SEC Power Rankings: Is Bama all the way back?
The circular argument of who is best in this league seems to change from week to week, and Week 5 did nothing to muddy the waters any less. We’ll do our best, though.
Here are this week’s SEC Power Rankings heading into Week 6.
Bottom 6
16. Arkansas
15. South Carolina
14. Vanderbilt
13. Auburn
12. Oklahoma
11. Texas A&M
Top 10
10. Tennessee
A struggle win at home against a bad Auburn offense, and somehow you’re still in a quarterback battle nearly halfway through the season. Not great, Bob.
9. Kentucky
It was a gutsy win, and they deserve credit for pulling it out. But, my goodness things got dicey for Kentucky in Columbia, S.C. Still, the Cats shouldn’t get penalized for a win on the road in the SEC. After all, this isn’t the AP Poll.
8. Florida
What in the world happened in Columbia, Mizz? All the things we thought we knew about Florida were proved seemingly wrong pretty quickly on Saturday.
The Tiger defense, that had averaged 13.5 missed tackles per game, corralled Jadan Baugh for just 13 yards on 12 carries. The run game was electric, the passing game was awesome, and Missouri flat out put it on the Gators.
Can they get their mojo back against South Carolina?
7. Missouri
Eli Drinkwitz had some words for his haters after the Tigers big win against Florida. Granted, all the naysayers were spouting off factual statistics about his program, but still. Take the victory lap. It’s much deserved.
Missouri’s win over Florida was as dominant as the box score would illustrate. Imagine how good they can be if they get their best player back in Ahmad Hardy?
6. Mississippi State
I don’t think it’s time to sell all your shares of Mississippi State stock just yet. The defense is a liability that’s for sure. However, the team is just different without a run game, and losing Fluff Bothwell certainly handicapped the Bulldogs and their gameplan against Alabama.
They need to get the defense figured out, but Kamario Taylor still makes them dangerous in any game they play.
5. Ole Miss
Moving up on the bye Week. A lot to love about Ole Miss, but the loss to Florida followed by Florida’s embarrassing loss does bring up a lot of questions.
4. LSU
I’m fully aware they lost to the team they’re ranked ahead of here. But this is a week-to-week ranking.
After Ole Miss’ loss to Florida, and considering how LSU has played outside of two quarters this season, the Tigers look like one of the best teams not just in the SEC, but in the country.
The Tigers lead the SEC in total offense (547.8 ypg) and defense (220.6 ypg).
3. Alabama
How good is Alabama? Well, what do we know? They’re 5-0 for the first time under Kalen DeBoer. They’ve scored 45 points or more in each of their first five games for the second time in program history (2018). They’re second in the country in turnovers forced with 13, and their quarterback has the fourth best odds to win the Heisman trophy after just five starts.
That’s pretty damn good.
2. Georgia
You say boring, I say methodical. Georgia hasn’t played anyone yet this season, but they have been very impressive.
The Dawgs lead the SEC in scoring offense with over 50 ppg and are 2nd in scoring defense by a tenth of a point at 13.4 ppg allowed so far this year.
It’s a boring offense that wears teams down and can beat you in a number of ways. It’s also a suffocating defense that is full of head hunters. Saturday in Tuscaloosa should be fun.
1. Texas
Texas was on a bye, and with two top 15 wins in four games they aren’t moving out of the top spot. Even if Alabama and Georgia look nearly as good.
