Power ranking all 14 SEC teams heading into Rivalry Week
It was “SoCon Saturday” in the SEC as most of the league had the week off from conference competition and instead faced teams from the Group of Five or FCS ranks.
However, that doesn’t always mean a guaranteed win, as Auburn learned the hard way in an embarrassing 31-10 home loss to New Mexico State. There were a few big conference matchups, however, as Georgia dominated Tennessee and Missouri survived a scare against Florida.
Rivalry Week is now upon us, and the SEC Championship matchup between the Bulldogs and Alabama is set. As we await that game, here’s how our league power rankings look entering the final week of the regular season.
Vanderbilt Commodores (2-9, 0-7 SEC)
The Commodores had the week off after a disappointing loss at South Carolina. Now, they’re looking at a winless finish in SEC play if they can’t pull off an improbable upset against Tennessee. Clark Lea is building a solid long-term foundation in Nashville, but this season has been a setback.
Arkansas Razorbacks (4-7, 1-7 SEC)
Arkansas added another win on Saturday at home against Florida International, and the school has confirmed that Sam Pittman will return in 2024. This was an unexpected down year for the Hogs, and now they’ll be losing quarterback KJ Jefferson.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-6, 1-6 SEC)
The Bulldogs beat Southern Miss in their first game since coach Zach Arnett’s firing, and now Mississippi State has the opportunity to reach a bowl game if it can pull off an Egg Bowl upset against Ole Miss on Thanksgiving night.
Auburn Tigers (6-5, 3-4 SEC)
New Mexico State is far from a bad G5 team, but that really isn’t an excuse for taking a beating at home as a 25-point favorite. It’s been a solid season overall for Hugh Freeze at Auburn, but this is the kind of loss that will stick in the Tigers’ craw for a while.
South Carolina Gamecocks (5-6, 3-5 SEC)
South Carolina kept its bowl hopes alive with an upset win over Kentucky. Now, it will need to replicate last season’s upset against Clemson to reach the postseason. Luckily, that game is at least in Columbia this time around.
Florida Gators (5-6, 3-5 SEC)
The Gators had a chance for a colossal road win to get to bowl eligibility against a top-10 team, but this team is plagued by operational issues at the worst possible times. They also completely lost Luther Burden in coverage on a fourth and 17 play with the game on the line, allowing Mizzou to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired. Billy Napier is 11-13 and heading for a 5-7 finish in Year 2 if Florida can’t upset Florida State, and while he’s probably safe, some significant staff changes seem likely.
Kentucky Wildcats (6-5, 3-5 SEC)
This Kentucky team just isn’t quite what we thought it was. Mark Stoops has the chance to flip the narrative significantly with an upset over Louisville, but a year that began with a 5-0 start with hyped transfer quarterback Devin Leary is turning into a more median-type Kentucky year under Stoops.
Texas A&M Aggies (7-4, 4-3 SEC)
Despite moving on from Jimbo Fisher, this isn’t a bad Aggies team. It has managed a terrible slate of quarterback injuries down the stretch, and the bones of a solid team and staff may still be here for whoever takes over, barring massive transfer portal addition. Elijah Robinson got his first win as the interim coach in the win over Abilene Christian, and he’ll look for a big one as the Aggies head to Baton Rouge to take on LSU.
Tennessee Volunteers (7-4, 3-4 SEC)
It’s not like the Vols struggled much more than most teams have against Georgia, but it’s still a bit frustrating that they couldn’t get anything going at all offensively after a 75-yard rushing touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. This season has been a bit of a step back for Josh Heupel’s team, and 2024 will be an important year.
Ole Miss Rebels (9-2, 5-2 SEC)
It’s a bit disappointing that the Rebels weren’t able too raise the ceiling at all in 2023, but they have the chance to close out another 10-win season, which shouldn’t be taken for granted in Oxford. Still, it’s hard to escape the thought that the vibes here could take a significant negative shift with an Egg Bowl loss to a 5-6 Mississippi State team with an interim coach.
Missouri Tigers (9-2, 5-2 SEC)
The win over Florida was certainly a bit dicey, and the Tigers would have taken a shocking home loss had they not converted that fourth and long. But coach Eli Drinkwitz got the victory, and an 11-win season is in reach with Arkansas and a possible New Year’s Six Bowl coming up.
LSU Tigers (8-3, 5-2 SEC)
LSU isn’t going to reach its team goals this season thanks to a lot of defensive issues, but this is one of the best college football offenses we’ve seen in a while, and Jayden Daniels has a real shot at the Heisman. It’s not a national title, but back-to-back 10-win seasons would demonstrate that Brian Kelly has raised the floor.
Alabama Crimson Tide (10-1, 7-0 SEC)
The Crimson Tide can’t quite look past the Iron Bowl, but assuming they take care of business, they’ll be going into the SEC Championship against Georgia with a shot at the CFP. This team finds itself in a bit of a strange position as it may not control its playoff fate and likely needs some help.
Georgia Bulldogs (11-0, 8-0 SEC)
The Bulldogs looked to have potentially taken a step back earlier in the season, but that’s clearly not the case. Carson Beck may have actually raised this offense’s ceiling, and Georgia looks very dangerous. Right now, a three-peat is starting to look more likely than not.
