SEC Football Power Rankings Week 4
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With Week 3 officially in the books, it was a wild weekend of college football, especially around the SEC.
The Kentucky Wildcats pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year by defeating No. 9 Texas A&M on the road, 31-21. No. 4 Ole Miss held off a late comeback attempt from No. 10 LSU at home, 32-24, while No. 24 Mississippi State defeated South Carolina on the road, 41-34.
No. 8 Alabama had to overcome a slow start against Florida State before pulling away for a 50-36 victory. No. 21 Florida survived a late comeback attempt from Auburn and escaped with a 44-39 road victory.
Elsewhere, Troy kept No. 19 Missouri within striking distance before falling 27-17. Vanderbilt escaped NC State, 35-31, after a late fumble recovery in the end zone led to a go-ahead touchdown. Oklahoma also struggled offensively but managed to defeat New Mexico, 14-6.
With all of that in mind, here is how I would rank the SEC following a wild weekend.
SEC Football Power Rankings Week 4
No. 1 Texas Longhorns (3-0, 1-0)
Texas continues to sit at No. 1 in the SEC Power Rankings. Although the Longhorns defeated UTSA 30-6 this weekend, they earned the top spot after previously defeating Ohio State, 24-23.
No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0)
Georgia has not faced the toughest schedule to begin the season, but the Bulldogs have continued to handle business. After wins over Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, Georgia most recently defeated Arkansas, 45-17, on the road. For now, Georgia remains at No. 2.
No. 3 Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0)
Ole Miss has faced a challenging schedule to begin the season. The Rebels opened the year with a walk-off field goal to defeat Louisville before facing former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, now at LSU. Ole Miss built a big lead before LSU mounted a late comeback, but the Rebels held on for a 32-24 victory.
No. 4 Alabama (3-0, 1-0)
Alabama has started slowly against several opponents this season, but the Crimson Tide have shown they can overcome those stretches. They did exactly that against Florida State, overcoming a slow start before pulling away for a 50-36 victory.
No. 5 LSU (2-1, 0-1)
LSU started the season with a statement victory over Clemson and nearly completed a comeback against Ole Miss in Week 3. The Tigers ultimately came up short, but Ole Miss was the higher-ranked opponent and showed why it deserved that ranking. LSU remains in the top five because of the level of competition it has faced.
No. 6 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0)
Tennessee has yet to face an SEC opponent, but the Volunteers continue to show what they can do behind true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon. Next week will provide a much bigger test when Tennessee hosts No. 1 Texas.
No. 7 Florida (3-0, 1-0)
Florida entered the season unranked, but new head coach Jon Sumrall is already showing what this team can become. The Gators built a lead against Auburn on the road before the Tigers mounted a late comeback. Florida ultimately held on for a 44-39 victory. Now ranked No. 21 nationally, the Gators are proving they can be a difficult team to face.
No. 8 Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0)
Jeff Lebby is entering his third season as Mississippi State’s head coach. After starting his second season 4-0 before the Bulldogs fell to 1-7 the rest of the way, Mississippi State has opened this season 3-0 and is ranked No. 24 nationally. The Bulldogs’ latest victory came on the road against South Carolina, 41-34, in a hostile environment.
No. 9 Kentucky (2-1, 1-1)
Kentucky pulled off an unbelievable upset against No. 9 Texas A&M on the road, winning 31-21. Will Stein will have to continue winning at a high level for Kentucky to move higher in these SEC Power Rankings, but competing with Alabama in the first half and then defeating Texas A&M on the road is a strong start. If the Wildcats continue playing this way, they could climb into the upper half of the conference rankings.
No. 10 Missouri (3-0, 0-0)
No. 19 Missouri is another team that has yet to face an SEC opponent. The Tigers defeated Kansas 38-21 in Week 2 but struggled against Troy in Week 3 before pulling away for a 27-17 victory. Once Missouri begins facing SEC competition, there will be a better opportunity to evaluate where this team truly belongs. For now, the Tigers sit at No. 10.
No. 11 Texas A&M (2-1, 1-1)
After making the College Football Playoff last season, Texas A&M entered the year with high expectations. Those expectations took a hit Saturday when the Aggies were upset by Kentucky, 31-21, at home. Texas A&M had defeated its first two opponents with ease, but the Aggies struggled against Kentucky. The team will need to bounce back, and there is still plenty of time for the Aggies to become a team nobody wants to face.
No. 12 South Carolina (2-1, 0-1)
Before entering SEC play, South Carolina had handled its opponents with relative ease. The Gamecocks faced their first true test against Mississippi State and got off to a hot start before faltering down the stretch, losing 41-34 at home. South Carolina showed that it can compete against quality competition and could become a dangerous team during SEC play with LaNorris Sellers and Shane Beamer.
No. 13 Oklahoma (2-1, 0-0)
Oklahoma looked impressive offensively in the season opener, defeating UTEP 51-0. Since then, however, the Sooners’ offense has struggled under quarterback John Mateer. Oklahoma scored just 10 points in a loss to Michigan on the road before scoring 14 points in its Week 3 victory over New Mexico. The Sooners’ offense will have to improve if they want to find success in the SEC this season.
No. 14 Auburn (2-1, 1-1)
Auburn played its first SEC game against Florida and started slowly before nearly mounting a comeback in a 44-39 home loss. The Tigers also narrowly defeated Baylor, 17-16, in the season opener. Alex Golesh has looked impressive so far at Auburn, and he could potentially help turn the program around. The Tigers should remain a tough team to play as the season continues.
No. 15 Vanderbilt (3-0, 0-0)
Vanderbilt has not looked particularly impressive to begin the season. Since Diego Pavia’s departure, the program has not looked the same, and the Commodores have found themselves in several close games against Austin Peay and Delaware.
Vanderbilt somehow escaped NC State in Week 3 after the Wolfpack appeared to be in position to run out the clock with a lead. Instead, a Vanderbilt player forced a fumble that the Commodores recovered in the end zone, resulting in a last-second touchdown and a 35-31 victory. While it was a great win for the Dores, this result was more NC State giving the game away.
5-star true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis also has not looked particularly impressive so far, although it is still early in the season.
No. 16 Arkansas (1-2, 0-1)
Ryan Silverfield is the new head coach at Arkansas after spending five seasons as the head coach at Memphis. So far, the Razorbacks have not looked impressive. Arkansas defeated North Alabama 31-14 in Week 1 before suffering back-to-back losses to No. 15 Utah, 43-10, on the road and No. 2 Georgia, 45-17, at home.
It could be a rebuilding season for Arkansas as Silverfield begins his tenure, with the Razorbacks hoping to build toward greater success down the road.
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