All 16 teams, all conference games. No byes, no gimme games.
Saturday featured the entirety of the SEC going against each other. From noon to midnight, games there were comebacks, overtimes, field goals,
and shootouts. Six of the eight games were decided by a touchdown or less.
The #1 Aggies survived to stay on top of the power rankings this week, holding off Arkansas on the road in a shootout where they led the entire time but never by much. Every time they scored, the Hogs had an answer, and they didn’t escape until they had 45 points and the clock hit triple-zeroes. With Ole Miss’s loss to Georgia, though, the Aggies find themselves as the SEC’s last unbeaten team.
Let’s see how everyone else below the Aggies fared:
1. Texas A&M (4-0, 7-0)
Previous Rank: 1.
Texas A&M is the last unbeaten team in the SEC and likely only has to win three of its final four SEC games to make the SEC championship. Its next two are on the road, with trips to LSU and Mizzou up next before hosting South Carolina.
2. Alabama (4-0, 6-1)
Previous Rank: 3.
Alabama is still playing like a playoff team and is on a mission to top the league. South Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma, and Auburn remain, and they’ll probably beat them all.
3. Georgia (4-1, 6-1)
Previous Rank: 7.
What an impressive 4th quarter by the Bulldogs. After trailing most of the game, to erase a nine-point deficit in the final 15 minutes to win by eight is very high-level football. Up next is The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party with the Florida Gators.
4. Ole Miss (3-1, 6-1)
Previous Rank: 2.
Ole Miss drops, but not by much. Going into the 4th quarter, it really looked like they were going to topple Georgia, but UGA really put the clamps on. Facing Oklahoma on the road next week might be pretty tough, though.
5. Vanderbilt (2-1, 6-1)
Previous Rank: 8.
The Commodores are elite. Giving Alabama a four-quarter game in Tuscaloosa, then hosting LSU as a favorite and “taking care of business” instead of “pulling off the upset” shows just how high-level this Vandy team is.
6. Oklahoma (2-1, 6-1)
Previous Rank: 6.
Much better game for John Mateer than last week. The Sooners bounced back from their Red River loss with a convincing 26-7 win at South Carolina.
7. Tennessee (2-2, 5-2)
Previous Rank: 5.
The Crimson Tide are getting stronger every week, as the Vols found out. Next week is a trip to Kentucky. If the Vols want to make the CFP, they likely need to win out.
8. LSU (2-2, 5-2)
Previous Rank: 4.
LSU drops to 5-2. Texas A&M and Alabama are up next, but before LSU fans throw the season away, maybe they should wait and try to beat the Aggies and Tide first. 7-2 with those wins would flip the script on everything.
9. Texas (2-1, 5-2)
Previous Rank: 9.
The Longhorns survived their first-ever trip to Lexington, Kentucky, with a 16-13 overtime win that was grinded out in almost every possible way. They haven’t been doing well in road environments, so they probably won’t enjoy the clanging cowbells next week in Starkville.
10. Missouri (2-1, 6-1)
Previous Rank: 10.
Missouri had an even narrower road escape: two overtimes in Auburn, Alabama vs War Eagle. Like Vandy, they followed up a loss to Alabama with a win in their next game, and now they’ll face the Commodores in Nashville for a battle of 6-1 teams.
11. Florida (2-2, 3-4)
Previous Rank: 11.
A must-win for Florida, they got a win in. It wasn’t pretty, and they still ended up firing head coach Billy Napier, but the Gators edged Mississippi State 23-21. Next up is Georgia. It still isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Gators make a bowl, especially since Florida State’s not doing that great.
12. Mississippi State (0-3, 4-3)
Previous Rank: 12.
The losing streak continues.
13. South Carolina (1-4, 3-4)
Previous Rank: 13.
The Gamecocks aren’t finding SEC play to their liking. Good thing they get a bit of a smoother stretch in their next three: Alabama, at Ole Miss, and at Texas A&M!
14. Auburn (0-4, 3-4)
Previous Rank: 14.
The Tigers are losing, losing, losing, losing, losing. But next, they get to play some fellow losers: Arkansas and Kentucky!
15. Arkansas (0-3, 2-5)
Previous Rank: 15.
The Hogs lost to Memphis by one, Tennessee by three, and Texas A&M by three. They’re keeping up with teams but not getting past them.
16. Kentucky (0-4, 2-4)
Previous Rank: 16.
Kentucky and Texas were locked up for four full quarters of football, neither giving any ground to the other until it went to overtime tied 13-all, and one yard was all the difference. It was their first overtime game in five years, as the Wildcats hadn’t played OT since a 41-42 OT loss to Ole Miss in the 2020 covid season. Next up is another home game with another orange team that also starts with “T”.
