After a successful showing in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, the new set of power rankings features a bit of movement.
Let’s dive into this week’s SEC power rankings.
1. Kentucky (17-4, 7-1)
An 0-2 week didn’t remove the Wildcats from top of the rankings, but it undoubtedly gave John Calipari lots of teachable moments for his young superstars. This weekend’s trip to Gainesville will be interesting.
This week: vs. Georgia, at Florida
2. South Carolina (17-4, 7-1)
After winning at Missouri on Saturday, the Gamecocks now head to LSU on Wednesday. It’s always good to see that two-game stretch on the schedule, and a rematch with a struggling Georgia team on Saturday is also favorable.
This week: at LSU, vs. Georgia
3. Florida (16-5, 6-2)
There was reason to be concerned about the Gators after losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt. How did they respond? By beating LSU by 35 and Oklahoma by 32. That should give Mike White’s team plenty of confidence heading into Saturday’s showdown with Kentucky.
This week: vs. Missouri, vs. Kentucky
4. Alabama (13-7, 6-2)
Not many people expected Alabama to be in the No. 4 spot this late in the season. To stay there, the Crimson Tide will need to play well this week in what should be two very good games against Arkansas and Auburn.
This week: at Arkansas, vs. Auburn
5. Arkansas (16-5, 5-3)
The Razorbacks get to stay ahead of Tennessee for now (with the January 3 win in Knoxville giving them the slight edge), but I’m not completely sold that it’s the right decision. Although Arkansas has managed to win close games in SEC play, getting blown out at Oklahoma State wasn’t a positive development, and this team still has too many head-scratching stretches.
This week: vs. Alabama, at Missouri
6. Tennessee (12-9, 4-4)
Rick Barnes once again worked his magic this past week, with the Vols earning wins over Kentucky and Kansas State. Now the question becomes whether Tennessee will build off of that success with two challenging road tests this week.
This week: at Auburn, at Mississippi State
7. Georgia (13-8, 4-4)
The Bulldogs managed to avoid hitting the panic button with a 59-57 win over Texas. However, here’s a look at the next six games for Mark Fox’s team: at Kentucky, at South Carolina, vs. Florida, at Tennessee, vs. Mississippi State, vs. Kentucky, at Alabama. Yikes.
This week: at Kentucky, at South Carolina
8. Vanderbilt (10-11, 3-5)
Days after losing a 15-point lead with six minutes to go against Arkansas, the Commodores bounced back with a great win over an outstanding Iowa State team. Vandy has been so up and down this season that it’s hard to know what to expect in this week’s games.
This week: at Texas A&M, vs. Ole Miss
9. Texas A&M (11-9, 3-5)
The Aggies showed a lot of toughness in battling back to only lose by four at West Virginia. Getting DJ Hogg back from injury is important, but at least Texas A&M is starting to find momentum after some solid performances as of late.
This week: vs. Vanderbilt, at LSU
10. Auburn (14-7, 3-5)
Just when we thought that Bruce Pearl’s team had taken a step back after the South Carolina loss, the Tigers come out and win at TCU. Austin Wiley’s progression has been huge, and he will continue to be a key piece of the puzzle. This week’s games are another opportunity for Auburn to climb back up the power rankings.
This week: vs. Tennessee, at Alabama
11. Mississippi State (13-7, 4-4)
A few weeks after soaring high in the rankings, the Bulldogs are back down here after losing three of four. Those three losses are nothing to be concerned about given the level of competition, but Mississippi State needs to get back on track this week.
This week: at Ole Miss, vs. Tennessee
12. Ole Miss (12-9, 3-5)
The Rebels came up short in their bid to knock off No. 5 Baylor, and it was another case of Ole Miss failing to get stops down the stretch. This team has to find that late-game toughness to make any strides going forward.
This week: vs. Mississippi State, at Vanderbilt
13. LSU (9-11, 1-7)
This was the first week that I almost put LSU at the bottom. Things are that bad for the Tigers right now, and they might not get any better this week with South Carolina and Texas A&M headed to Baton Rouge.
This week: vs. South Carolina, vs. Texas A&M
14. Missouri (5-15, 0-8)
Although the losses continue to pile up for Missouri, this team has still been competitive in most SEC games.
This week: at Florida, vs. Arkansas
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Blake Lovell has worked in sports media for over 10 years. He currently covers SEC football and basketball for various publications.