SEC Power Rankings updated after Week 12 of college football
The latest SEC Power Rankings were updated after Week 12 of the college football regular season and there was some movement in the middle.
The top tier stayed the same and it sets up for a great conference title game in December as well as the intriguing matchups of rivalry weekend. That starts out with the Egg Bowl Thanksgiving night!
Let’s dive into the latest SEC power rankings courtesy of our panel of On3 experts.
1. Georgia
No surprise here, but Georgia is the top dog again this week. The puns have been fun all season, but Georgia won’t be off this perch unless there’s a loss on the schedule.
And that might not happen until the SEC Championship Game against Alabama. Even then, Georgia is the favorite. The Bulldogs are back as national title favorites.
2. Alabama
No movement here as well. The Crimson Tide cruises in a non-conference tilt against Chattanooga. Next up: Auburn.
The Iron Bowl will be a test, even if the Tigers mightily struggled this past weekend. But just like Georgia, Alabama might be peaking right now and that’s at the right time.
3. LSU
LSU didn’t prove anything new this past weekend with a 56-14 win over Georgia State. However, Jayden Daniels was absolutely outstanding.
He accounted for eight total touchdowns in what could be his Heisman game. Despite three losses this season, the Tigers’ quarterback is having a career year and could very well bring home college football’s biggest individual award.
4. Missouri
Missouri avoided an upset at the hands of Florida and won game No. 9 this season. Double digit wins are well within reach now and Eli Drinkwitz is definitely feeling himself.
If only this team was able to upset Georgia. College football deserves the chaos of Missouri being a playoff contender. Overall, another solid performance from the Tigers.
5. Ole Miss
Ole Miss played a non-conference game against Louisiana-Monroe and won comfortably. The Rebels improved to 9-2 and just like Missouri, we wish this team pulled off an upset.
Jaxson Dart committed to a return in 2024 under center for the Rebels. That’s gotta please Lane Kiffin, who will get one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC for another fall.
6. Texas A&M (+1)
It’s amazing Texas A&M won, then fired Jimbo Fisher. Then the Aggies won again over non-conference foe Abilene Christian and moved up a spot!
What is going on in College Station? It doesn’t make any sense. Look, this last win is nothing to write home about, but this team is on the verge of eight wins if it can beat LSU. Totally bizarre.
7. Tennessee (-1)
Tennessee falls this week after a blowout loss to Georgia. Really, the Volunteers weren’t that competitive in this one and fell to the middle of the entire conference.
It hasn’t been a bad season by any means. By 7-4 is a far cry from the Orange Bowl last season and Josh Heupel will have an important offseason coming up before the 2024 campaign.
8. Florida (+2)
The Gators actually moved up two spots this week in a close loss to Mizzou. If it weren’t for the defense allowing Brady Cook to, well, cook, then the Gators might be higher at 6-5.
Instead, Florida dropped to 5-6 on the year and needs a win over Florida State to be bowl eligible. This is the roller coaster of the Bill Napier experience.
9. South Carolina (+2)
Remember when the Gamecocks were 2-6 and everyone left them for dead? Well, no longer. Shane Beamer’s crew has won three in a row.
This time, a 17-14 win over Kentucky, the victory puts South Carolina within one win of a bowl game. Who stands in the team’s way? Rival Clemson. Oh boy, the drama with this one as the game is hosted by South Carolina this year.
10. Kentucky (-2)
Speaking of Kentucky, what the heck happened to this team? 5-0 to 6-5 in a span of six weeks. Mark Stoops is a heck of a coach and turned this program around, but this is a tough pill to swallow.
Maybe the Wildcats can upset the apple cart with a win over rival Louisville to the end the season. That would at least knock the Cardinals out of the playoff picture.
11. Mississippi State (+1)
Zach Arnett is gone and the Bulldogs did in fact win a game and are one win away from a bowl game. But, it’ll be a tough Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving.
It’s nothing to write home about, but a win over Southern Miss, 41-20, is still a win for the Bulldogs. Let’s see if Mississippi State can rally and pull off an upset in a couple of days.
12. Auburn (-3)
That was just a brutal loss for the Tigers, losing 31-10 to New Mexico State. That just can’t happen. But it did and now Hugh Freeze has to regroup his team to get ready for Alabama.
This upset loss definitely knocked Auburn down a few spots. Henceforth, the team is now No. 12 going into the final week of the regular season against the second best team in the SEC, their rival.
13. Arkansas
Arkansas got the win over FIU, 44-20, and learned Sam Pittman would return for the 2024 season. Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen, but the head coach will have a chance to resurrect the Razorbacks.
Pittman’s job is to maintain what he has, recruit well and attack the transfer portal. One can assume he won’t get many more chances to get it going with Arkansas after this down year.
14. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt had the week off and boy, the Commodores needed it. Being 2-9 was certainly not ideal this year for Clark Lea and company.
Going into the final week of the season, Vanderbilt has to go to Tennessee. Nothing’s ever easy it seems. Maybe there’s a holiday miracle at the end of the weekend for this team.
Well, there’s one more week of the regular season and we won’t see all of these SEC teams for the postseason. Savor it now and enjoy Thanksgiving.