Arkansas, A&M, LSU, Vandy rise in week eight's SEC Power Rankings
Chaos has taken over college football, and as fans, we're here for it. It's been two weeks since our last SEC Power Ranking, and so much has happened in that short time. No. 1 Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, Arkansas beat No. 4 Tennessee, and LSU all but pulled the plug on Ole Miss' playoff hopes.
All the excitement from the past two weekends has left the power rankings unrecognizable, with our move jumping seven spots. Texas A&M won back-to-back SEC games before their bye against Arkansas and No. 9 Mizzou, but against the Tigers, A&M left no doubt. The Aggies took over the game from the opening kickoff, forcing a turnover on downs and scoring on their first four possessions. A&M won convincingly, 41-10.
Week Eight SEC Power Rankings
Rank | School | Game Result | Previous rank |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas | W, Oklahoma 34-3 | 1 (week six) |
2 | Georgia | W, Mississippi St 41-31 | 3 (week six) |
3 | Texas A&M | BYE | 10 (week six) |
4 | Alabama | W, South Carolina 27-25 | 2 (week six) |
5 | LSU | W, Ole Miss 29-26 | 8 (week six) |
6 | Arkansas | BYE | 12 (week six) |
7 | Ole Miss | L, LSU 29-26 | 5 (week six) |
8 | Vanderbilt | W, Kentucky 20-13 | 14 (week six) |
9 | Tennessee | W, Florida 23-17 | 4 (week six) |
10 | Oklahoma | L, Texas 34-3 | 7(week six) |
11 | Missouri | W, Massachusetts 45-3 | 6 (week six) |
12 | Kentucky | L, Vanderbilt 30-13 | 11 (week six) |
13 | South Carolina | L, Alabama 27-25 | 9 (week six) |
14 | Auburn | BYE | 13 (week six) |
15 | Florida | L, Tennessee 23-17 | 15 (week six) |
16 | Mississippi St | L, Georgia 41-31 | 16 (week six) |
However, Texas A&M only moved up seven spots because of what Arkansas did the following week. The Hogs were largely counted out against Tennessee, but if it weren't for missed field goals and turnovers on downs, Arkansas might have run away with the game. Regardless, the Razorbacks took on one of the best offenses and defenses (statistically) and controlled them for three of the four quarters.
After falling to USC at the beginning of the season, LSU has turned its trajectory around. The Tigers are 5-1 with a win over Ole Miss and ranked in the Top 10. Of course, the Rebels showed their true colors against Kentucky and, somewhat, South Carolina, but LSU's defense looked the best it's looked all season. If they finally get both sides of the ball performing at a high level, the Tigers could be a dark horse for the SEC.
Oh, and we can't forget about the biggest upset in the 21st century, possibly of all time. Before Vandy beat Alabama, it had never beaten a top-5 team, let alone the No. 1 team, But they did it. It wasn't just a fluke, either. The Commodores dominated Bama on the line of scrimmage (it still feels weird typing that) and held onto the ball for over 40 minutes. It's time to respect Vanderbilt, so we bumped it up six spots.
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