October is in the books.
Texas A&M is still unbeaten and the team to beat, Alabama survived their closest conference shave yet, and three teams at the bottom are still looking for their first league win.
The SEC championship spots are still up for grabs, though A&M and the Tide can also just win out and control them, so maybe they aren’t really. CFP ones definitely are, though, and this week Vandy and Ole Miss did a lot to protect theirs. Let’s get into all the action that went down in the SEC this weekend:
1. Texas A&M (5-0, 8-0)
Previous Rank: 1.
Texas A&M is on top of the SEC and has conquered Tiger Stadium. They might be destined to face Alabama in the SEC championship game come December.
2. Alabama (5-0, 7-1)
Previous Rank: 2.
Alabama got themselves into quite the scare in Columbia on Saturday but managed to go into championship mode and wrench the game back from the Gamecocks after many thought it was a done deal. They now get a bye to catch their breath before hosting LSU.
3. Georgia (4-1, 6-1)
Previous Rank: 3.
The Bulldogs were off this week, and were greatly disappointed to see Alabama survive South Carolina and keep the Tide above them in the standings. They return to action next week against Florida.
4. Ole Miss (4-1, 7-1)
Previous Rank: 4.
The Rebels might’ve fallen last week on the road to Georgia, but they got the win this week at Oklahoma, splitting their back-to-back top-10 road stretch. That keeps them very much in the CFP talk.
5. Vanderbilt (3-1, 7-1)
Previous Rank: 5.
The Commodores were all tied up with Mizzou late, but had the final word in the 17-10 win that pushed their season deeper into SEC history territory. They have a real shot at the SEC championship game if they just keep on winning.
6. Tennessee (3-2, 6-2)
Previous Rank: 7.
Tennessee beat the worst team in the SEC, big surprise. They’re great at beating Kentucky even when the Cats are good. Their next game is a home showdown with Oklahoma in perhaps a CFP elimination game.
7. Texas (3-1, 6-2)
Previous Rank: 9.
Texas keeps pulling wins out after being outplayed for four quarters and change, and doing it on the road in ways that break fans’ hearts. Their next stop on their dream-killing tour will be hosting Vanderbilt next week.
8. Oklahoma (2-2, 6-2)
Previous Rank: 6.
The Sooners couldn’t contain the Rebels, and saw their margin for error to make the CFP get razor-thin. They will have to regroup next week before facing Tennessee in Knoxville.
9. Missouri (2-2, 6-2)
Previous Rank: 10.
Missouri came out on the losing end of the 6-1 SEC showdown. Next week they’ll be off, and then the week after will host Texas A&M in a huge game for both teams.
10. Florida (2-2, 3-4)
Previous Rank: 11.
Florida was off this week, which probably helped them adjust to not having Billy Napier anymore. They’ll return to action against Georgia next week, which will be quite the debut for their interim coach.
11. LSU (2-3, 5-3)
Previous Rank: 8.
LSU has fallen hard since they debuted the rankings at #1. Without a win over the Crimson Tide in their next game their CFP hopes are completely cooked.
12. Auburn (1-4, 4-4)
Previous Rank: 14.
Well they beat team #15 in these rankings and now they get to play #16. Maybe they won’t have to fire Hugh Freeze after all.
13. Mississippi State (0-4, 4-4)
Previous Rank: 12.
Kentucky fans know your pain.
14. South Carolina (1-5, 3-5)
Previous Rank: 13.
Ouch. Shame Beamer really could’ve used that one. If they had just been able to stop one two-point conversion play. Next up is a trip to Ole Miss.
15. Arkansas (0-4, 2-6)
Previous Rank: 15.
Don’t worry, Arkansas fans, Mississippi State is up next. Somebody’s gotta not lose!
16. Kentucky (0-5, 2-5)
Previous Rank: 16.
Well at least they scored some points. The Wildcats are still on the losing express and its next stop is choo choo-ing to Auburn. If they beat Auburn then the Tigers can fully justify letting go of Hugh Freeze.
