SEC Power Rankings: Volunteers vault to the top after taming the Tide

We have a new team at the top of the SEC Power Rankings following one of the games of the year, with Tennessee taking down Alabama in dramatic fashion in Nashville.

The herd also continues to thin out behind the top four in the league, with everyone outside of the that group now having multiple losses. Arkansas and LSU both posted impressive road wins to climb in the rankings, while the majority of movement elsewhere was a result of those games.

Let’s tackle the SEC and try to make some sense of it.

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Today we update the SEC Power Rankings following Week 7 games.

2022 SEC Power Rankings – Week 7

1. Tennessee (+2)

Though we don’t usually opt for one team jumping another when they both win, especially near the top of the rankings, Tennessee’s body of work is flat out better than Georgia’s right now. Tennessee’s win over Alabama was the fourth Vols win over an opponent that was ranked in the AP Poll at the time of the game; Georgia has only one such win, in the season opener against Oregon.

2. Georgia

Georgia sliding a spot isn’t an indictment on the Bulldogs by any means. The Bulldogs have been significantly better the last six quarters after sleep-walking a bit against Kent State and Missouri. After blasting Vanderbilt 55-0 on Saturday Georgia now gets a bye week to prepare for Florida and then Tennessee.

3. Alabama (-2)

The Crimson Tide made one heck of a game of it against a Volunteers offense that just wouldn’t stop. Alabama is still very much in the College Football Playoff hunt but the margin for error is now razor thin. Alabama will get a chance to bounce back against Mississippi State at home before it finally gets to the bye week.

4. Ole Miss

The last three weeks have not been without their challenges for the Rebels, but the Lane Train keeps rolling. Ole Miss and Georgia are the lone 7-0 teams in the conference, with the Rebels finishing off a pesky Auburn team late in a 48-34 win. Now it’s back-to-back tricky road trips for Ole Miss, first at LSU and then at Texas A&M.

5. LSU (+2)

Quarterback Jayden Daniels might be a touch unconventional, but he’s certainly getting the job done at LSU right now. He almost single-handedly won a shootout with Florida in the Swamp, throwing for 349 yards and three touchdowns while adding three more rushing touchdowns. The Tigers did whatever they wanted offensively and won a pivotal swing game in Year 1 for Brian Kelly.

6. Kentucky

The Wildcats snapped a two-game losing skid in impressive fashion, completely putting the clamps down defensively on the Mississippi State Bulldogs’ Air Raid offense. Mississippi State totaled just 225 yards in the game, while Kentucky tailback Chris Rodriguez rushed for 196 by himself. With Will Levis back at quarterback, Kentucky cruised 27-17 to hold steady in the SEC Power Rankings.

7. Mississippi State (-2)

The Bulldogs are consistent in that they go through some wild swings under Mike Leach. Prior to the weekend everything seemed to be clicking offensively. Perhaps that’s a credit to Kentucky coach Mark Stoops for drawing up a terrific gameplan defensively. Either way, the Bulldogs are probably realistically out of SEC West contention at this point. A road trip to Alabama looms.

8. Texas A&M (+1)

Texas A&M was off over the weekend, a merciful respite in the middle of a three-game stretch away from home. The Aggies will have a chance to snap a two-game losing skid on the road at South Carolina this week, but the Gamecocks are also coming off a bye week and have some momentum after three straight wins.

9. Arkansas (+2)

Speaking of snapping losing skids, Arkansas halted a three-game slide with an impressive 52-35 win on the road at BYU. Extremely banged-up in the secondary, the Hogs won how they had to: a shootout. Quarterback KJ Jefferson returned and threw five touchdown passes, while Raheim Sanders rushed for 175 yards and two scores in the win.

10. South Carolina

Despite not playing this weekend, South Carolina sees Arkansas move back in front courtesy of a nice non-conference road win and owning the head-to-head result. However, with the Razorbacks on a bye coming up and South Carolina hosting Texas A&M, the Gamecocks will have a chance to play themselves back in front again on Saturday.

11. Florida (-3)

The defense is broken at Florida. No two ways around it. The Gators rank 77th in scoring defense, 106th in total defense and dead last at 131st in third-down defense. Hard to win games when you can’t get off the field. And as inconsistent as the offense has been at times, you pretty much can’t pencil in any sure wins for the Gators at this point.

12. Missouri (+1)

The three teams at the bottom of the SEC Power Rankings are all on three-game losing skids. Missouri’s skid started with that fluky ending against Auburn, then was followed by a valiant effort against Georgia, then continued with a flat loss on the road at Florida. The Tigers were on bye over the weekend, and they’ll return to action with a very winnable home game against Vanderbilt.

13. Auburn (+1)

The Tigers definitely haven’t rolled over despite losing four of their last five. Auburn was competitive on the road against a top-10 Ole Miss squad, pushing the game into the fourth quarter in a 48-34 loss. Ultimately iffy quarterback play and an inability to get stops were the difference. Now Auburn gets a much-needed week off.

14. Vanderbilt (-2)

The Commodores seemed to be making real progress under second-year head coach Clark Lea, but the optimism gets sapped pretty quickly when you lose two games in three weeks by 50-plus points. Now, it’s been a brutal stretch of the season and Georgia’s 55-0 whooping didn’t really come as a surprise. Still, Vanderbilt has one more game before its bye week, heading to Missouri this weekend as the ‘Dores try to get things back on track.

Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 6 SEC Power Rankings here!