SEC Power Rankings updated after Week 3 of college football
The latest SEC Power Rankings from On3 are here after Week 3 of the college football season, with lots of movement.
And the movement is significant as Florida’s win over Tennessee was the monumental victory over the weekend. A game like that drastically changed how the conference looked through the first quarter of the season.
Here’s how the SEC Power Rankings ended up after Week 3 per a collection of On3 experts.
1. Georgia (3-0)
Georgia remained at the top of the mountain with a win over South Carolina. However, it didn’t come easy.
Some may look at the 24-14 win as cause for concern, but for now, the Bulldogs are the top team in the SEC. Right now, they’re still on track to win the conference and get back to the CFP for a chance at a third straight title.
2. LSU (2-1) (+4)
LSU bounced back in a big way with a win over Mississippi State. The combination of Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers was dynamite.
This looks like a totally different team that lost itself against Florida State to open the season. With two straight wins, the Tigers make a decently sized jump to No. 2 in the conference.
3. Ole Miss (3-0) (+5)
Ole Miss ran right by Georgia Tech and it seemed like Jaxson Dart did everything himself. He even said he never ran that much in his life.
Is that a good recipe to beat Alabama this week? Probably not, but Ole Miss has a puncher’s chance going to Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide could be vulnerable and Lane Kiffin could have quite the win.
4. Alabama (2-1) (-2)
Speaking of Alabama, the Crimson Tide dropped down two pegs after a poor performance against USF. No one really saw that coming and the quarterback situation got really messy.
With Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson unable to really grasp the starting job, the Crimson Tide will turn back to Jalen Milroe against the Rebels. This could already be a pivotal week in 2023 for Alabama and Nick Saban.
5. Florida (2-1) (+5)
How about those Florida Gators? Billy Napier earned the biggest win of his young tenure with the program by beating Tennessee.
That type of win at home propelled the Gators up five spots in these rankings. Can Florida sustain this now? Well, the team seems capable, so for now, a top five team in the SEC.
6. Tennessee (2-1) (-3)
Speaking of those Volunteers, the team just looked out of sync and couldn’t get it done on the road in a rivalry game. Now, Josh Heupel and crew have to look inward and figure it out.
Joe Milton didn’t have a bad game, but he tossed an interception and it seemed like the run game couldn’t get it figured out. But, Tennessee isn’t a team likely to fall down too far.
7. Texas A&M (2-1) (-3)
Despite a win for Texas A&M, the other impressive performances pushed the Aggies down this week. Nothing against Jimbo Fisher’s crew, but Louisiana-Monroe doesn’t scream a Tennessee-Florida matchup.
On the positive side, his team is 2-1 on the season. It could’ve been worse. But Aggie fans want fast improvement and a long winning streak coming out. Just a middle of the pack team at this time.
8. Auburn (3-0) (+1)
Auburn hasn’t screamed overly impressive so far this season, but Hugh Freeze already has this team halfway to bowl eligibility. We get it, that’s not the standard there.
But it’s definitely needed right now considering where the Tigers were under Bryan Harsin. With SEC play coming up, we’ll see if this team is for real.
9. Kentucky (3-0) (-2)
Again, Kentucky drops down due to other performances around the conference. Yes, the Wildcats took care of business against Akron, but Mark Stoops wasn’t too happy.
Kentucky hasn’t really boat raced anyone so far this season. So our On3 experts echoed Stoops with this ranking and are in a wait and see approach.
10. Missouri (3-0) (+2)
Heck yeah, what a win for the Tigers over Kansas State. Eli Drinkwitz and crew knocked off the previously ranked No. 15 team in the country on a walk off field goal.
It was a great win and it moved Missouri up two spots in the SEC rankings, per our On3 experts. It’s a small step, but at least Mizzou looks very competitive so far. How will the team fare in conference play?
11. Arkansas (2-1) (-6)
Brutal loss for the Razorbacks. Losing to BYU hurts Sam Pittman and crew and knocks them from the ranks of the undefeated.
With that, plus other movement, Arkansas took a tumble this week all the way down to No. 11. That’s six spots! They’ll head to LSU this coming weekend and an upset could really shake things up. But it remains to be seen.
12. South Carolina (1-2) (-1)
South Carolina is already below .500 but gave a valiant effort against Georgia in Athens. Boy, if Shane Beamer and crew pulled off this upset, there would’ve been chaos.
But for now, South Carolina remains near the bottom. That UNC loss to open the season really stings right now. But, there’s time to bounce back.
13. Mississippi State (2-1)
Tough look for the Bulldogs as they seemingly could not get into the game against LSU. Malik Nabers torched the entire defense all game long.
Will Rogers, usually very reliable at airing it out, went just 11-of-28 passing for 103 yards. Nothing clicked in the 41-14 loss this time around.
14. Vanderbilt (2-2)
A very tough loss for Vanderbilt, dropping one to UNLV. It would look a lot better on the stat sheet if the Commodores were 3-1 through the first four games.
Unfortunately for them, they’re at the bottom of the SEC Power Rankings. There’s no doubt Clark Lea is improving this program, but it’s a slow burn at the moment.
Tons of movement after Week 3 and Week 4 could do the same with specific matchups. But for right now, Georgia is still the king until a team knocks them off the perch.