SEC Power Rankings after Week 6

Mississippi State is ranked 16th. Texas is ranked 1st.

These are the only rankings set in stone this week. After one of the craziest college football Saturdays in years, it will be important not to overreact to road losses by top teams like Alabama, Mizzou and Tennessee.

But this is also an opportunity to reevaluate things and look at the power rankings between 2 and 15 with a clean slate.

As we prepare for Week 7 in the SEC, here's how I pitted all 16 teams against each other:

16. Mississippi State (1-4 overall, 0-2 in the SEC)

Previous ranking: 16
This week: OUT OF
Next week: in Georgia

Mississippi State had an extra week to prepare for a trip to Georgia. It probably won't play a big role in the Bulldogs' fight. Maybe they get 6 points instead of 3? We'll see what happens, but I expect things to get ugly in Athens in Week 7.

15. Auburn (2-4, 0-3)

Previous ranking: 15
This week: 31-13L in Georgia
Next week: OUT OF

The Tigers will get a much-needed week off to rest and figure out the quarterback position. The offense has some talented receivers and Jarquez Hunter is one of the best running backs in the league. But until Auburn gets more dynamic play from Payton Thorne or Hank Brown, there won't be any wins.

14. South Carolina (3-2, 1-2)

Previous ranking: 11
This week: 27-3 L to No. 12 Ole Miss
Next week: in Alabama

Do the Gamecocks deserve to be so low? Probably not. But they have some issues at QB. To win in the SEC, you have to play consistently at the QB position. South Carolina doesn't have that right now and it showed in Saturday's 27-3 loss to Ole Miss. They need to figure out the QB spot soon as a trip to Alabama awaits them in Week 7.

13. Florida (3-2, 1-1)

Previous ranking: 14
This week: 24-13W over UCF
Next week: in Tennessee

This was a nice home win for the Gators. They continue to get good play from Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway, which is a good problem for coach Billy Napier. The Gators are now 1-1 in the Sunshine State, losing to Miami and beating UCF. They will end the regular season with a game against Florida State and have a chance to go 2-1 against their in-state rivals in 2024. More pressing, however, is a difficult Week 7 trip to Rocky Top, where they face a Tennessee team that will be playing furiously after a loss at Arkansas.

12. Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1)

Previous ranking: 10
This week: OUT OF
Next week: vs. Texas (in Dallas)

Good defense, suspected attack. That's been the story for the Sooners so far in 2024. That defense will be put to the test this weekend in Dallas against rival Texas. Both teams come into this game without bye weeks, so we'll see who looks better in the first quarter. The Sooners hope to channel some of the chaos of Week 6 and carry them into Week 7.

11. Vanderbilt (3-2, 1-1)

Previous ranking: 14
This week: 40-35 W over No. 1 Alabama
Next week: in Kentucky

Here I will try not to react too much. What an incredible win for the Commodores, but let's not forget that this team had a disappointing loss at Mizzou the week before. Vanderbilt will be tough to beat at home. But until the Commodores can win on the road in SEC play, I won't put them in the top 10. However, they have a good chance of doing just that this week in Lexington.

10. Mizzou (4-1, 1-1)

Previous ranking: 5
This week: 41-10 L at No. 25 Texas A&M
Next week: at UMass

This offense is cruel. Whoever stole Brady Cook and Kirby Moore and replaced them with the guys we're watching this year, please give them back as soon as possible. Cook can't throw downfield with any accuracy. The Tigers didn't throw over the middle of the field at Texas A&M. They couldn't determine the barrel. This team needs to get its act together quickly.

9. Arkansas (4-2, 2-1)

Previous ranking: 12
This week: 19-14 W over No. 4 Tennessee
Next week: OUT OF

What a performance by the Razorbacks! Sam Pittman led another field rush at Razorback Stadium and you know this one felt good. The Hogs play with a lot of passion for their embattled coach. Now they have a much-needed week off to regroup and try to end the season on a high note starting in Week 8.

8. Ole Miss (5-1, 1-1)

Previous ranking: 8
This week: 27-3 W South Carolina
Next week: at LSU

It's crazy to think about it, but the Ole Miss defense might be the best unit on this team. The offense was up and down all year and made too many stupid mistakes. Meanwhile, the defense has held the Rebels in every contest. This defense will need to be at its best on Saturday when the Rebels visit Baton Rouge.

7. Kentucky (3-2, 1-2)

Previous ranking: 7
This week: OUT OF
Next week: against Vanderbilt

Just a few weeks ago, the home game against Vanderbilt looked like it would be an easy win. Then Vanderbilt went to double overtime with Mizzou and beat No. 1 Alabama. Now it doesn't look like such a gimmie for the Wildcats. Will the week off help Mark Stoops' team defeat another tough SEC opponent?

6. LSU (4-1, 1-0)

Previous ranking: 6
This week: OUT OF
Next week: against Ole Miss

LSU had a week of rest and now welcomes Ole Miss to Death Valley. The Rebels had to play at South Carolina in Week 6. Will the rest make the difference in Saturday's big clash between the former SEC West rivals? Garrett Nussmeier and Co. will be eager to show that they have the best offense in the league, not Ole Miss.

5. Tennessee (4-1, 1-1)

Previous ranking: 3
This week: 19-14L in Arkansas
Next week: against Florida

Dylan Sampson continues to be a beast, scoring both of the Vols' touchdowns. But the receiving corps is really banged up and Nico Iamaleava looked like a rookie on Saturday in Fayetteville. The Vols will return to Rocky Top in Week 7 to try to pick up a rivalry win against Florida.

4. Alabama (4-1, 1-1)

Previous ranking: 1
This week: 40-35L at Vanderbilt
Next week: against South Carolina

The Crimson Tide ran into what Nick Saban would call “rat poison” this week. Apparently they believed in their own hype a little too much, and that cost them dearly at Vanderbilt. But Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams are still insanely talented. If this defense can figure something out against a struggling South Carolina offense, the Tide will get back on track.

3. Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0)

Previous ranking: 9
This week: 41-10 W over No. 9 Mizzou
Next week: OUT OF

I'm going to overreact to the Aggies' dominant 41-10 win over the Tigers. Conner Weigman returned from injury and looked great. The defense stopped everything the Tiger offense tried to do. Amari Daniels and Le'Veon Moss are beasts in the running game. This was a masterful performance from Mike Elko's team. Starting 3-0 in the SEC isn't easy. In fact, every other team that has played multiple SEC games at this point has at least one loss. The Aggies are real and I buy them.

2. Georgia (4-1, 2-1)

Previous ranking: 4
This week: 31-13 W over Auburn
Next week: vs. Mississippi State

Given the struggles other top SEC teams have had on the road, a narrow loss at Alabama suddenly doesn't look so bad. The offense still has some work to do, but the Dawgs need to put together a good game in Week 7 against Mississippi State. Carson Beck will put up some strong numbers in this game.

1. Texas (5-0, 1-0)

Previous ranking: 2
This week: OUT OF
Next week: against Oklahoma (in Dallas)

The Longhorns picked a good week to be idle. With chaos all around them, they were doing well with a perfect 5-0 record. We'll see if Quinn Ewers can play well against Oklahoma in the rivalry game, but the trend seems to be heading in that direction. The Longhorns have a chance to take a big step toward Atlanta next weekend.