Week 11 SEC power rankings

1. Alabama

Last week: 1

Alabama’s showing in Baton Rouge wasn’t its best of the season, but the Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0 SEC) are undoubtingly still the best team in the SEC. They also showed that the defense is tops in the conference, holding LSUs offense to 33 rushing yards on Saturday night. That Tiger offense had been averaging over 300 rushing yards a game since Les Miles’ firing. Alabama’s defense controlled LSU all night while the offense struggled against an elite Tiger defense. Jalen Hurts’ 21-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter finally put the Crimson Tide on the board and in the lead for good. It wasn’t an overly-impressive win by any means, but when the going got tough, Alabama came out on top.

This week: vs. Mississippi State

2. Auburn

Last week: 3

Kamryn Pettway continues to lead Auburn (7-2, 5-1 SEC) up the SEC rankings. Pettway ran for 173 yards on 25 carries against a well-coached Vanderbilt defense to lead the Tigers to a 23-16 win over the Commodores on Saturday. Pettway leads the SEC with 1,106 rushing yards this season. However, the Tigers started slow against a four-win Vanderbilt team, and the game was tied at 10 going into halftime. Auburn closed out the game with a solid defense performance. It wasn’t the Tigers’ best performance, but Texas A&M’s loss to Mississippi State allows Auburn to move up the SEC rankings.

This week: at Georgia

3. Texas A&M

Last week: 2

A loss to Mississippi State this past Saturday is exactly what Texas A&M (7-2, 4-2 SEC) did not need. The Aggies’ defense was terrible, allowing the Bulldog offense to gain 574 yards on the day. Mississippi State controlled the Aggies in the trenches and ran for 365 yards and three touchdowns. A&M quarterback Trevor Knight was injured in the game and is done for the year. Yes, this was a bad loss for the Aggies, but they are still a very good team.

This week: vs. Ole Miss

4. LSU

Last week: 4

It’s always bound to be a hard-fought game when Alabama and LSU (5-3, 3-2 SEC) meet up, and that is exactly what the fans got. The Tigers didn’t come out with the victory against a dominant Alabama team, but did manage to give the Crimson Tide the biggest scare of their undefeated season. The Tigers held a high-powered Alabama offense to just 10 points, constantly Jalen Hurts. The Tigers’ offense couldn’t do anything against Alabama, however, en route to being shut out on the night. LSU played the best it could, but just ran into a better team.

This week: at Arkansas

5. Tennessee

Last week: 6

Tennessee (6-3, 2-3 SEC) did what it had to do on Saturday by blowing out FCS Tennessee Tech. The Vols controlled things on both sides of the ball, outgaining the Golden Eagles by 247 yards. This game was much needed for a Tennessee team coming off a loss against South Carolina last week. The Vols were also able to use the win as a nice tune-up for a huge SEC matchup against Kentucky at home this weekend. A Tennessee win keeps its hope of playing in Atlanta, Georgia, for the SEC title alive.

This week: vs. Kentucky

6. Arkansas

Last week: 7

Arkansas (6-3, 2-3 SEC) welcomed Florida to town this weekend and won in dominant fashion. The Razorbacks controlled the Gators’ defense — something many teams aren’t able to do — en route to outgaining Florida by 225 yards. Running back Rawleigh Williams III ran around the Gators’ defense, gaining 148 yards on the ground along with two touchdowns. It was a solid all-around performance that the Razorbacks are capable of every Saturday.

This week: vs. LSU

7. Florida

Last week: 5

From what Florida (6-2, 4-2 SEC) showed in Saturday’s loss to Arkansas, the Gators are in trouble of holding onto the SEC East. Florida only put together 241 yards of offense while struggling to find any consistency. The Gators ran for a whopping 12 yards while their counterpart ran for more than 200 yards on the day. For the Gators to hold on the SEC East lead, they must get back to their dominating ways on the offensive and defensive line.

This week: vs. South Carolina

8. Georgia

Last week: 10

Georgia’s rollercoaster season continued its dramatic up-and-down trajectory in the win over Kentucky. The Bulldogs (5-4, 3-4 SEC) scored 14 unanswered points in a 27-24 come-from-behind win against Kentucky. Georgia’s defense hasn’t been as dominant this year, but its offense is not one to take lightly. Led by freshman quarterback Jacob Eason, the Bulldogs are capable of putting up a lot of points on any given Saturday. Eason threw for 245 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, while the Bulldogs as a team ran for 215 yards against the Wildcats. As Jacob Eason progresses, Georgia will compete for the SEC East in the near future.

This week: vs. Auburn

9. South Carolina

Last week: 12

Believe in the Jake Bentley hype. Bentley was plugged in as the starter against UMass, and South Carolina (5-4, 3-4 SEC) has not lost since. Bentley threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns against Missouri on Saturday. With Bentley at the helm, this Gamecock offense has a bright future. This weekend, the Gamecocks play in a hostile environment in Gainesville and will have to go against one of the best defenses in the SEC. This should be a game to keep an eye on as former head coach of the Gators, Will Muschamp, leads South Carolina back into “The Swamp.”

This week: at Florida

10. Ole Miss

Last week: 8

Ole Miss (4-5, 1-4 SEC) escaped a scare last Saturday against Georgia Southern, but lost quarterback Chad Kelly for the year with a torn ACL. However, the Rebels overcame a 21-10 second quarter deficit to pull off a comeback win. Ole Miss’s inconsistency nearly came back to bite the Rebels once again, and they now have to make it through a tough finish with questions as to who will be the Rebels’ offensive leader.

This week: at Texas A&M

11. Kentucky

Last week: 9

The loss to Georgia this past Saturday was heartbreaking for the Wildcats. Kentucky (5-4, 4-3 SEC) let a pivotal SEC game slip through its hands by allowing Georgia to comeback from an eight point, third quarter deficit. The Wildcats couldn’t get anything going through the air, throwing for only 122 yards and an interception, but relied on a heavy dose of wildcat offense to move the ball against the Bulldogs. Giving up 460 yards of offense doesn’t help much, either. Kentucky goes into Neyland Stadium this weekend in another pivotal conference game. The winner has a chance to go to the SEC Championship game if Florida falters down the stretch.

This week: at Tennessee

12. Mississippi State

Last week: 13

What an upset for the Bulldogs (4-5, 2-3 SEC). The 35-28 win over Texas A&M should ignite a fire into a Mississippi State team still hoping to make a bowl game. Bulldog quarterback Nick Fitzgerald had himself a day against on the ground by running for 182 yards and two scores. Fitzgerald also threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. For the Bulldogs to make a bowl game, they must play like they played against Texas A&M for the remainder of the season.

This week: at Alabama

13. Vanderbilt

Last week: 11

Vanderbilt (4-5, 1-4 SEC) went into Auburn on Saturday and, for the most part, played a solid game. The Commodore defense is no joke, but the offense is far behind the play of the defense. Running back Ralph Webb was held to only 46 yards on the ground on Saturday. In order for Vanderbilt to make a bowl game this year, it must get the ball rolling on offense.

This week: at Missouri

14. Missouri

Last week: 14

It is no surprise that Missouri (2-7, 0-5 SEC) finds itself last in power rankings yet again. The Tigers only have two wins on the season and have yet to win a conference game. Both the offense and defense have to struggled for most of the year. Despite seeing the offense put up 465 yards in Columbia on Saturday, the defense failed to stop South Carolina in the 31-21 loss. Missouri has played itself out of a bowl game this year, the only SEC team currently with more than six losses.

This week: vs. Vanderbilt

Edited by Nathan Odom

Featured image by Blueag9

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