SEC Power Rankings: Week 9

UGA looked very iffy for two straight weeks in lackluster wins against Kent State and Missouri. The last two weeks (42-10 vs Auburn, 55-0 vs Vandy) have been a lot more to the liking of Georgia fans. This year's defense is allowing even fewer points than last year's historic defense. The Dawgs are leading national championship contenders along with Ohio State.

2. Tennessee

It's been a long time since we've had Alabama something other than one or two in these rankings but it's got to happen this week. Tennessee is 7-0 and a national championship contender with Kentucky traveling to Knoxville. The Vols have the nation's best, most explosive offense and a defense that's tough to run on. If UT beats Kentucky this weekend the Vols will be in an excellent position to reach the playoff. Even if the Vols finish 11-1 and are kept out of the SEC Championship Game, there would be a strong case for the playoff depending on what happens elsewhere.

3. Alabama

Whether Tennessee is really better than Alabama is something we'll need to decide at the end of the season. We have to put Tennessee ahead here, even though Bama losing by three points on the road doesn't necessarily mean the Tide is worse than the Vols. The reason? If you look at the other outcomes for both teams this season it's not as though Alabama has been a lot more impressive. Tennessee has defeated four teams ranked in the top-25 at the time those games were played and Alabama has been on the ropes four times in the fourth quarter this season. This team could still win the national championship, though.

4. Kentucky

The Wildcats will be a contentious choice here especially since Ole Miss only has one loss. But one of UK's two losses came with Will Levis out and the two times the Cats have had Levis and C Rod available it has been in a position to win at Ole Miss and it beat top-20 Mississippi State 27-17 right on the heels of three straight Bulldog wins. Kentucky has one of the league's best defenses, an NFL quarterback prospect, and the only big picture issues are miscues with the offensive line and kicking game.

5. LSU

I said weeks ago that LSU had more potential to improve this year than any other team in the league. Brian Kelly is a really good coach and they've got talent. It has not always been pretty for LSU this year. Don't be fooled with them being in the five spot. This is the result of the West being down from where it has been. LSU has a close loss to an improved Florida State team and it got waxed at home by a Tennessee team that was playing at a very high level. LSU beat Florida by 10 on the road, about the same as Kentucky. It survived on the road at Auburn and it finished strong to beat MSU. Last week the Tigers beat previously unbeaten Ole Miss by 25. LSU isn't what it will soon be under Kelly, but I won't be surprised if they finish 3-1 down the stretch. They're on the right track and back into the top-20.

6. Ole Miss

When I looked at Ole Miss in the preseason I didn't know if it would be a solid or a really good Rebel team, but it was clear that Kentucky was all that stood between them and a 7-0 start. Over time it became clear that Ole Miss wasn't quite as good as its record. This is still a team that can beat most others on a good day, but it's not a top-10 squad.

7. Arkansas

The Razorbacks went through a three-game losing streak but zoom in and this is still a quality team. It lost by two points on the road to a Texas A&M team that isn't good but has talent. It was in a close game with Alabama until late in the second half. With starting quarterback K.J. Jefferson out, Mississippi State had no problems dispatching the Hogs. But when Jefferson returned Arkansas beat BYU 52-35 and they already had wins against Cincinnati and South Carolina. Don't be surprised if the Hogs climb a spot or two higher before the end of the year, although the schedule is always brutal.

8. South Carolina

The Gamecocks are back in the top-25 and riding a four-game winning streak after a big home win against Texas A&M. Don't go overboard, though. South Carolina has been fortunate to catch some teams, including Kentucky, without their starting quarterbacks this year. Still, for the first time in several years, South Carolina fans can actually claim some momentum.

9. Mississippi State

The Bulldogs had a path to a huge season but that has been squandered in how the team played in Lexington and how it couldn't finish the game strong at LSU. So far, Mississippi State has been very good at home and not so good on the road. Good thing the next three games are in Starkville.

10. Texas A&M

The Aggies have been the biggest disappointment in the SEC this year. With all the money the program has thrown around, in every way imaginable, Texas A&M is 3-4 and 1-3 in the conference. They've lost to Appalachian State at home, Mississippi State by three scores, and to South Carolina. The schedule down the stretch does present the opportunity to achieve bowl eligibility but Jimbo Fisher is not getting it done with a season like this.

11. Florida

It will be interesting to see which way the Gators go down the stretch in Billy Napier's first year with the program. By now we know that Florida is a very flawed and limited team. With the exception of the win against Utah in the first week Florida has not been good enough against the truly good teams it has faced. The next three weeks bring games against No. 1 Georgia, at Texas A&M, and South Carolina. With UF at 4-3 now the Gators still stand a good chance at reaching .500 in the regular season. Four of Florida's five remaining games could go either way so there's a pretty wide variance in terms of how the rest of the season goes. Florida has only played one road game and only plays on the road for a second time the weekend of November 5th.

12. Auburn

Coaches tend to not survive seasons like this at Auburn. Bryan Harsin has followed last year's loss in the Birmingham Bowl with a 3-4 start to the season. Auburn should have lost at home to Missouri and it only beat San Jose State by one score. It looks like the Tigers may very well finish the season below .500 and there could be a lot of turnover coming.

13. Missouri

The Tigers just can't seem to get over the hump. They did beat Vanderbilt by three points at home last week, an outcome that will probably give them insurance against slipping to the bottom of these power rankings at any point this season. Missouri had a lead in the fourth quarter against Georgia, only lost by seven in the Swamp, and squandered that opportunity on the Plains. We could be talking about some momentum or a step in the right direction. As it is, Missouri has three games in a row against top-25 opponents: No. 25 South Carolina (road), No. 19 Kentucky, and at No. 3 Tennessee.

14. Vanderbilt

It's unlikely the Commodores escape the basement this year, thanks to a 17-14 loss to Missouri over the weekend. There has been improvement in Clark Lea's second year, although results against UGA and Alabama (losing by a combined score of 110-3 make you realize there's still a long way to go.