By Brett Daniels
With any set of rankings or ratings there will be controversy and arguments about “why is Team A ranked above Team B” and “Team C hasn’t played anybody” and this is a feature and not a bug. Now that we have 5 weeks of data, a clearer picture of who each team is and their strengths and weaknesses. With every team playing a league game this week or next week the list will continue to sort itself out.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0)
Until proven otherwise, the Crimson Tide still run the SEC. Jalen Milroe and the offense opened up a can of whoop ass on the Dawgs defense in the first quarter and half racing out to a 28-0 lead and going into the half ahead 30-7. Georgia fought back in the second half and limited the Tide offense, but the defense rose up at the end to preserve the victory.
Next Up: Saturday at Vanderbilt
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2. Georgia Bulldogs (3-1)
The Dawgs came out flat and looked unprepared against Alabama on Saturday night and quickly found themselves on the wrong end of a 30-7 score at the half. QB Carson Beck played one of his worst halves of football since becoming the starter last season.
Many teams would have packed it in and ended up getting blown out 51-10, but the Dawgs made some adjustments and came out in the second half playing aggressively and shutting down the Tide offense. With less than 2 minutes left in the game Georgia had the lead 34-33 which is remarkable considering how the first half went.
Next Up: Saturday vs Auburn
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3. Texas Longhorns (5-0)
Texas had their “welcome to the SEC moment” against Mississippi State on Saturday allowing the Bulldogs to hang around for three quarters before pulling away at the end. It never really felt like the Longhorns were going to lose the game but struggling against arguably the worst team in the conference (a Texas trademark for years) isn’t inspiring going into the gauntlet that is October.
Next Up: October 12 vs Oklahoma (Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl)
4. Tennessee Volunteers (4-0)
The Vols enjoyed a bye week after their victory against Oklahoma on the road last week. Tennessee travels to Fayetteville to take on a sneaky good Arkansas team on Saturday.
Next Up: Saturday at Arkansas
5. Missouri Tigers (4-0)
Mizzou also enjoyed a bye week after a very close call against Vanderbilt last Saturday. The Tigers will travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M on Saturday.
Next Up: Saturday at Texas A&M
6. Ole Miss Rebels (3-1)
Playing a non-conference slate of cupcakes that you run up the score on is no way to prepare for SEC play. The Rebels came in overconfident with their inflated statistics due to inferior competition. Kentucky has one of the better defenses in the conference and were able to shut the Rebels high flying attack down. Ole Miss will need to put last week’s loss in the rear-view mirror, or they could lose again to a good South Carolina team.
Next Up: Saturday at South Carolina
7. Texas A&M Aggies (4-1)
The Aggies played a solid game against Arkansas at Jerry World with Marcel Reed throwing 2 touchdowns and running for another. The Aggie defense buckled down after giving up 14 points in the first quarter to only surrender three more the rest of the game.
Next Up: Saturday vs Missouri
8. Oklahoma Sooners (4-1)
It’s clear that the Sooners have one of the better defenses in the league, limiting an explosive Tennessee offense last week and coming up with a pick-6 to win the game against Auburn this week. The problem for the Sooners is they have an anemic offense and that won’t get it done against the top half of the league.
Next Up: October 12 vs. Texas (Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl)
9. LSU Tigers (4-1)
The Tigers shellacked non-conference foe South Alabama 42-10 in a game that was never in doubt but also not inspiring to the LSU faithful. This team has talent on both sides of the football, but you must question if they are interested in playing for their coach Brian Kelly.
Next Up: October 12 vs Ole Miss
10. Kentucky Wildcats (2-2)
After almost pulling off the upset against then #1 Georgia two weeks ago, the Wildcats completed the task against Ole Miss upsetting the Rebels in Oxford 20-17. The Cats have a salty, veteran defense that will give any team problems. The November matchups against Tennessee and Texas loom large.
Next Up: October 12 vs Vanderbilt
11. Arkansas Razorbacks (3-2)
The Razorbacks lost a heart breaker to Texas A&M on Saturday and are 2 or 3 plays away from being 5-0. The defense will have to come up big against a high-powered Tennessee offense for the Hogs to have a chance to pull the upset on Saturday.
Next Up: Saturday vs Tennessee
12. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-1)
South Carolina probably deserves to be rated a little better than 12th in the league and an upset win against Ole Miss on Saturday would shoot them up the rankings. The Rebels are coming off a loss and the Gamecocks have had an extra week to prepare AND it’s an afternoon/early evening game at Williams-Brice Stadium which is one of the more difficult places to play in the SEC.
Next Up: Saturday vs Ole Miss
13. Auburn Tigers (2-3)
Auburn is probably a better team than their 2-3 record would indicate but the seem to have a penchant for the big mistake at the absolute worst time. All three losses can be traced to back breaking turnovers that lead to scores for the other team. They will be traveling to Athens to play a very angry Georgia team coming off a loss to Alabama. There is also no love lost between Kirby Smart and Hugh Freeze, this one has the potential to get ugly.
Next Up: Saturday at Georgia
14. Vanderbilt Commodores (2-2)
This is not your typical Vanderbilt team that everyone uses as a bye week. These Commodores and QB Diego Pavia have a chance (albeit a small one this week) to win every time they step on the field. Alabama can’t afford to sleepwalk through this game, or it could be a tighter game later than it should be.
Next Up: vs Alabama
15. Florida Gators (2-2)
Florida got a much-needed bye week after the resounding victory against Mississippi State two weeks ago. The Gators will host in state foe UCF and former Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson to the Swamp on Saturday. Florida needs to win this game if they have any hope of achieving bowl eligibility and saving Billy Napier’s job.
Next Up: Saturday vs UCF
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-4)
The Bulldogs may not win another game this season. In a cruel twist of fate, the SEC schedule makers gave Mississippi State: Texas, Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Missouri, and Ole Miss. Michael Van Buren Jr. made things interesting in his first start after the loss of QB Blake Shapen for the season, keeping the Bulldogs close with Texas for three quarters.
Next Up: October 12 at Georgia
Alabama and Georgia are still the two best teams in the conference (and the country) and played like it on Saturday night. As dominant as Alabama was the first half, Georgia was equally as dominant in the second half. There isn’t another team in the country that could get down to Alabama 28-0 in Tuscaloosa at night and come back to take the lead late in the game.
If Ryan Williams isn’t a superhuman and makes one of the best catches and runs you will ever see, then we are talking about the greatest comeback in college football history by Georgia.
Texas and Tennessee will have their say in how the conference ultimately shakes out, with both playing Georgia in the coming weeks and Tennessee hosting Alabama. Missouri and Ole Miss fall into the next tier along with Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and LSU. Kentucky, Arkansas, and South Carolina are teams that can beat you if you don’t take them seriously. Auburn, Vanderbilt, Florida, and Mississippi State are all teams that will struggle to get to bowl eligibility this season.
