point win over a ranked at the time conference foe is certainly better than losing by seven points (like they did against Mississippi State after building a double-digit lead), losing by 31 points (like they did against Alabama) or by losing by one point in overtime (Kentucky is getting pretty good at that).
No. 10: Oklahoma Sooners
I’m not overly convinced that Oklahoma is a complete team. I’m not overly convinced that Oklahoma is good. What I am convinced of is that the Sooners have the distinct ability to drag you into the muck and make you make mistakes. And if you’re making mistakes, you might not survive.
Texas found that out in the Red River Rivalry. For Oklahoma fans, that win had to feel cathartic. Because even though the Sooners offense let them down again, Oklahoma was still able to win thanks to efficient, clean special teams play and a smothering defense that leveraged all of Arch Manning’s failures.
No. 9: Mississippi State Bulldogs
If Kamario Taylor and Fluff Bothwell are healthy, this team has the ability to really do something special on offense. If Taylor and Bothwell are still dinged up (as Bothwell was late in the win against Missouri and Taylor was in the loss against Alabama), then Jeff Lebby is going to have to get extra creative to keep this team rolling.
Because injuries are really starting to pile up for the Bulldogs (it’s not just Taylor and Bothwell; there are a ton of key defensive contributors hurt as well). And that’s a shame, as they’ve been one of the most fascinating teams to watch to start the season and it was really fun seeing entertaining football in Starkville again.Â
No. 8: Tennessee Volunteers
I don’t think I understand Tennessee just yet. Is that fair to say?
The Vols are just one win away from being able to compete in a bowl game. They’ve got a lot of talent. They’ve challenged teams like the Texas Longhorns. They’ve also struggled against the likes of Auburn (another team I can’t wrap my mind around) and the Arkansas Razorbacks (astonishingly horrible to watch).
They’re winning, though. That’s what matters. And Tennessee has got a game with Alabama coming up that will be fun to use as a barometer for how good the Vols actually are.
No. 7: LSU Tigers
Lane Kiffin isn’t having much fun away from Baton Rouge this season. The Tigers are dealing with some injury issues of their own (which will make this upcoming game against Mississippi State intriguing) and I’d be curious to know what Kiffin’s offense would look like if Sam Leavitt were fully healthy.Â
Still, losing to Ole Miss in Oxford and then losing to Kentucky in Lexington? That’s going to be something folks bring up when we get closer to seeding debates for the College Football Playoff. Assuming LSU is still in the race at that point, that is. A lot can change between now and then.
No. 6: Texas Longhorns
What’s going on with this offense? What’s going on with Arch’s decision-making process? What on Earth is happening to prevent the Longhorns from fully executing at the level that they’re supposed to be capable of?
The last couple minutes against Ohio State were so much fun to watch. The Longhorns survived a road trip to Tennessee, took a bye week ... and then somehow came out completely and totally rusty when facing Oklahoma in Dallas. The Sooners scored just once on offense and still managed to put 27 points on the board in a three-point win over the Longhorns. That’s alarming for a team this talented.
No. 5: Kentucky Wildcats
Will Stein deserves to be the SEC Coach of the Year. Go ahead and give him the award now. He’s bold; his offense is fun; he’s got Kentucky fans remembering that they too can have an exciting football team. One of the best stories of the season is happening in Lexington, and we need to sit back and enjoy it.
Kentucky now has back-to-back wins over conference opponents in overtime, and both have come by one point thanks to perfectly executed two-point conversion attempts. Again: The trophy is already his.
No. 4: Missouri Tigers
I personally think it’s silly that Missouri is ranked ahead of Mississippi State in the polls given that the former beat the latter and the Tigers’ best win is against a Florida team that is overwhelmingly underwhelming. That said, Mizzou has a solid bit of momentum working for them right now (and no real glaring injury issues or losses in the past couple weeks that I’m aware of).
Eli Drinkwitz will be given a golden opportunity to prove that his team is truly among the SEC’s best when they go to Oxford to meet up with the Rebels on Saturday.
No. 3: Ole Miss Rebels
That bye week after losing to Florida in deflating fashion came at just the right time for Ole Miss. This team was able to completely and totally respond to the 24-point beating in Gainesville by going to Nashville and getting a 35-point win over Vanderbilt. The Rebels have that aforementioned test with Missouri this weekend, but that game is back in Oxford and will certainly be one to pay attention to this weekend.
No. 2: Alabama Crimson Tide
So close, Alabama. So close. The Crimson Tide looked really solid when tested by the Georgia Bulldogs, but they came up just short of beating Kirby Smart’s team. That doesn’t mean they’re not a great team; a three-point loss to a title contender shouldn’t derail Bama's potential. If they respond well and beat Tennessee on the road this weekend, then Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide will be just fine.Â
No. 1: Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia is talented. Georgia is coached at an incredible level. Georgia is looking like the absolute best team in the conference. They’re winning SEC games by an average of 20.8 points per game. And while it’s clear that Alabama was close this past Saturday, it’s also clear that Smart has his team looking like the best in the country at the moment. Winning a close one in Tuscaloosa is impressive.
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