SEC Power Rankings: Texas A&M rising, Mississippi State bottoms-out

Week 9 of the 2024 college football season really wasn't all that spectacular, but there was one massive game in the SEC, as a pair of Top-15 teams with undefeated SEC records squared off. Texas A&M used a strong second-half to comeback and pull-away against LSU 38-23, moving to 7-1 on the year, still perfect in the league.

How did that result impact my SEC Power Rankings?

SEC Power Rankings after Week 9

Here's the rundown of my latest SEC Power Rankings...

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia was on a bye, so they got to sit back and watch from atop the Power Rankings thrown. But a new challenger is arising for the top spot...

2. Texas A&M Aggies (up from 4)

Mike Elko's Aggies are legit. Their second-half against LSU was dominant, and with their defense and a more dynamic offense, they're a real threat in this league.

3. Texas Longhorns (down from 2)

I should probably drop the Horns more after looking unimpressive in Nashville, but for now I'll be nice out of respect for Vandy just being a pain in everyone's rear to play.

4. Tennessee Volunteers (up from 5)

Vols were off this week. We'll see if the bye led to an offensive improvements.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (up from 7)

Good for Bama to absolutely dominate an opponent, something they haven't done for weeks. Now Mizzou really isn't all that great, but neither are the teams they fooled around with.

6. LSU Tigers (down from 3)

When your offense's only answer is for your QB to play hero ball while facing a ferocious pass-rush, and your defense can't stop a running QB, you get what happened in the second half in Aggie Land. Looks like we've got another LSU team that won't be as good as fans expect for the program.

7. Ole Miss Rebels (up from 9)

Ole Miss still wasn't all that impressive against Oklahoma, but they got a two-score win playing great defense in the second half. That offense still has a lot of issues though

8. Missouri Tigers (down from 6)

Look I get Mizzou was dealing with major injuries on offense, but getting shutout by a Bama defense that's not been good this year is yet another sign that the Tigers are fraudulent.

9. Arkansas Razorbacks (up from 11)

Arkansas has been a "ping pong" team in my power rankings for weeks. They just can't seem to stick to any level of consistency. But CLEARLY they've got something going for them after what they just did in Starkville (not that State's good, but other teams didn't beat them like that).

10. Vanderbilt Commodores (down from 8)

Despite the loss to Texas, Vandy continues to be a fun story. This is a solid team capable of playing with almost anyone. They can also lose to just about anyone, but hey, the path to a bowl is still clear.

11. South Carolina Gamecocks (down from 10)

Off week for the Gamecocks as they'll now look to immediately ruin Texas A&M's chance at a special season this weekend in Columbia.

12. Florida Gators

The Gators were also on a bye, which gave them more time to think about blowing the game with Tennessee a few weeks back because that's probably going to cost them a bowl game.

13. Oklahoma Sooners (up from 14)

Jackson Arnold showed some flashes in his first game back at starting QB, but this offense remains mostly dysfunctional.

14. Auburn Tigers (up from 16)

Apparently all it took for Auburn to score 24 points on a power conference opponent for the first time this season was for Hugh Freeze to get sick. Does this win change much for the Tigers? Probably not!

15. Kentucky Wildcats

On the other side of that game, Kentucky, losing by 14 to Auburn has got to be rock-bottom, right? Cats are looking at their worst season in nine years. But it could be worse...

16. Mississippi State Bulldogs (down from 13)

Last week, I chose to move MSU up a few spots because, despite losing, they were noticeably playing better ball against good teams. And at the time, they appeared to be trending positively relative to the SEC's other bad teams. I do not regret reacting to what my eyes were telling me, but it's clear whatever improvements this team was making weren't built to last. Back to the basement, Bulldogs.