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We’re already approaching the final month of the college football regular season. Once the calendar flips to November, there are only 4 games left for teams. And by the time we reach December, conference championships and the College Football Playoff will be all that remains.
Basically, we know who these teams are at this point. It’s hard to hide your flaws and strengths when there are 8 games of evidence on tape.
Week 9 was another exciting one in the SEC, with Vanderbilt nearly upsetting Texas, Texas A&M coming from behind to beat LSU, Alabama shutting out Mizzou and more.
Here’s a look at our updated SEC power rankings following Week 9:
16. Oklahoma (4-4 overall, 1-4 in SEC)
Previous ranking: 15
This week: 26-14 L to No. 18 Ole Miss
Next week: vs. Maine
Jackson Arnold at least provided a spark to the offense in the early part of Saturday’s game against Ole Miss. But it was short-lived and not nearly enough to pull off the upset against the Rebels. This weekend, though, Arnold and the Sooners have a chance to get their acts together against Maine, an FCS opponent.
15. Kentucky (3-5, 1-5)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: 24-10 L to Auburn
Next week: at Tennessee
The Wildcats are a mess right now. This offense can’t move the ball enough to be competitive. However, more concerning on Saturday night was the run defense. Allowing Jarquez Hunter to run for 278 yards wasn’t a good look for Mark Stoops and his staff. With a trip to visit Dylan Sampson and the Vols coming up this week, things could get even uglier.
14. Mississippi State (1-7, 0-5)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: 58-25 L to Arkansas
Next week: vs. UMass
The offense is showing signs of improvement. The defense? Not so much. The Bulldogs do have some intriguing weapons on offense that Jeff Lebby can work with into the future. Mississippi State should at least pick up win No. 2 this weekend when a truly awful UMass squad comes to Starkville.
13. Auburn (3-5, 1-4)
Previous ranking: 16
This week: 24-10 W at Kentucky
Next week: vs. Vanderbilt
When Auburn doesn’t hurt itself with penalties and turnovers, it is actually a pretty good football team. And when the Tigers actually give the ball to Jarquez Hunter, good things happen. Hunter ran for 278 yards and a pair of scores in a virtuoso effort on Saturday night in Lexington. Let’s see if Vanderbilt can slow him down.
12. Arkansas (5-3, 3-2)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: 58-25 W at Mississippi State
Next week: vs. Ole Miss
Taylen Green threw for 5 touchdowns and Braylen Russell ran for 175 yards as the Hogs blew out Mississippi State. Winning on the road in SEC play is never easy, even in Starkville, so this win should be celebrated. Now we’ll see if the Hogs can pick up 1 more win to gain bowl eligibility. The schedule features Ole Miss, Texas, Louisiana Tech and Mizzou, so if Arkansas takes care of business, a bowl game should be in the future.
11. Florida (4-3, 2-2)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: OFF
Next week: vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville)
Will a week off help the Gators pull off an upset of Georgia? Probably not, but this team is at least taking steps in the right direction. This begins the brutal portion of Florida’s schedule, though, as the Gators face Georgia, Texas, LSU and Ole Miss before ending the season against Florida State.
10. South Carolina (4-3, 2-3)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: OFF
Next week: vs. Texas A&M
South Carolina hosts the last remaining SEC team with an unbeaten conference record this weekend. We know the Gamecocks’ fans will show out. And we know Shane Beamer’s squad will make this a scrappy, hard-fought, close game. Can South Carolina manage to win, though? We’ll see if LaNorris Sellers and the offense can avoid the big mistakes in the 4th quarter of this one.
9. Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: 27-24 L to No. 5 Texas
Next week: at Auburn
Vanderbilt continues its habit of playing close games. Every game the Commodores have played against FBS competition has been within 10 points this season. It looked like the Longhorns were going to run away with a win, but Vanderbilt clawed its way back into the game to make things interesting late. Winning at Auburn this week to gain bowl eligibility would be a huge step for Clark Lea and his program.
8. Mizzou (6-2, 2-2)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: 34-0 W at No. 15 Alabama
Next week: OFF
If ever a team needed a week off, it’s the Missouri Tigers. QB Brady Cook is banged up. RB Nate Noel has been in and out of the lineup. The offense is a mess. And yet… the Tigers are 6-2. They’ll need a healthy Cook down the stretch, though, if they’re going to pick up more wins against a manageable final 4 games (vs. Oklahoma, at South Carolina, at Mississippi State, vs. Arkansas). Getting to 10 wins is still in play, but Cook needs to be healthy for that to happen.
7. Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: 26-14 W over Oklahoma
Next week: at Arkansas
Oklahoma’s defense is good, yes, but the Ole Miss offense is a problem this year. The Rebels continue to show they can’t finish off drives. They were without star WR Tre Harris, which certainly hurts, but against a team struggling as much as Oklahoma has been this year, only putting up 26 points when you have this much talent on offense is concerning.
6. LSU (6-2, 3-1)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: 38-23 L at No. 14 Texas A&M
Next week: OFF
LSU got off to a good start, but couldn’t sustain it. The running game couldn’t get anything going against the Aggies and Garrett Nussmeier made some head-scratching throws. There’s a lot the Tigers are going to need to clean up during the off week before Alabama comes to town on Nov. 9.
5. Alabama (6-2, 3-2)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: 34-0 W over No. 21 Mizzou
Next week: OFF
I think we’ll be looking back at the goal-line stand against Mizzou as a moment that changed Alabama’s season. Kalen DeBoer and his crew really wanted the shutout, and the defense stepped up to the plate (albeit against a shorthanded Mizzou squad). Now the Tide get a week off to prepare for a major rivalry game at LSU.
4. Tennessee (6-1, 3-1)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: OFF
Next week: vs. Kentucky
The Vols catch Kentucky at the right time. They’re coming out of a restful week while the Wildcats just gave up 278 rushing yards to Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter. You know Dylan Sampson has to be smiling about that. I expect the Vols’ streak of scoreless first halves to end this weekend.
3. Texas (7-1, 3-1)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: 27-24 W at No. 25 Vanderbilt
Next week: OFF
The Longhorns couldn’t put the Commodores away and it almost cost them down the stretch. This is still a strong team that will probably end up in the College Football Playoff, but there are some flaws that Steve Sarkisian and his staff will need to address during the off week.
2. Texas A&M (7-1, 5-0)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: 38-23 W over No. 8 LSU
Next week: at South Carolina
These Aggies are much different than Texas A&M squads of years past. Down 10 in the first half against LSU, the Aggies didn’t flinch. Instead, they rattled off an impressive come-from-behind victory over a top-10 team. Marcel Reed scored 3 rushing touchdowns to provide a spark to the offense. Mike Elko’s defense continues to be elite. This team could very well punch a ticket to Atlanta soon, but a trip to South Carolina this weekend won’t be easy.
1. Georgia (6-1, 4-1)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: OFF
Next week: vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)
The Bulldogs were off this week to prepare for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville on Saturday. Can the Dawgs slow down DJ Lagway and a Florida offense that has shown signs of life in recent weeks? This could be a statement game for Georgia ahead of a Nov. 9 statement game at Ole Miss.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
