We’re back with our Week 5 rankings (you can see our Week 4 rankings here). Alabama is back as Lane chokes away a golden chance to drive a stake through the heart of the Saban Dynasty, Georgia sleepwalks again, and Hugh Freeze is already waving his white flag. Lets get into this weeks rankings.
1. Georgia 4-0 (1-0)
Georgia stays number one but barely. Once again Georgia looks unbothered against an inferior opponent as they beat UAB 49-21. It is absolutely embarrassing for everyone involved that the best team in the conference plays such a soft schedule (and yes I know Sankey fell on his sword for the Oklahoma series but it’s still an awful look). Georgia put up almost 600 yards of offense without really trying and at this point they may not be tested until the SEC Championship Game. Up next for Georgia is a road trip for the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry against Auburn. The game airs at 3:30pm ET on CBS.
2. Alabama 3-1 (1-0)
Alabama is back baby. Or at the very least they aren’t the dumpster fire everyone was trying to pretend they were. Alabama beat 20th ranked Ole Miss 24-10 with Jalen Milroe playing a solid game while the Tide OL decided to show up for the first time all season. The Alabama defense really showed up and completely stifled Ole Miss with 10 TFL and held the Rebels to under 60 yards on the ground. It seems to be a return to the Alabama of old with solid defense/special teams, a good running game, and a QB that doesn’t cost you a game. Not sure that is enough to make them a National Title contender but it’s good enough to put them in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama heads to Starkville to take on a reeling Mississippi State team. The game airs at 9pm ET on ESPN.
3. LSU 3-1 (2-0)
LSU survived the Battle for the Golden Boot by beating Arkansas 34-31. Jayden Daniels threw for 300 yards and LSU ran for almost 190 yards as a team in an incredible offensive display. The secondary remains a major question mark as FSU torched them in Week 1 and now a pretty average Arkansas team was able to take advantage of them (though they were able to pick off KJ Jefferson twice). This rivalry has always been kind of wild so it doesn’t surprise me the game was close, but a trend seems to emerging for the Tigers. Up next for LSU is the 20th ranked Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford. The game airs at 6pm ET on ESPN.
4. Missouri 4-0
Missouri jumps to number 4 after a 34-27 win over a frisky Memphis team in St. Louis. Mizzou did what they wanted on offense as they rushed for over 200 and Brady Cook threw for 341 yards. WR Luther Burden III has become a star, and the Tiger defense continues to make enough plays. I’m still skeptical that Missouri will be able to get their playmakers in space once competition ramps up but that won’t be for another week as they head to Nasvhille to take on Vanderbilt. The game airs at 4pm ET on the SECN.
5. Texas A&M 3-1 (1-0)
The Aggies defeated Auburn 27-10 and the game wasn’t that close. A&M dominated the 2nd half and had they not fumbled the ball away to give Auburn a 4th quarter TD the score would have been a lot worse. They did lose Weigman to an injury, but Max Johnson came in looked solid as he threw 2 TD and avoided any goofs. This week Texas A&M heads to Dallas to take on Arkansas in the old Southwest Conference rivalry. The game airs at 12pm ET on the SECN.
6. Ole Miss 3-1 (0-1)
Rough weekend for the Lane Train as the Rebels lost to Alabama on the road 24-10. 2 years after the infamous pregame “Get your popcorn ready” comment that preceded a 21-point loss, Kiffin once again trolled Alabama using Taylor Swift lyrics. You could tell Lane thought this was his chance and he said as much in the post-game, but it just didn’t happen. They still couldn’t run the ball despite both Texas and South Florida finding ways to run the ball against Alabama. When you can’t run the ball and can’t generate more than a handful of explosive plays you’re going to struggle to win on the road. The good news is he gets another big game this weekend with a weakened LSU secondary coming to town. Game has become a must-win for the Rebels if they still want to have a special season.
7. Florida 3-1 (1-0)
Coming off their big win against Tennessee it was always fair to expect a let-down and the Gators certainly did that. They seemed determined not to exert any more effort than necessary as they beat Charlotte 22-7. The Gators were sloppy on offense as they lost multiple fumbles and were an embarrassing 1/9 on 3rd down. Florida goes on the road this week to take on Kentucky. The game is noon ET kickoff on ESPN.
8. Tennessee 3-1 (0-1)
The Vols got a bounce-back win as they hammered a depleted UTSA team at home 45-14. Tennessee rushed for 300 yards as they jumped out to 31-0 lead before HT. They clearly took their foot off the gas in the 2nd half, but it is slightly concerning they allowed UTSA’s 3rd string QB to throw for 170 yards and lead consecutive scoring drives in the 3rd quarter. Up next Tennessee welcomes South Carolina to Neyland this Saturday at 7:30pm ET on the SECN.
9. Kentucky 4-0 (1-0)
For most of the first half Kentucky looked like a legitimate top 25 team with a fantastic offensive performance and the defense making plays. They jumped out to a 24-0 lead late in the 2nd quarter but then relaxed and allowed Vandy to score 13 unanswered points. They did steady the ship and put the game away, going up 38-13 before allowing two garbage time TD eventually winning 45-28. Kentucky still hasn’t put together a complete game on offense (the defense has been consistently good) and that leaves us unsure of who this team really is. A Florida program desperate to regain it’s former glory comes into Lexington this week so the Cats better get it sorted quickly or things could snowball with Georgia looming the week after.
10. South Carolina 2-2 (1-1)
The Gamecocks won a shoot-out with Mississippi State at home 37-30. Spencer Rattler has mastered the art of throwing 3-yard drags and hope the other team has a bad tackling day. OC Dowell Loggains deserves a ton of credit for scheming around their poor OL and a QB with limited patience and it bailed out a porous defensive performance this past weekend (they gave up almost 500 passing yards to Will Rogers). I still don’t think this team is any good so any SEC win they pick up should be celebrated as a massive achievement. Up next is a road trip to Knoxville.
11. Arkansas 2-2 (0-1)
For the 2nd consecutive week Arkansas lost a close game, this time to LSU. Things are not in a good place in Fayetteville on or off the field apparently. The Hogs defense gave up 500 yards and the offense is reliant on KJ Jefferson and I’m not sure any of that changes within the next couple of weeks. They travel to Dallas to take on old Southwest Conference rival Texas A&M this week and it feels like a must win game considering they have Ole Miss and Alabama on the horizon.
12. Mississippi State 2-2 (0-2)
The Air Raid made a return against South Carolina, but the Bulldogs defense cratered, and they lost 37-30 on the road to the Gamecocks. State could not generate any type of run game, struggled to tackle, and a costly fumble from Will Rogers late in the 4th quarter swung the game away from them. The margins are thin for this Mississippi State team and things don’t get easier as they welcome Alabama to Starkville this weekend.
13. Auburn 3-1 (0-1)
Auburn is lucky that Vanderbilt exists because right now that is the only thing keeping them out of last place. Last week I said I didn’t know how good they were but was keeping some faith because they had a P5 road win, but I can’t pretend anymore. Auburn is awful, specifically on offense and it is inexcusable that in the portal era a program like Auburn is forced to start Payton Thorne. The Uncle Baby Billy of CFB has sold himself as an offensive guru and while it takes time to flip a roster there is no Hugh Freeze is already waving the white flag for their trip to Georgia hoping Kirby will have some sympathy for him this week too.
14. Vanderbilt 2-3 (0-1)
Poor Clark Lea. Vanderbilt is an impossible job and I’m not sure why anyone would believe they could win there but I love the guy for trying. His team is forced to play in an active construction site and they don’t quit, but they’re still not good. They got rolled in the first half against Kentucky but were able to give the illusion of competitiveness thanks to Kentucky’s offensive incompetence and two garbage time TD against back-ups. I don’t see this team winning another game in the SEC unless Auburn really craters. This weekend they get Missouri
