SEC Power Rankings: Week Seven

Article courtesy of SEC Sports Hub

After another grueling week in the SEC, several teams have shifted places in our power rankings. Florida jumped up a few spots and LSU dropped a few after a 51-21 blowout by the Gators in the Swamp. Alabama holds steady at the top spot and previously unbeaten Vanderbilt took a tumble with their loss to Mississippi State. Without further ado, here's a look at your Week Seven SEC Power Rankings.

1. Alabama—The Crimson Tide did just fine in their bye week, holding onto the top spot after that impressive bye week performance. The bye couldn't have come at a better time for Alabama, who was nicked up in a few key spots.

The Crimson Tide will now try to continue their improbable run to Atlanta and a potential BCS Title Game berth. The schedule is still very favorable with that road contest to LSU looking just a little bit easier.

2. Florida—The Gators looked absolutely dominant in every aspect of the game in their whitewashing of LSU in the Swamp. Granted, LSU may have been slightly overrated, but still, Florida looked almost unstoppable.

Their offense is starting to find playmakers outside of Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow and that spells trouble for the rest of the SEC. The defense still looks terrific and it's looking more and more every week like their performance against Ole Miss was a one time thing.

3. Georgia—Perhaps the Bulldogs don't deserve to be moved down after their win against Tennessee, but with the Gators winning in dominant fashion and Georgia leaving plenty of points on the field it seemed fitting.

Matthew Stafford had a big day, but still looks like he can get rattled. The defensive line is still underperforming and the offensive line took another huge blow when their best offensive tackle, Vince Vance, went down for the year with an ACL tear.

4. LSU—Despite their shellacking at the hands of the Gators, LSU still has the talent to win the SEC West. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it might take more than just a win against Alabama, since the Tide are through the tough part of their schedule and LSU still has a few tough games.

The secondary has serious issues and the offensive line forgot to get on the plane to Gainesville. If that happens again, LSU is likely out of the SEC Championship picture.

5. South Carolina—The Gamecocks are quietly putting together a very good season. The early losses to Georgia and Vanderbilt now look like quality ones, with those two teams posting a combined 10-2 record and both having a Top 25 ranking.

Stephen Garcia provided a spark for the Gamecocks against Kentucky and he will start this Saturday against LSU. If the Gamecocks can win that one, they might even still have a shot at the SEC East.

6. Kentucky—The Wildcats have played everyone extremely tough, but that's not always enough in the SEC. Their defense has carried them, but the offense has cost them two close games over the last two weeks.

Kentucky is virtually out of the SEC East race with games against Georgia, Florida and Tennessee still on the slate, but Kentucky is a talented enough team to upset any of the three.

7. Vanderbilt—The Commodores slipped up on Saturday against Mississippi State and their lack of offense finally caught up to them. They will get a chance at redemption this week against Georgia and if they can somehow pull off a win, they will be bowl bound for sure.

The Commodores have gotten by on a great turnover margin and excellent in-game adjustments. If it can continue, Vanderbilt is still headed to one of their best seasons in school history.

8. Ole Miss—The Rebels have the most potential out of any team in the lower half of the SEC. With great offensive and defensive lines and plenty of weapons for quarterback Jevan Snead, Ole Miss can definitely make some noise.

Coach Houston Nutt will keep them in every game and if Snead can avoid turnovers, Ole Miss could play the spoiler role in the second half of the season.

9. Tennessee—Nick Stephen has stepped in and immediately improved play at the quarterback position. He had some terrific throws against Georgia. Unfortunately, he's not getting any help from what was supposed to be a dominant rushing attack for the Volunteers.

If Tennessee can put it all together offensively, their defense is good enough for Tennessee to quickly roll up some wins.

10. Arkansas—The Razorback offense is starting to really come together under Petrino and running back Michael Smith is already helping Arkansas fans forget about Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

If Casey Dick can avoid costly turnovers, this team will improve tremendously. Their are still some questions defensively, but Arkansas is on the rise after their win at Auburn.

11. Mississippi State—The Bulldogs finally had a win reminiscent of last year, when they beat teams in close games by playing smart football. Coach Sylvester Croom should be given a free pass for his team's slow start after what he's been able to accomplish so far in Starkville. If the Bulldogs can continue playing well on both sides of the ball, they can salvage their season still.

12. Auburn—The Tigers are in total free fall after losing three of their last four games and firing offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. The offensive effort was abysmal against Arkansas, turning the ball over at the most critical junctures. There's no end in sight for the Tigers, either, with no reliable quarterback and confusion across the offensive side of the ball.