In our need to know column leading up to Week 6 action we noted that sometimes the lighter slates, on paper, turn out to be special.

That was certainly the case.

We'll get into the details below, but that's a week we won't soon forget.

As we go farther along into the season the movement in the rankings is typically less pronounced. But because of the wild results this weekend, it may be harder than ever to get a firm grasp on the big picture. Or maybe this year things are just up for grabs.

1. Texas

While some of the league's programs have had very up and down results this year, Texas remains unscathed. The Longhorns are undefeated and really untested. They won at Michigan, and while the Wolverines aren't close to what they were last season, Texas simply hasn't had the kind of down week we've seen from UGA, Bama, or others. They are the easy choice for No. 1 given all the results so far. UT gets Oklahoma this week.

2. Georgia

This is where it gets really tough. Georgia lost at Alabama and for a lot of the game it wasn't pretty. It even took a long time for Georgia to really get separation against an Auburn team that has already lost three home games this year. Clearly, the Dawgs are a work in progress. But in the big picture they do have a win at Kentucky, which looks better after UK's win against Ole Miss. They also dominated Clemson and did pull away from Auburn.

3. Alabama

What do we make of Alabama, which had been No. 1 after beating Georgia impressively last week? When you lose at Vanderbilt you have to drop. This is still going to be one of the best teams in the league at the end of the season, you'd have to think.

4. Texas A&M

The Aggies are now 3-0 in the SEC and completely dominated Missouri 41-10, upending what we think about the Tigers and seeing them in a strong position to contend for the playoffs. But if they have a

5. LSU

Linebacker Harold Perkins is out for the year with a knee injury and that's a big blow but this remains a dangerous team in playoff contention. Garrett Nussmeier leads an offense that can cause problems for any opponent so once again don't be surprised if the Tigers have some big moments with national implications this year.

6. Ole Miss

It wasn't necessarily a work of art but Ole Miss handled the Gamecocks in Williams Brice Stadium. It was 24-3 at halftime and the defense held firm after intermission. Jaxson Dart and those Ole Miss receivers were the difference in the game.

7. Tennessee

Tennessee had climbed to No. 4 in the polls after looking like one of the nation's best teams in the first month of the season. The offense did not perform as well as you'd expect a Josh Heupel offense to look in that loss to Arkansas. But it was a road game against a quality team, so the Vols' playoff hopes took a hit but not a plunge.

8. Arkansas

Arkansas outgained Tennessee by 100 yards (431 to 332), had seven more first downs, and controlled the ball for 35 minutes. They played a better, cleaner game than the Vols. We've known Arkansas can play at a high level, but playing a complete game has been tougher. It was impressive for them to bounce back after losing the lead in the second half. This team plays several more top tier opponents at home so, as we said last week, they will impact the playoff race.

9. Kentucky

Kentucky had the week off but the Wildcats are trending in the right direction with the close loss to UGA and the win at Ole Miss. The fact that the Rebels rebounded and dominated South Carolina on the road makes that win look even better. But Vanderbilt this week is going to be more of a challenge than anybody knew.

10. Oklahoma

OU had the week off and now it gets tough. It's the Red River Rivalry with the Texas Longhorns. The Oklahoma defense could make things interesting and we know the Sooners have elevated in this game before, but UT is a 14-point favorite and this would be a definite upset.

11. Missouri

What happened? There were some bad calls early in the game, but the way things spiraled against Texas A&M was tough to understand. Then again, this team had almost lost to Vanderbilt at home and simply hasn't proven it's going to be at the level everyone expected them to be at. It's not a surprise that Mizzou is outside of the top five or six teams even given expectations. Margins for error in the SEC are narrow, especially if you don't have UGA/Bama talent. But this team has a lot to prove.

12. Vanderbilt

What a moment for Vanderbilt football. The Commodores are actually fairly close to being 5-0. As it stands, every opponent on the 'Dores schedule is going to be paying attention to VU. It might not be fair to expect Vandy to give that effort every week, but now that we know they can beat Alabama on their home field that does require you to adjust the priors substantially.

13. South Carolina

While the Gamecocks do some things very well, there are other things they do not do well. They are not as explosive or as efficient with the pass games as a lot of the other teams in the SEC, and so while they had the athletes to make the game with Ole Miss interesting, they didn't have the offensive chops to keep pace.

14. Florida

Florida has rebounded somewhat and is now 3-2 after a 24-13 win against Central Florida. The Knights have been underwhelming lately but this was a quality win for a team and a coach that needed one.

15. Auburn

Auburn just has not had any answers and hasn't figured out how to win games. Kentucky fans should probably be hoping things continue spiraling to create the worst conditions possible for the Tigers in that head to head later this year. Auburn played Georgia tough for a while but didn't have the horses to keep up late.

16. Mississippi State

Through this point in the season the Bulldogs have been the SEC's worst team and it's not particularly close. It's tough to see that changing the way they have looked this year.