NCAAF SEC football Power Rankings heading into Week 10 of 2023 season
Each week, the SEC gets more and more interesting. There are upsets and surprises that come week-in and week-out.
Throughout the first nine weeks of the 2023 season, several programs have stood out in the conference. The conference championship has several different scenarios as to who will represent the SEC West and who will represent the SEC East.
Nonetheless, it is also important to break down the other programs within the conference as well. While there hopes of reaching the playoffs may be out of reach, there is still a lot to play for moving forward.
Roll Tide Wire provides its SEC football power rankings heading into Week 10 of the 2023 season.
Vanderbilt Commodores (2-7)
Vanderbilt began the season with two wins in a row. Since then, the Commodores have been unable to get in the win column. In Week 9, Vanderbilt lost 33-7 to Ole Miss. It was an ugly loss that closely resembled how the Commodores season has gone so far. In Week 10, Vanderbilt will play host to Auburn. This will be a big game for both programs.
Arkansas Razorbacks (2-6)
Arkansas’ bye week could not have come at a better time. The bye week should do Sam Pittman’s squad more good than bad. The Razorbacks have lost six games in a row. The one good thing that has come from the losses is that Arkansas has been competitive for the most part. In their Week 8 matchup, the Razorbacks will travel to Gainesville to take on Florida.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-4)
The lack of consistency has been the narrative surrounding the Mississippi State football program this season. Through the first three games of the season, the Bulldogs were 3-1. Since then, the Bulldogs have dropped three of the last four games. In their Week 8 matchup, Mississippi State lost 27-13 to Auburn. It was a struggle on both sides of the ball for the Bulldogs. This weekend will be another tough contest when Kentucky comes to town. Both programs are coming off of tough losses and will be looking to get back in the win column.
South Carolina Gamecocks (2-6)
South Carolina has been one of the biggest disappointments in the SEC this season. Shane Beamer’s squad has struggled mightily in conference play and has not been competitive to say the very least. The Gamecocks are 1-4 in conference play. In their Week 8 matchup, South Carolina lost 30-17 to Texas A&M. Week 9 will be a ‘Battle of the Gamecocks’ as South Carolina plays host to Jacksonville State, who joined the FBS this season.
Auburn Tigers (4-4)
Auburn is coming off of one of its best performances of the season. In their Week 8 matchup, the Tigers knocked off Mississippi State by a final score of 27-13. Hugh Freeze’s squad struggled mightily the week prior against LSU. It will be interesting to see how the Tigers fair against Vanderbilt for their Week 9 contest. The Commodores have not won a conference game up to this point in the season.
Kentucky Wildcats (5-3)
Kentucky exhibited a valiant effort against Tennessee in their Week 8 matchup, but it just wasn’t enough. The Wildcats lost 33-27 in a highly-contested game against the Volunteers. Kentucky had one of its better offensive showings of the season, but it was not enough in the end. The Wildcats will travel to Starkville to face Mississippi State in their Week 9 matchup.
Florida Gators (5-3)
There was a lot of hype surrounding Florida heading into their annual matchup in Jacksonville against Georgia. However, that hype was not matched on Saturday. The Gators lost 43-20 to the Bulldogs in a blowout. It was a wake-up call for a program that had been performing well in recent weeks. For their Week 9 matchup, Florida will play host to a struggling, Arkansas squad. It should be a good opportunity for the Gators to bounce back.
Texas A&M Aggies (5-3)
After two straight losses, Texas A&M was able to get back in the win column. The Aggies defeated South Carolina 30-17 in their Week 8 matchup. It was not entirely pretty by any means, but it was enough to come away with a win. Jimbo Fisher’s squad will travel to Oxford for a Week 9 showdown against Ole Miss.
Tennessee Volunteers (6-2)
After falling in their Week 7 matchup against Alabama, Tennessee was able to bounce back. The Volunteers defeated Kentucky 33-27 in an offensive battle in Lexington. While the Volunteers have underperformed on defense in recent weeks, it has not been too big of an issue to panic. Tennessee will play host to UConn for their Week 9 matchup.
Missouri Tigers (7-1)
Missouri has surprised a lot of people this season. The majority of the people who are familiar with the program expected Missouri to be substantially better but not as good as they have been this season. Through the first eight games, Missouri has had abundant success. Outside of one hiccup to LSU, the Tigers are unblemished. For their Week 9 matchup, Missouri will travel to Athens to take on an undefeated Georgia squad. This weekend could determine which program represents the SEC East in the conference championship game.
Ole Miss Rebels (7-1)
Ole Miss came out and took care of business as they have managed to do for the most part this season. The Rebels defeated Vanderbilt 33-7. Lane Kiffin’s squad has continued to improve on both sides of the ball and has become one of the better teams in the conference this season. For their Week 9 matchup, the Rebels will play host to Texas A&M.
LSU Tigers (6-2)
Outside of two ugly losses, LSU has looked stellar. The Tigers are playing their best ball of the season right now and have improved circumstantially as the season has progressed. Brian Kelly’s squad has a tough road ahead. The Tigers will travel to Tuscaloosa for their Week 9 showdown against Alabama.
Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
Similarly to LSU, Alabama has continued to improve since suffering a loss early on in the season. The Crimson Tide are coming off of a bye week and will return to action in Week 9 when they host LSU. Nick Saban’s squad has shown improvements on both sides of the ball and is poised to make some noise the rest of the season.
Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)
Even without their best player, Brock Bowers, Georgia managed to play their best game of the season against Florida in Week 8. The Bulldogs looked polished on both sides of the ball against the Gators. For their Week 9 matchup, Georgia will play host to Missouri. It could determine which program reaches the SEC Championship game and represents the SEC East.
