Post-Week 8 SEC Power Rankings

Say what you want, but no conference moves the needle quite like the SEC. On a Saturday in which fans across the country settled in to enjoy five ranked matchups, three of them took place no further north than Nashville and no further west than Tuscaloosa. Sounds to me like the best football in the country is being played in the.... Southeast. Who would've thought?

After a weekend like the one we were blessed with, it wasn't easy to decide where 16 good football teams rank in a conference with only 16 spots. But I did it anyway. Below are your newest SEC power rankings after a fantastic weekend of October football, with a new team at the number one spot. Along with the rankings, we'll be taking a look at each team's head coach and their job security heading into 2026.

• 1. University of Alabama (last game: won 37-20 vs. no. 11 Tennessee) record: 6-1 (4-0)

Coach's seat: Has frozen solid since the start of SEC play (Kalen DeBoer)

To think that people were calling for the head of coach Kalen DeBoer after week one is preposterous. After a four-week stretch that included four consecutive ranked matchups, DeBoer now holds the best record against ranked teams in history at 19-3. It's a staggering number, and one that makes his 8-4 record against unranked teams all the more confusing. To any of the readers wondering why a team with a loss is ahead of an undefeated one, I'm glad you asked. That four-week stretch that I mentioned above was historic for another reason. No team in SEC history has gone four consecutive weeks both playing in and winning four consecutive ranked games. Alabama has not only redeemed itself from week one, but has positioned itself as one of the best teams in America. They have as good a chance as any team in the SEC to not only make the 12-team playoff, but return to the conference championship as well.

• 2. Texas A&M University (last game: won 45-42 at Arkansas) record: 7-0 (4-0)

Coach's seat: Freezing cold, he's not going anywhere anytime soon (Mike Elko)

Despite my previous qualifications that come with being undefeated, the Aggies find themselves second in the rankings. While they're ranked higher and have one less loss than Alabama, their body of work is unprecedented. Regardless, the Aggies are still in the driver's seat of the conference. With trips to take on LSU, Missouri, and Texas, their work is far from finished, but even if they manage to drop two of those three games, they still have a comfortable hold on a playoff spot. Mike Elko seems to have been exactly what the Aggies so desperately needed, as the program has finally found the extra gear that they struggled with ever since joining the SEC. If they can manage to knock off the Texas Longhorns to end the season, this will likely go down as the best regular season in the history of the program.

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• 3. University of Georgia (last game: won 45-35 vs No. 5 Ole Miss) record: 6-1 (4-1)

Coach's seat: It's Kirby freaking Smart, let's be real (Kirby Smart)

Death, Taxes, and a close, gutty, fourth-quarter victory from the Georgia Bulldogs. The best coach in college football has seen a decreased level of dominance over the last couple of years, but while the box scores may look different, the win column still looks the same. If the Bulldogs can win out for the remainder of their conference schedule, they will once again likely be heading to Atlanta for a shot at another SEC championship. The only real threat to that at this point will be a desperate Texas Longhorns team, who will likely need a win in Athens to keep their dwindled playoff hopes alive.

• 4. University of Mississippi, Ole Miss (last game: lost 45-35 at No. 9 Georgia) record: 6-1 (3-1)

Coach's seat: Florida will sell an arm and a leg for him; his job is safe if he wants it (Lane Kiffin)

Ole Miss's magical start to the season had to end eventually. There's only one undefeated team left in the SEC, and it's hard to imagine a world where the Aggies rattle off 12 consecutive wins. Needless to say, one loss at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs is by no means the end of the world. Lane Kiffin and the Rebels still have everything right in front of them, with only one currently ranked team left on their schedule. If they can't win in Norman, there's still a path to the playoffs, but it becomes a lot more difficult. It will be crucial for the success of this team for Kiffin to minimize the outside noise speculating about other head coaching jobs.

• 5. Vanderbilt University (last game: won 31-24 vs. No. 10 LSU) record: 6-1 (2-1)

Coach's seat: Cold enough they're hoping he'll freeze to it (Clark Lea)

Few programs have utilized the transfer portal/NIL combination quite like the Vanderbilt Commodores. No longer are they the doormat of the SEC. They are ranked the highest they have been since the Second World War, and it still doesn't feel like they've peaked. Vanderbilt was not only favored heading into a game with LSU, but they dominated the game with LSU. Diego Pavia and this tough, gritty offense kept a chokehold on the time of possession battle and never gave LSU after a back-and-forth first half, took a lead into halftime, and never trailed from there. As hard as it is to say, this team is a national contender, and that's thanks to the man who will be one of the biggest names of this offseason coaching cycle: Coach Clark Lea.

• 6. Oklahoma University (last game: won 26-7 at South Carolina) record: 6-1 (2-1)

Coach's seat: Little warmer than average, but a derailment could cause chaos (Brett Venables)

Brett Venables came into the year needing success, or else he'd be needing a job. So far this season, it's fair to say he has certainly found some success. The problem with coaching at a school like OU, though, is that it only takes one bad game for all your good graces to seemingly go up in flames. Well, the Red River Shootout was that bad game, and he lost a lot of good graces. I do, however, expect him, John Mateer, and the rest of the team to gain it back, though. With only one loss on the schedule, the Sooners are still primed for a playoff spot, but with their remaining schedule, guarantees are nonexistent. Their final five games include trips to Tuscaloosa and Knoxville, while they still welcome Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU. Buckle up, Sooner fans, it's going to be an exciting end to the regular season.

• 7. University of Missouri (last game: won 23-17 at Auburn in OT) record: 6-1 (2-1)

Coach's seat: Freezing cold, job is as safe as anyone's (Eli Drinkwitz)

Missouri was my upset pick of the week on last Thursday's edition of The Deep South College Football Show, and they nearly cashed my check for me. However, the Tigers of Columbia, Missouri, were able to make a play when it mattered and get away victorious over the Tigers of Auburn, Alabama. Eli Drinkwitz and his team are still firmly focused on making the college football playoff for the first time in program history; however, there are still several big tests remaining on the schedule. Mizzou will hit the road and travel to Vanderbilt this Saturday, and head to Norman to battle the Sooners later in the year. They also play host to Texas A&M the week after their matchup with the Commodores. If Mizzou can manage to go 2-1 in their three remaining ranked games, along with winning the unranked matchups, I think they will be as much of a lock as any non-conference champion in the field.

• 8. University of Tennessee (last game: lost 37-20 at No. 6 Alabama) record: 5-2 (2-2)

Coach's seat: Not close to hot, missing playoffs isn't the end of the world (Josh Heupel)

Although Tennessee likely sits just one loss away from missing out on the college football playoff, head coach Josh Heupel shouldn't be too concerned about job security following the loss to Alabama. They just happened to run into an absolute buzzsaw of a football team and fell short on the road; it happens. Tennessee still commands the nation's top offense, one of the nation's best pass rushes, and a gunslinger under center. If they can manage to take down OU in Norman later in the season, they have a good shot to head back to the playoff, but a loss to either them or Vanderbilt to end the season, unfortunately, ends those hopes for big orange.

• 9. University of Texas (last game: won 16-13 at Kentucky in OT) record: 5-2 (2-1)

Coach's seat: Still ice cold, you need to win before questions start being asked (Steve Sarkisian)

Texas Longhorns football is very hard to gauge right now. On one hand, you're 5-2 with one loss coming to the undefeated number one team in the country and another in an absolute snake pit of a road environment. On the other hand, you feel like you should be the undefeated number one team in the country, but teams struggle to keep pace. That's not going to be the case for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns, at least for this year. If they want to continue to compete for a playoff spot, it's going to take a lot of ugly, hard-fought wins. Some of those wins will be a lot harder than others, too, as they still have dates in both Athens and College Station once we flip the calendar to November. Sark runs the risk of making a lot of important people in Austin very unhappy if he can't finish the season with at least nine wins.

• 10. Louisiana State University (last game: lost 31-24 at No. 17 Vanderbilt) record: 5-2 (2-2)

Coach's seat: Heating up faster than anyone thought possible, need a turnaround fast (Brian Kelly)

Nobody thought LSU would find itself in their current situation. The offense led by Garrett Nussmeier was supposed to be the best in the country, and the defense would find a way not to lose games. Well, it has literally been the exact opposite, until last Saturday at least. The defense had absolutely zero answer for Diego Pavia and the bloody-knuckle style of Vanderbilt football. Nussmeier has started to string together some impressive starts, but his 225-yard and two-touchdown performance wasn't enough. LSU is in some uncharted territory, as they are now in real trouble of finishing at 7-5 if they can't find a way to rattle off some upsets against teams like Alabama, Texas A&M, or Oklahoma at the end of the year.

• 11. University of South Carolina (last game: lost 26-7 vs. no. 14 Oklahoma) record: 3-4 (1-4)

Coach's seat: Way too warm for comfort, potential end-of-season fire (Shane Beamer)

I'm about as high on Shane Beamer as anyone else in the country. He strikes me as one of the most respected coaches in the game, and his players go to war for him every Saturday. That being said, his coaching tenure is running out of gas, and the boosters are running out of home losses before a change is made. This was supposed to be the season that the Gamecocks thrust themselves to the top of the SEC. The problem is, it's hard to thrust yourself amongst the top of any conference that has ten teams ranked in the top 25, especially when you aren't one of them. If Beamer can't capitalize on the talent of quarterback Lanorris Sellers and upset either Alabama, Ole Miss, or Texas A&M, Frank's son could be packing up his office by December.

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• 12. University of Florida (last game: won 23-21 vs. Miss. State) record: 3-4 (2-2)

Coach's seat: Already fired (Billy Napier)

If I ordered the poster child of the head coach hot seat on Amazon, and Billy Napier didn't show up, I'd send it back. The last two years of fire Billy chants finally culminated in the firing of the Gator head coach on Sunday, despite a victory less than 24 hours before. Napier's recruiting talent can't be denied, as he constantly brought in top classes throughout his tenure. The on-field product just couldn't translate. Florida will likely have their pick among the top coaching candidates this cycle. The Gators, along with Penn State, will probably be the two biggest job openings once the season ends.

• 13. Mississippi State University (last game: lost 23-21 at Florida) record: 4-3 (0-3)

Coach's seat: Good for now, need more next year (Jeff Lebby)

Mississippi State is in grave danger of going a second year in a row without a conference victory. Yet if I'm Jeff Lebby, I'm not yet hitting the panic button. Expectations have perhaps already been exceeded, especially after earning a top-15 win at home in week two against Arizona State. But like I said at the top of this paragraph, we need to see another step taken next year. At the end of the day, coaches won't last in this league unless they win. So going 0-16 in your first two years of SEC play isn't exactly what I'd call a foundation for success.

• 14. University of Arkansas (last game: lost 45-42 vs. No 4 Texas A&M) record: 2-5 (0-3)

Coach's seat: Already fired (Sam Pittman)

Sam Pittman was the first in-conference coaching domino to fall, as he was sent packing after a 56-13 drumming by Notre Dame earlier in the season. Bobby Petrino has shown us that this offense can still hang with the best of them. He also showed us that the defense can still have more holes than your local grocery store's Swiss cheese. Nobody has any real idea whether or not Petrino will become the full-time head coach or not, so I won't try and speculate. If he can find wins against either Mizzou, Texas, or LSU to end the year, he may earn a second chance.

• 15. Auburn University (last game: lost 23-17 vs. no. 16 Missouri in OT) record: 3-4 (0-4)

Coach's seat: Sizzling, needs a big win badly (Hugh Freeze)

Going into the season, Hugh Freeze was running out of favorability in the media. Between the golf headlines and the mediocre on-field product, Auburn fans seemingly agreed this was his last year to put something together. Well, the argument can be made that he has put something together. That something is elite talent, because if Hugh Freeze is anything, he's one of the best recruiters the sport has to offer. But if he can't turn talent into results, he's as good as gone. It's going to take at least an Iron Bowl victory or a bowl win to keep Freeze on the plains.

• 16. University of Kentucky (last game: lost 16-13 vs. no. 21 Texas in OT) record: 2-4 (0-4)

Coach's seat: scorching hot, likely gone (Mark Stoops)

Kentucky was extremely close to finally capturing some late-night Kroger Field magic on Saturday, but Mark Stoops and the Wildcats fell short yet again. Although expectations weren't high for football in Lexington this year, it still feels like the season has been a letdown so far. They've been in some games late with good teams, including the Longhorns, as well as Ole Miss earlier in the year. But if Mark Stoops wants to keep his job heading into next season, he probably either needs to win one of those games or needs to beat Vanderbilt or Louisville. I'm not particularly in favor of his odds to return to Lexington next year.