Cupcake Week in the SEC. Just like they do every year, most of the SEC teams scheduled an FCS or some Group of Six team for their week before Thanksgiving game.
Playing gimme-games this late in the season is a controversial topic and one that has annoyed many fans for years. Regardless, they’re still doing it, and you’re still seeing teams like South Carolina and Auburn beat Coastal Carolina and Mercer by 44 and 45 points, respectively, after playing atrociously against all their league foes for weeks.
Next week’s the big one: Rivalry Week. It’s the great, grand finale of the regular season where it all goes down. Let’s see what we’ve got heading into it with this week’s SEC power rankings:
1. Texas A&M (7-0, 11-0)
Previous Rank: 1.
Texas A&M’s ready for the Texas showdown and a chance for their first-ever SEC championship game after blanking Samford 48-0. Friday, Austin, 7:30 pm, ABC. Get ready.
2. Georgia (7-1, 10-1)
Previous Rank: 2.
Georgia’s ready to face the best Georgia Tech team seen in years, and perhaps after that get an SEC championship game to play in. Get ready for it before you watch Texas: it’s also on Friday and on the same channel at 3:30.
3. Ole Miss (6-1, 10-1)
Previous Rank: 3.
The Rebels have an Egg Bowl to win and a playoff berth to clinch in Starkville, Mississippi. After it will Lane Kiffin stay or will he go? It’s a multi-million dollar question. Believe it or not this game’s also on Friday and on ABC at noon! It’s a day-after-Thanksgiving Rivalry Week SEC triple-header! Pretty good programming if you ask me!
4. Oklahoma (5-2, 9-2)
Previous Rank: 4.
OU has no true rivalry game for Week 14, but does have to beat LSU at home to complete its case for a playoff spot. With the way the Tigers have given up this season, that should be a walk in the park.
5. Alabama (6-1, 9-2)
Previous Rank: 5.
Alabama’s got itself an Iron Bowl standing between them and their usual national championship contending. A loss in it would end their season, so it’s kind of like a Wild Card game or something. Especially since Auburn, while not competing for any playoff berth whatsoever, will become bowl-eligible if it wins. So high stakes in different ways for each team.
6. Vanderbilt (5-2, 9-2)
Previous Rank: 6.
The ‘Dores still had an outside playoff shot when they hosted Kentucky this weekend, so they played like it. A 45-17 rout heading into the Tennessee game was exactly what they needed and what they got.
7. Texas (4-2, 8-3)
Previous Rank: 7.
One of the greatest gifts the SEC can give you in 2025: getting to play Arkansas. The Hogs are 0-7 and seven teams have one more win on their records thanks to them. The Longhorns got to be the latest benefactor of Razorback scheduling and can be thankful for it all Thanksgiving week.
8. Tennessee (4-3, 8-3)
Previous Rank: 8.
Tennessee won in The Swamp for the first time since 2003 after losing the last ten in a row. Playing in The Swamp and losing that many times is embarrassing. As a Kentucky fan, I cannot believe they could not beat Florida for 20+ years and just lost, lost, lost, and lost. Building up giant losing streaks like that to Florida is pitiful.
9. Missouri (3-4, 7-4)
Previous Rank: 9.
The bad news is that Missouri fell on the road to Oklahoma and dropped to 7-4. The good news is that they get to be the last recipient of an Arkansas Razorbacks gimme-game! An 8-win season is just around the corner!
10. Kentucky (2-6, 5-6)
Previous Rank: 10.
Kentucky caught Vanderbilt at a pretty bad time, as not only did Vandy need to win to keep their playoff case, but also had to win dominantly to impress the committee. Fortunately, Louisville no longer has any playoff or even ACC title chances anymore, so the fight for the Governor’s Cup might be against a less motivated U of L team than the one from a month ago.
11. Mississippi State (1-6, 5-6)
Previous Rank: 12.
The Bulldogs have an Egg Bowl standing between them and a bowl game. It’s also potentially a chance to keep their hated rivals out of the CFP, so you know those cowbells will be clanging with passion.
12. Auburn (1-6, 5-6)
Previous Rank: 13.
The Tigers were much more impressive against Mercer than they’ve been against most of their other competition this season. Perhaps they’ll give Alabama a scare next weekend. It would get them into a bowl game, too.
13. LSU (3-4, 7-4)
Previous Rank: 11.
LSU has thrown in the towel and given up on this season, yet it is still doing the bare minimum to beat Arkansas and its Cupcake Week foe. Regardless of how disappointed they might be with their season, LSU cannot let Western Kentucky walk into Death Valley and only lose by three in a 13-10 final.
14. South Carolina (1-7, 4-7)
Previous Rank: 15.
The Gamecocks had their best performance in months, blowing out Coastal Carolina 51-7. Next week is the big showdown with Clemson, where the Tigers are 6-5 and the Gamecocks are 4-7. It’s not the shiniest edition of the Palmetto Bowl, but it’s still happening at noon Saturday on the SEC network!
15. Florida (2-6, 3-8)
Previous Rank: 14.
The Gators are 3-8 and nowhere near a bowl berth heading into their big Florida State rivalry game, but if they beat Florida State, the Seminoles will miss a bowl, too! That is not at all what the stakes of this rivalry game are supposed to be for these two proud programs, but that’s what they are!
16. Arkansas (0-7, 2-9)
Previous Rank: 16.
Arkansas has one last chance for an SEC win, and it’s coming Saturday at 3:30 on their home turf in Fayetteville against the Missouri Tigers. They can play with nothing to lose and throw their absolute best punch in front of their home crowd, because regardless of the outcome, it’ll be their last football until next August. Go Hogs! Go get yourselves a win! You can do it! You’ve come so close all season!
