SEC Football Rankings And Reactions, Week 9


SEC Player of the Week

Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs completed 16-of-26 passes for 233 yards and two scores with a pick, and ran seven times for 51 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Kentucky.

Week 9 SEC Football Rankings

1. LSU (7-0)

UP NEXT: Alabama: And now it’s Game On. LSU isn’t out of the SEC West race by any stretch with a loss to Alabama next week, but a win would set up a huge down in two weeks at Ole Miss that’ll probably decided the division title. With road games at Alabama and Ole Miss to go along with home dates against Arkansas and Texas A&M, now the schedule kicks in and LSU gets to prove it really might be the top team in the country. Win out, and the Tigers are in the playoff. They can lose to either Arkansas or Texas A&M – but not both – and still be fine.
Best Guess Final Record: 10-2

2. Florida (7-1)

W, Georgia, 27-3: The Gators rolled on through Georgia with shocking ease, and now the East is over. Florida didn’t wrap up the division, but it’s not going to lose to both Vanderbilt and South Carolina over the next two weeks. Now it’s about the Gators thinking even bigger and better – Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss are all beatable in an SEC championship. First, get through the two relative SEC layups to take the division, get through Florida Atlantic, and then get to 11-1 with a big rivalry win over Florida State. Do that, and the 13th game in Atlanta is for a spot in the playoff.

Best Guess Final Record: 11-1

3. Ole Miss (7-2)

W, at Auburn 27-19: It would be a huge help to the theoretical cause if Memphis – that 37-24 loss is a stinger – would lose. The Tiger schedule is going to get better, but it’s nothing compared to what Ole Miss will have to do to run the table and get to Atlanta. Before worrying about what some American Athletic team might do, the Rebels have three huge games to deal with. Beating Arkansas next week is hardly a layup, and then comes the key moment against LSU to take the lead role in the West hunt. Get through those two home games, and it might be the biggest Egg Bowl ever at Mississippi State.
Best Guess Final Record: 9-3

4. Alabama (7-1)

UP NEXT: LSU: Some other team will probably end up with a better strength of schedule according to the sheer stats, but it’ll be hard to beat what Alabama has done so far with wins over Wisconsin, Middle Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and Texas A&M by double-digits, to go along with the win over Tennessee. But it’s all over if the Crimson Tide can’t get by LSU, and there are still road games at Mississippi State and Auburn. In all, Alabama will probably end up facing ten teams that’ll end up in a bowl.
Best Guess Final Record: 11-1

5. Texas A&M (6-2)

W, South Carolina 35-28: The quarterback situation is still going to be a question mark the rest of the way, but it won’t matter against the easy part of the slate for the next three weeks. Auburn is playing better now, but it’s still a winnable home game before layups against Western Carolina and Vanderbilt. The West isn’t totally off the table, but it’ll take a total collapse by the rest of the division to make the regular season finale at LSU matter for the division title. It’ll more likely be for a ten-win season, but it doesn’t matter. The Aggies aren’t going to win the SEC West – again.
Best Guess Final Record: 9-3

6. Mississippi State (6-2)

UP NEXT: at Missouri: The Bulldogs are 5-0 in the games they were supposed to win, 1-0 in the 50/50 game at Auburn, and 0-2 in the tough battles against LSU and Texas A&M. Now comes the chance for the team to show what it can do with winnable road games against Missouri and Arkansas along with home dates against Alabama and Ole Miss that’ll shape the rest of the SEC season. MSU is already bowl eligible, and now it’s about proving that this really is a growing into an elite program.
Best Guess Final Record: 8-4

7. Arkansas (4-4)

W, UT Martin 63-28: Getting two wins in the final four isn’t a sure thing. The losses to Toledo and Texas Tech are a big problem going forward two road games at Ole Miss and LSU coming up. The Hogs can win one of the two if the ground game is working, but not both. Most likely, it’ll take wins at home over Mississippi State and Missouri to get bowling.
Best Guess Final Record: 6-6

8. Tennessee (4-4)

W, at Kentucky 52-21: With a tough performance in the loss to Alabama, and the blowout win over Kentucky, the Vols are showing what they can be, and now it’s time to dominate. Considering is a massive disappointment if they don’t roll through South Carolina, North Texas and Vanderbilt at home, and against the Missouri defense on the road. Considering the problems early on, finishing with a five-game winning streak would mean a nice regular season.
Best Guess Final Record: 8-4

9. Georgia (5-3)

L, Florida 27-3: Uh-oh. Technically, Georgia is still in the SEC East race, but it’s not. Losing three out of the last four games, a muddled quarterback situation, and a dead offense that’s scored ten points or fewer in three of the last four games – but managing to beat Missouri 9-6 – makes this a possible make-or-break November for Mark Richt. No one’s really talking true hot seat, but that’ll change if the Bulldogs don’t close out 4-0 vs. Kentucky, at Auburn, Georgia Southern and at Georgia Tech, there’s going to be trouble. There has to be hope, and closing out with a five-game winning streak – winning the bowl matters – for a ten-win season will help.
Best Guess Final Record: 8-4

10. Auburn (4-4)

L, Ole Miss 27-19: This is a middle-of-the-pack team in a wildly disappointing season. The Tigers lost in the wild overtime shootout to Arkansas, and lost in the slugfest against Ole Miss. Now the O has to kick it in with a road trip to Texas A&M up next before closing out with three straight home games against Georgia, Idaho and Alabama. Ruining Alabama’s season would be wonderful, but for this lost year, just getting to .500 and a bowl game is enough.
Best Guess Final Record: 6-6

11. Kentucky (4-4)

L, Tennessee 52-21: Ohhhh, nooooo. It’s happening again. After getting to five wins early last year and losing everything else, and missing out on a bowl game, the Wildcats are on a three game losing streak and looking awful doing it. There’s no shame in losing at Mississippi State and against Tennessee, and it’s another to get blown out by the middle-of-the-pack teams by a combined 94-37. Now UK has to face a desperate and angry Georgia on the road, and then has the make-or-break moment at Vanderbilt against its nasty defense. Charlotte’s a win, and Louisville is a key home date, but winning two out of the last four isn’t a given with the way the O is playing.
Best Guess Final Record: 6-6

12. Vanderbilt (3-5)

L, Houston 34-0: Houston might be rolling this year, but Vanderbilt is supposed to be able to flex a little SEC muscle, at least defensively. It’s not like the Commodores aren’t taking any game seriously, but to get shutout is a major problem considering they’ve scored 17 points or fewer against everyone but Austin Peay. Winning three of the last four to go bowling isn’t even a possibility with road games at Florida and Tennessee wrapped around home dates against Kentucky and Texas A&M.
Best Guess Final Record: 3-9

13. Missouri (4-4)

UP NEXT: Mississippi State: With Maty Mauk out for the year, the offense has no safety net to potentially fall back on. It’s all about whether or not the offense can find something that works after scoring 12 points in the last three games and scoring 13 or fewer in five of the last six games. If the season is going to be salvaged in any way, getting by in a defensive fight against Mississippi State on Thursday night is a must. With BYU in Kansas City and Tennessee home games, and the road game at Arkansas to finish, getting two wins out of the last four is possible, but only if the offense can finally get a touchdown again.
Best Guess Final Record: 6-6

14. South Carolina (3-5)

L, at Texas A&M 35-28: The season hasn’t ever gotten started with Steve Spurrier quitting and now with three losses in the last four games. With three home games in the last four, and with Florida and Clemson coming to Columbia, there’s a chance to mess up a couple of teams with national title aspirations, but along with needing the beat Citadel, it might take a win at Tennessee to have any hope of a 13th game. With this team and this season, it’s all about getting to 2016.
Best Guess Final Record: 4-8