Week 7: CI's SEC Power Rankings

To this point in the season Texas looks like the best team in the SEC and it's not particularly close. The Longhorns have now dominated Oklahoma 34-3 and won in the Big House. They don't have an "elite" win but they also haven't been seriously tested. They look like a complete football team that can win games different ways and the play calling keeps you off balance.

2. Georgia

Carson Beck had one of the best passing performances in Georgia history by the yardage, but the Bulldogs gave up 31 points to Mississippi State at home and that's a surprise. MSU has been the SEC's worst team to this point in the season. UGA did control the game but the defense gave up more than you've come to expect from the Dawgs.

3. Texas A&M

Texas A&M was off this weekend. The Aggies are 3-0 in the SEC so they're off to a great start. The only loss was at home to Notre Dame. That might not be a great loss but it's not a bad loss compared to some others. We still have to see how this squad matches up with a top tier SEC team but they're building confidence.

4. Alabama

Alabama survived at home against South Carolina 27-25 but they were close to losing after the Gamecocks recovered an onside kick in the game's final minute. Jalen Milroe threw a couple of picks and Alabama was actually outgained in the game. Bama does not look close to what it was under Nick Saban, but they're still 5-1 and 2-1 in the SEC. This team does not appear to be a playoff lock, however, and they could be more vulnerable the rest of the way than anybody expected.

5. LSU

The Tigers needed overtime to defeat Ole Miss at home. Brian Kelly remains undefeated in night games at Death Valley. Garrett Nussmeier only completed 22 of 51 passes but his back shoulder throw in overtime won the game after Ole Miss drilled a long field goal. LSU did lose that early season game against Southern Cal, which doesn't look great in hindsight, but they're 2-0 and now have a big win to boast of.

6. Tennessee

We've had Tennessee and Ole Miss right alongside one another all season because they've seemed like comparable teams, even in the preseason. Tennessee only has one loss but they nearly dropped one at home to Florida. That would have caused them to drop quite a bit. Florida outgained the Vols in Neyland and overtime was required. Nico Iamaleava did not have a great game and the offense is under the microscope.

7. Ole Miss

The Rebels pushed all their chips in this year and now their playoff margins are very slim. Ole Miss is 1-2 in the SEC after failing to finish LSU. The Rebels do still have to take care of Arkansas and Oklahoma, but it's starting to look like their Nov. 9 home game against Georgia might determine their playoff hopes. They probably need to win that game to get in at this point, and can't stub their toe at all the rest of the way.

8. Missouri

The Tigers are perhaps the biggest outstanding question in the SEC. How much reason for concern was that blowout loss against Texas A&M? Because Missouri has a very weak schedule compared to some others, especially to this point in the season, they're still largely an unknown but did dominate UMass over the weekend. You have to give Missouri credit for knocking off Vanderbilt now.

9. Vanderbilt

The Commodores followed up that historic win against Alabama with their second straight road win against Kentucky. Diego Pavia has this team believing and if they play their kind of game they're capable of beating most teams in the country on a good day. You still have to factor the loss to Georgia State, but the other loss by three to Missouri doesn't look bad. The game against Kentucky was crucial in terms of bowl eligibility, but we'll see how hot this team can get before we put too much of a ceiling on them.

10. Arkansas

Arkansas was off this week and is trending up after that recent home win against Tennessee. We have mentioned the Hogs get several top teams at home the rest of the way and they appear capable of knocking off good teams.

11. South Carolina

South Carolina has been very up and down this year. The Gamecocks were blown out by Ole Miss on their home field and barely beat ODU at the start of the year. They also dominated Kentucky and nearly knocked off Alabama. LaNorris Sellers played pretty well against the Crimson Tide so that had to be encouraging. South Carolina had a real chance to win in Tuscaloosa.

12. Kentucky

Kentucky has two big things going for it. The Wildcats won on the road at Ole Miss and they nearly beat Georgia at home. But if you told fans before the season this team would go 0-2 against South Carolina and Vanderbilt in the first half of the schedule they wouldn't have been happy ... and they aren't happy.

13. Oklahoma

The Sooners did beat Tulane and pulled off a late win at Auburn but Brent Venables' team is struggling in its first year in the SEC. They have looked inferior to both of the top teams they have played and have only scored 18 total points against Tennessee and Texas. They don't have a big margin for error and still have games against Alabama, LSU, Missouri, and Ole Miss, three on the road. They were top-20 in the polls going into this week but the Sooners have a rough stretch in the second half.

14. Florida

The Gators are trending up by a modest amount after a home win against UCF and nearly beating Tennessee on the road. They have tended to play well in that series historically. But they will be without Graham Mertz this week at Kentucky and beyond at least for a while.

15. Auburn

The Tigers were off this week and remain winless (0-3) in SEC play. They return to action at Missouri this coming weekend.

16. Mississippi State

Maybe the Bulldogs can build on its offensive production on the road against Georgia. They went well over 300 yards passing but didn't run it well or enough. This remains the league's bottom dweller and they may not win a league contest this year.