With half the season over, the Southeastern Conference has one undefeated team and four more one-loss teams. All of them are in the College Football Playoff hunt, and with two of them facing off this weekend, it’s about to get even more interesting. Here is a look at our SEC Power Rankings following Week 7 of the 2023 season.

14. Vanderbilt

Well they at least put up a fight against the Georgia Bulldogs. However, Clark Lea’s team remains the worst in the SEC, now down to 2-6 and 0-4 in league play. It doesn’t look like the Commodores took that next step in his third year, although there were a couple of shocking non-conference losses that hurt that possibility.

13. Arkansas

It’s hard to be so down on the ‘Dores without looking at the struggles of the Razorbacks. They also have just two victories and remain winless in league play. However, Sam Pittman’s team has actually been putting up fights. All but one of their losses are by one score, but that often times has to do with when they actually face these teams.

12. Mississippi State

This is just above the bottom tier of our SEC Power Rankings, but it’s not much better. The Bulldogs had a much-needed bye week, as Zach Arnett’s team had suffered a three-game losing streak and then had an ugly win over the Western Michigan Broncos. However, they are .500, and that win over the Arizona Wildcats looks better now.

11. South Carolina

It’s panic time for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks. You could excuse their first three losses, but losing at home to a Florida Gators team that has been struggling is a bad look. It honestly makes the case to put them below Mississippi State, but we can’t do that yet. Spencer Rattler is still a baller. He just has no help right now.

10. Auburn

Hugh Freeze’s team is severely limited in what they can do, so it should come as no surprise that they were blown out by an LSU Tigers team that all of a sudden seems on a mission. The Auburn Tigers don’t have any bad losses just yet, though, and they can be dangerous to anybody they face, but those type of games will happen.

9. Florida

Just when you thought it was all over for Billy Napier and co., the Gators score a crucial win at South Carolina. They did it in a shootout as well, which didn’t seem possible. Technically, this team still controls its own destiny in the SEC East, so it may be a bit too early to count them out just yet, even if it’s a difficult road ahead.

8. Kentucky

Well, reality really set in for Mark Stoops and the Wildcats. It’s one thing to get blown out by a Georgia team on a mission, but losing to a Mizzou team that seemed overrated is a different animal. They lost by two touchdowns, and all of a sudden, at 5-2, a bowl game isn’t guaranteed. They have a bye but could be underdogs in all their remaining games.

7. Texas A&M

Jimbo Fisher’s team suffered another tough loss on the road to a ranked team. This one was there for the taking, though, as the Aggies were facing a Josh Heupel-led team that only scored 20 points. Despite all the talent, they are stuck in the middle of the pack of our SEC Power Rankings, although they are at the top of that mid-tier.

6. Tennessee

When did the Vols all of a sudden win close defensive games under Heupel? Their offense only put up 13 points last Saturday against Texas A&M, needing a punt return for a touchdown to secure the win, and the defense, outside of one touchdown drive to open the game, held firm. UT is 5-1 and right in the thick of the SEC race.

5. Missouri

Now things are a bit shocking. The Tigers are one quarter away from being 6-0 with quality wins over LSU, Kentucky and the Kansas State Wildcats. Dominating UK the way they did requires us to say Eli Drinkwitz’s team, at least for right now, is in the upper-echelon of the league. Who saw that coming?

4. LSU

Don’t look now, but Brian Kelly’s team has scored a quality win and a blowout win in back to back weeks. These Tigers are the one team in one of the upper echelons of our SEC Power Rankings with multiple losses, but they actually could still win the west if a couple things bounce their way, so it’s not crazy to be high on them at the moment.

3. Ole Miss

Lane Kiffin and the Rebels’ only loss to Alabama looks better and better. This is a top 10 caliber team at the moment, and Jaxon Dart could end up playing his way into the Heisman race if he keeps this up. It seems like we should be talking about Ole Miss more given what they’ve been able to do to this point.

2. Alabama

A bad fourth quarter may have us all questioning this team, but Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide have still figured out how to use Jalen Milroe and how to win with him. They have just one loss, and the College Football Playoff is still there for the taking, but the schedule is about to get a bit more difficult for them.

1. Georgia

We go from the upper echelons of our SEC Power Rankings to the top echelon. The Bulldogs actually looked ugly against Vandy, as they continue to play down to their opponents, but a three-score win on the road is never going to count against a team. They remain the only undefeated team in the league, despite their easy schedule, so they’re still No. 1.