College Football Rankings Week 6: Ranking the Top SEC Teams in the Top 25

It is no news that the SEC is presently the king of college football. 

With the last five BCS National Champions hailing from the SEC, there is little reason to believe why that conference isn't the most competitive and brutal in the country.

In the latest AP Top 25 poll, the SEC is represented by six programs within the Top 18: No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Alabama, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 15 Auburn, No. 17 Florida and No. 18 South Carolina.

With conference play almost in full swing, the SEC will be beating each other up and jockeying for position in the polls to claim ranks for bowl season.

Here is the breakdown of the top SEC teams in the rankings.

LSU

Naturally, the top-ranked Tigers take the place as the best SEC program in the Top 25.

There are few teams, if any, with the kind of resumé that LSU can boast. With three convincing wins over ranked opponents, it is easy to see why the media has placed the Tigers on the highest of pedestals.

A dominating defense and an offense that has secured balance amidst a series of ineligibility cases has LSU on fire. 

Unfortunately for the Tigers, the road ahead only gets tougher with matchups against No. 17 Florida, a tough Tennessee team in Knoxville, No. 15 Auburn and No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. 

If they really are tops in the conference, we'll know in four weeks.

Alabama

Playing second fiddle is a tough pill to swallow, but in the SEC, it is only a matter of time before the top dog stumbles.

Alabama is no slouch. Defensively, the Tide are as stout as ever, and behind a dominating running game featuring Trent Richardson, there should be no problem in waiting for LSU to trip up.

In fact, come Nov. 5, if the status quo remains, we are looking at a game pitting the first and second-ranked teams in the country in Tuscaloosa. What better way for Alabama to claim the top spot than by taking it away from the current owner.

Relative to the rest of the conference, it is LSU and Alabama. Then there is everyone else.

It is good to be king.

Arkansas

Stepping down from the balcony, Arkansas comes next in the SEC's presence in the Top 25.

Whether or not the Razorbacks won in Jerry World or the Aggies lost, the fact of the matter is that Arkansas claimed victory over a Top 15 team and are 4-1 with good reasons for optimism.

The Hogs boast the seventh-best passing offense in the FBS, and they put it on a platter for the Aggies, throwing for more than 500 yards on Saturday.

While their defense is occasionally questionable, the offensive firepower is there to compete, unless it's against Alabama or LSU.

Florida

To deviate from the media's perspective, Florida is flat-out better than Auburn.

Never mind the 38-10 beatdown the Gators took in Gainesville on Saturday, Alabama is simply on another level. Things will go from bad to worse for Will Muschamp and his program next weekend, though, when they travel to Baton Rouge to take on the top-ranked Tigers.

Florida has shown to have explosiveness on offense, and the Gators have as much speed as ever between Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey.

The Gators will have to compete without their starting quarterback John Brantley, but doubting their talent pool would be a foolhardy move.

Florida has balance on either side of the ball. And while the Gators aren't great, they are good enough to win on any given night. Just not against the Tide, and probably not against LSU.

South Carolina

Disrupting the college football landscape yet again, South Carolina has a better body of work and a better chance at making noise in the SEC than Auburn.

Defensively, there are holes, especially in the running game where the Gamecocks rank 72nd. By a similar token on offense, Steve Spurrier's rushing attack deserves mighty praise, while his passing game needs work.

But when you have Marcus Lattimore, a preseason Heisman-contender and flat-out stud, things could be much worse.

South Carolina can score points, but how efficiently? The team they are playing determines that.

Somehow, someway, the Gamecocks will miss both LSU and Alabama on their schedule, making them a dangerous sleeper for the SEC East's representation in the conference final.

Auburn

Yes, Auburn just edged out South Carolina. Yes, Auburn is 4-1.

But there is something about the unimpressive manner in which the Tigers beat Utah State 42-38 to open the year and Florida Atlantic 30-14 two weekend's ago that sits uneasily.

Maybe it's their average offense ranked 80th in the FBS. Maybe it's their 106th ranked defense. Auburn ranks either last or second to last in the SEC in seven statistical categories.

Meanwhile, they rank best, fourth, in rushing offense, net punting and turnover margin.

The Tigers have a good win over South Carolina, an okay win over Mississippi State, an understandable loss to Clemson and a couple of unimpressive victories over the cupcakes.

Color however you want, but Auburn may be one of the more overrated teams in the SEC this season.