SEC Power Rankings updated after Week 3 of college football
The latest SEC Power Rankings from On3, utilizing the On3 Massey Ratings, are in after Week 3 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.
While the team at the top remained the same this week there was shuffling further down. So without further ado, let’s examine this week’s SEC Power Rankings.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Even without some key contributors on defense, Georgia managed to hold its fourth consecutive opponent without a touchdown. It was needed, too, on a night when the offense wasn’t fully in sync.
Watch College Football Games Live -Try for Free Fubo! Click HERE NOW
Save $30 on your first month of Fubo by CLICKING HERE NOW! For a limited time, you can get your first month of Fubo for as low as $49.99. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and 200+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
The Bulldogs, though, are built like a championship team and withstood the early Wildcats pressure to come out on top. Running back Trevor Etienne helped key a game-winning drive that was capped by Branson Robinson. Survive and advance.
2. Alabama Crimson Tide (+1)
After a struggle against USF the prior week, Alabama was intent on proving it doesn’t plan to mess around with opponents whenever possible. It didn’t take long for that to materialize into a big lead on the road at Wisconsin.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe was once again on point, accounting for five total touchdowns. Now the real test for Alabama: No. 2 Georgia following a bye week this week.
3. Texas Longhorns (-1)
Texas easily handled UTSA, but fell one spot in the On3 Massey Ratings, while Georgia struggled somewhat to come up with a road victory at Kentucky. Both teams remain in excellent position when it comes to the College Football Playoff, though.
If there was a real negative for Texas this weekend it was that quarterback Quinn Ewers had to leave the game with an abdominal injury. His status will bear close monitoring in the days ahead, because he’s quite important to the Longhorns.
4. Tennessee Volunteers
Quarterback Nico Iamaleavea continues to get more and more experience under his belt, and that should scare future opponents. He’s been excellent so far, though how much he has been needed has varied each week.
Iamaleava had a quieter day in a 71-0 steamrolling of Kent State, but running back Dylan Sampson had another big day. He’s been capable of pacing the ground game by himself, making Tennessee a balanced and dangerous offense.
5. Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels open the season with four straight non-conference opponents and as such remain elevated in our SEC Power Rankings. The metrics like Ole Miss and its high-flying offense, though it remains largely untested against quality opponents.
Those will come. But the Rebels and Jaxson Dart are doing everything asked of them in the meantime. Next up is a non-conference finale against Georgia Southern.
6. Oklahoma Sooners
In a matchup that many predicted might present some problems for Oklahoma, the Sooners were mostly fine. Tulane got close and threatened at times, but Oklahoma was ready to answer at every turn.
Defensive end R Mason Thomas was a huge part of that, coming up with a key strip-sack in the waning moments to shut down any lingering Tulane threat. Now Oklahoma will really get a chance to prove itself, set to host No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday.
7. Missouri Tigers
All offseason long the talk was about Missouri’s relatively soft schedule. Well Saturday afforded a perhaps unexpected stiff test, in the form of a ranked Boston College squad. The Eagles raced out to a 14-3 lead, too.
But Missouri stayed the course and quarterback Brady Cook was once again nails. He helped lead the Tigers to a 27-21 win, staying perfect on the young season and keeping playoff hopes quite alive and intact. In doing so, the Tigers jumped one spot in the SEC Power Rankings this week.
8. Texas A&M Aggies (+2)
The Aggies have bounced back nicely from a season-opening loss to Notre Dame. After dusting McNeese, the team hit the road for the first time, heading to Florida. And it was never a close contest.
Texas A&M simply leaned on Florida in the trenches on both sides. And backup quarterback Marcel Reed showed some flashes of electric play in the win. He should be able to hold his own until Conner Weigman can return from injury.
9. LSU Tigers
It was an all-out struggle against South Carolina after falling behind 17-0 and there will be some major question marks even after the comeback win. The offensive line, in particular, stands out as a large one.
Still, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was excellent against a fearsome pass rush. He got up every time he got hit and kept trucking, eventually helping the Tigers outlast their opponent. Up one spot in the SEC Power Rankings as a result.
10. South Carolina Gamecocks (-2)
Despite falling to LSU and having a close call against Old Dominion, South Carolina still fares reasonably well in the On3 Massey Ratings. That win over Kentucky certainly helps, and anyone that watched Saturday’s game against LSU knows it could have easily gone the other way.
The Gamecocks can hang their hats on having one of the best defensive fronts in the league. It’s one that can wreck games against teams that aren’t ready for it. That gives South Carolina an anchor to build around.
SEC Power Rankings: 11-16
11. Kentucky Wildcats
12. Auburn Tigers
13. Arkansas Razorbacks
14. Florida Gators
15. Mississippi State Bulldogs
16. Vanderbilt Commodores
There were no moves in the bottom portion of this week’s SEC Power Rankings. Florida and Mississippi State both suffered bad losses, while Vanderbilt saw its momentum slowed with a narrow loss to Georgia State on the road.