SEC Football Power Rankings: Week 6
It was major mix-up day in the SEC.
Alabama and Georgia, the clear-cut top teams in the league, cruised to laugher victories, but nothing else went as expected in a wild and wacky day. Even when the favorites won, there was drama.
LSU took its Top Five ranking on the road to the Swamp and left limping with its first loss of the season to cool any of the good vibrations head coach Ed Orgeron had built thus far.
Auburn also got thumped on the road while visiting spiraling Mississippi State, who got back on the winning track with a strong defensive effort and a record-setting day by dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.
Texas A&M needed overtime to outlast Kentucky, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season even after nearly handing them the contest on a late-game scoop-and-score.
In other words, it's the Crimson Tide, the Bulldogs and everybody else.
There's a lot to digest from Week 6 of SEC play, so let's get right into it. After the shake-up, where did the conference's teams fall in the power rankings? Let's take a look.
14. Arkansas Razorbacks
1 of 14
There's no shame in losing to Alabama. Heck, with the way the Crimson Tide have played so far this season, there's not much shame in getting blown out. Nobody has stayed on the field with head coach Nick Saban's team yet in 2018.
The reeling Razorbacks certainly didn't. But that doesn't mean Arkansas left Saturday's 65-31 slaughter at the hands of the national championship favorites without some positives.
On one hand, a John Chavis-coached defense that had been sneakily solid at times during this terrible start couldn't even slow down quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama, which did what it wanted to all day on offense.
But a Hogs offense that had been scuffling scored 31 points, and quarterback Ty Storey completed 25 of 39 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. At times, coach Chad Morris' sets caused problems for Alabama's defense.
For the offensive-minded Morris, it was a positive sign.
"It's the best we've played," the first-year Razorbacks head coach said, according to Saturday Down South's Jake Rill.
This rebuilding campaign is going to be long and frustrating, but there are glimmers on both sides of the ball. The Hogs just need to put everything together at once. And, of course, that wasn't going to happen against Alabama.
13. Vanderbilt Commodores
2 of 14
It's hard to drop Vanderbilt so low after how the Commodores played earlier this season, but that seems like so far away.
Things have gone terribly wrong ever since.
First, South Carolina came to Nashville and whipped VU in front of the home folks. Then, last weekend, the Commodores barely edged FCS in-city foe Tennessee State in a game that could have gone either way.
On Saturday, the 'Dores traveled to Athens, Georgia, to take on SEC East champion Georgia, and it went about like you'd expect if you'd been watching head coach Derek Mason's team recently. The Bulldogs pounded VU by the final score of 41-13.
Vanderbilt finished with just 18 first downs, was 3-of-12 on third-down conversions and had 321 total yards. On the other side of the ball, the Commodores had few answers for UGA. Unlike in last weekend's game against Tennessee, Georgia had no trouble putting away Vandy.
It was a far cry from the competitive VU team everybody saw earlier this season that went up to South Bend, Indiana, and nearly escaped with an upset of Notre Dame.
So, it looks like VU is heading in the wrong direction. It needs something to turn it around.
12. Tennessee Volunteers
3 of 14
Everybody on Rocky Top hopes the Tennessee Volunteers found some magic dust during the bye week that will help them pull off an upset during this brutal stretch of competition.
After lopsided 26-point losses to Florida and Georgia, a bowl game looks like a long shot for the 2-3 Vols. But they were much more competitive against the Bulldogs than the game against the Gators in which they gave up six turnovers.
This Tennessee team is improving defensively, and while the Vols have some ability to hit plays downfield on offense, the issue on both sides of the ball is speed. Former head coach Butch Jones didn't leave Jeremy Pruitt with any of it, and you can't manufacture it.
Whether the Vols can find some young guys to boost the talent on the field remains to be seen. Guys like linebackers Will Ignont and Quart'e Sapp, defensive backs Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson and running back Ty Chandler need to keep surging in the right direction.
Tennessee needed to spend the bye week working fundamentals, getting more valuable reps and working on its offensive game plan, which has been lacking so far this season.
This weekend's game against Auburn may wind up being UT's best chance for an upset this year, and if the Vols could overcome major odds and come away with a win at Jordan-Hare Stadium, they could turn around their postseason fortunes.
That's a big ask, though.
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11. Ole Miss Rebels
4 of 14
It's hard to figure out Ole Miss.
The Rebels are definitely in the bottom three or four teams in the conference because of that atrocious defense. It possibly is one of the worst in all the Power Five.
But then you've got to factor in games like Saturday's where they exploded offensively for 70 points, much the way they did in a season-opening shootout win over Texas Tech.
So, you've got absolutely awful games on the resume against Alabama and LSU as well as an embarrassing win over Southern Illinois. But there are also ridiculous offensive stats against bad teams, too, like Saturday's 70-21 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
The Warhawks had no answer for quarterback Jordan Ta'amu and his receiving corps, and when Ole Miss put in highly touted freshman Matt Corral, he was brilliant, too, completing all 10 of his passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns and running six times for 78 yards and another score.
Yes, there will be offensive life after Ta'amu graduates, and it should be just fine.
But what about that defense? That's the big question. So far, we've seen the Rebels look completely overmatched against really good teams and dominant against awful ones. A stretch of comparable competition is coming, so maybe there will be a better gauge then.
10. Missouri Tigers
5 of 14
Everything set up perfectly for Missouri to get a resounding road victory on Saturday.
The Tigers were traveling to South Carolina after the Gamecocks lost yet again to Kentucky and were already limping with two SEC East losses. Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley was out with an injury. And the Tigers had an extra week to prepare.
So, what happened?
Naturally, South Carolina backup quarterback Michael Scarnecchia came off the bench to throw for 249 yards and three touchdowns, and the Gamecocks kicked a last-minute field goal to upset Mizzou 37-35.
It was a shocking, disappointing setback for the Tigers, who'd hoped to pick up a crucial divisional victory. Instead, star quarterback Drew Lock had one of his worst games in recent memory, completing just 17-of-36 passes and throwing two picks.
"We're gonna watch this game and it's just gonna be a gut-wrencher watching it," Lock told the Daily Tribune's Daniel Jones. "I have probably four or five, six, seven plays in my head right now that you want back, but that's football."
One example of that was Lock throwing to a falling receiver, a pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. There were more, too.
Now, the Tigers must play Alabama in a cringe-worthy game, considering how bad the Tigers secondary has been and the fact that the Tide have the nation's Heisman Trophy front-runner in signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa. Stranger things have happened, but Mizzou's hole may be even deeper after next week.
9. South Carolina Gamecocks
6 of 14
Just when you thought South Carolina's season might tumble off the map, coach Will Muschamp's team dug deep, found a spark with a backup quarterback and got back on track Saturday.
It's been a wild season for the Gamecocks, who already canceled a game because of a hurricane, and they had yet another lengthy lightning delay on Saturday. But they were able to maintain focus and wind up winning.
They did that despite leader and starting quarterback Jake Bentley being out. He may not be guaranteed his starting job when he's healthy, either, after what backup Michael Scarnecchia did against Missouri. He routinely found Deebo Samuel, Bryan Edwards and others as Carolina matched Mizzou's high-octane offense.
Muschamp's defense wasn't great, but it made plays when it had to, and South Carolina now looks like it could rally and be a problem for some teams in the East. The Gamecocks still have games against Florida and Clemson, among others, that could be signature wins.
Year 3 for Muschamp isn't going according to script. This was supposed to be the Gamecocks' year to challenge Georgia. Instead, they may wind up playing spoiler. They may be suited to do that after watching Saturday.
This team can be dangerous on both sides of the ball.
8. Auburn Tigers
7 of 14
At this point, it's hard to figure out Auburn.
The Tigers opened the season with a win over Washington, and that victory is aging well as the Huskies are taking care of business. Coordinator Kevin Steele's defense continues to shine, making plays all over the field.
But the offense remains a major problem.
It all starts up front for the Tigers, which went to Starkville, Mississippi, on Saturday night and left with a disappointing 23-9 loss where they looked futile yet again on the offensive side of the ball.
The Tigers are tied for 11th in the SEC with 13 sacks allowed. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham was supposed to be one of the league's top playmakers, but he can't get comfortable and has looked at times like he's regressed.
"Stidham simply needs time to throw the ball, and Auburn has rarely opened holes for its stable of young running backs," Sports Illustrated's Scooby Axson wrote. "The defense is talented enough to keep the Tigers in games, but without help from the other side of the ball, calls for Malzahn's job will start to grow even louder."
Auburn is also 12th in the league in rushing yards per game. In other words, the issues for coach Gus Malzahn's offense have been myriad. Against MSU, the Tigers mustered two field goals, missed one and punted three times in their first six possessions of the game.
The Tigers have the opportunity to get well in a big way this week when Tennessee comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium, but with losses to the Bulldogs and LSU already in the SEC West, they'd better turn things around in a hurry, or this year is going to be a disappointment.
7. Mississippi State Bulldogs
8 of 14
Sometimes when he's struggling to throw the football, it's easy to forget just how great Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald has been at times throughout his career.
He made everybody remember on Saturday night when he ran 28 times for 195 yards to break the SEC's all-time rushing record for quarterbacks, surpassing Tim Tebow. Both of those guys learned under the tutelage of former Mississippi State and current Florida coach Dan Mullen.
But now Fitzgerald is playing for coach Joe Moorhead, and the Bulldogs had struggled for the past two weeks. All of that ended against Auburn when MSU got things back on track.
It was a huge victory for the reeling Bulldogs, and now, they sent Auburn searching for answers. Moorhead took credit for the recent lull.
"I took my coaching pills this week," Moorhead said, per the Clarion Ledger's Wilson Alexander. "I forgot them the last two weeks."
Now, the Bulldogs get a bye before facing two extremely difficult games against LSU and Texas A&M. Can they get back to the early-season form where they looked like they were going to be one of the top teams in the West? The next couple of games will let everybody know.
6. Kentucky Wildcats
9 of 14
The magic may have run out for the Kentucky Wildcats on their trip to College Station, but they also proved plenty, too.
The Wildcats lost 20-14 to Texas A&M in overtime for their first setback of the season, but they learned a lot.
First thing is this: They are here to stay, and with the exception of Alabama and perhaps Georgia, coach Mark Stoops' team can play with anybody in the SEC. A more frustrating thing, though, is UK needs better quarterback play to turn the corner.
There is no question JUCO transfer signal-caller Terry Wilson is a dynamic playmaker who can beat teams with his feet. But he continues to struggle through the air against the better defenses he's faced. They are last in the conference in passing offense, averaging just 145.5 yards per game.
That hurt the 'Cats against the Aggies. After a massive scoop-and-score on defense helped get them into the extra session, they couldn't muster much against A&M. It's going to be interesting to see if that's a harbinger of things to come or if UK will improve in that area.
The bye week comes at a good time for the Wildcats, who need to put in some new wrinkles on that side of the ball.
"We'll regroup, we'll come back," offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said, per the Courier Journal's Jon Hale. "We'll find a way to get better in the bye week. Coaches, players, this is a strong group. This is a great football team. I wish I'd have done a better job, and that's my job the next two weeks to find out, not to put them in this position again."
Kentucky has everything else, and if Wilson can improve throwing, this team will go far.
5. LSU Tigers
10 of 14
A few days ago, LSU was one of the biggest surprises in the SEC. While it isn't abnormal to see the Tigers near the top of the conference, an undefeated season and a top-five ranking had them thinking they could compete with Alabama in the SEC West.
Maybe they're reassessing things after a 27-19 road loss to Florida where the offense continued to show the same struggles it had prior to last weekend's breakout game against Ole Miss.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they don't get to play the Rebels every week.
Florida's aggressive defense caused issues, and its front seven harassed Joe Burrow for much of the afternoon in a major upset in the latest edition of the rivalry game at the Swamp.
"When comparing the statistics, Florida's advantage was blatant: the Gators had five sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and the Tigers had no sacks and two tackles for loss," wrote The Advocate's Brooks Kubena. "Ed Orgeron said simply after LSU's first loss of the season: 'We didn't win the line of scrimmage.'"
With so much to play for, that's frustrating. But the SEC eats its own, and LSU is an imperfect team like most of the other programs in the conference. But the Tigers are also still a good team, and one loss isn't going to change that.
All the goals still remain in front of them, and there are plenty of important games remaining, including the massive one against Alabama. So, the Tigers have to put this one behind them in a hurry.
4. Florida Gators
11 of 14
Very few saw this coming, especially after a shocking early-season loss to Kentucky that snapped a 31-game winning streak over the Wildcats.
As it turns out, though, that wasn't a bad loss, after all.
Since then, the Florida Gators are beginning to play like the Gators of old. Awful years under Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain have taken the program to embarrassing depths. But Dan Mullen is a known developer of talent and an excellent fundamental coach, and UF is responding quickly.
The win over LSU was a big-boy win in a massive environment.
"That was a heavyweight fight right there," Mullen said, per the Miami Herald's Alanis Thames.
They are a revelation under Mullen, who wasn't expected to be able to turn them around for a couple of years, at least. After coming over from Mississippi State, he's done quick work.
Instead, the defense is responding to aggressive coordinator Todd Grantham, and the offense is even showing glimmers of hope. Quarterback Feleipe Franks looks like he's developing, and this team is getting better all over the field.
The Gators surged to No. 14 in the latest rankings, and while everything is going well right now, it's the defense that is strongest, as usual.
Will it continue? The Gators have plenty in front of them with the World's Largest Cocktail Party against Georgia still ahead. Who knows? This team may wind up being the beast of the East.
3. Texas A&M Aggies
12 of 14
In less than a year, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher has turned around the attitude in College Station.
In recent seasons, it was just a matter of when the late-season swoons that became so prevalent under Kevin Sumlin would begin. There was no killer instinct, and even with all that defensive talent, coordinator John Chavis couldn't get things going on that side of the ball.
On offense, elite quarterbacks would come and go in a revolving door in the post-Johnny Manziel era.
That's not the case, anymore. The only teams who've beaten the Aggies so far are Clemson and Alabama, and A&M looks much-improved on both sides of the ball. Offensively, quarterback Kellen Mond looks like a budding star. On defense, coordinator Mike Elko has the unit improving.
So, when you look at the past two games—closer-than-expected wins over Arkansas and Kentucky—it's OK to be critical of such a young team because, under Fisher, you expect more. That's as good a definition of progress as anything.
The game against the Razorbacks was disappointing, but it was still a win. In a rugged, hard-fought home victory over Kentucky that took an extra session, Mond couldn't handle a snap on a pivotal scoop-and-score. But the Aggies wound up handling things, after all.
Things aren't always going to be easy in the SEC, and these games are letting the Aggies show their mettle. It will help them this year and in the future.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
13 of 14
After Georgia struggled to put away a bad Tennessee team, the Bulldogs needed a muscle-flexing game.
They got one at home against Vanderbilt in a 41-13 win over the Commodores.
Quarterback Jake Fromm was sharp, completing 17 of 23 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns, three Bulldogs had 50 or more rushing yards, and the defense was all over the field, smothering VU. It wasn't perfect, but it was the first step in a long journey.
UGA hopes that trek winds up back in the College Football Playoff final, and after an uneven open to the season, the Bulldogs had an important step Saturday. The best part is they're undefeated, and the biggest remaining test on the schedule with Auburn struggling looks like Florida.
"We're still not playing as great as we want to, but we're starting to hit that stride I believe," Fromm said, according to DawgNation's Steve Hummer. "We're getting faster and faster. This was so momentum we can grow on."
Yes, UGA is young, but the Bulldogs have so many weapons. It was around this time last year when Fromm started to look dominant and do more than just manage games. Regardless of freshman Justin Fields getting a few snaps, this is Fromm's team, and he proved that against VU.
This Georgia team is readying itself for bigger and better things. Can it compete against the Crimson Tide and beyond in the postseason? If the Bulldogs keep winning, they'll get the opportunity to show they can.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
14 of 14
So far this season, Alabama not only looks like the top team in the conference and in the country, it's possible this is one of the best college football teams in recent memory.
The defense isn't flawless, but the Crimson Tide's offense is incredible. They are leading the nation averaging 56 points per game and are sixth in passing offense and fourth in total offense. That's ridiculous for any team that plays in a conference like the SEC.
They also have the nation's leader in the Heisman Trophy race in sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who doesn't need full games to stay easily atop the list. His 258.4 quarterback rating is more than 30 points higher than No. 2 Kyler Murray.
He's thrown for 1,495 yards, completed more than 75 percent of his passes and has thrown 18 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Those numbers don't seem real, but they are. How good are his numbers? Good enough for the record books, wrote Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde.
"Historically good," Forde wrote. "He's on pace to shatter Baker Mayfield's NCAA record for single-season pass efficiency. The record is 198.92, set last year, and at this point in the season Mayfield's rating was 201.12. Tua's rating currently is—seriously—258.40."
How do you beat Alabama? That's a question nobody can answer because nobody's done it; nobody has even come close. Even when the Tide allow 31 points like this weekend against Arkansas, they scored 65 to gloss over anything else.
They are simply dominant.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of Sports Reference and CFBStats.com and recruiting data courtesy of 247Sports. Odds provided by OddsShark.
Brad Shepard covers college football for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.
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