SEC Power Rankings updated after Week 7 of college football
The latest SEC Power Rankings are here from On3 after Week 7 of the college football regular season.
The teams at the top didn’t change but there was some movement from other teams that looked like they belonged at the top. Such is life in the SEC, it just means more.
Let’s dive into the latest SEC power rankings courtesy of our panel of On3 experts.
1. Georgia (7-0)
Georgia had some problems with Vanderbilt early on but eventually pulled away in the second quarter and coasted from there. The Bulldogs have a habit of playing with their food, no pun intended.
Carson Beck threw for 261 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But Daijun Edwards was solid on the ground with 20 carries for 146 yards and one touchdown.
2. Alabama (6-1)
Phew, that was a close call there for Alabama with a 24-21 win over Arkansas at home. It looked like the Crimson Tide were going to roll to a victory but then, they didn’t. Sloppy play down the stretch.
Nick Saban’s defense couldn’t contain KJ Jefferson forever, as the Arkansas quarterback willed his team back. It wasn’t enough and Alabama improved to 6-1 on the season.
3. Ole Miss (5-1)
The Rebels were off for the week, so they don’t move in the On3 rankings. The loss to Alabama really stings because the Crimson Tide look relatively vulnerable.
Maybe they’ll get lucky and see Alabama lose twice while they win out. Lane Kiffin can certainly dream can he? We can too.
4. Tennessee (5-1)
It wasn’t a pretty win, but the Volunteers got it done over Texas A&M. The 20-13 win improved the record to 5-1 on the season, so the SEC East dreams are still alive for now.
Can this team beat Georgia? Especially after losing to Florida earlier this year? Tough to say. One thing’s for sure, Joe Milton has to be better under center moving forward.
5. LSU (5-2)
LSU rolled to an easy victory over Auburn and it wasn’t particularly close. Winning 48-18, Jayden Daniels went off for 325 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 93 on the ground.
Brian Kelly’s squad has two losses, so the playoff is out. However, this team seems to have New Year’s Six aspirations and they could be getting hot at the right time.
6. Missouri (6-1) (+3)
At one point, Kentucky was 5-0 and everyone’s darling in the SEC East. Well, put that title on Missouri, which improved to 6-1 on the season.
Eli Drinkwitz is doing something right this season. The Tigers are already bowl eligible but they want more. After coming back from a 14-0 hole, Missouri looks like a dangerous team going into the big stretch of the season.
7. Florida (5-2) (+1)
This shootout 41-39 win was highlighted by a career day for Graham Mertz under center for the Gators. He threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns to get this win over South Carolina.
It was close, but Billy Napier and company have to feel good about getting win No. 5 under their belts. They’ll get a week off before taking on No. 1 Georgia.
8. Texas A&M (4-3) (-2)
The Aggies dropped two spots in these rankings after this loss. Not haveing Conner Weigman stinks, but the team was confident in Max Johnson at quarterback.
But he had a bad game and the rest of the offense couldn’t get it going either. Two interceptions were back breaking in a seven point loss. Once again, there are many questions about Jimbo Fisher.
9. Kentucky (5-2) (-2)
Man, what happened here? Kentucky dropped two spots this week, according to On3 experts and if it weren’t for the bottom five, it might’ve been further.
Devin Leary threw for just 120 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Re’Mahn Davis played well, but his 128 yards wasn’t enough as Kentucky blew a two-score lead after the first quarter.
10. Auburn (3-3)
Yikes, what was that? Hugh Freeze and company lost 48-18 and it was pretty much over after trailing 17-0 after the first quarter. The offense clearly couldn’t catch up either.
With the defense not having a prayer against Daniels, does anyone by the way? The offense needed a lot of points, but Payton Thorne and guys like Jeremiah Cobb didn’t have enough. Auburn dropped to 3-3.
11. South Carolina (2-4)
Spencer Rattler did all he could and man, it was that close. He threw for 313 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in the 41-39 loss to Florida.
Shane Beamer and company fell to 2-4 and with half of the season in the books, it doesn’t look good for 2023. Is a bowl game still on the table? Sure, but it’s going to be a fight.
12. Arkansas (2-5)
Sam Pittman’s team fell to a disappointing 2-5 on the season and the postseason chances look bleak. KJ Jefferson did all he could to try and pull the upset over Alabama.
However, they came up just short. Looking ahead, Arkansas has a must-win against Mississippi State coming up before playing Florida November 4.
13. Mississippi State (3-3)
Speaking of the Bulldogs, they stayed at No. 13 in these power rankings after a bye week. Mississippi State is 3-3 on the year so maybe there’s a chance for a bowl game.
Heck, the schedule is favorable with Arkansas and Auburn as the next two opponents. The Bulldogs could turn the power rankings on its head.
14. Vanderbilt (2-6)
The Commodores have to win four in a row in order to get to a bowl game, so it might be time to think about that for next season. The tough loss to Georgia doesn’t look too bad, it was competitive.
But unfortunately, Clark Lea and company are probably still a year away from being really competitive and causing chaos. For now, they’ll rebuild the team, and the stadium it seems.
Another week in the books and it’s time to look ahead to big days in October and once that calendar is in November, oh boy. It’s about to get wild in the SEC.