Week 10 SEC Power Rankings

If one thing's for certain, it's that the only thing we know for sure about college football is that we know absolutely nothing about college football. If I were to tell you back in August that both Brian Kelly and James Franklin would be out of a job before November, you likely would have set up a meeting for me to speak with a licensed professional. If I had told you that Alabama would lose to a team that started 0-4 in their conference while being possibly the best team in America, you would have called me insane. If I had told you that Indiana, Georgia Tech, and Vanderbilt would make up 1/5th of the week 10 AP top 25, I don't even want to know the rest.

Today, we're yet again going to take a look at all 16 teams in everyone's favorite Southeastern Conference and rank them the best we know how. So buckle up and get ready for my week 10 SEC power rankings, with a look into each team's likelihood to make the college football playoff, ranked 1-10.

• 1. Texas A&M University (last game: won 49-25 at No. 20 LSU) record: 8-0 (5-0)

Playoff chances: 9/10

The Aggies are the closest thing the SEC has to a 'lock' for the playoffs. After beating LSU bad enough to get their head coach fired, the Aggies will begin a somewhat favorable three-game stretch. These three include Missouri on the road, followed by South Carolina and Samford at home. The regular season will conclude in Austin, Texas, for another date with the Longhorns. Assuming A&M gets to Austin undefeated, they can likely afford to lose the Lone-Star Showdown and still find themselves in either the CFP bracket or even the SEC championship game.

• 2. University of Alabama (last game: won 29-22 at South Carolina) record: 7-1 (5-0)

Playoff chances: 8/10

One of the conference's most toxic relationships over the last two seasons hasn't been the Iron Bowl, and it hasn't been Georgia-Florida. It's been Kalen DeBoer vs. unranked teams on the road. It's so bizarre, given his dominance against the best of the best, and it was yet again put to the test on Saturday. The Gamecocks gave Alabama all they could handle... and then some. In the end, Alabama did what they have ever since beginning conference play, win difficult games. They will now enjoy a much-deserved bye week before welcoming a now coach-less LSU team to Bryant-Denny. If they can survive that along with the following week's rematch with Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide will have set themselves up to earn their first playoff bid of the 12-team era.

• 3. University of Georgia (last game: won 43-35 vs. No. 5 Ole Miss in week 8) record: 7-1 (4-1)

Playoff chances: 6/10

Get past Florida, take down Texas at home, and that should be enough for the playoffs, right? Well, it should be. But if we know anything about college football, it's that we don't know anything. If the Bulldogs are able to handle business to round out conference play, the November 29th date with the in-state Georgia Tech Yellowjackets becomes all the more entertaining. Last year's game took an absurd eight overtimes to decide a winner, and this year, Georgia Tech looks even better. Kirby Smart and his football team have found ways to grind out tough wins all season. I expect nothing different from here on out.

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• 4. University of Mississippi, Ole Miss (last game: won 34-26 at No. 13 Oklahoma) record: 7-1 (4-1)

Playoff chances: 6/10

For Lane Kiffin and the Rebels, it's as simple as this: win and you're in. If Ole Miss can finish their season at 11-1, it seems to be a lock for the 12-team playoff. The good news for Ole Miss is that those four opponents include South Carolina, The Citadel, Florida, and Mississippi State. Outside of getting to pick your own schedule, that's about as easy a four-game slate that you could ask for. The Rebels have passed most of their big tests this season with wins over LSU and Oklahoma, and nearly clipped Georgia at their place, something that almost nobody has done this decade. Both the matchup with Florida and the Egg Bowl are concerning, but if Lane Kiffin wants his first playoff appearance, they are absolute must-win games.

• 5. University of Texas (last game: won 45-38 at Mississippi State in OT) record: 6-2 (3-1)

Playoff chances: 3/10

Texas continues to be one of the biggest question marks that our beautiful conference has to offer. They're playing like a 7-5 team, yet have a win over Oklahoma and are 3-1 in SEC play so far. Don't worry, Texas fans, you'll have plenty of chances to stake your claim to the playoffs. I believe the Longhorns will edge out Vanderbilt on November 1st and head into Athens, Georgia, for a rematch with the Bulldogs with a chance to slide past Kirby in the conference standings. Even if they fall short, wins against both Vandy and Texas A&M in two of the last four games of the year may just be enough to find a spot for the Longhorns.

• 6. Vanderbilt University (last game: won 17-10 at No. 15 Missouri) record: 7-1 (3-1)

Playoff chances: 3.5/10

The Commodores will likely prove to be the most questionable ranking on this list. They're ahead of teams with better playoff chances and below teams with worse records. Any Vandy fan reading this would be well within their right to disagree with me. My issue with Vanderbilt has to do with their record, and the clouded strength of record that has helped earn them a second consecutive top-ten AP ranking. I'm still struggling to find a hard-earned 60-minute victory against a quality SEC opponent. When they beat South Carolina, LaNorris Sellers left in the first half. They beat an LSU team that has proven to be nowhere close to what we expected, and it took a late fourth-quarter touchdown at home to beat a Missouri team without their star quarterback for most of the second half. In my eyes, it will take a victory in Austin this Saturday to show me that they belong among the elite of the conference.

• 7. University of Tennessee (last game: won 56-34 at Kentucky) record: 6-2 (2-2)

Playoff chances: 4/10

If the Vols can escort Brett Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners off of Rocky Top with a loss, I feel much better about their playoff chances heading into the home stretch of the season. If they can't, it likely ends Tennessee's bid for a return to the playoffs. Tennessee right now is suffering at the end of the double-edged sword known as points. On one end, they still possess the best offense in the country, leading the SEC with 365 points. Their defense, however, sits 15th in the conference ahead of only Arkansas. I trust Josh Heupel in a shootout, but they can't rely on six or seven consecutive 40-point games if they want to win a national title.

• 8. University of Oklahoma (last game: lost 34-26 vs. No. 8 Ole Miss) record: 6-2 (2-2)

Playoff chances: 2/10

The Sooners are suddenly a lot closer to a season-ending third loss than they were anticipating following Saturday's slip-up at home. The rest of this schedule includes three currently-ranked teams, two of them on the road, one of them inside Bryant-Denny Stadium against one of the hottest teams in the country. The path, however, is not impossible. It will be a grueling stretch, no doubt, but if Oklahoma truly is a national contender, it should be well within the realm of possibility.

• 9. University of Missouri (last game: lost 17-10 at No. 10 Vanderbilt) record: 6-2 (2-2)

Playoff chances: 0.1/10

Had Missouri's loss to Vanderbilt been like any other loss, its playoff chances would be much higher than 0.1. But as many of you know, it did not. They finished the game without transfer quarterback Beau Pribula, who has spent the year solidifying himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He left the game on a cart early in the third quarter with a dislocated ankle. The Tigers now face an uphill battle, with true-freshman Matt Zollers now slated to start under center from here on out. Mizzou essentially has to win out for a shot at the playoffs, and that includes matchups with Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

• 10. Louisiana State University, LSU (last game: lost 49-25 vs. No. 3 Texas A&M) record: 5-3 (2-3)

Playoff chances: 0/10

Three losses feel like the new unwritten rule when it comes to CFP discussions. Last year, three SEC teams made the playoff, one as the conference champ (Georgia), the other as the conference runner-up and number five-ranked team in the country (Texas). The third? A two-loss Tennessee team that simply survived the gauntlet and outlasted teams like Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina, who somewhere along the way picked up a crucial third loss. Regardless of how LSU finishes this season, they have hit the three-loss criteria to officially end their attempt at a championship.

• 11. Auburn University (last game: won 33-24 at Arkansas) record: 4-4 (1-4)

Playoff chances: 0/10

Over the last four games leading up to the Arkansas game, Auburn had lost four consecutive games to ranked opponents. All four of those games were winnable by the time the fourth quarter rolled around. After a month of football as painful as that, fans around the plains began heavily discussing what it would be like to live in a world without Hugh Freeze. Saturday's matchup against Arkansas felt like Freeze's make-or-break, and he did just enough to stay afloat for at least another week. While doing just enough included benching transfer quarterback Jackson Arnonld, you have to do whatever's necessary to win to keep your job in this conference.

• 12. University of Florida (last game: won 23-21 vs. Mississippi State in week 8) record: 3-4 (2-2)

Playoff chances: 0.1/10

Florida finds itself with what I like to define as a 'non-zero' chance to make the playoffs. My reasoning behind it is due to the Gators somehow sitting at .500 in conference play so far this year, including a big win over the Texas Longhorns. However, it's about the longest of long shots you can find. With no head coach at the helm, the Florida Gators are almost a shoo-in to lose a couple more games this year. Headlining that list is the Georgia Bulldogs, who will head to Jacksonville to take on the Gators on November 1st for another edition of 'The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.'

• 13. University of South Carolina (last game: lost 29-22 vs. No. 4 Alabama) record: 3-5 (1-5)

Playoff chances: 0/10

The season of nightmares for the Gamecocks came mighty close to turning a page this past weekend, but Shane Beamer and his Gamecocks yet again fell short of the mark. After a preseason top-15 ranking, everyone within that program was looking forward to a new era of South Carolina football. But after a 1-5 start to conference play, it appears that the new era will wait until at least 2026. If I'm Shane Beamer, the hot seat discussions wouldn't concern me that much. However, we've seen how quick other schools can be to pull the firing trigger, and if he can't scratch the surface of six wins, the bigwigs in Columbia may not think too kindly of him.

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• 14. Mississippi State University (last game: lost 45-38 vs. No. 22 Texas in OT) record: 4-4 (0-4)

Playoff chances: 0/10

After a week two upset over top-15 Arizona State, the entire country was yet again reminded that a hungry Davis-Wade Stadium should be near the bottom of desired away game destinations. The theory was nearly proven once again on Saturday, just ask the Texas Longhorns. The burnt orange was given everything they could handle and then some last week, showing that there is truly no such thing as an easy win in the SEC. The Bulldogs are running out of opportunities to gain bowl eligibility, as they will need to win two out of their last four games to do so. Oh, and by the way, three out of those four games are against currently ranked opponents.

• 15. University of Arkansas (last game: lost 33-24 vs. Auburn) record: 2-6 (0-4)

Playoff chances: 0/10

The Razorbacks are running out of winnable SEC games on their schedule, and they're doing it fast. Welcoming the Auburn Tigers last Saturday was what I believed to be one of their last two chances to do so. If Bobby Petrino wants any serious consideration for the permanent head coaching position next year, next week's matchup with Mississippi State is a must-win. While the playoffs are nowhere in sight for the hogs this year, a home win against the Bulldogs gives you the chance to salvage some pride, or perhaps build motivation to topple a big dog at the end of the season.

• 16. University of Kentucky (last game: lost 56-34 vs. No. 17 Tennessee) record: 2-5 (0-5)

Playoff chances: 0/10

Another week, another unfortunate outcome for the Lexington faithful. Expectations were low coming into the season, but 0-5 to start conference play is never ideal. Mark Stoops will still likely join the growing list of coaches to be relieved of their duties by the end of the year, which is why most Kentucky fans you know are likely solely focused on the season opener in Rupp Arena on November 4th.