Joel Klatt ranks Top Five teams in SEC after Week 7

Through seven weeks, Texas has seperated itself as the top team in the Southeastern Conference — but multiple upsets have shaken up the rest of the rankings over the past several weeks.

However, at least eight teams within the SEC still have legitimate claims to potenital make the final field of 12 for the College Football Playoff. Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt ranked the four others teams behind the Longhorns who have stood out to him this season.

Notably, Klatt also revealed a few honorable mentions that didn’t quite crack his list — Tennessee, Missouri, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

1. Texas Longhorns

Texas defeated a ranked Oklahoma squad 34-3 in the 2024 edition of the Red River Rivalry on Saturday. This continues a trend of the Longhorns dominating their opposition this season, as their tightest game was a 31-12 win over Michigan in Week 2.

“No one has really tested them so far,” Klatt said. “They’re the number one offense in the country, they’re the number one defense in the country. Now is that defensive number a little bit inflated? Maybe. … You talk about if they were able, this weekend, to beat Georgia. Now, granted, that game is in Austin, they’re favored, but if they can beat Georgia — it’s going to put all the questions to bed.

“Not that there’s any questions, but right now people are considering, is Oregon the number one team? Is Texas the number one team? If they can beat Georgia at home, they’re 100% the best team in the country, without question, and we’ll see if they can do that.”

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia’s road trip to Texas will be Week 8’s banner matchup, and has become the ultimate opportunity for the Bulldogs to prove they belong back in the conversation for a top four seed in the College Football Playoffs.

“I understand that they lost to Alabama, but Georgia is still the number two team in the SEC,” Klatt said, defending his lower ranking of the Crimson Tide. “They’re 5-1I. I’m a bit concerned on a couple of fronts.

“Overall, I still love this team … This game is a huge game for Georgia. I don’t have to say that. Everyone knows that in particular, because they already have that one loss. A second loss almost assuredly knocks them out of the SEC championship game, which knocks them out of the possibility of having a first-round bye, which means that they’re going to have to play in the first round of the playoff.”

3. LSU Tigers

LSU’s dramatic victory against a top-10 Ole Miss team in overtime not only gives the Tigers an impressive win in the committee’s eyes, but it keeps them undefeated (2-0) in SEC play, something only two other teams can claim after Week 7.

“I really like [Garrett] Nussmeier, their quarterback,” Klatt said. “He was really good against Ole Miss in that game. He made big plays when they needed them. They never led in the game — he led them back to a victory in overtime that last drive, and some of the throws that he made late in that game were tremendous. The touchdown throw to tie the game was was insane.

“Now, they’ve got five-straight wins since that loss to USC. They’ve got these two games, they’ve got Alabama, they’ve got Texas A&M, and if they can beat Texas A&M, man, they’ve got a great shot to go to the SEC championship game.”

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama fans have a right to be upset that Georgia not only ranks ahead of them, but are in the back half of Klatt’s top five. Of course, this is directly related to the fact that the Crimson Tide lost to Vanderbilt on the road and was taken to the limit against South Carolina in consecutive weeks following the win. Meanwhile, Georgia has remainded steady.

“This is a team that, as the offense goes, they go,” Klatt said of the Crimson Tide. “If their offense struggles, they’ll be in a dogfight. If they’re playing a really good team, the offense is going to have to outscore them. The defense has just not been existent right now.

“The defense has major issues, both in their structure and their ability to cover down the field. The 31-yard touchdown that allowed South Carolina to potentially tie the game — now, they failed in the two point play — But it’s like, how many big plays are we going to see against Alabama? … If you’re in the SEC you can exploit that, now you’re still going to have to beat Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams, and that’s tough to do.”

5. Texas A&M Aggies

Just like LSU, Texas A&M lost its season opener and has since rattled off five-straight victories (including three in the SEC) in the weeks since. They were idle in Week 7 but trounced a top-10 Missouri team 41-10 in College Station before the bye week.

“I really love what I saw against Missouri, and I understand that — I think Missouri is overrated, and I will maintain that position, because it’s true,” Klatt said. “However, A&M throttled Missouri, and you look up and it’s like they’re getting better and better and better. Coach [Mike] Elko is a guy that, he’s A&M through and through. That’s something that all of their fan base has said to me, whether it’s social media or even in person, it’s like, he’s one of us and they’ve been waiting for a guy like that to be down there for a long time.

“I think Collin Klein is a hell of an offensive coordinator. There was a lot of dirt thrown on Texas A&M after the first week. By the way, there’s three teams that all lost in Week 1 of the season in fairly high, high profile matchups. Every one of those teams that has lost has gotten better and better and better, and right now, [Texas A&M] would be considered, at least in my estimation, top tier in their conference.”