SEC play hasn't kicked into full gear yet in the 2025 college football season, but it is approaching as teams complete their non-conference schedules and enter the gauntlet of conference play.
We've already seen classic SEC matchups, such as Georgia-Tennessee, upsets with Vanderbilt routing South Carolina, and defensive battles in Florida-LSU.
Auburn and Hugh Freeze open their SEC schedule this Saturday with a trip to Norman, Okla., to take on the Sooners. With conference play finally here for the Tigers, let's take a look at SEC power rankings heading into Week 4 of the college football season.
1. Georgia
A thrilling overtime win in which the Bulldogs had to convert a 4th-and-long for a touchdown and get a two-point conversion just to send it to overtime was the best SEC win of the season.
This week: Bye
2. Texas A&M
The second-best win comes from another thriller, with the Aggies completing a 4th-and-long with mere seconds left to take down Notre Dame in South Bend. Quarterback Marcel Reed is the real deal.
This week: Bye
3. LSU
The season-opening win at Clemson is looking less impressive as Dabo Swinney's team falls apart, but a gutsy win on Saturday against Florida keeps them up high in the rankings. But will we see an LSU offense?
This week: vs. Southeast Louisiana
4. Oklahoma
Auburn's opponent this week, quarterback John Mateer, has helped lead the Sooners to a revival, with a big win over Michigan in Week 2 showcasing that Brent Venables can still coach effectively.
This week: vs. Auburn
5. Vanderbilt
Diego Pavia. That is all.
This week: vs. Georgia State
6. Missouri
A showdown with bitter rival Kansas ended with a Tigers victory. Running back Ahmad Hardy is up to 462 yards and five touchdowns in just three games.
This week: vs. South Carolina
7. Auburn
A big road win against a strong Baylor team was followed by a cupcake game against Ball State and a tough battle against South Alabama. Now, it gets real for Freeze and the Tigers as they play three straight games against teams in the top 15.
This week: at Oklahoma
8. Texas
Arch Manning hasn't lived up to his billing, even getting booed at home during the latest game. I wouldn't write the quarterback off just yet, but improvement must come, or things could get interesting in Austin.
This week: vs. Sam Houston
9. Ole Miss
Winning at Kentucky isn't a small feat, but it isn't as if the Wildcats are SEC contenders either. Getting quarterback Austin Simmons healthy will be critical for Lane Kiffin's team.
This week: vs. Tulane
10. Tennessee
Everything seemed to be going the Volunteers' way on Saturday against Georgia, jumping out to a 21-3 lead before having a short field goal to win the game and break a 10-year losing streak to the Bulldogs. We know what happened next.
This week: vs. UAB
11. Alabama
Sure, the Crimson Tide embarrassed UL-Monroe before beating Wisconsin, but problems still linger in Tuscaloosa.
This week: Bye
12. Mississippi State
A thrilling win over Arizona State gave Jeff Lebby's program some significant momentum. The Bulldogs have a chance to start 4-0 this week as they host Northern Illinois.
This week: vs. Northern Illinois
13. Arkansas
A close loss at Ole Miss doesn't hurt Sam Pittman's job status, but a loss at Memphis this week could get that seat really hot.
This week: at Memphis
14. South Carolina
Missing LaNorris Sellers would hurt almost every team, but the Gamecocks showed no fight in the 31-7 loss at home against Vanderbilt.
This week: at Missouri
15. Kentucky
I'm predicting this will be the end of Mark Stoops in Lexington, as even the games against easy competition haven't been exactly routs. The Wildcats missed their chance to reach the SEC title game by playing an SEC East schedule. That is no longer the case.
This week: Bye
16. Florida
Poor, Billy Napier. DJ Lagway might need to be benched following his start to the season.
This week: at Miami (FL)