Written by Ryan Lippert
As another week of college football has come and gone, the top teams in the country are starting to become clearer. This is especially true in the Southeastern Conference, as we saw some shakeup at the top of the conference this past week and should see the same in the next couple weeks. With that being said, here is where things stand in my SEC Power Rankings heading into week seven.
1. Alabama (5-0):
This is yet another week with Alabama at the top of the SEC throne. I don’t see this changing any time soon. They didn’t have a game this past week but there still has yet to be a team in the entire country that has shown me enough to where I think they can beat them. Alabama is simply too good on both sides of the ball and should be crowned as the National Champions at the end of this season.
2. LSU (5-0):
While they may not be Alabama, LSU is another team that has shown me week by week that they deserve to be in the College Football Playoff conversation. Heisman candidate Joe Burrow had another outstanding game last week against Utah State throwing for 344 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception. Their defense also showed up in a big way against a good quarterback in Jordan Love, forcing three interceptions with zero passing touchdowns. They are up for a huge test this weekend against the undefeated Florida Gators.
3. Georgia (5-0):
The Georgia Bulldogs look to be the front runners for the SEC East once again this season. While they got off to a slow start, they pulled things together to come away with a dominating 43-14 victory over Tennessee this past week. Quarterback Jake Fromm led the charge throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns. They will face a little bit bigger of a challenge in South Carolina this weekend but should still win that game.
4. Florida (6-0):
I’ll finally admit it, Florida is legit this season. They stepped up big time this week in a 24-13 upset of the undefeated Auburn Tigers. Quarterback Kyle Trask had another great performance throwing for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Lamical Perine dominated on the ground rushing for 130 yards and a touchdown. They will face another huge challenge this weekend as they go on the road to LSU.
5. Auburn (5-1):
The Auburn Tigers, unfortunately, saw their undefeated season end this past weekend in their 24-13 loss to Florida. Freshman quarterback Bo Nix struggled against a very good Florida secondary, throwing for only 145 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Luckily for Auburn, they have a bye week this week to sit down and figure things out, followed by a game against Arkansas that they should win to get back on track.
6. Texas A&M (3-2):
Texas A&M is a team that has a ton of talent and potential that is waiting to unleash it all. Although they are sitting at 3-2, those two losses came to two very good teams in Clemson and Auburn. They had a bye week at the perfect time this past week as they face the beast that is the Alabama Crimson Tide this week. If they can win that game or even at least keep it close, they will definitely earn my respect.
7. Missouri (4-1):
Missouri has come into their own and showed that they should be taken serious in the past few weeks. They looked outstanding this past week in a 42-10 victory over Troy. Quarterback Kelly Bryant looked great in the first half, throwing for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, he left the game at the end of the half due to injury. Hopefully, the Tigers will get him back soon as things will be difficult without him. They will face Ole Miss this weekend.
8. Mississippi State (3-2):
Mississippi State got off to a hot start but then ran into a very good Auburn team a couple of weeks ago. Luckily, they had a bye week this past week to recover from that blowout loss. I still believe that they have a talented football team and can compete in this conference. They will face a terrible Tennessee team this upcoming week in a game that should help them get back on track.
9. South Carolina (2-3):
South Carolina is another team that had a bye week so they didn’t get to really show me anything. However, they looked very good in their last game against Kentucky and definitely have some talent on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, they will run into a very good Georgia team on the road this week. If they can pull off the upset, things will be very interesting in next week’s rankings.
10. Ole Miss (3-3):
Although, I don’t believe that they’re as good as the nine teams above them. Ole Miss earned my respect this past week. They dominated in a game that I thought they could lose in a 31-6 victory over Vanderbilt. Quarterback John Rhys Plumlee showed his dual-threat ability once again, rushing for 165 yards and a touchdown. They will get a nice test this weekend on the road against a solid Missouri team.
11. Kentucky (2-3):
After a hot start to the season, Kentucky has struggled their last two games. Fortunately for them, they had a bye week this week to figure things out. Their biggest question is at quarterback as Sawyer Smith is still hurt. There has been a lot of talk that wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. who played quarterback in high school will be the starting quarterback this week. They have what I believe is a must-win game at home against Arkansas this weekend.
12. Arkansas (2-3):
Even though they lost their last game against Texas A&M, the Razorbacks looked like an improved football team. They had a bye week this past week to prepare for a road trip to Kentucky. As I mentioned for Kentucky, this is also a must-win for Arkansas if they want to stay in contention for a bowl game.
13. Tennessee (1-4):
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Tennessee has been terrible this season. However, they did have some decent moments in the first half against Georgia this past week. They seem to have found a solid option at quarterback in freshman Brian Maurer who threw for 259 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. They have a chance to try to prove themselves this week in a home game against Mississippi State.
14. Vanderbilt (1-4):
I thought there was some hope for the Commodores this past week but I was proven wrong. They were embarrassed in a 31-6 loss on the road against Ole Miss. They just simply haven’t figured things out on either side of the ball this season. They have a game at home this weekend against a 1-4 UNLV team that they should be able to win but we will have to wait and see.