Written by Ryan Lippert
Another week of the college football season has come and gone. With each week, we are getting an even clearer picture of who the top teams in the country are. We are also starting to see who is at the top of the Southeastern Conference. With that being said, here are my new SEC Power Rankings heading into week six of the college football season.
1. Alabama (5-0):
Another week has gone by and there still isn’t a team in the entire country that I would pick over Alabama. Their offense dominated once again last week against Ole Miss with Tua Tagovailoa throwing for 418 yards and six touchdowns. Five of those touchdowns were thrown to Devonta Smith, who set an SEC record for receiving touchdowns in a game and finished with 274 receiving yards. With this high powered offense and their defense playing great as well, Nick Saban should be adding another National Championship to his resume at the end of the season.
2. LSU (4-0):
With neither LSU or Georgia having a game this past week, I’m keeping them at the same spots. In my opinion, LSU has the best chance of knocking of Alabama in this conference. Quarterback Joe Burrow has placed himself both in the Heisman and first round draft pick conversation. Along with his play, LSU’s defense has been lights out, as usual. I can’t wait to see them and Alabama face off later this season. However, they will get a small test as they face a 3-1 Utah State team led by star quarterback Jordan Love this weekend.
3. Georgia (4-0):
As I just mentioned, Georgia didn’t have a game this past weekend so they will stay put in the rankings. Their offense has looked outstanding this season with the combination of Jake Fromm’s ability as a leader at quarterback and the rushing attack of D’Andre Swift and company. Their young defense has played solid so far but they will need to step up even more down the stretch. Georgia should remain undefeated this week as they go on the road to face a very bad Tennessee team.
4. Auburn (5-0):
Auburn is a team that I almost bumped up in the rankings this week. This is mainly due to their dominating 56-23 victory over Mississippi State last week. However, I still want to see a little more before I put them over LSU or Georgia. They will have another chance to prove themselves this week as they go on the road to face the #10 Florida Gators in what should be a very hostile environment. If quarterback Bo Nix can lead the Tigers to a convincing victory, you could see them rise in my rankings next week.
5. Florida (5-0):
Although I still don’t think that I’m completely sold on them yet, the Florida Gators are a team that has done what it takes to win every single week this season. Last week they had an easy match up with Towson in which they won 38-0. However, things are different this week. They face an extremely talented Auburn team that is looking to continue to gain respect in this conference. If the Gators are able to come out of that game with a victory, I will finally be able to admit that they are legit.
6. Texas A&M (3-2):
The Aggies are a team that has had both some very good moments and some very shaky moments this season. They raised some eyebrows for me last week as they barely escaped with a 31-27 victory over an Arkansas team that has been struggling this season. Quarterback Kellen Mond has looked solid so far this season, throwing for 251 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception last week. However, he will need some help from the run game if they want to be successful down the stretch.
7. Missouri (3-1):
With Missouri having a bye week last week, they weren’t able to make their case to jump over Texas A&M. However, this is a team that could shock a lot of people down the stretch. Quarterback Kelly Bryant is playing some solid football for the Tigers and they have a pretty stout defense. They play a sneaky small conference school in Troy this week that could test them but the Tigers should win that game to advance to 4-1 on the season.
8. South Carolina (2-3):
After seeing their record, a lot of people may be surprised to see South Carolina ranked this high. However, they earned my respect in their 24-7 victory over Kentucky this past week. They have a stud at running back in former Clemson Tiger Tavien Feaster, who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns last week. Their defense is also a lot better than people give them credit for, led by edge rusher D.J. Wonnum, who should have his name called in the NFL draft. They are a team that could surprise some higher ranked opponents down the stretch.
9. Mississippi State (3-2):
The Bulldogs are a team that saw their stock take a hit this past week. I was high on them going into week five but they unfortunately proved me wrong. They were embarrassed on the road in a 56-23 loss against Auburn. The positive thing for them is that Auburn is one of the best teams in the country. They will have a bye week to recover and figure things out this week before playing a terrible Tennessee team in week seven in a game that should help them get their season back on track.
10. Arkansas (2-3):
Arkansas is a team that almost saw their stock rise tremendously this past week. They looked good against a talented Texas A&M team but just couldn’t pull it out in the end in a 31-27 loss. Quarterback Ben Hicks came into the game for an injured Nick Starkel and looked impressive, throwing for 188 yards and a touchdown. They will get a much needed bye week this week before going on the road against a struggling Kentucky team.
11. Kentucky (2-3):
As a proud member of the Big Blue Nation, it truly hurts my soul to rank the Wildcats this low. However, it has been very tough to watch them the past couple weeks. In a match up that Mark Stoops has owned as their head coach, the Wildcats were embarrassed on the road in a 24-7 loss to South Carolina. Quarterback Sawyer Smith looked to be still affected by his shoulder injury as he struggled to throw the ball. He was eventually replaced at the end of the game by wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. , who played quarterback in high school. Bowden went on to lead them to their only scoring drive of the game. With a bye week ahead of them, there is a lot of talk that Bowden may be the starting quarterback against Arkansas in week seven.
12. Ole Miss (2-3):
The Rebels ran into a different type of beast this past week. They took a much expected loss to Alabama 59-31. However, they did compete for a little while and had some positive points. Freshman quarterback John Rhys Plumlee showed some true dual threat ability, throwing for 141 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, while also rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown. They will be back at home this week with a chance to bounce back against a 1-3 Vanderbilt team.
13. Vanderbilt (1-3):
Commodores fans were finally given something to cheer about as Vanderbilt picked up their first win of the season in a 24-18 victory over Northern Illinois last week. Star running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn finally was able to have a breakout game, rushing for 138 yards and a touchdown. They will get another opportunity to prove themselves this week in a winnable match up at Ole Miss.
14. Tennessee (1-3):
As I have already mentioned multiple times in this article and throughout the season, this Tennessee team is bad. They haven’t had an answer on either side of the ball and have simply looked sloppy in every aspect of the game. Barring a miracle, they are looking at a game at home against Georgia that should get very ugly and drop them to a 1-4 start to the season.