SEC Power Rankings: Week 11

The fun never stops in the SEC.

Over the last week, we saw Auburn implode (but then snap their cold streak versus South Carolina), Kentucky return to form, and Mississippi State gain some hype out of nowhere as they now join Alabama in the “what do I do with them?” category.

We also found out that the bottom feeders in the SEC (Missouri, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt) are really, really bad while our image of the top teams in the conference as a whole didn’t really change.

Where will these teams fall? All your answers and more will now be answered.

1. Kentucky

The Wildcats are back in power following two impressive wins at Arkansas and versus Georgia. The South Carolina game is looking like more of an outlier at this point and I won’t let that one blemish tarnish their impressive resumé.

2. Auburn

Auburn followed their first loss of the season with one just as embarrassing while visiting Florida. Their offense looked confused on route to dropping 47 total points in that contest. Ouch. I will not fall victim to recency bias, though, and forget all this team has accomplished. Will their win versus the Gamecocks be enough to get the Tigers back on track?

3. LSU

LSU really loves making things interesting. In all of SEC play, they have won only one game by more than four points. Additionally, the Tigers have played teams all over the board in terms of skill level. Wins are nice, but I don’t see any dominance with this squad. At least they’ve had their fair share of crunch time situations, which are vital as they hope to make a run in March.

4. Florida

Florida may have had the toughest schedule this week in the SEC and they managed to go 1-1 with the win being over Auburn. Coming out with a victory in that one was a tall task. Asking them to go to Baton Rouge and win a game there on top of the dub would have been unrealistic. I have nothing but praise for the Gators at the moment.

5. Arkansas

The Razorbacks did not have a good week as they finished 0-2 with losses to Kentucky and Mississippi State. Yes, neither of those games were a true walk in the park, but they have to take at least one if they want to be viewed as a legit team. The star power on this team, though, makes me think they won’t sustain this lack of success.

6. Alabama

The Crimson Tide truly score at ease, and they may have the best offense in the SEC. We didn’t learn a whole lot in their last two games as they were against Missouri and Vanderbilt, but they still extended their win streak to three games. Also, if it wasn’t obvious, John Petty Jr. is a hell of a ball player.

7. Mississippi State

Is it finally time to start respecting Mississippi State? Well, they won three straight, with two of them being in blowout fashion. If that wasn’t enough, two of those wins came against Georgia and Arkansas, who I view as very solid teams. Their defense has been on a roll, and their offense hasn’t been too shabby either. If Reggie Perry stays on this hot streak of his, this team may be able to keep the streak going.

8. Georgia

The Bulldogs aren’t great on the road by any means, but they can’t lose by 32 to Mississippi State. Following that kind of embarrassment, the last team you would want to play is Kentucky too. Georgia returns home on Saturday to play the struggling Ole Miss Rebels, so things are only looking up from here.

9. Tennessee

I feel like people are massively overvaluing Tennessee at the moment. They just got done blowing out arguably the two worst teams in the SEC, and that is not a reason for celebration. If they compete even slightly with Kansas this Saturday afternoon, I’ll amend their slot.

10. South Carolina

A win versus Texas A&M was expected, and they played a closer game against Auburn than many would have predicted. With that, I wouldn’t view this as a failed week. As the schedule lightens up over the next couple games for the Cocks, let’s see how they respond.

11. Texas A&M

The Aggies are not as bad a team as I thought they were. I view them as miles ahead of the teams in the 12-14 slots and they proved that they can at least compete with most teams in the SEC. If not for USC’s three-point shooting, they may have been able to win that contest too.

12. Missouri

At first, their brand was a good defense. Now, they have nothing. They struggled to protect their home court against Texas A&M, and the scoreboard painted a very different picture as well with the victory never truly being in reach for them. This Tigers team is far from the team that gave Florida a hard time earlier in the month.

13. Ole Miss

It’s felt like the Rebels have gotten blown out every other game they’ve played. If Breein Tyree can’t save this team, that’s saying something.

14. Vanderbilt

I think it’s undisputed at this point who deserves this slot. Vanderbilt has gotten blown out in every single game since Nesmith went down, and I don’t think that trend will be coming to an end in the near future.