By Brett Daniels
We are seven weeks into the season and the SEC is as evenly matched as any league in the country. One undefeated team remains in Texas, a traditional bottom feeder in Vanderbilt may be the league’s hottest team, and Ole Miss still can’t win on the road in conference games. Included in this week’s ranking are each team’s remaining schedule and a revised prediction on win totals.
1. Texas Longhorns (6-0)
The Longhorns are coming off a sound thrashing of Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout. QB Quinn Ewers returned from injury to go 20/29 for 199 yards and a touchdown, while the defense held the Sooners to 239 yards of total offense. The Longhorns host #5 Georgia this weekend followed by a trip to red-hot Vanderbilt.
After a bye, Texas will finish with games vs Kentucky, at Arkansas, vs Florida, and at #15 Texas A&M. Georgia is probably the toughest test remaining, although don’t discount the rivalry factor in games against Arkansas and Texas A&M.
Final Record Prediction: 12-0
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1)
Alabama gets the nod here over Georgia by virtue of their head-to-head win in Week 4. The Tide haven’t looked like themselves the past two weeks, especially on the defensive side of the ball losing to Vanderbilt and playing a close game against South Carolina at home.
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Alabama will travel to Rocky Top to take on the Vols next Saturday before welcoming Missouri to Tuscaloosa the next week. After a bye week, Alabama will close with games at LSU, home vs Mercer, at Oklahoma, and vs Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
Final Record Prediction: 10-2 (Loss vs Tennessee)
There’s never been a more talented and, yet, frustrating team than the 2024 Georgia Bulldogs.
— Cory Brinson (@CBrinson47) October 12, 2024
3. Georgia Bulldogs (5-1)
The Dawgs may be the most schizophrenic team in the conference. One minute, they can look dominant on offense putting up big numbers and scoring in bunches while the next minute they struggle to get a first down. Defensively is much of the same where the front seven will stuff running plays before giving up long passes over the top or committing a penalty to extend drives. Georgia has the talent to compete with and beat Texas in Austin next week, or they also could go in and have a repeat of the first half of the Alabama game and go down 28-0 in short order.
Including the game against #1 Texas on Saturday the Bulldogs will embark on one of the tougher four-game stretches of any team this season facing Florida in Jacksonville on November 2 before traveling to Oxford to face #18 Ole Miss. After, #11 Tennessee travels to Athens on November 16 to finish the stretch. The Dawgs could go 4-0 or go 0-4 over this stretch and it wouldn’t be a surprise. The final two weeks are at home against UMass and Georgia Tech.
Final Record Predicition: 9-3 (Losses vs Texas and Ole Miss)
4. LSU Tigers (5-1)
The Tigers have figured out how to win close games and that was on display against Ole Miss on Saturday night. The Rebels dominated most of the game and held the Tiger offense in check, but Garrett Nussmeier and company were able to rally to force overtime and then win in the extra period.
The story of the LSU season will be written in the next three weeks with games at Arkansas, at Texas A&M, and home vs Alabama. A final stretch at Florida, home vs Vanderbilt, and Oklahoma won’t be easy either.
Final Record Prediction: 9-3 (Losses vs Arkansas and Alabama)
5. Texas A&M Aggies (5-1)
The Aggies enjoyed a bye week before their last stretch of the season. Two remaining games against #8 LSU and #1 Texas, both at home will determine if Texas A&M will make the College Football Playoff and possibly the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. The Aggies have road games at Mississippi State next week, South Carolina on 11/2, and Auburn on 11/23 which should all be winnable.
Final Record Prediction: 9-3 (losses vs LSU and Texas)
6. Tennessee Volunteers (5-1)
Tennessee, LSU, and Texas A&M are all very similar and could be ranked in any order on this list. The Vols needing overtime to beat an offensively limited Florida team at home after only putting up 14 points in a loss against Arkansas last week shows that this isn’t the Tennessee team many thought they were after putting up 70 points a game on tomato cans the first three weeks of the season.
Tennessee will welcome Alabama to Knoxville next week followed by home games against Kentucky and Mississippi State. The only other test the Vols have left after that is a trip to Athens to face Georgia before wrapping up the season vs UTEP and Vanderbilt.
Final Record Prediction: 10-2 (Loss vs Georgia)
7. Vanderbilt Commodores (4-2)
The Dores didn’t suffer a letdown after their big win against Alabama playing a tough game against a very good Kentucky defense and pulling out the 20-13 win. Vanderbilt will welcome Ball State to Nashville next week before a visit from the #1 Texas Longhorns the week after.
The last four weeks of the season will include games at #8 LSU, home vs South Carolina, at Auburn, and home vs #11 Tennessee. The best-case scenario is splitting their remaining games with losses against the three teams ranked ahead.
Final Record Prediction: 7-5 (losses against Texas, LSU, and Tennessee)
8. Missouri Tigers (5-1)
Missouri is an example of a pretty good team with an incredibly weak schedule. Before the season started, 10 wins was the floor for this team and that still seems to be the case, although the season-ending game against Arkansas could add another loss.
The remaining schedule featuring games vs Auburn, at Alabama, vs Oklahoma, at South Carolina, at Mississippi State, and vs Arkansas is one of the easier slates in the conference.
Final Record Prediction: 10-2 (Loss vs Alabama)
9. Ole Miss Rebels (4-2)
Ole Miss was another team that looked great beating up on lesser teams to start the season but have come back to reality as the schedule started to get tougher. Before the season 11-1 looked like a safe bet based on the schedule, now 9-3 or 8-4 are very realistic possibilities.
The offensive line is having trouble protecting Jaxson Dart, giving up four sacks in the loss against LSU. The Rebels are also a highly penalized team committing 12 penalties for 110 yards which contributed to the loss.
Ole Miss will have a bye on 10/19 and will hope to recalibrate and come out the second half of the season playing better football. The remainder of the season of the season is very manageable with games vs Oklahoma, at Arkansas, vs Georgia, at Florida, and vs Mississippi State.
Final Record Prediction: 10-2 (no additional losses)
10. Arkansas Razorbacks (4-2)
After starting the season on the hot seat, Coach Sam Pittman has his Hogs a few plays away from being undefeated. Wins in the second half of the season will be harder to find with Arkansas welcoming LSU to town next week, followed by a trip to Mississippi State before three straight home games against Ole Miss, Texas, and Louisiana Tech before finishing on the road against Missouri.
Final Record Prediction: 6-6 (losses to LSU, Ole Miss, Texas, and Missouri)
11. Oklahoma Sooners (4-2)
The Sooners were humiliated in their rivalry game against Texas 34-3, generating 239 yards of total offense and scoring only three points. True Freshman QB Michael Hawkins Jr. was largely ineffective behind a patchwork offensive line and missing his top five wide receivers.
It’s hard to see where the Sooners will win more than two more games against the remaining schedule. South Carolina will come to Norman on Saturday before a tough road game against Ole Miss. A non-conference home game against Maine proceeds a brutal finishing stretch at Missouri, home vs Alabama, and at LSU.
Final Record Prediction: 6-6 (Losses to Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama, and LSU)
South Carolina currently has the #22 ranked defense in the nation…
That's after playing the #2 total offense, the #25 total offense, & #35 total offense.
Still room for improvement but if you're South Carolina you're proud of jumping up from #90 in 2023. pic.twitter.com/W6oTEgcaPg
— Gamecock R u s s 🤙🏻 (@RustyB25) October 13, 2024
12. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3)
The Gamecocks gave Alabama all they wanted on Saturday and had a shot to win the game until LaNorris Sellers threw an interception at the end of the game. The defensive line is one of the better units in the conference and will give the Cocks a chance to be in all their remaining games.
Sellers needs to cut down on the turnovers for South Carolina to have a chance to get to bowl eligibility. The last six games are tough beginning with a trip to Oklahoma next week, followed by a visit from Texas A&M, on the road at Vanderbilt, home against Missouri & Wofford, and finishing the season at Clemson.
Final Record Prediction: 4-8 (Losses to Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Clemson)
13. Kentucky Wildcats (3-3)
Kentucky is a tale of two units, the defense is as good as any in the league while the offense is one of the worst in the league. If Kentucky can hold teams at or under 20 points, then they have a chance to win. The last half of the season presents several chances to win but the offense will have to be more productive and cut down on the penalties.
The Cats travel to the Swamp to take on Florida next week followed by games vs Auburn, at Tennessee, vs Murray State, at Texas, and home vs Louisville to end the season.
Final Record Prediction: 6-6 (Losses against Tennessee, Texas, and Louisville)
14. Florida Gators (3-3)
The Gators had their chances on Saturday against Tennessee leaving 17 points on the field through turnovers and giving the ball up on downs deep in Tennessee territory. Graham Mertz’s fumble at the 1-yard line going in for the touchdown was the turning point in the game for Florida.
Wins in the second half of the season are going to be hard to come by with Kentucky visiting the Swamp on Saturday before facing off against Georgia in the Cocktail Party on November 2, beginning a four-game stretch against ranked opponents. A road game at Texas followed by home games against LSU and Ole Miss will almost certainly result in a 0-4 record. The final game against Florida State in Tallahassee will be the only chance the Gators have to win.
Final Record Prediction: 4-7 (Losses against Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss)
15. Auburn Tigers (2-4)
The Tigers had a much-needed bye week after getting beat by Georgia 31-13. It’s hard to find more than one more win in the final six games starting with back-to-back road games against Missouri and Kentucky. Vanderbilt, Louisiana-Monroe, and Texas A&M will visit Auburn before the final game of the season in the Iron Bowl at Alabama.
Final Record Prediction: 3-9 (Losses vs Missouri, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Alabama)
Mississippi State's 31 points yesterday were the most against an AP/CFP top 5 team for the Bulldogs since 2016 vs. No. 4 Texas A&M when they scored 35.
It was the most points scored in a road game against a top 5 opponent dating back to 1940 with initial rankings.
— Robbie Faulk (@robbiefaulkOn3) October 13, 2024
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-5)
The Magnolia State Bulldogs acquitted themselves well against the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens on Saturday. After a quiet first half Mississippi State started the second half giving up a touchdown drive to go down 34-10 and could have given up there. Instead, they battled back and started launching balls down the field to close the game to 34-24 at one point.
Freshman QB Michael Van Buren shined, going 20/37 for 306 yards and 2 touchdowns, most of that in the second half. The schedule doesn’t get any easier with four out of the final six games against ranked teams beginning with a visit from Texas A&M on Saturday. Games vs Arkansas, vs UMass, at Tennessee, vs Missouri, and at Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.
Final Record Prediction: 2-10 (Losses against Texas A&M, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Ole Miss)
Postseason Predictions
SEC Championship Game: Texas vs Alabama
Playoff Teams: Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee
Ole Miss and Missouri will be on the fringe of the playoff based on their weak schedules, both may get in if there is chaos in other conferences and there are multiple two or three-loss teams.
