SEC Power Rankings updated after Week 5 of college football

The latest SEC Power Rankings from On3, utilizing the On3 Massey Ratings, are in after Week 5 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.

There was a good deal of movement, including at the very top of the SEC Power Rankings. So without further ado, let’s examine this week’s edition.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (+1)

In the matchup of the week across college football, Alabama proved it isn’t going anywhere under head coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide are here to contend for championships.

Alabama raced out to a massive early lead in the contest against Georgia, then things got a little nervy as the Bulldogs battled back. But the Crimson Tide were up to the task when the game was on the line, getting it done at home to secure a massive win.

2. Texas Longhorns (+1)

The Longhorns continue to play without starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, who missed his second straight game with an abdominal injury. Arch Manning has been right there to pick up the slack at every turn.

Texas made relatively short work of Mississippi State, pulling away in the second half. The team piled up more than 500 total yards of offense, including almost 200 on the ground. Now the team gets a bye to give Ewers and company more time to rest and recover.

3. Georgia Bulldogs (-2)

The Bulldogs went down big against the Crimson Tide but managed to fight their way back all the way, even taking a brief fourth-quarter lead. Georgia just didn’t have enough in the tank to sustain it.

In the big picture the loss won’t change a whole lot for Georgia; keep taking care of business and it won’t stand in the way of a College Football Playoff berth. The Bulldogs still very much look the part but drop down a bit in the SEC Power Rankings this week.

4. Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee was off this weekend after notching a nice road win at Oklahoma. On the other side of the bye week the Volunteers will have another road test, this time at Arkansas.

Right now, Tennessee looks like one of the most well-rounded teams in the league. The defense is stout and Nico Iamaleava continues to improve on a weekly basis as he leads a very potent offense.

5. Oklahoma Sooners (+1)

It sure wasn’t the prettiest outing for Oklahoma on the road at Auburn, but when it came crunch time, the Sooners were the ones throwing the punches. Despite being outgained by almost 200 yards, Oklahoma managed to win the fourth quarter — and the game.

As far as resumes go, Oklahoma’s isn’t bad. There isn’t a truly quality win, but the lone loss (to Tennessee) is high quality. The Sooners will get a week’s rest now before the Red River Rivalry.

6. LSU Tigers (+1)

South Alabama had been on an offensive tear of late, but LSU made sure that it put the clamps down early and never let loose. Even without Harold Perkins, the Tigers held the Jaguars to 333 total yards in the contest.

Moreover, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier continues to be quite solid. LSU now gets a bye week to rest and recover before taking on Ole Miss on the other side.

7. Ole Miss Rebels (-2)

The game was there for the taking multiple times and Ole Miss simply couldn’t pull it out against Kentucky. First there was the long conversion on fourth down for the Wildcats, then a missed field goal for the Rebels.

For a team that had a soft schedule leading into the game, the loss will do no favors when it comes to the playoff. Ole Miss will have to bounce back in a big way, both to move up the SEC Power Rankings and to get back into the playoff discussion.

8. Texas A&M Aggies (+1)

Texas A&M quietly jumped out to the lead in the SEC standings with a narrow win over Arkansas. And that’s how things have mostly gone for the Aggies of late: close wins.

Say this about first-year coach Mike Elko‘s squad, though: They appear to be getting better on a weekly basis. And that’s even without quarterback Conner Weigman, who hasn’t played the last couple weeks due to a shoulder sprain. It’ll be interesting to see what the Aggies do when he’s available again.

9. Missouri Tigers (-1)

Missouri was on a bye this week after narrowly squeaking by Vanderbilt in overtime a week prior. While the way that one went down wasn’t pretty, ultimately the Tigers kept their record intact. That’s important given the softness of the schedule.

Now Missouri gets a pretty good challenge. It’s on the road at Texas A&M for a conference showdown that could tell us quite a good deal about both teams.

10. Kentucky Wildcats (+2)

Kentucky suffered a bad loss when it fell to South Carolina 31-6, but the Wildcats have now countered that with an excellent win on the road at Ole Miss. When the Wildcats are locked in and ready to play, they’re a tough out for anyone.

Mark Stoops and defensive coordinator Brad White have the defense firing on all cylinders, evidenced by the slow-down job done on the Rebels. Now the key is more consistency. It’s a bye week this week, then winnable games against Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn.

SEC Power Rankings: 11-16

11. South Carolina Gamecocks (-1)
12. Arkansas Razorbacks (-1)
13. Florida Gators
14. Auburn Tigers
15. Vanderbilt Commodores
16. Mississippi State Bulldogs

South Carolina and Arkansas both drop a spot in the SEC Power Rankings courtesy of Kentucky’s big win. But the rest of the bottom half remains unchanged, with a couple of the programs on a bye week. The pecking order in the bottom half of the league has gotten more more clear in recent weeks.