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SEC Football Power Rankings After Week 8: Tigers Top 3
Oct 22, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; SEC Football – Auburn Tigers running back Stanton Truitt (10) gets past Arkansas Razorback defenders and scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 56-3. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Here we give our SEC Football power rankings after eight weeks of the season. Auburn football remains among the top three after a big win against Arkansas.
We are about halfway through the SEC football schedule with just about everyone having four SEC football games under their belt.
We have a much clearer pitcher of how every team stacks up now, and because of that there isn’t much shake-up in our power rankings. That, and the fact that I’ve pretty much been spot on for weeks now.
Alabama remains at the top after a big win at home over Texas A&M, but the Aggies hung around and made it a game in the second half for a minute.
Auburn absolutely dominated Arkansas at home showing they deserve to be in the conversation for the SEC Football Championship.
LSU did the same by taking care of an Ole Miss team that seems to be giving up – hopefully that’s the case this weekend.
In an exciting game that nobody saw, Kentucky came away with a much needed win over Mississippi State to keep their bowl chances alive.
In out-of-conference games, South Carolina hung on to beat UMASS, and Vanderbilt took care of Tennessee State, but Missouri embarrassed the conference with a loss to Middle Tennessee.
This week gives us four SEC matchups, but none include two ranked teams, which opens the door for some upsets.
Let’s see where everyone sits going into week nine.
Oct 22, 2016; Columbia, MO, USA; Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders head coach Rick Stockstill checks on Missouri Tigers wide receiver J
14 – Missouri – 2-5 (0-3) – Even
I don’t see Missouri moving out of the basement of the SEC this year after that embarrassing loss at home to Middle Tennessee.
I know the Blue Raiders are a very good Conference USA team, but no way should they beat an SEC team at home.
We thought this could be a terrible year for Missouri coming into the season, but it looks like it could be worse than expected.
I thought maybe they could go on a run with MTSU, Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt coming up. Now I’m not so sure they win another game this season.
I think this team has the ability to win a few more games, but they’ll need to make some drastic improvements on defense as they’ve given up 40 points or more in three straight games.
13 – Vanderbilt – 4-4 (1-3) – Even
Oct 22, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores running back Khari Blasingame (23) is congratulated for scoring a touchdown against the Tennessee State Tigers by Commodores tight end Nathan Marcus (83) during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
It wasn’t necessarily a great performance against Tennessee State, but the Commodores still came away with a 35-17 win giving them four wins on the season.
With Missouri still on the schedule, Vanderbilt is now in a good position to win six games and get a bowl berth. Although, I think that loss to South Carolina to open the season is going to come back and haunt them.
In order to get to six wins they have to beat Missouri and then either upset Auburn, Ole Miss or Tennessee. I don’t see that happening unless they make big improvements on offense going forward.
Right now they’re giving up more points per game than they’re scoring. That’s not good. And their defense is ranked 29th in the country giving up just 21.4 points per game.
They get a much needed bye this week before coming back to face Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Oct 22, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley (4) passes against the Massachusetts Minutemen in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
12 – South Carolina – 3-4 (1-4) – Even
South Carolina made a change at quarterback against UMASS going with freshman Jake Bentley from Opelika, Ala.
It seemed to pay off as the offense tallied almost 400 yards of offense and scored 34 points. Bentley threw for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns. I had the game on one of my TVs and he made a couple of throws that had me jumping out of my seat.
Both of his touchdown passes were absolutely beautiful, especially the first one.
A bit concerning is the fact that the defense gave up 28 points to UMASS and they couldn’t seem to put a 1-7 team away. They gave up 389 total yards to the Minutemen.
Two fourth quarter touchdowns made the score a lot closer than it should have been, but it’s still a bit troublesome considering how good their defense has been all year.
Maybe Bentley is the spark South Carolina needs on offense. They still have two very winnable games against Missouri and Wester Carolina. Then they’ll just need to upset Tennessee this weekend or Florida or Clemson later in the year to reach a bowl game.
11 – Mississippi State – 2-5 (1-3) – Even
Oct 22, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Dorian Baker (2) reaches for a pass against Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Jamal Peters (2) in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated Mississippi 40-38. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
The Bulldogs are really drowning after a difficult loss on the road this past weekend to Kentucky 40-38.
You knew this was going to be a tough season for Dan Mullen’s bunch, but this is probably worse than expected.
When you’re the worst team in the SEC West you’re almost guaranteed to lose at least five games. That means you have to take advantage of your out-of-conference games and games against the SEC East. Losses to South Alabama, BYU and now Kentucky have set this program back and put Dan Mullen on the hot seat in Starkville.
They’ll get any easy win against Samford this weekend, but then I’m not sure they win another game the rest of the season. And three wins just isn’t good enough for Mississippi State.
Oct 15, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; A Georgia Bulldogs student cheers his team against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Vanderbilt defeated Georgia 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
10 – Georgia – 4-3 (2-3) – Even
The Bulldogs are coming off a bye week following an embarrassing loss to Vanderbilt at home. They have been a big letdown in their first season with Kirby Smart as they already have three SEC losses.
They can make things all better with a win over their rival Florida this weekend, which would knock the Gators out of the SEC Championship game.
I think we continue to see this Bulldogs team get better the rest of the season with Jacob Eason at quarterback. The offense really hasn’t been a huge issue – although they could certainly do better than 25.1 points per game – but the defense has really let them down allowing 26.4 points per game.
With Florida, Kentucky and Auburn still on the schedule this team could struggle to find two more wins to reach a bowl game.
9 – Kentucky – 4-3 (3-2) – Even
Oct 22, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats kicker Austin MacGinnis (99) celebrates with teammates after kicking the game winning field goal against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated Mississippi 40-38. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
The Wildcats are on the rise with a big win over Mississippi State that sets them up to reach a bowl game with two more wins.
They have a chance for another SEC win this weekend against Missouri, and if they win that game six wins is all but guaranteed with an FCS team still on the schedule.
I think they have a very legitimate shot to beat Georgia and Tennessee as well and finish as the second best team in the SEC East.
We’ll know more after this weekend’s game on the road against Missouri though. They can’t afford a setback Saturday.
Oct 22, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers linebacker Duke Riley (40) tackles Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) during the second half of a game at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Mississippi 38-21. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
8 – Ole Miss – 3-4 (1-3) – Down One
I’ve been saying all season that Ole Miss has the potential to fold with a couple of losses, and it looks like that is what is happening.
Let’s be real though, this team lost a lot from last year’s team, but we bought into the hype after they built such huge leads against Florida State and Alabama. We must have ignored the fact that they also blew those big leads.
This weekend they face one of the hottest teams in the country in Auburn. They do get them at home so maybe the home crowd will give them some inspiration.
Ole Miss also gave itself a postseason ban for this season, so now you know they’ve really thrown in the towel.
If they don’t beat Auburn this weekend they’ll need to run the table against Georgia Southern, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State to get six wins – I don’t see them beating Texas A&M.
Oct 22, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers defensive back John Broussard (22) tackles Arkansas Razorbacks receiver Deon Stewart (13) during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 56-3. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
7 – Arkansas 5-3 (1-3) – Down One
The SEC West has really separated itself the past few weeks with Arkansas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State each 1-3 in conference play.
I think the Razorbacks are the best of that group, especially with already having a win over Ole Miss.
They were simply embarrassed against Auburn this past Saturday, but I still think they’re a decent football team. That offensive line has to protect Austin Allen though, and somehow they have to learn to stop the run.
They get a bye week this weekend and I’ve never seen a team that need one more badly. They’re coming off games against Texas A&M, Alabama, Ole Miss and Auburn in a five week stretch and have Florida and LSU waiting on the other side of the bye week.
They finish the season against Mississippi State and Missouri so they should still get at least seven wins, which I think is a tremendous accomplishment for the Razorbacks this year.
Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones runs on to the field before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
6 – Tennessee – 5-2 (2-2) – Up Two
The Volunteers are coming off a bye week to play a South Carolina team that seems to be getting better. They’ll have to go play on the road at night, so you never know what could happen.
In all honesty, there isn’t a team left on Tennessee’s schedule that should come close to beating them. The only way they lose the rest of the way is if they beat themselves.
And that’s what we’ll be watching for the rest of the way, to see if Tennessee slips up and losses another game. If they do it will be really difficult for them to get to Atlanta.
They’ll have an eye on that Florida game this weekend as they need the Gators to lose at least one more game for Tennessee to control its own destiny in the SEC East again.
Oct 15, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators tight end C
5 – Florida – 5-1 (3-1) – Even
Speaking of the Gators, they do control their destiny in the SEC East at this point with just one loss. However, they still have a few tests left before they can celebrate.
The first of which comes this weekend against their rival the Georgia Bulldogs.
Luke Del Rio is back at quarterback now, and after a slow start against Missouri he should be ready to go. I really think he is the difference on this team. They are a much more balanced team with him out there.
Based on what I’ve seen from Georgia this season, Florida should dominate this game. But you never know what will happen in a rival game.
Even after Georgia, the Gators have to travel to play Arkansas the following week. Things look good now, but their journey is far from over.
Oct 22, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers players celebrate with the Magnolia Bowl trophy following a win against the Mississippi Rebels in a game at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Mississippi 38-21. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
4 – LSU – 5-2 (3-1) – Even
I’m starting to buy into the LSU hype a little bit with Coach O leading the team. I’ll just say that I’m glad we faced Les Miles’ LSU team this year.
LSU has averaged 41 points per game in their past three games since Coach O took over. They didn’t score more than 23 points against any FBS team in the three games Les Miles coached in this year.
Of course it helps that Leonard Fournette is choosing when he wants to play. He seemed to be pretty healthy and fresh when he ran all over Ole Miss this past weekend.
Now he and LSU gets a bye week before they host Alabama next Saturday in what should be another huge showdown between the two teams.
I still think they have the chance to lose three more games this season with Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M left on the schedule. We’ll know how for real they are after next weekend.
3 – Auburn – 5-2 (3-1) – Even
Oct 22, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Sean White (13) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the third quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 56-3. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
I think people are starting to realize that Auburn is for real after the beat down they put on Arkansas this past weekend 56-3.
The defense played its most impressive game of the year coming off the bye week, and the offense continues to run the football well.
With Texas A&M losing to Alabama last weekend Auburn fans need the Aggies to slip up one more time for Auburn to control its own destiny in the SEC West.
I love that Auburn finally identified what this team is, and now the coaches are game planning around those areas instead of forcing something that wasn’t there like they did the first three weeks.
Auburn will have another tough test this weekend against an Ole Miss team that can be great when they want to be. Plus, it will be just Auburn’s second road game of the season.
Oct 22, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Trevor Knight (8) walks off the field following their 33-14 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
2 – Texas A&M – 6-1 (4-1) – Even
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Even though Texas A&M lost to Alabama, they held a lead in the second half against them, which is more than most teams can say this year.
Unfortunately for the Aggies they just couldn’t keep up with Alabama in the second half, and a huge fumble that led to a touchdown for Alabama really swung the momentum.
I still think Texas A&M is the second best team in the SEC, and they really don’t have much left on their schedule other than LSU to end the season.
They get New Mexico State this weekend and then both Mississippi teams before facing UTSA and LSU. They should easily reach 10 wins this season, which will keep Kevin Sumlin around a little longer.
If Alabama somehow slips up and losses a couple of games they could also find themselves back in the SEC Championship picture.
1 – Alabama – 8-0 (5-0) – Even
Crimson Tide fans had to be shaking in their boots for half a second against Texas A&M when they were down 14-13.
In all honesty, it never should have been that close. Alabama nearly doubled Texas A&M in yardage in the first half, but stalled inside the 10 twice. That could be something to keep an eye on if Alabama continues to struggle to score on and-goal situations from the 10.
Still, the offense finished with 451 total yards, while the defense allowed just 278.
As much as it pains Auburn fans, this is by far the best team in the SEC and in the country. All we can ask for is a shot though, and we’ll get that in the Iron Bowl.
Alabama gets a bye week this weekend before traveling to LSU in what might be their toughest game left – outside of the Iron Bowl, which they get at home.
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