Week 5 SEC Power Rankings: Shiny Happy People

Each week we rank the 14 teams (for now) that occupy our favorite football conference in the whole wide world. This week, we’re letting the gold and silver britches shine.

Week four told us a lot, and also nothing at all, about the makeup of this conference. Some of the main characters got back on track, but for the most part we’re still in the same spot as before. So, much like one of REM’s best tracks, let’s just sit back and enjoy what we have.

14. Vanderbilt Commodores (2-3, 0-1 SEC)

I’m running out of ways to say that while the overall trajectory of the program is good (There are fun skill players! The quarterback is very intriguing when he has time to throw! The stadium won’t be an active construction site during games next year!) there have been a frankly unacceptable amount of small mistakes that have prevented the Commodores from being competitive in games they really maybe should have won. The schedule doesn’t get any easier from here on out, either.

13. Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-2, 0-2)

Honestly, the Bulldogs looked very competitive in a close loss to South Carolina. The goal for this week is to avoid injuries against Alabama and get to the Western Michigan, Arkansas, Auburn portion of the schedule to try to get a few more wins on the board.

12. South Carolina Gamecocks (2-2, 1-1)

Spencer Rattler is looking just exciting enough that I’m a little nervous the wheels might completely fall off in Knoxville on Saturday. If he does maintain his current form, an upset over the Vols for the second year in a row is absolutely on the table.

11. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-2, 0-1)

The Hogs could really easily be 4-0 and looking at a top 10-ish ranking right now, given how weird the rest of college football has been this year. At the same time, last weekend's 34-31 loss to LSU might not have been quite as close as the score indicated. A matchup with Texas A&M in the Cowboys Stadium – which, don’t even get me started on how dumb playing at a neutral site for that game is – is going to be big as we finally get to the meat of sorting out the pecking order in this part of the conference.

10. Auburn Tigers (3-1, 0-1)

The rent finally came due for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers in an ugly loss to Texas A&M.  I think it’s finally time for us to pointedly ask why Freeze – who has a reputation as an offensive guru who could attract talent even to Liberty – wasn’t able to pull a better quarterback in the transfer portal. Brian Harsin certainly left a mess of a roster across the board, but that’s the one glaring hole keeping the Tigers from entering even the middle class of the conference.

9. Texas A&M Aggies (3-1, 1-0)

Yeah, I’m not just enamored with the other team from that game in College Station last weekend either. Losing the starting quarterback on an offense already struggling to keep up with expectations is not a good sign, but you could at least imagine that Bobby Petrino has something schemed up for “Max Johnson” that might not get him fired like last time *stares directly into the camera*

8. Tennessee Volunteers (3-1, 2-0)

Can I make a confession? While I love the wild alternate uniforms college teams pull out on a weekly basis, the black uniforms Tennessee will wear again Saturday against South Carolina just don’t do it for me. Having something to contrast with the bright orange should work! But it just doesn’t! Anyways, losing to the Gamecocks for the second year in a row would be very bad, probably should try not to do that.

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Halftime: Week 5 Picks

This year, we’re picking every game an SEC team plays and keeping track. No spreads, just straight-up picks to see how well we know ball. So far, we’re 38-11 (78%) on the year.

Florida can’t keep the good vibes rolling, falls to Kentucky

Arkansas takes advantage of an injured Texas A&M in Jerryworld

Georgia finally opens up the offense against an overmatched Auburn

Missouri lets Vanderbilt hang around but wins anyway

LSU stumbles against a fired-up Ole Miss

Tennessee sputters on offense again, loses to South Carolina

Alabama treats Mississippi State like a SoCon Saturday game

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7. Kentucky Wildcats (4-0, 1-0)

The next four weeks are the season for Kentucky, straight up. Going 3-1 against Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee would put the Wildcats into the upper echelon of the SEC’s second tier and place Mark Stoops in a great spot to continue the momentum he’s built over the last few years in competing for a division title. The flip side of that, of course, is that going 2-2 or worse lets a couple of programs with more resources leapfrog you in the queue once again.

6. Florida Gators (3-1, 3-0)

I don’t actually feel any better about Florida than I did two weeks ago, if I’m being completely honest. But the Gators have answered just enough questions, and the rest of the conference has screwed around just enough, that they kind of slot in here by default. Beating Kentucky on the road would cement this ranking, and set up a much more interesting Cocktail Party on October 28 than we have imagined at any point this year.

5. Missouri Tigers (4-0, 0-0)

Missouri has three FBS wins by a combined 14 points this year, and somehow I do feel much better about the Tigers? This is a weird year.

4. Ole Miss Rebels (3-1, 0-1)

Couldn’t back up Lane’s media blitz leading up to the Alabama game, and the performance on the field was disappointing by any standards. The good news is that you have an immediate opportunity to win back all of that goodwill with LSU on deck this weekend. Regardless, the schedule is shaking out in a way that Ole Miss could lay an absolute egg in its three biggest matchups and still go 9-3 comfortably. Must be nice.

3. LSU Tigers (3-1, 2-0)

I still don’t know which LSU team we’re going to get from game to game this year. The Tigers could still make the playoff this year, or they could be Citrus Bowl bound and neither outcome would surprise me.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1, 1-0)

Mark me down in the camp that believes quarterback Jalen Milroe is actually very good, and if offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is willing to get creative with his offense the Tide could end up really scary this year. He’s going to have to, at any rate, because the line is still decidedly un-Alabamaish.

1. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0)

Would be very interesting to see how willing Mike Bobo is to hang a bunch of points on his former employer this weekend. Or, maybe more interesting, if the Dawgs are even capable of doing so?