LSU and Alabama both looked very good in easy wins on Saturday, with the Tigers dismantling Florida and the Tide shutting out Vanderbilt. Arkansas played well in a win over Auburn, but after the top three teams, the conference is a bit of a mess. While there’s not a lot of separation between Nos. 4 and 8 in this week’s power rankings, it’s clear that none of those teams are good enough to challenge the SEC’s elite this season. Alabama and LSU are definitely national title contenders; it’s hard to see either team losing to any other team in the conference.
1. LSU, 6-0 overall/3-0 in SEC play (Last week’s ranking: 1) — The Tiger defense dominated Florida, holding the Gators to 213 yards and 9 first downs. Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson put together a nice passing game, completing 10 of 14 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. LSU compiled 453 offensive yards and is looking more and more like the team to beat each week.
2. ALABAMA, 6-0/3-0 (2) — As if they were listening to Alabama’s critics, Nick Saban and Jim McElwain drew up a game plan against Vanderbilt to prove that the Tide passing game is not a liability, but a strength. A.J. McCarron was 23 of 30 for 237 yards and four touchdowns. Trent Richardson led the rushing attack with 107 yards and a score. Oh yeah, the Crimson Tide defense blanked Vanderbilt’s offense, marking the fourth time this year Alabama has held its opponent to 10 points of fewer.
3. ARKANSAS, 5-1, 2-1 (3) — Arkansas’ offense played well against Auburn, but its defense was even better. The Razorbacks didn’t allow an Auburn point after the first quarter and forced three Tiger turnovers. Auburn didn’t help itself very much on offense, but Arkansas showed that, outside of LSU and ‘Bama, the Razorbacks easily the best team in the SEC.
4. GEORGIA, 4-2/3-1 (5) — It would appear that news of Mark Richt’s demise has been greatly exaggerated. After an 0-2 start, the Dawgs have won four consecutive games and are playing well enough to win every game remaining on their schedule. Georgia’s defense has improved by leaps and bounds, giving up 13 points or fewer in each of its four straight wins. With a win over Tennessee on Saturday, Georgia is in position to make a legitimate run at the SEC East title.
5. SOUTH CAROLINA, 5-1/3-1 (6) — With Connor Shaw at quarterback, the Gamecocks look like a totally different team. Against Kentucky, Carolina’s offense scorched the Wildcats for 639 yards, 32 first downs and 54 points. Shaw threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns, which equaled Stephen Garcia’s TD total for five games. The Gamecock defense held Kentucky 96 yards, nine first downs, three points and forced six turnovers. It came against the worst team in the SEC, but Saturday’s performance shows that, with Shaw at quarterback, the South Carolina is a different team.
6. AUBURN, 4-2/2-1 (4) — Even though the Tigers defeated South Carolina, the Gamecocks appear to be a better team with Shaw at quarterback. Auburn’s defense is slowly improving, but the Tiger offense is quickly regressing. The Arkansas loss was the third consecutive game in which Auburn failed to gain 400 yards of offense. Mike Dyer rushed for 112 of the Tigers’ 291 yards on the ground, but that was one of the very few bright spots against the Razorbacks. Luckily for Auburn, its next game is at home against a Florida team that will be playing with a backup quarterback. The Tigers should be able to find a way to beat the Gators.
7. FLORIDA, 4-2/2-2 (7) — Talk about bad luck for the Gators. After a 4-0 start, Florida faced Alabama and LSU in consecutive weeks and showed little resistance against the Tide and Tigers. The Gators combined for 21 points in the two games and lost two quarterbacks in the process. Florida’s defense, which had been solid, has allowed 39.5 points per game during its two-game losing streak. With a road trip to Auburn this week, things aren’t getting much easier for the Gators.
8. TENNESSEE, 3-2/0-2 (8) — The Vols suffered a major blow against Georgia, losing quarterback Tyler Bray to a broken thumb. Tennessee’s athletics department stated on Sunday that Bray could possibly miss six weeks. Bray was 18 of 33 for 251 yards before leaving Saturday’s game. With no ground game to speak of, Tennessee is going to struggle to move the ball for the remainder of the season.
9. VANDERBILT, 3-2/1-2 (10) — Despite suffering a 38-point loss to Alabama, Vanderbilt moves up a spot in this week’s rankings. The Vandy offense has struggled, and losing quarterback Larry Smith to injury won’t help things. Still, the defense is good enough to compete with most teams in the SEC this year. With matchups remaining against Army, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wake Forest, it wouldn’t be a stretch for the Commodores to win three more games and gain bowl eligibility.
10. MISSISSIPPI STATE, 3-3/0-3 (9) — Once again, Mississippi State proved that all the preseason hype surrounding the Bulldogs was unfounded. State trailed UAB 3-0 at halftime on Saturday and didn’t have the game in hand until the fourth quarter. Tyler Russell completed 11 of 13 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns in relief of Chris Relf and has likely taken over the role as starting quarterback. After talk of challenging the SEC West’s elite before the season, it appears that Dan Mullen’s team is destined to finish with a .500 record.
11. OLE MISS, 2-3/0-2 (11) — The Rebels didn’t play on Saturday, so Ole Miss only scored 11 points fewer than its average in SEC games this season. Ranking ninth or worse in the SEC in every major offensive category, Ole Miss just doesn’t have enough fire power to be competitive this season. The defense hasn’t been much better, giving up 408 yards and 22 points per game. If Ole Miss ends the season with more than three wins, it will be a surprise.
12. KENTUCKY, 2-4/0-3 (12) — The Wildcats are easily the worst team in the SEC and could be the worst SEC team in recent memory. Kentucky ranks last in the conference in scoring offense, total offense and scoring defense, and is 11th in total defense. The average Wildcat game ends in a 29-13 loss. Kentucky’s next game is against Jacksonville State. If the Wildcats lose — which is very possible, even against and FCS team — Kentucky will have a hard time winning any games in the second half of the season.