Week 10 SEC power rankings

1. Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC)

Last week:1

The bye week gave Nick Saban an extra week to prepare for a trip to Death Valley. As of now, this is Alabama’s conference to lose, but this weekend’s game against LSU will arguably be its toughest challenge this season. Defensive back Eddie Jackson will be missed, but the way the defense and run game are rolling, is there such thing as a tough task for the Crimson Tide?

This week: at No. 15 LSU

2. Texas A&M (7-1, 4-1 SEC)

Last Week: 2

The Aggies crushed New Mexico State 52-10 last weekend, as they should have. They returned two punts for touchdowns, which were the main highlights from the game. Due to the large lead, Texas A&M spent the majority of the second half resting starters and getting young guys some reps. Despite that, the Aggies still managed to gain 500 total yards. Following its easiest game of the season, Texas A&M will travel to play Mississippi State next weekend — a game they should handle with ease. Kudos to the Aggies for being fourth in the first College Football Playoff rankings, too.

This week: at Mississippi State

3. Auburn (6-2, 4-1 SEC)

Last Week: 3

After a double-digit win over Ole Miss, it appears Auburn is here to stay. The defense had one of its worst overall performances of the season, but the rushing attack led the way — the Tigers rushed for 307 yards. Kamryn Pettway had another big day, finishing with 236 yards, which was his third straight game with more than 150 yards rushing. The sophomore leads the SEC in rushing yards with 933, and he continues to play a big role in Auburn turning around its season.

This Week: vs. Vanderbilt

4. LSU (5-2, 3-1 SEC)

Last Week: 4

Like Alabama, LSU got an extra week of preparation for its biggest game of the season. The rushing game has enjoyed plenty of success thus far, and Leonard Fournette shined in his debut back from injury last week. However, how will the running game fare against the nation’s best run defense? On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers’ athleticism should play to their advantage when facing quarterback Jalen Hurts, but they will need to stay disciplined through all four quarters to ensure they contain the Crimson Tide’s dangerous rushing attack.

This Week: vs. No. 1 Alabama

5. No. 10 Florida (6-1, 4-1 SEC)

Last Week: 6

With each week, this defensive unit continues to look more impressive, and Sunday was one of their best performances of the season. Not only did the Gators limit Georgia’s running game to under two yards per carry, but the pass rush recorded a quarterback hurry on nearly half of the Bulldogs’ pass attempts. The playmakers at all three levels are performing at a high level. After Florida’s 28-14 win over Georgia last Saturday, they inched one game closer to clinching the SEC East. If the Gators can take care of business on their road trip to Fayetteville this Saturday, they will be one game away from clinching the division title.

This Week: at Arkansas

6. Tennessee (5-3, 2-3 SEC)

Last Week: 5

It’s been a rough few days for the Tennessee program and its fans. First, there was the embarrassing loss off of a bye week to South Carolina. Then, junior running back — and sixth ranked rusher in Tennessee history — Jalen Hurd announced his intentions to transfer. While this is surely a tough loss for the program to deal with, will it make much of a difference on the field? Sophomore running back John Kelley appears to be a better fit for this team’s offense and was arguably the best offensive player of the game during the Vols’ ugly performance against the Gamecocks. The loss is a huge hit to Tennessee’s division title hopes, but with luck, this team still has the talent to win out and potentially earn a bid to Atlanta. These have been a dark few days for the program, and if Butch Jones wants to avoid the hot seat, it’s critical he avoids another loss this season.

This Week: vs. Tennessee Tech

7. Arkansas (5-3, 1-3 SEC)

Last Week: 8

Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, they had an extra seven days to think about the 56-3 blowout loss they suffered against Auburn. The offense has shown glimpses of dominance and at his best, quarterback Austin Allen is arguably the best pure passer in the conference. After struggling mightily against the Tigers’ defense, Arkansas faces another tough defense in Florida this weekend. Florida has a porous offense, but the Razorbacks will need to at least get in the end zone once if they’re going to have any chance of winning.

This Week: vs. No. 10 Florida

8. Ole Miss (3-5, 1-4 SEC)

Last Week: 7

Quarterback Chad Kelly had one of his better performances of the season, finishing with 465 passing yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, the run defense continues to be a problem for the Rebels, and they gave up over 300 yards on the ground Saturday, while also failing to have success running the ball on offense. Although the schedule has been rough, this team has undoubtedly underperformed this season. Did anyone expect Ole Miss to be 3-5 and 1-4 in the conference?

This Week: vs. Georgia Southern

9. Kentucky (5-3, 4-2 SEC)

Last Week: 11

After beating Missouri on the road by two touchdowns, Kentucky moved to 4-2 in conference and sit alone in second place in the SEC East. Sure, the Wildcats have beat up on the weakest teams in the SEC, but with a strong running game, this team continues to impress. The running back duo of Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benny Snell Jr. has enjoyed much success, and the two have combined for nearly 1,500 yards already this season. Saturday was a similar story — they both ran for over 175 yards. The Wildcats host Georgia on Saturday with a chance to really prove their worth as an SEC East contender this season.

This Week: vs. Georgia

10. Georgia (4-4, 2-4 SEC)

In their 28-14 loss against Florida last weekend, the Bulldogs’ offense turned in another abysmal performance. Georgia failed to reach 200 total yards of offense, and the offensive line was dominated in the trenches throughout the game. The defense did its part, but the offense’s inability to score is a major concern going forward. Is Nick Chubb still not all that healthy, or does the offensive line deserve a majority of the blame for the struggles in the running game? Georgia has a chance to get back on track in a winnable road test at Kentucky on Saturday, but the offense will have to perform much better than last week.

This Week: at Kentucky

11. Vanderbilt (4-4, 1-3 SEC)

Last Week: 10

Winners of two straight, Vanderbilt’s bye week came at a nice time as they get ready to travel to Auburn this Saturday. The Commodores may have pulled out a road upset at Georgia a few weeks ago, but this Tigers team is playing at a much higher level. Vanderbilt will have its hands full this week, but if the defense and linebacker Zach Cunningham can defend the run like they’ve shown they can, maybe they can keep this game close for awhile.

This Week: at No. 11 Auburn

12. South Carolina (4-4, 2-4 SEC)

Last Week: 14

What a big weekend it was for Will Muschamp’s program! He recorded his first signature win as head coach of the Gamecocks with a 24-21 victory over Tennessee last Saturday. While the offense didn’t necessarily look impressive, its ability to finish off long drives with touchdowns while also taking care of the football put the team in a great position to win. It also didn’t hurt that the defense held the Vols to under 300 yards of offense and forced three turnovers. Freshman quarterback Jake Bentley had an efficient day, completing 75 percent of his passes for just under 175 yards while also tossing two scores. South Carolina has now won two straight and host Missouri this week in another winnable game.

This Week: vs. Missouri

13. Mississippi State (3-5, 1-3 SEC)

Last Week: 12

Mississippi State beat Samford this past weekend 56-41. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald had his best game of the season, finishing with over 500 total yards and a combined seven touchdowns — five through the air two on the ground. Outside of that, the defensive performance was concerning. Giving up 41 points and over 600 total yards of offense is never good, although they did force three turnovers. If Mississippi State gave up those type of numbers to the Samford offense, the Bulldogs could be in for a long day against Texas A&M.

This Week: vs. No. 7 Texas A&M

14. Missouri (2-6, 0-4 SEC)

Last Week: 13

The Tigers are surely happy to put the month of October behind them — they finished the month winless. During the four game skid, the defense has given up over 40 points per game. Missouri may have only given up 35 points Saturday, but the run defense was atrocious. On the season, the Tigers have allowed their opponents to rush for nearly six yards per carry. That is bad, folks. The offense didn’t provide much support, either — quarterback Drew Lock doesn’t seem to look quite as good when he’s not facing Delaware State or Eastern Michigan. Fortunately, they have a winnable conference game this weekend as they travel to face South Carolina.

This Week: at South Carolina

Edited by Adam Milliken

Featured image by Donald Page, courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

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