ESPN ranks SEC Football teams from first to last after Week 9

Heading into the final third of the season, the SEC race has reached a fever pitch. And with the latest results, the Football Power Index is adjusting accordingly.

According to ESPN, The FPI is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.

With that in mind, let’s check out how the FPI has the SEC sorted through nine weeks of the season. We dive in below.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1) – 22.7 FPI score

After enduring a stretch of four straight ranked opponents and winning them all, Alabama got a “reprieve” by going to South Carolina. It proved far tougher a matchup than the Crimson Tide might have expected.

Still, Alabama escaped with a win, remaining atop the SEC standings. For now, Alabama and Texas A&M are the lone remaining unbeatens, and they will not play this year in the regular season. So avoiding losses remains paramount when it comes to title game scenarios.

2. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) – 21.5

The Bulldogs were on a bye this week, ahead of a key game against rival Florida. Of course, the Gators haven’t been very good this year, but they’ll be playing with an interim staff now.

Could that result in a tricky game for Georgia, not knowing quite what to expect? It could. But dominant teams usually take care of business, and that’s what the Bulldogs will be tasked with doing.

3. Texas Longhorns (6-2) – 19.9

Few teams had as big a scare as Texas did last weekend, trailing Mississippi State by a bunch in the fourth quarter. Somehow, the Longhorns found a way to rally to come away with the win over the Bulldogs.

While most are sleeping on Texas in the SEC race, the Longhorns are still very much in the thick of things. Given that games against Georgia and Texas A&M remain, Texas can definitely play its way in with a strong surge to close the season.

4. Texas A&M Aggies (8-0) – 19.3

Texas A&M now has two games against ranked opponents in the rearview mirror. It’s got two more remaining, starting with this weekend’s contest at Missouri.

Even so, the Aggies are probably the team in the SEC most able to withstand another loss and remain in contention. The rest of the league slate includes that road game at Missouri, a home date against South Carolina and a road trip to Texas. That’s pretty manageable, all things considered.

5. Ole Miss Rebels (7-1) – 17.6

Ole Miss cleared one of its biggest remaining hurdles on Saturday with a win over Oklahoma. That was one of three ranked games on the schedule so far, and the Rebels went 2-1 in them.

The rest of the slate doesn’t feature a single ranked opponent. Though the Egg Bowl could be tricky, and a home date with Florida will have no shortage of storylines (read: coaching storylines), Ole Miss will be favored the rest of the way. That makes it a definite SEC title game contender.

6. Tennessee Volunteers (6-2) – 17.2

Tennessee is oh so close to having a very different outlook on the season. But the overtime loss to Georgia changed things pretty dramatically in Knoxville.

As it stands, Tennessee still has a shot at the College Football Playoffs. But it probably needs to win out at this point, given the overall strength of the schedule. This week’s game against Oklahoma is a big one.

7. Vanderbilt Commodores (7-1) – 15.5

Vanderbilt picked up a massive win this weekend against Missouri, a second straight win over a ranked foe. That legitimizes the Commodores a good deal in the eyes of those that matter in the sport.

Can Clark Lea and his squad keep the momentum going with a third straight ranked win? Texas is on the schedule next (on the road this week) and that’s certainly a winnable game too.

8. Oklahoma Sooners (6-2) – 15.5

The Sooners like sank out of the SEC race on Saturday with the loss to the Rebels, and the road remains brutal. Three straight games against ranked opponents remain, plus a home date against LSU to end the season.

Oklahoma was competitive against Ole Miss despite the offense being out of sync. Can John Mateer snap back and get back into form down the stretch? If so, a winning run could potentially result in a playoff bid. But it’s a big ask.

9. Missouri Tigers (6-2) – 15.2

Missouri watched its best chance to solidify a playoff bid slip by on Saturday with a very winnable game at Vanderbilt going south. The Tigers still have some juice left in the schedule, but they probably can’t afford another loss.

A bye week this week will give the team some time to recover and regroup. Then it’s a game against Texas A&M with everything at stake. Missouri has to have that one.

10. LSU Tigers (5-3) – 12.7

For all intents and purposes, LSU’s playoff hopes came unpinned on Saturday with the blowout loss to Texas A&M. Head coach Brian Kelly has been fired.

The only real question with LSU is whether it can play spoiler in the SEC from here. After a bye week, a road trip to Alabama provides one such opportunity. A finale against Oklahoma offers another.

Rest of the SEC in the FPI

11. Auburn Tigers (4-4) – 11.8
12. Florida Gators (3-4) – 10.2
13. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-6) – 8.5
14. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-5) – 8.2
15. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-4) – 7.3
16. Kentucky Wildcats (2-5) – 4.2