CI's Week 5 SEC Power Rankings

Once again we're updating Cats Illustrated's SEC Power Rankings and what a week it was.

There are big changes afoot, with significant outcomes across the league.

1. Alabama

We've bounced the Tide around quite a bit in the early weeks of this season, but a win over Georgia is enough to bump undefeated Alabama to the No. 1 spot. But because the game turned out to be close and it was at home, Texas is very close. In fact, there's no telling how that one would turn out. But on the basis of dominating at Wisconsin and beating UGA in one of the biggest games of the college football season Kalen DeBoer's bunch takes the top spot. Ryan Williams had a monster game against the UGA defense.

2. Texas

The Longhorns continue to impress with Quinn Ewers out. Arch Manning was 26/31 for 324 yards and two touchdowns in Texas' 35-13 win against Mississippi State. That moves Texas to 5-0. MSU was only down 21-6 going into the fourth quarter and that was probably a better showing than most expected.

3. Georgia

Losing a close game to Alabama on the road isn't necessarily too much cause for concern in the 12-team playoff era. Then again, there's more. Alabama jumped out to a huge lead and Georgia looked lost. This same UGA team almost lost in Lexington. It's a good thing there's a lot of season left for the Dawgs to kick it into high gear. They simply do not handle the Alabama game well and that has continued into the post-Saban era. Carson Beck ultimately passed for 439 yards and had his way with the Bama secondary in the second half.

4. Tennessee

Tennessee passed its test at Oklahoma with flying colors. They were off over the weekend and get Arkansas and Florida the next two weeks. The Vols should not sleep on the Razorbacks, as they have proven themselves capable of playing at a high level at least for stretches.

5. LSU

LSU has seen some high profile games against USC, UCLA, and South Carolina this year, going 2-1 in those contests, and they got a bit of a breather with a 42-10 home win against South Alabama on Saturday. Garrett Nussmeier continues to put up big numbers (26/39, 409 yards, 2 TD) and the Tigers led 35-3 at half.

6. Missouri

Missouri gets its biggest test of the season this week when they travel to Texas A&M as a 1-point underdog. The No. 9 Tigers barely survived at home against Vanderbilt. Brady Cook only has four touchdown passes in four games and has to be good for Mizzou to win on the road here. If Mizzou loses to A&M, they at least drop below Ole Miss. If they win, they probably move ahead of LSU.

7. Ole Miss

Ole Miss took a slice of humble pie against Kentucky and now we'll see what these Rebels are made of. Will they respond? Ole Miss doesn't exactly have a brutal slate compared to some of the league's teams but it does get tougher with consecutive road games at South Carolina and LSU before a home game against Oklahoma.

8. Kentucky

Kentucky has that ugly 31-6 loss to South Carolina, when the protection failed and Brock Vandagriff faltered. But otherwise, this is an extremely interesting team with one of the best defenses in college football. In fact, you can make the case Kentucky has been the best defense in college football through five games, shutting down Georgia and holding Ole Miss to 17 points. A top-10 road win counts for a lot.

9. Oklahoma

Oklahoma's defense gave up 482 yards to Auburn, which is a surprise, and the Sooners only had 11 first downs. They were 2/11 on third down and had the ball for just 25 minutes. And yet they found a way to win. Up next Oklahoma gets Texas then South Carolina and at Ole Miss. Mizzou and Alabama loom at the end of the season, so this is a tough slate.

10. Texas A&M

Marcel Reed only completed 50% of his passes for 163 yards but had two touchdowns and no picks. A&M held the Hogs to only 100 yards on the ground and Noah Thomas had a big game at receiver. Mike Elko has A&M 2-0 in the SEC with Mizzou and Mississippi State up next so the Aggies have a chance for a strong start.

11. South Carolina

South Carolina is probably happy to be where its at. The Gamecocks are 3-1 and 1-1 in the SEC with a huge road win at Kentucky and a narrow takedown of LSU. They host Ole Miss this coming weekend after a bye, and will catch the Rebels best shot but have some good film to study.

12. Arkansas

Arkansas jumped out to a strong start and built an early lead at A&M but, as sometimes seems to be the case, struggled to finish as strong as they started. That happened at Oklahoma State, too, and it has happened in other years as well. It's brutal the rest of the way. The Hogs are 3-2 (1-1 SEC) but still have games remaining against Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas, and Missouri. The first four of those five listed are at home, however, so there's a chance to impact the playoff picture.

13. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt started the year 2-0 and could easily be 4-0 but the Dores have dropped consecutive nailbiters against Georgia State and Missouri, both on the road. Now they get Alabama at home. The Dores also still have Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

14. Florida

Florida was off this week so they can enjoy that blowout win in Starkville for a little longer. They return to action as a 1-point favorite at home against UCF, which was just blown out by Colorado at home.

15. Auburn

We frequently hear about how hard it is to win at Auburn. So what does that say about this iteration of the Tiger program? The Tigers have now lost three home games early in the season. They've lost to Cal, Arkansas, and now Oklahoma. The Sooners definitely have a defense and the Tigers could have won any of those games but that's a brutal start to a big year for Hugh Freeze. They get Georgia, Missouri, and Kentucky the next three weeks.

16. Mississippi State

MSU fans probably aren't in the mood for silver linings, but they did keep it closer than expected in Austin. The Bulldogs were outgained 522-294, however, so it was complete domination. It's going to be an ugly year in Starkville.