SEC Football Week 5 Power Rankings: Arkansas prepares for major test at Texas A&M

Four weeks into the college football season, the SEC is already looking much different than fans expected. While the Arkansas Razorbacks are still on the outside looking in, it's clear that there's plenty to look forward to this season, starting with several exciting matchups in Week 5.

16. Arkansas (2-2 overall, 0-1 in SEC)

Last Week: 34-6 W vs. Tulsa
Week 5: @ Texas A&M

After 12 straight losses to FBS schools, the Arkansas Razorbacks are finally back in the win column thanks to their 34-6 Week 4 victory against Tulsa. Although the team still needs at least one more W before they start moving up the ranks in the SEC, their Week 5 matchup with Texas A&M could be their best chance to get back in the win column in conference play.

The Arkansas Razorbacks have had mixed results in Ryan Silverfield's first four games, but they took a step forward on both sides of the ball against Tulsa in the Hogs' 34-6 victory last week. If they can finally establish a run game in their upcoming trip to College Station, then they may finally escape the SEC basement.

15. South Carolina (2-2, 0-2)

Last Week: 49-18 L @ No. 8 Alabama
Week 5: vs. Kentucky

South Carolina's 9-4 performance in 2024 is starting to feel like an awfully long time ago. Since then, Shane Beamer's squad has gone 6-10 overall and 1-9 in SEC play, making last week's 49-18 smackdown against Alabama all the more worrying for the team's fans.

Projected first-round pick Dylan Stewart has (rightfully) taken a lot of flak for the outburst that earned him an indefinite suspension, but the issues with this team run deeper than his suspension. Unless the Gamecocks turn it around in the coming weeks, their game versus the Hogs on November 14 will be one of the most forgiving games of the year in an otherwise brutal schedule for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

14. Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1)

Last Week: 21-15 L @ Auburn
Week 5: @ Georgia

Vanderbilt was almost guaranteed to take a step back in 2026 after losing standout quarterback Diego Pavia, and in Week 4, his absence was felt as freshman QB Jared Curtis struggled to get in rhythm against the Auburn Tigers. Unfortunately for the Commodores, things aren't going to get any easier this week as they prepare for a trip to Athens to face the No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

While Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea deserves credit for his team's success over the past two years, they're going to be put to the test over the next few weeks as the Commodores settle into SEC play. This includes a game against the Hogs on October 17, which will likely be a must-win game for both teams if they hope to make a bowl game later this year.

13. Texas A&M (2-2, 0-2)

Last Week: 35-6 L @ No. 10 LSU
Week 5: vs. Arkansas

In Mike Elko's second year as Texas A&M's head football coach, the 2025 Aggies went 11-2, culminating in the team's first-ever trip to the College Football Playoff. Four games into the 2026 season, and Elko's team has already matched its loss total from a year ago.

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed is far from the SEC's worst signal caller, but he's never realized the potential that many saw in him during his breakout 2024 season. With Arkansas coming to College Station this week, the Texas A&M Aggies could enter emergency mode if the team drops another conference game against the Razorbacks.

12. Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1)

Last Week: 41-13 L @ No. 2 Georgia
Week 5: Bye

For just a moment, it seemed as though the Oklahoma Sooners were going to keep things competitive in their SEC opener against Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. Then, John Mateer's viral fumble blew the game wide open.

Brent Venables has said that he's sticking with John Mateer as the Oklahoma Sooners' starting quarterback, but until Mateer's play shows signs of improvement, it's going to be difficult for this squad to consistently string together victories against SEC squads. They won't have long to figure things out, either, as they square off against the Texas Longhorns in Oklahoma's first game back from their Week 5 bye.

11. Kentucky (3-1, 1-1)

Last Week: 45-21 W vs. South Alabama
Week 5: @ South Carolina

When Mark Stoops was fired after the 2025 season, it marked a turning point for the Kentucky Wildcats. After 13 years under Stoops' leadership, the Wildcats handed the reins to Will Stein, who is off to a solid start in his first year in Lexington.

The Kentucky Wildcats started SEC play with a 45-17 home loss against Alabama before rebounding with back-to-back victories against Texas A&M and South Alabama. If they can add a victory over South Carolina to the win column, Stein could quickly become one of the SEC's most impressive first-year head coaches.

10. Auburn (3-1, 1-1)

Last Week: 21-15 W vs. Vanderbilt
Week 5: @ Tennessee

In classic Auburn Tigers fashion, the Tigers have been one of the most chaotic teams in college football through four weeks. After opening the Alex Golesh era with a dramatic 17-16 victory over Baylor, Auburn added wins against Vanderbilt and Southern Miss over the next few weeks, with a close loss to Florida sandwiched between them.

The Auburn Tigers haven't been very consistent, but ultimately, they've won three out of their first four games. Where they go here will say a lot about what the future of Golesh's tenure looks like at Auburn.

9. Mizzou (3-1, 0-1)

Last Week: 31-24 L @ No. 24 Mississippi State
Week 5: vs. No. 8 Florida

The Missouri Tigers are undoubtedly talented. However, as evidenced by their SEC opener against No. 24 Mississippi State, they're going to need more than talent if they want to stack up victories in conference play.

Former Ole Miss starting quarterback Austin Simmons has looked solid in his first four games as a Missouri Tiger, throwing 11 touchdowns without an interception despite suffering his first loss with Mizzou last week. The Florida Gators are coming to Columbia this weekend, and if the Tigers can steal a win, it will likely require Simmons and the rest of Missouri's offense to keep pace with one of the hottest teams in the country.

8. Tennessee (3-1, 0-1)

Last Week: 20-17 L vs. Texas
Week 5: vs. Auburn

Although there's no shame in losing to the No. 1-ranked team in the country, last week's 20-17 loss to the Texas Longhorns had to be a heartbreaker for Tennessee Volunteers fans. Still, it was great experience for freshman QB Faizon Brandon, who will look to rebound against the Auburn Tigers this weekend.

Brandon and the Volunteers have looked great under head coach Josh Heupel through four games, and outside of the Texas loss, they've been operating on all cylinders. With a Week 6 matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks looming on the horizon, this squad remains a dark horse contender for the College Football Playoff.

7. Mississippi State (4-0, 2-0)

Last Week: 31-24 W vs. No. 19 Mizzou
Week 5: vs. No. 7 Alabama

If there's one thing I've learned this college football season, it's this: Kamario Taylor can absolutely sling the football. Through four games, Taylor has tallied 1,192 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns, including some of the most beautiful deep balls you'll see at the college level.

How far Mississippi State goes this season relies almost entirely on Taylor's ability to maintain his insane production, but after seeing him light up defenses for 31+ points every game this season, I wouldn't bet against him at this point.

6. LSU (3-1, 1-1)

Last Week: 35-6 W vs. No. 23 Texas A&M
Week 5: vs. McNeese

Could the LSU Tigers still make the College Football Playoff? Absolutely. Are they still feeling the effects of their loss to Ole Miss two weeks ago? Totally.

Lane Kiffin's first year in Baton Rouge has already stirred up countless headlines, but with QB Sam Leavitt nursing a hamstring injury and LB Whit Weeks sidelined indefinitely with a broken lower right leg, the LSU Tigers are teetering on the edge of a rough skid as conference play begins in earnest. Although there's still plenty of time for Kiffin to get things back on schedule, they'll need to move fast if they want to put their earlier loss to Ole Miss in the rearview.

5. Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1)

Last Week: 52-28 L @ No. 21 Florida
Week 5: Bye

Ole Miss had one of the most memorable wins of the 2026 college football season when they defeated LSU in Week 3. One week later, and they're now reeling from a 52-28 blowout at the hands of an impressive Florida Gators squad.

Pete Golding and Ole Miss were helpless to stop Florida's offense this past weekend, so they'll almost certainly be going back to the defensive drawing board during this bye week. With matchups against Texas and Georgia still awaiting them later this season, the Rebels are going to need all the rest they can get if they hope to vie for another College Football Playoff appearance.

4. Alabama (4-0, 2-0)

Last Week: 49-18 W vs. South Carolina
Week 5: @ No. 16 Mississippi State

Heading into Week 5, no SEC matchup has more on the line than Alabama's trip to Starkville, Mississippi. Kalen DeBoer's squad dismantled South Carolina last week, but now, they've got to prepare for one of the most electric players in the country: MSU quarterback Kamario Taylor.

Since tossing two interceptions against Kentucky, sophomore Alabama QB Keelon Russell has impressed, with seven passing TDs and zero interceptions in the past two games. He'll likely need to replicate those performances if he hopes to outduel Kamario Taylor.

3. Florida (4-0, 2-0)

Last Week: 52-28 W vs. No. 4 Ole Miss
This Week: @ No. 25 Missouri

It's hard to imagine a much better start for the Florida Gators. Jon Sumrall is off to a 4-0 start in his first year as the Gators' head coach, and following a blowout victory against the No. 4-ranked Ole Miss Rebels, the team's playoff hopes are very much alive as SEC play begins to take shape.

With Ahmad Hardy still sidelined, Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee, and the rest of the Missouri Tigers await the Florida Gators in Columbia, Missouri this weekend, giving Sumrall's defense a major test. That said, with Florida scoring 44+ points in every game so far this year, the team is clearly capable of holding its own in an offensive shootout.

2. Georgia (4-0, 2-0)

Last Week: 41-13 W vs. Oklahoma
Week 5: vs. Vanderbilt

Year after year, Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs continue to prove themselves as the most consistent team in the SEC. While Georgia might lack the signature ranked wins that Texas has already accumulated, the Bulldogs have been dominant through four games. Georgia has scored at least 40 points in every contest, and its 219 points are the program's most through four games since 1910.

Vanderbilt shouldn't pose the same challenge as some of Georgia's later opponents, but a Week 6 trip to No. 7 Alabama will tell us much more about where Kirby Smart's latest squad belongs in the national championship conversation.

1. Texas (4-0, 1-0)

Last Week: 20-17 W @ No. 14 Tennessee
Week 5: Bye

The Texas Longhorns have a pair of wins over Ohio State and Tennessee, and even though these games were extremely close, they're arguably two of the most impressive wins of the 2026 season so far. With this in mind, it's hard to knock Arch Manning and the Longhorns down from their spot atop the SEC power rankings.

Steve Sarkisian's team isn't unbeatable by any means -- although it helps that they won't be playing the Georgia Bulldogs in the regular season. Texas managed only 262 yards of offense against Tennessee while Manning was sacked six times, so there are still plenty of weaknesses for Sarkisian to address during the bye week. If the Longhorns keep stacking wins, it will likely take a loss to knock them out of the No. 1 spot.

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