SEC Week 7 Power Rankings: Georgia makes statement
If last week was a sleepy wander for the Georgia Bulldogs, this week was absolute savagery. Kentucky was destroyed 51-13, and that result was probably kind on them. Elsewhere, Alabama did their usual squeaking-by of Texas A&M, LSU got over the line in a shoot-out against Missouri, Ole Miss comfortably beat a terrible Arkansas team, Florida thumped a woeful Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State did something about Western Michigan. Everyone else gave Bye Week a good seeing-to.
So here are your rankings:
- Georgia (6-0): Questioned over whether they were good enough to three-peat at National Champions, Georgia curb-stomped Kentucky. Brock Bowers again shone out with 132 yards on 7 receptions (Can anyone stop this guy?), but senior wideout Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint’s 99 yard day continued his outbreak of a season. Carson Beck – the supply line to both of the players – went 28-35 for 389 yards, 4 TD and 1 INT. The defense was also monstrous, limiting Kentucky to just 183 yards all day and leading Mark Stoops to complaining about Georgia buying all the players (while conveniently forgetting the purchase of Ray Davis from Vanderbilt).
- Alabama (5-1): Jalen Milroe has been a bit of a laughing stock over this season, but his passing game to Jermaine Burton (197 yards, 2 TDs) was hardly a joke. Nor is Alabama’s defense, which limited Texas A&M to just three total points in the whole of the second half. Just when you thought that the Evil Empire is back in its box, it’s emerging again…
- Ole Miss (5-1): The defense is finally doing some heavy-lifting after years of neglect as the offense keeps being fun. Is this team good enough to win the SEC West? Probably not. The killer loss to Alabama has done that to them? Can they get to a New Year’s Six Bowl? Absolutely!
- LSU (4-2): We predicted a comeback win over Missouri, but we didn’t expect LSU to come back from a huge deficit in the first half and walk away 10 point victors. And although they gave up 527 yards of offense (including 411 through the air) two momentum-sucking INTs at the end of each half (one that could have won the game for Mizzou but Pick-6) made you think. Oh, and they’ve got JAYDEN ****ING DANIELS, who threw for 259 yards /3 TDs and ran for another 130, with a TD.
- Texas A&M (4-2): Alabama effectively ended A&M’s chances of winning a SEC West with this win. While Texas A&M was good in the first half, they were absolutely throttled by the Tide in the second. Look, we still love Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart, and Max Johnson is fine. But that secondary is AWFUL.
- Missouri (5-1): In our preseason predictions we had Missouri at 4-2 to start this season, so they are ahead of our predictions. But if you really look at it, the Tigers should have won this one. Horrible turnovers and Jayden Daniels killed them, but the 11 penalties certainly didn’t help either. Weird to think that they should be 6-0, though.
- Tennessee (5-1): Probably better than this average side, but the loss of Bru McCoy is going to be HUGE for the Vols down the stretch.
- Kentucky (5-1): Kentucky is a medicore side in a medicore spot in a rather mediocre league. And when you come along and face a very good side, you become the flea and your opposition becomes the car on the highway.
- Florida (4-2): Florida did what was expected to beat Vanderbilt, but they still aren’t very good. Still, the dominance of possession choked the ‘Dores in a game that was over by half-time.
- Auburn (3-2): Auburn’s talent is at such a deficit that Hugh Freeze is going to look like a genius if the Tigers get to the end of the season bowl-eligible.
- South Carolina (3-2): The offensive line hopefully did a lot of work during Bye Week. They’ll need to if Spencer Rattler is to survive the season.
- Mississippi State (3-3): This was meant to be a very comfortable win for State, but 41-28 against a rebuilding MAC Program hardly portents for a great future this season, does it? I wouldn’t say Zach Arnett should brush up on his resume just yet (the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes are still pretty steady), but it’s not great, is it?
- Arkansas (2-4): This continues this season, Sam Pittman’s out of a job. Simple.
- Vanderbilt (2-5): So bad as these Commodores that there doesn’t look like a happy way out. We’ll be writing about their travails in a future article.