SEC Power Rankings: Week 8

I think it is now more clear than ever the SEC is not as deep as many of us thought it would be. There are only 5 teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, and that number is likely to stay the same after this weekend, with the possibility of it dropping to 4 if Ole Miss and Mississippi State were to both lose this week (Ole Miss would drop out and Mississippi State would not take their spot).

The conference is still good, and it might still be the best in the country. But if it is, the gap is significantly narrower than it has been in years past. The SEC now has losses to Toledo and Memphis by teams that were supposed to be contenders for the SEC West. And despite the fact Toledo and Memphis are good teams, SEC West teams losing those games is simply inexcusable. And that doesn’t include the near loss to Jacksonville State by Auburn.

Here is how I stack up the SEC going into Week 8.

1. LSU (6-0, Previous Week: 1st) LSU was challenged by the Gators to the surprise of a lot of people. It looks like the game in Tuscaloosa between the Tide and Tigers will be the game that determines the SEC West. You know, like it seems to do most every year.
2.  Alabama (6-1, Previous Week: 4th) Alabama is going to lose a game every year. And it doesn’t mean they should be put out to pasture. The overreaction to a Bama loss is always fun. When a team has a -5 turnover margin and still loses by one possession, you have a pretty good football team.
3. Florida (6-1, Previous Week: 3rd) Florida lost and still is likely going to win the SEC East. The only real challenge they have left in SEC play is the Georgia game, and without Nick Chubb, Georgia looks pedestrian at best right now. McElwain deserves gobs of praise for righting the ship so quickly.
4. Texas A&M (6-1, Previous Week: 2nd) If Texas A&M ever wants to be considered among the SEC elite, they are going to have to beat an Alabama or LSU at home. They have fallen to 1-6 at home against ranked opponents in College Station since joining the SEC. The easiest part of their schedule is over. It only gets tougher from here.
5. Mississippi State (5-2, Previous Week: 6th) The Bulldogs could quietly enter the Alabama game with a 7-2 record and be somewhere around 15 to 20 in the polls for that game. If they can take care of business against Kentucky and Missouri, the Bulldogs would have an opportunity to make a huge statement against Alabama.
6. Ole Miss (5-2, Precious Week: 5th) There is some panic setting in around the Ole Miss fan base, and it is understandable. After the Alabama game, it looked like their path to the College Football Playoff was laid out without too many bumps in their way. Even with the loss to Florida, they still had to just win out to get there. But the loss to Memphis changed everything. Their path to Atlanta was not affected at all Saturday, but there is no way on this planet a team gets to the Playoff with a loss to Memphis, despite how good that team might be.
7. Tennessee (3-3, Previous Week: 7th)  Tennessee had the week off, and now they get to face a red hot Alabama team in Tuscaloosa.
8. Georgia (5-2, Previous Week: 9th) Georgia could easily take a huge tumble down the rankings if this past Saturday was any indication of what their offense is going to be like without Nick Chubb.
9. Auburn (4-2, Previous Week: 10th) Year in and year out, there is always a team that seems to play horribly but still have a decent record. That team this year is Auburn. They needed their win over Kentucky desperately to boost their confidence and show the season isn’t dead.
10. Kentucky (4-2, Previous Week: 7th) The loss to Auburn on Thursday night might spell the beginning of another epic collapse by the Wildcats. They need two more wins to get bowl eligible. Their remaining games are more winnable than they were last year, but Kentucky had a chance to prove they were an improved team and they simply blew it.
11. Arkansas (2-4, Previous Week: 11th) Arkansas had a week to rest up for Auburn. It’s a big game for both teams.
12. Missouri (4-3, Previous Week: 12th) We have been waiting for the record for Missouri to catch up to the way they have played, and it is headed in that direction.
13. Vanderbilt (3-4, Previous Week: 14th) Even if it was just a win against Vanderbilt, it was a much needed win for the Gamecocks.
14. South Carolina (2-4, Previous Week: 13th) The Commodores got out of the last slot for a little while. They get to go right back to the bottom.

Of the 6 games this weekend, only one involves a team outside the SEC, so there could be even more clarity to the SEC Power Rankings after this week.