Welcome back! Listen, I know all of you missed me last week. Thanks to a stray piece of drywall, my eye was pretty much useless. Plus, I was told not to stare at a computer screen for any amount of time, and unfortunately, this takes an amount of time. Luckily for you, I’m back and moderately better.
These past two weeks have been a couple for the ages. For the sake of this article, we’ll be ignoring anything outside of the SEC (I mean, this is the SEC Power Rankings after all). We barely had time to process the weekend before we were rocked with a historic coaching change. If you have time, read Stoney’s “Steve Spurrier: A Tip of the Visor.” It’s good stuff.
On to the rankings!
14. Vanderbilt – Back to the bottom of the list this week for the Commodores. While Vanderbilt continues to showcase a talented defense, the offense was abysmal. McCrary looks completely lost at quarterback with more than one questionable decision against South Carolina.
13. South Carolina – After a beating at the hands of LSU, the Gamecocks’ problems only worsened on the following Monday. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Steve Spurrier stepped down as head coach, effective immediately. The Gamecocks were able to pick up a win against Vanderbilt in the first post-Spurrier game. It wasn’t pretty, but now they’ll get to enjoy a bye week.
12. Missouri – After coming off of a loss to Florida, the Tigers came out on the losing end of the ugliest game of the day against Georgia. With Georgia’s losses to Alabama and Tennessee, Missouri had the chance to take a leap forward in the SEC East. With an uninspired effort in Athens, Missouri is all but officially out of contention for the SEC East this year.
11. Kentucky – Here’s the thing: Kentucky isn’t a terrible team. At 4-2, they still find themselves in the race for the East, but a loss to Auburn really sets them back. Fortunately for the Wildcats, they still have Georgia and Tennessee waiting on their schedule. With some big wins, they can find themselves back in the race.
10. Auburn – The Tigers managed to leave Thursday night with a big win against Kentucky. Auburn’s schedule has been pretty favorable, and has given them enough time to get back on track before the bulk of the SEC slate. On the other hand, the Tigers have to play Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Georgia consecutively. Ouch.
9. Arkansas – After a promising first half, the Razorbacks fell into a familiar pattern as the offense failed to capitalize against Alabama two weeks ago. At 2-4, Arkansas is heading into a must-win against Auburn. Maybe Bret Bielema can work on his “unsportsmanlike conduct” dance moves.
8. Ole Miss – A big fall for the Rebels, but a loss to Memphis requires some consequences. Sure, the Tigers are undefeated and on a roll, but the trouble with Ole Miss started with the loss to Florida. The Rebels and Chad Kelly have been playing flat. The win at Alabama is beginning to look more like a fluke every week. Still, with only one conference loss, Ole Miss wins the West by winning out.
7. Mississippi State – Dan Mullen keeps winning and had a great win against a talented LA Tech. Dak Prescott is a top-3 talent in the SEC right now and is carrying his team through a winning season. Of the five remaining games for the Bulldogs, four are very winnable. Including a win in the Egg Bowl that SOMEONE *cough cough* predicted earlier in the season.
6. Georgia – How major was the loss of Nick Chubb? The first game without him, the Bulldogs scraped by with a 9-6 win over Missouri. Mark Richt needs to figure out a way to win without Chubb. Fortunately, Georgia is heading into an off week and will need to use that time to re-calibrate before playing in the Cocktail Party for the East.
5. Tennessee – Butch Jones landed a signature win against Georgia and gained some much needed momentum. More importantly, Jones managed to silence some of his critics and cool down the hot seat for the moment. The Vols proved they can play with anybody, but will need some help from the defense when they travel to Bryant-Denny. With an extra week to prepare and Alabama coming off a trip to Kyle Field, now is the perfect time for the Vols to strike with an upset.
4. Texas A&M – A loss to Alabama wasn’t fatal for the Aggies. Sure, four interceptions looked awful, but the offense also managed to put up points against a stout Bama defense. The defense also slowed down the run in the second half, and were able to pull within eight points. Having one loss in the West is still a good place to be, and keeps them in the hunt for the conference title.
3. Florida – Another team learning that a loss isn’t a death sentence is the Gators. While losing to LSU wasn’t ideal, it still showcased that Florida is a force even without Will Grier. Treon Harris is more than capable of leading the Gators for the rest of the season, and they still remain the front runners for the East. Like Georgia, the Gators get an off week before heading to Jacksonville.
2. Alabama – What many viewed as the Tide’s biggest test became their biggest win of the season. Several people, including the guy writing this article, believed the Alabama secondary was the weakest point. They responded with four interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. Add in Derrick Henry being harder to tackle than a tractor, and the Tide seem to be back to form. This weekend, they host a talented Tennessee squad for a phenomenal rivalry game.
1. LSU – And then there was one. The only undefeated team in the conference, the Tigers are continuing to roll. Brandon Harris is emerging as more than a game manager, and is a very capable complement to Leonard Fournette. Currently in the driver’s seat for the SEC, a looming showdown with Alabama will determine who has the best chance to represent the SEC in the four team playoff.
Bill Griffin is the lead SEC contributor for the SoBros Network, and serves as our resident expert on the human anatomy, fixin’ stuff, and tomatoes. Follow him on Twitter @Winter_Griffin
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