College Football SEC power rankings entering Week 5

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Last year, it was Clemson and Penn State that came into the college football season with a ton of preseason hype, a ton of returning production, and a trip to the CFP from the year prior. They fell massively short of expectations and ironically ended up playing each other in the Pinstripe Bowl.

This year’s Clemson and Penn State appear to both come from the SEC – Oklahoma and Texas A&M have been an absolute dumpster fire to start the season. Both went to the CFP last year and quickly flamed out, and appear to be carrying that baggage into this year, and neither have been remotely competitive in an SEC game to start this year.

And with the SEC being so deep, are we sure that either of those teams are going to get to bowl eligibility? Either way, Oklahoma and Texas A&M are not in the top-10 this week. Let’s talk about the teams who are:

MORE: College Football biggest risers & fallers after Week 4

Ranks 10-7

10. Kentucky

The Wildcats revamped their entire program identity this offseason by firing long-time head coach Mark Stoops and bringing in Will Stein from Oregon. Stein also went out in the portal and got Notre Dame backup Kenny Minchey to play QB. Stein and Minchey both appear to be home runs, and there is reason for optimism for the rest of the season in Lexington.

9. Auburn 

The Tigers bounced back after a disappointing loss to Florida with a conference win over Vanderbilt. Having them here is a bit of a projection, but there’s reason to have faith in an offense led by Alex Golesh and Byrum Brown, and the defense has literally been outstanding in every game so far except their no-show at Florida.

8. Tennessee

The Volunteers don’t fall too far after a respectable showing in a 20-17 home loss to Texas. The one thing that stood out watching the game: Faizon Brandon looked like a true freshman. There were a lot of misreads and a lot of delayed decisions. Those are things that Josh Heupel can fix, and there should be a ton of optimism around the rest of his career in Knoxville – the kid has all of the physical tools to be a great QB.

7. Mississippi State

Kamario Taylor is the truth. After falling behind to Missouri, Taylor was outstanding in the second half and rallied for a 31-24 victory. He also has a great supporting cast around him, as Fluff Bothwell appears to have fully made the transition up to the SEC, and Anthony Evans III is on pace to set Mississippi State’s all-time career receiving yards record.

Ranks 6-4

6. LSU

A 35-6 drubbing of Texas A&M is exactly what the doctor ordered after the emotional roller-coaster that was the game against Ole Miss. This team is very difficult to rank because of the inconsistencies in performance over the last two weeks. But we know that this roster is as talented as anybody’s, and they’re ready to make some noise over the second half of the season.

5. Ole Miss

The Rebels had a natural let-down against Florida after their emotional victory over LSU in Week 3. Even though the final score was 52-28, it can be questioned how much the absence of RB Kewan Lacy impacted the game. Florida’s defensive strategy was very clearly to keep a light box and dare Ole Miss to run the ball, and even then, they couldn’t do so effectively. Getting Lacy back will help provide balance to the offense. 

4. Alabama

Keelon Russell continues to get better every week and displays why he was so highly touted as a recruit coming out of high school. He threw for 365 yards and 4 TDs against South Carolina in a dominant 49-18 victory. If he continues on this trajectory, Alabama is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC and in the CFP.

Top 3

3. Florida

Florida is BACK! A dominant 52-28 victory over Ole Miss in the Swamp has the Gators ranked in the top-10 in the AP poll for the first time since 2020. And this team is legit! Buster Faulkner is proving to be a masterful offensive coordinator, dialing up a scheme that allowed the Gators to rush for over 300 yards in the game. Jadan Baugh should be on the shortlist for both the Doak Walker Award and the Heisman Trophy.

2. Georgia

The Bulldogs were thoroughly dominant in a 41-13 thrashing of a hapless Oklahoma team. The one question that the Bulldogs have yet to answer is whether they have an elite passing offense with elite receiving weapons, but the defense has been so elite, and the rushing offense has been so efficient, that it hasn’t really mattered. 

1. Texas

The Longhorns have reached a point that very few teams get to in college football. They played a sloppy game. They had way too many dumb penalties. Arch Manning was not at his best. The offense had way too many negative plays. Special teams were terrible. And they still won the game 20-17. The biggest compliment that you can give Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns is that their D+ game, not their A game, is good enough to go on the road and win a game in a tough environment against a ranked opponent. And that speaks to just how good this team is and can be at their actual A game..

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