SEC Power Rankings – Week 7

Mississippi State is more schizo than ever, the Vols got the best of the Dawgs for a drive, A&M is shot, and LSU wants to hire who?

GEORGIA – Down 7-0 out of the gate last week against the Vols, the Bulldogs faced their largest deficit to date this season. Waking the beast from its slumber is never a good idea.

ALABAMA – Is it just me, or is this ‘Bama team just sort of, “Eh, whatever?” That means they’ll probably beat Oregon or whoever in the national semifinal by 30.

OLE MISS – Thought bubble: Beat A&M and Auburn [who could beat ‘Bama in two weeks to take away that tiebreaker] … yes! … wait, we still have to play Mississippi State? They’re decent. Shit.

TEXAS A&M – To those who didn’t witness the game on TV, don’t let the final score last week in Oxford fool you: A&M was thoroughly dominated, and it could have been much worse if Ole Miss had not made such a mess of its red zone trips. The result was not so much as surprising as was the effort from the Aggies.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – One-point win over Louisiana Tech. A loss to Memphis. Three wins over Top 20 teams, including two away from Starkville. If you can figure out this team, shoot a heads-up over to the crew at For Whom The Cowbell Tolls and CC us.

ARKANSAS – A&M, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss all have cakewalks this week, so the heat is on the Piggies. Upset ‘Bama and the possibility of a five-way coalescing atop the West standings at season’s end remains intact. Usually, you pay double for that sort of action, Cotton.

KENTUCKY – New Mexico State this week. In-state rival Louisville for the finale. Last week’s win at Vandy to stop the bleeding of an eviscerating three-game skid could have been the ‘Cats golden ticket to any upper-tier SEC bowl spot not gobbled up by someone from the West.

AUBURN – You let Mississippi State orchestrate a historic comeback in your own back yard, but dammit, Auburn, you came out of it the best-looking 6-4 team in the country we know this side of the Mountain West!

TENNESSEE – For a quarter, Heupel’s up-tempo offense got the better of arguably the best college football defense in the last couple decades. Then, greatness adjusted accordingly, and it was downhill until mop-up time.

LSU – Overpaying for a subscription to another site allows me to tell you with no certainty whatsoever that if the LSU brass swings and misses on Jimbo Fisher, who was hired at A&M by Scott Woodward, now the AD in Baton Rouge, they’ll pursue a short list of names that currently includes — but could expand beyond — the likes of Matt Campbell, Lane Kiffin, Mel Tucker, and Billy Napier. And the list doesn’t stop there.

MISSOURI – Three weeks ago, hoops season beckoned at full-throat. Well, uh, that may not be calling our names quite so loudly now (the new few weeks could restore the volume), but in the meantime, let’s savor what remains on the table for Eli’s team. Wins over Florida and against what could be a ranked Arkansas team would do some serious wonders for a season that seemed lost for many.

SOUTH CAROLINA – Such is life as a middling SEC East program trying to find its place: One week after a potentially season-defining win (albeit Florida), you fall flat against another middling SEC East program trying to find its place.

FLORIDA – Browse YouTube and you’ll find an array of opinions on the job security of Dan Mullen, but no clip you’ll find is highlighted by such stark contrast in opposing viewpoints on the embattled Florida head coach’s team as that from ESPN’s College Gameday. And this was before Samford.

VANDERBILT – We all know as well as Clark Lea that his team has a razor-thin margin for error. As he admitted this week, that margin cost his team during long stretches a week ago against Kentucky. That translates into absolute murder in a worst-case scenario at Ole Miss this Saturday.