SEC Power Rankings updated after Week 12 of college football

The latest SEC Power Rankings from On3, utilizing the On3 Massey Ratings, are in after Week 12 of the college football regular season.

The On3 Massey Ratings – which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated high school sports team rankings since 1995 – rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

So without further ado, let’s examine this week’s edition following Week 12.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Fresh off a loss to Ole Miss, Georgia made an emphatic statement that it’s here to stay in the College Football Playoff race. After a back-and-forth first half, the Bulldogs began to take command against the Tennessee Volunteers.

Carson Beck had arguably his best game of the season, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 32 yards and another score. The 31-17 victory keeps Georgia firmly in the playoff hunt.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide

Another week, another lopsided win for the Crimson Tide. This one was against Mercer, sure, but it was still a comfortable win for Alabama in which a ton of players got snaps.

Alabama saw four quarterbacks throw multiple passes in the game, while 11 different players logged a carry in the contest. That’s a good way to distribute the touches against an inferior opponent and should have everyone feeling good heading into a road trip to Oklahoma.

3. Texas Longhorns

Texas was a little sluggish in a defensive showdown with Arkansas, but the Longhorns delivered when the game was on the line. Quarterback Quinn Ewers had two touchdowns and threw for 176 yards to lead the charge in a 20-10 win.

For now, Texas remains at No. 3 in the SEC Power Rankings. That’s in large part because the resume doesn’t quite match that of Georgia or Alabama. But Texas will get a chance to do something about that in two weeks when it takes on Texas A&M with a likely trip to the SEC title game on the line.

4. Ole Miss Rebels +1

Ole Miss moves up a spot following its dominant win over Georgia in the previous week. The Rebels had a bye week this weekend, so they got to rest and recover while watching the rest of the chaos across college football unfold.

Now the Rebels could actually have a tricky game on their hands. Next up is a road trip to face a Florida team coming off a hugely emotional win over LSU. The Swamp will be rocking as the Gators seek bowl eligibility.

5. Tennessee Volunteers -1

Tennessee was plenty competitive in the contest against Georgia, it just had no answers for Carson Beck. A normally dangerous pass rush was kept almost entirely in check by the Bulldogs offensive line, and that spelled disaster for the Volunteers.

There’s still everything to play for, though. Tennessee should remain in striking distance of a College Football Playoff berth, and the high ranking in the SEC Power Rankings is indicative of that fact.

6. Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M had a long bye week last week following a demolition at the hands of South Carolina, so it was certainly possible there were some lingering issues. Not the case, though. Mike Elko‘s team looked prepared from the opening whistle and jumped all over New Mexico State.

Quarterback Marcel Reed threw for two touchdown passes and ran for a third, racking up 268 passing yards and 41 rushing yards in the contest. Now Texas A&M heads to Auburn for a very winnable game.

7. South Carolina Gamecocks +1

It’s now four straight wins for South Carolina, including two over top-25 teams. That’s how you move up the SEC Power Rankings. Saturday’s result was a nail-biting 34-30 win over Missouri.

After a back-and-forth final quarter, it was a strong play by running back Rocket Sanders that sealed the deal. He bullied his way through multiple defenders to give the Gamecocks the late lead and keep them from trying to attempt a game-tying field goal as time wound down. Quite the effort.

8. LSU Tigers -1

There are some serious question marks popping up in Baton Rouge after LSU suffered a third straight loss. This one wasn’t to a ranked opponent like the last two, either, though Florida is never an easy place to play.

Things went wrong up front for the Tigers. They allowed seven sacks in the contest after giving up only six all year long prior to the game. That’s a recipe for disaster, particularly on the road. Now a tough game against Vanderbilt looms as LSU looks to halt the skid.

9. Missouri Tigers

Missouri won a thrilling game at the death of it a week ago, but you play with fire enough times and you’ll eventually get burned. The Tigers found that out the hard way on Saturday against the Gamecocks, unable to come up with a defensive stop on the eventual game-winning drive.

After entertaining playoff hopes, Missouri can forget about those with three losses. It can still be a very positive season for the Tigers if they can close strong at Mississippi State and then home against Arkansas.

10. Florida Gators +1

Florida jumps into the top 10 of the SEC Power Rankings for the first time in several weeks, finally starting to show some progress under embattled coach Billy Napier. The Gators were convincing in a 27-16 win over the Tigers.

Quarterback DJ Lagway clearly adds a different element to the offense with his deep ball precision, which forces defenses to back off the line of scrimmage and opens holes for a very talented set of young backs. Consistency is the real key for Florida; there hasn’t been enough of it this year. But the glimpses are there.

SEC Power Rankings: 11-16

11. Oklahoma Sooners -1
12. Arkansas Razorbacks
13. Kentucky Wildcats +1
14. Vanderbilt Commodores -1
15. Auburn Tigers
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Oklahoma slips into the bottom portion of the SEC Power Rankings after Florida’s win. The Sooners have lost five of their last seven games and are reeling a bit under Brent Venables. The only other change in the bottom portion of the rankings is a flip between Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Kentucky smoked Murray State while Vanderbilt was off.