There’s a clear-cut No. 1 and then a bunch of teams fighting to remain in College Football Playoff contention right now. Our SEC Power Rankings following Week 7 of the 2024 season will make clear who those teams are. Also, the gap between the bottom and near-top is extremely narrow now. Let’s dive into who those teams are first.
16. Auburn
Not playing this past weekend was enough for us to drop the Tigers, but the team below them last week looked significantly better against the Georgia Bulldogs than Hugh Freeze’s kids did. That’s enough for us to switch them out, but again, Auburn could easily have just one loss right now.
15. Mississippi State
Unlike Auburn, the Bulldogs have been getting blown out in a lot of games, but Mississippi State is getting better under Jeff Lebby, and that fight they put up against UGA has to count for something. As the offense improves, this team will keep getting more dangerous.
14. Kentucky
Mark Stoops and the Wildcats make no sense. They lose 31-6 to the South Carolina Gamecocks, then they put up a fight against UGA before beating the Ole Miss Rebels, but they can’t beat the Vanderbilt Commodores at home off a bye? Even in this age, that’s not a great loss.
13. Florida
Similar to MSU, Florida is getting better. The only reason they aren’t higher in our SEC Power Rankings is because Billy Napier continues to mismanage and coach away games, which is why his seat shouldn’t be any less warm. They should’ve beaten the Tennessee Vols at Neyland Stadium last week.
12. Arkansas
Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks got a much-needed bye after finally pulling out a close game two weeks ago when they beat Rocky Top. No. 12 could be too low, but the fact of the matter is there is so much parity in the league we couldn’t look past the losses.
11. South Carolina
Sure, Shane Beamer’s team put up a fight against Alabama. The Gamecocks were lucky to keep it close late, though, and the truth is they have been too inconsistent to justify putting them above here. South Carolina has a lot of work to do before we can fully believe in them.
10. Vanderbilt
Vandy beat Bama and South Carolina didn’t. Both beat Kentucky, but the Commodores beat a different type of UK team that was figuring itself out. As a result, Clark Lea’s program belongs ahead of South Carolina and in the top 10 of our SEC Power Rankings for now.
9. Missouri
After they were exposed as the most fraudulent undefeated team in college football, the Tigers got to play the UMASS Minutemen, one of the five worst teams in FBS. Mizzou and Eli Drinkwitz took advantage of the assignment, though, winning 45-3, so they still deserve quite a bit of credit.
8. Oklahoma
Brent Venables and the Sooners were more exposed in the Red River Shootout than they were against the Vols, and perhaps they should be lower in our SEC Power Rankings, but to this point, both of their losses have come against top 10 teams. As a result, they are middle of the pack.
7. Tennessee
Needing overtime to beat a bad Florida team forced us to drop Rocky Top a bit in these rankings. Josh Heupel’s offense isn’t what it once was, and the program has a lot to be worried about. They should be 4-2 right now and could be flirting with falling out of the top 25 before long.
6. Ole Miss
Lane Kiffin’s Rebels have nothing to be ashamed of for losing a close one on the road to a resurgent LSU Tigers team. They still have a path to reach the College Football Playoff, and it was that Kentucky loss that was so devastating. Ole Miss still looks like one of the better SEC teams in the league.
5. Alabama
Like UT, Alabama didn’t do anything to assuage anybody’s anxiety about them after a bad loss two Saturdays ago. They needed a last-second stop to beat a bad South Carolina team at home. It’s fitting that the Tide and Vols will now face each other this week.
4. Texas A&M
Not playing and other teams struggling is enough for us to keep moving the Aggies slowly up our SEC Power Rankings. Mike Elko has this program in great shape after a close loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to open the season, and it could get better.
3. Georgia
Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have issues after having to fight off MSU’s offense and then Smart shoving an MSU player. This program seems to be teetering on the brink of collapse from its two national championships, so they have to be ultra careful. They’re still a top three team in the league.
2. LSU
Just like that, the Tigers look like an elite program. Brian Kelly’s team is one bad defensive drive away from being undefeated right now, and Garrett Nussmeier is turning into a star. Beating Ole Miss like that is huge for this program, so they deserve to move up.
1. Texas
Is anybody going to debate this? The Longhorns just dominated the Red River Shootout, they are the only undefeated team in the league, and they now have Quinn Ewers healthy. Of course they belong at the top of our SEC Power Rankings two weeks into October.
