By Chris Marler
We kicked off November with yet another week of upsets in the SEC. Vanderbilt went on the road and beat Auburn in Jordan-Hare, and South Carolina took the newly crowned Top 10 Texas A&M aggies to the woodshed in a, 44-20, rout.
There wasn’t a ton of movement because in Week 11 we are starting to know exactly who everyone is in the league. However, the Aggie loss did create a massive ripple effect. Here are the Week 11 SEC Power Rankings.
- Georgia (Last Week – 1)
Georgia struggled early with arch-rival Florida, but the Dawgs did what they seem to always do under Kirby Smart, and that’s put the clamps down in the second half and pull away late. The road doesn’t get any easier for Georgia as they head to Oxford this week and then get Tennessee at home in two weeks.
- Texas (Last Week – 3)
Texas spent the bye week resting and thanking South Carolina for their service. The Longhorns and their fans had to love watching South Carolina take care of their two biggest rivals in back-to-back games. Texas will be back in action this week against a Florida team who is down to their third string quarterback.
- Tennessee (Last Week – 4)
It wasn’t the most impressive win this weekend, as the Vols beat Kentucky 28-18. But the Tennessee defense has been rock solid. The Vols haven’t allowed over 20 points in a single game this season. There are only four teams in the SEC since 2003 who have managed to do that, and all four won national championships.
- Alabama (Last Week – 5)
Alabama heads to Baton Rouge in a one-game playoff to get into the CFP against LSU. Granted they have three games left after that, but they shouldn’t lose to Mercer, Oklahoma, or little brother Auburn. Death Valley at night is a nightmare for a lot of teams, but Alabama has only lost there six times in the last 67 years.
- Ole Miss (Last Week – 7)
This is the Ole Miss team we expected to see throughout the season. They went into Fayetteville and turned what had been a house of horrors for the Rebels into a setting for their own record-setting day. The Rebels put up over 60 points and nearly 700 yards of offense, as Jaxson Dart became the second quarterback in SEC history to have over 500 yards passing and six touchdowns in a single game. The defense continues to lead the conference allowing 11 points per game.
- South Carolina (Last Week – 9)
Finally, people will stop sleeping on the Gamecocks. You can easily make the case that this team could be 7-1 right now if it weren’t for a few unlucky breaks. The Gamecock program grew up in front of our very eyes on Saturday night in their, 44-20, win over Texas A&M. South Carolina scored 27 unanswered points to close out the game, and the offense racked up 530 yards on a defense that people couldn’t stop praising just a week ago.
- LSU (Last Week – 6)
This is simple for Brian Kelly and the boys this week. Beat Alabama, and you still have a chance to make the College Football Playoff. This team could still have their best football in front of them. And, if Garrett Nussmeier can protect the football, then watch out. The Tigers get an Alabama team Saturday night who has been less than stellar on the road over the last several seasons.
- Vanderbilt (Last Week – 6)
The Vanderbilt hype train keeps rolling, as the Commodores beat Auburn handily in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Vanderbilt got to bowl eligibility behind a dominant win over Auburn. This continues to be the best story of the SEC and maybe the nation.
- Texas A&M (Last Week – 2)
Few things were more hilarious this week than watching Texas A&M fans go from the most obnoxious and arrogant fans imaginable because they were gifted a win against LSU by quarterback Garrett Nussmeir and his three second half interceptions, to the most humble group of Texans since – I don’t know, are there humble people from Texas? The Aggies are now 1-3 against Power Four opponents in their last four games as a Top 10 team. And, that win was by three points over lowly Colorado in 2021.
- Arkansas (Last Week – 10)
I wish I could cut this list off at nine, but I can’t. So, I guess we’ll put Arkansas here. I’d love not to, but let’s look at the choices. I can’t put Auburn above them since the Hogs beat them in Jordan-Hare. I can’t put Missouri or Florida ahead of them because they’re down to second and third string quarterbacks. Tough scene for the bottom half of the SEC.
The Bottom Six
- Auburn
- Florida
- Missouri
- Mississippi State
- Oklahoma
- Kentucky
