Ranking Every SEC Football Team Heading into Week 6
One month down, two to go.
The first month of the SEC football season is in the books, and while there have been some key conference matchups that have helped shape the landscape, many more twists and turns are sure to come now that the season is picking up steam.
How do the teams in the SEC rank after five games? Our post-Week 5 power rankings based on performances and critical questions that have been answered are in this slideshow.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores
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Vanderbilt, I wanted to buy in. I really did.
But you make it hard sometimes.
Sure, Ralph Webb is a tremendous running back who leads the SEC with 116.4 rushing yards per game. But the passing offense is the worst in the conference at 154.6 yards per game, and the defense—once a cornerstone of Derek Mason-coached teams—has been wretched.
I never in a million years thought Vanderbilt would be 11th in the SEC in total defense at 409.2 yards per game and next-to-last in yards per play at 5.9. With leaders like linebacker Zach Cunningham, defensive back Torren McGaster and defensive lineman Adam Butler, that should never happen.
At 0-2 in the SEC and 2-3 overall, Vanderbilt has been a big disappointment so far this year.
13. South Carolina Gamecocks
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The Will Muschamp era got off to a great start on opening night when his Gamecocks traveled to Nashville and orchestrated a stunning comeback against a tough Vanderbilt defense. Since then, though, things have turned south.
Muschamp's Gamecocks are already halfway through the SEC schedule, have lost their last three conference contests and the offense hasn't progressed the way it needs to in order to compete consistently in the SEC.
Sure, true freshman quarterback Brandon McIlwain has shown flashes, as has fellow freshman receiver Bryan Edwards. But it has been inconsistent—which is a recipe for disaster with a defense that's still coming together.
Things will get better in Columbia. Muschamp and his staff can recruit their tails off and will certainly restock the cupboard—which was left bare after Steve Spurrier left town. It's just going to take some time.
12. Kentucky Wildcats
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Yeah, Kentucky has an SEC win in the books after it topped South Carolina in Lexington 17-10 in Week 4.
But it's difficult to find a way to trust this team.
The Wildcats rank last in the SEC in scoring defense at 35 points per game, despite defense being head coach Mark Stoops' wheelhouse. Quarterback Drew Barker got banged up and missed the last two games, the offensive line hasn't been solid and the only bright spot has been the play of electric running back Stanley "Boom" Williams (486 rushing yards, two touchdowns).
The 1-2 conference record is nice, but it's hard to imagine a scenario in which Kentucky makes a bowl game this year. If Stoops can't make that happen in Year 4 at the helm, he might not get a fifth.
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11. Missouri Tigers
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Missouri quarterback Drew Lock threw 14 touchdowns through the first four games of the year, which is four more than the Tigers threw in 2015 as a team.
I wanted to buy into the offensive explosion. I really did.
But then in Week 5, Missouri could get nothing going, Lock was rattled by LSU's fast and physical defense and head coach Barry Odom's crew looked much more like the 2015 edition of the Tigers than the one we saw through the first four games.
What's more, the typically stout Tigers defense gave up a school-record 634 yards to an offensively challenged LSU team that was playing its first game under interim head coach Ed Orgeron, who replaced Les Miles during game week.
Maybe Missouri is just Missouri after all.
10. Mississippi State Bulldogs
5 of 14
The good news for Mississippi State fans is that head coach Dan Mullen has successfully raised the floor of the program to a point that, at worst, a lower-tier bowl game should be the expectation in Starkville.
The bad news is that this Mississippi State team is more likely to be on that floor than jumping to the ceiling (which Mullen also raised over the last couple of seasons).
Wide receiver Fred Ross has helped ease the transition to the new quarterback, which appears to be Nick Fitzgerald even though junior Damian Williams had to come in to keep the Bulldogs in the LSU game. Ross is tied for third in the SEC with 72 receiving yards per game and is sixth in the conference with 25 catches despite Mississippi State already having gone through its bye week.
But the offense has been disjointed thanks to a lack of stability at quarterback, the defense has been hit-or-miss and the Bulldogs are clearly rebuilding for the future.
9. Georgia Bulldogs
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It's easy to fall in love with what Georgia could be, but it's much more difficult to fall in love with what Georgia currently is.
Quarterback Jacob Eason has settled into the starting quarterback role nicely, but the offensive line has been a disaster save for the first half of the loss to Tennessee, the defense is giving up a whopping 5.9 yards per play and the Bulldogs have already lost two conference games.
The good news is that things will get better.
The Bulldogs looked their best in their last outing, even though the 34-31 loss to Tennessee on a Hail Mary stings about as badly as any loss possibly can. Sony Michel is a capable No. 1 running back, stud Nick Chubb should be back soon and the young Bulldogs should grow into a contender under first-year head coach Kirby Smart.
Just not this year.
8. Florida Gators
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Florida's defense, save for the second half in the loss to Tennessee, has played up to its expectations. The Gators lead the conference in total defense at 229.8 yards per game, have given up just 3.86 yards per play and 11.6 points per game.
The offense, though, is still very much a work in progress.
The MCL injury that has kept quarterback Luke Del Rio out for the last two-plus games has hampered the progress of the offense, head coach Jim McElwain's refusal to ride running back Jordan Scarlett—which was the case in the narrow win over Vanderbilt—is concerning and the absence of deep threats emerging alongside wide receiver Antonio Callaway is a head-scratcher.
The defense should keep Florida in every game, but it won't be able to lead the Gators to Atlanta this year unless the offense picks up a bit of the slack.
7. LSU Tigers
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It's safe to say that the first month-plus of LSU's season has been a roller coaster of emotions.
The loss to Wisconsin, the thrill of the last-second touchdown to beat Auburn, the agony of the realization that said touchdown didn't count, the firing of former head coach Les Miles and the energy interim head coach Ed Orgeron instilled in the Tigers last weekend has caused many sleepless nights in Baton Rouge.
The running back duo of Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice is lethal, the defense is solid and the changes Orgeron made to the offense—now led by quarterback Danny Etling—seemed to click in a 42-7 win over Missouri in which the Tigers set a school record with 634 yards of offense.
Was that energy temporary, or does it have staying power?
That remains to be seen, but we will certainly find out this weekend when the new-look Tigers offense squares off with Florida in The Swamp.
6. Auburn Tigers
9 of 14
Very quietly, Auburn has been somewhat impressive this season.
The defense has been consistently solid, giving up just 358.4 yards per game and 5.21 yards per play, Kerryon Johnson has evolved into a dangerous all-around running back, Sean White has settled in nicely as Auburn's starting quarterback and the transition to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee as the primary play-caller has diversified the offense enough to take pressure off of White.
Can you trust the Tigers, though?
The red-zone offense looked great against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, but that was just one week removed from the win over LSU in which Auburn went 0-for-6 in the red zone and kicked six field goals in the 18-13 win.
If Auburn gets past Mississippi State this weekend in its first road game of the year, it'll hit the bye week with plenty of momentum and a solid foundation to build on for the remainder of the season.
5. Arkansas Razorbacks
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Arkansas doesn't have an SEC win yet (it's 0-1), but that doesn't take away from just how good head coach Bret Bielema's Razorbacks have looked during the early stages of the season.
Running backs Rawleigh Williams and Devwah Whaley look like the future of the position in Fayetteville, quarterback Austin Allen has been solid in his first year as the starter, they have a hard-fought road win under their belts after topping TCU and the front seven is dangerous.
But can they hold up?
Texas A&M lit Arkansas' offensive line up in the the Hogs' lone loss, and essentially every SEC opponent left on the docket is loaded up front.
So far so good for Bielema's Hogs, but the toughest part is yet to come.
4. Ole Miss Rebels
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Ole Miss got off to a rocky start, blowing three-score leads in losses to Florida State and Alabama.
But that was the most difficult stretch of the season, as those two rosters are loaded with talent, and head coach Hugh Freeze's offense is one of the most accomplished aerial attacks in the country.
Quarterback Chad Kelly has been just fine in the post-Laquon Treadwell era, finding tight end Evan Engram and wide receivers Damore'ea Stringfellow and Van Jefferson early and often. The defense is progressing and the Rebels have actually been able to run the football effectively over the last two games—wins over Georgia and Memphis.
Don't be surprised if the Rebels run the table, finish the season with one conference loss and are looking around at the national picture asking "where do we fit in?"
3. Tennessee Volunteers
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Tennessee's season has been wild, crazy and sometimes depressing thanks to prolonged droughts within games. But all of those games have ended the same way—with a W.
The Vols survived the most critical two-game stretch of the season, with a dramatic three-score comeback at home versus defending division champion Florida and a last-second Hail Mary win for the ages against rival Georgia in Athens.
At 5-0 with head-to-head wins over their primary division competitors, Tennessee looks like the class of the East. It could evolve into a legit playoff contender based on how light the November schedule is, as long as the Vols split over the next two weeks in cross-division matchups against Texas A&M and Alabama.
The defense took over the second half of each of the last two wins, quarterback Joshua Dobbs has evolved into a more consistent passer, the offensive line woes from early in the season seem to be going away and Tennessee has the kind of fight that champions need to succeed.
2. Texas A&M Aggies
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Don't look now, but Texas A&M is as complete of a team as there is in the SEC.
The defense is consistently solid (4.90 yards per play), quarterback Trevor Knight and the stellar group of receivers rank third in the conference in passing (262.4 yards per game) and running back Trayveon Williams has helped the rushing attack average 258.6 yards per game on the ground and a conference-best 6.73 yards per carry.
Head coach Kevin Sumlin's crew is 5-0 after five games for the third straight season, but this one feels different thanks to the Aggies' ability to consistently pound the rock and play stout defense.
With games against Tennessee and Alabama in the month of October, things will get cranked up a bit in College Station.
Win or lose, though, this team has proved to be one of the SEC's best.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
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The recipe for success for Alabama head coach Nick Saban is the same in 2016 as it has been in year's past.
The Crimson Tide runs the ball, plays defense and sucks the will to fight out of seemingly every opponent it plays.
True freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts has eased into the starting quarterback role nicely, has earned the trust of Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, and become one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in program history.
Running back Damien Harris has looked like the blue-chip prospect he was touted to be prior to getting banged up in Week 4 versus Kent State, the defensive line is as ferocious as ever and the 4.22 yards per play that they've given up is second in the conference behind only Florida.
Alabama had some roster questions to answer heading into the season, and Saban's crew has answered them with flying colors.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of cfbstats unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information is courtesy of Scout.com. Odds provided by Odds Shark.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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