SEC Power Rankings: Ole Miss makes a leap after Week 3, LSU falls

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Three weeks into the 2026 college football season, a conference is in chaos.

Two preseason teams we thought were contenders for a College Football Playoff spot have already suffered their first loss, while teams we thought were middling and retooling have caught wind of momentum and started their seasons on a high note.

The Lane Kiffin Bowl offered valuable insight into two of the conference's top teams, showing Ole Miss is in the upper echelon of SEC teams, and showing that Florida and Auburn are far ahead of schedule compared to Alex Golesh's program.

Kentucky and Mississippi State have shown after their victories this Saturday that they do not plan to be bottom feeders in the SEC.

With three weeks of results now in the books, here's where all 16 SEC teams stand in our latest Gators Wire power rankings.

1. Texas Longhorns

  • Record: 3-0 (0-0 SEC)
  • Result: 30-6 victory over UTSA Roadrunners
  • Up Next: Tennessee Volunteers

Texas remains the No. 1 team in our SEC power rankings after a 30-6 win over UTSA. Arch Manning didn't have the best performance in the team's win, and the offensive line didn't have the most successful night either, allowing Manning to take several big hits.

Despite that, the Longhorns still have the best win of any team in the SEC, with their victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 2.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

  • Record: 3-0 (1-0 SEC)
  • Result: 45-17 victory over Arkansas Razorbacks
  • Up Next: Oklahoma Sooners

The Georgia Bulldogs remain the No. 2 team in our SEC power rankings following a dominant opening to conference play. The Bulldogs have done nothing but handle business this season, and they did the same against Arkansas, controlling the game until they allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Gunner Stockton has been one of the most efficient passers this season and has not thrown an interception so far.

UGA will have a tougher defensive test this week when Oklahoma comes in, looking to capture their signature win this season.

3. Ole Miss Rebels

  • 2025Record: 3-0 (1-0 SEC)
  • Record: 32-24 victory over LSU Tigers
  • Up Next: Florida Gators

The Ole Miss Rebels rise to No. 3 after a victory over Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers. The Rebels showed how crucial a game-changer is at quarterback. Trinidad Chambliss accounted for 85% of the Rebels' offense in a night when little else happened if the ball wasn't in his hands.

In a game of that magnitude, the Rebels delivered and made the plays that they needed to win the Lane Kiffin Bowl.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

  • 2025Record: 3-0 (1-0 SEC)
  • Result: 50-36 victory over Florida State Seminoles
  • Up Next: South Carolina Gamecocks

The Alabama Crimson Tide remains at No. 4 in our SEC power rankings. The Tide showed strong growth and resilience in their 14-point victory over Florida State, largely thanks to Keelon Russell, who had the team's highest offensive grade, per PFF.

5. Florida Gators

  • 2025Record: 3-0 (1-0 SEC)
  • Result: 44-39 victory over Auburn Tigers
  • Up Next: Ole Miss Rebels

The Florida Gators rise to No. 5 in our SEC power rankings, marking the program's first appearance in the top five this season. In a night game at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Gators handled business despite an abysmal 16 penalties for 138 yards.

After Saturday's game, PFF ranked UF No. 2 in overall performance, behind only Georgia, showing that Jon Sumrall's program is trending toward the SEC's elite teams.

6. LSU

  • Record: 2-1 (0-1 SEC)
  • Result: 32-24 loss to Ole Miss Rebels
  • Up Next: Texas A&M Aggies

LSU falls to No. 6 in our SEC power rankings. The Tigers' offensive pass blocking is holding them back; the Rebels got into the backfield repeatedly, recording 8 tackles for loss, including two sacks.

LSU is still one of the best teams in the conference, but will need to get back on track against Texas A&M.

7. Mississippi State Bulldogs

  • Record: 3-0 (1-0 SEC)
  • Result: 41-34 victory over South Carolina Gamecocks
  • Up Next: Missouri Tigers

The Mississippi State Bulldogs surge up the rankings in this week's SEC power rankings to No. 7. After Kamario Taylor's interception on his first pass attempt, he threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns to defeat a conference opponent on the road as the underdog.

The Bulldogs have been one of the conference's most potent rushing teams and now have two back-to-back road victories as they head home to face the Missouri Tigers.

8. Missouri Tigers

  • Record: 3-0 (0-0 SEC)
  • Result: 27-17 victory over Troy Trojans
  • Up Next: Mississippi State Bulldogs

Missouri remains in the No. 8 spot after defeating Troy. Mizzou had a slight scare against Troy but rallied back to defeat them. Despite his strong start to the season, Austin Simmons had a fairly pedestrian outing, completing barely over 50% of his passes.

The Tigers will need to clean up their mistakes quickly before they face a red-hot Mississippi State team.

9. Kentucky Wildcats

  • Record: 2-1 (1-1 SEC)
  • Result: 31-21 victory to Texas A&M Aggies
  • Up Next: South Alabama Jaguars

The Kentucky Wildcats rise to No. 9 in our SEC power rankings after an upset win over Texas A&M. The Kentucky defense had its fingerprints all over it, recording two interceptions off Marcel Reed and eight pass deflections. The rush also contributed two tackles for loss.

10. Tennessee Volunteers

  • Record: 3-0 (0-0 SEC)
  • Result: 42-9 victory over Kennesaw State Owls
  • Up Next: Texas Longhorns

The Tennessee Volunteers slide up one spot to No. 10 after cruising past Kennesaw State. Tennessee has handled business in its non-conference slate but now faces the No. 1 team in the nation to prove whether it belongs in the conversation with the conference's elite.

11. Texas A&M Aggies

  • 2025Record: 2-1 (0-1 SEC)
  • Result: 31-21 loss to Kentucky Wildcats
  • Up Next: LSU Tigers

The Texas A&M Aggies fall to No. 11 after losing at home to Kentucky. The Aggies struggled to generate enough offense against the Wildcats, largely because Marcel Reed threw two interceptions that swung the game in Kentucky's favor. The A&M secondary was also nonexistent, giving up multiple big plays that shifted the game's trajectory.

12. Oklahoma Sooners

  • Record: 2-1 (0-0 SEC)
  • Result: 14-6 victory over New Mexico Lobos
  • Up Next: Georgia Bulldogs

Oklahoma falls to No. 12 after a lackluster victory over New Mexico. The Sooners' defense did its job as always, holding the Lobos to just six points, but the offense failed to provide much support and create consistency in a game that was far closer than expected.

These last two weeks simply won't be enough against Georgia next week or the rest of the SEC, for that matter.

13. Auburn Tigers

  • Record: 2-1 (0-1 SEC)
  • Result: 44-39 loss to Florida Gators
  • Up Next: Vanderbilt Commodores

Auburn falls to No. 13 after losing a high-scoring battle with Florida. The Tigers showed plenty of offensive firepower, putting up 39 points against the Gators, but couldn't overcome their late-game defensive struggles.

Byrum Brown also had some inconsistencies on Saturday, but Florida's rush was very active in the backfield, forcing Brown into ill-advised passes.

14. South Carolina Gamecocks

  • Record: 2-1 (0-1 SEC)
  • Result: 41-34 loss to Mississippi State Bulldogs
  • Up Next: Alabama Crimson Tide

South Carolina drops to No. 14 after losing at home to Mississippi State. The Gamecocks surrendered 41 points to the Bulldogs and couldn't overcome a strong offensive performance from Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor. On the other side, LaNorris Sellers threw two interceptions and posted a poor quarterback rating of 41.1. The Gamecocks had some of the best pass blocking in the conference this week but could not execute their offense.

South Carolina travels to Alabama next in hopes of avoiding a 0-2 start in SEC play.

15. Vanderbilt Commodores

  • Record: 3-0 (0-0 SEC)
  • Result: 35-31 victory over NC State Wolfpack
  • Up Next: Auburn Tigers

Vanderbilt remains at No. 15 despite improving to 3-0 with a victory over NC State. The Commodores have quietly put together an undefeated start, but they aren't winning convincingly.

Despite their undefeated start, the Commodores are graded a bottom-two offense and a bottom-five defense in the conference according to PFF.

16. Arkansas Razorbacks

  • Record: 1-2 (0-1 SEC)
  • Result: 45-17 loss to Georgia Bulldogs
  • Up Next: Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Arkansas remains at No. 16 in our power rankings. The Razorbacks suffered their second loss of the season to Georgia and didn't put up much of a challenge either. Arkansas has by far the worst offense and defense in the conference, but will have the opportunity to get back in the win column against Tulsa before returning to conference play.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: SEC Power Rankings: Ole Miss makes a leap after Week 3, LSU falls

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