SEC Power Rankings After Week 4

The Week 4 SEC Power Rankings shouldn’t bring much of a shock. The conference had an overall predictable weekend of football. The only real surprise was how close the Razorbacks played LSU in Death Valley. Self-inflicted wounds are the thing keeping Arkansas from looking like the best team in the SEC West so far in 2023.

While Arkansas wasn’t able to pull it out, other SEC teams succeeded in locking down narrow victories this week. Missouri is still undefeated (by a thread). South Carolina squeaked one out against Mississippi State. It would have been a great weekend for the Hogs to pull off a win, but it just didn’t happen.

1. Georgia 4-0 (1-0)

vs. UAB- W 49-21

After a slow first half start, Georgia pulled away and cruised to a win. Brock Bowers is the best tight end in the country. The Dawgs are ready for SEC play on both sides of the ball. Next week they get another tune-up game in Auburn. Slow starts (like Georgia seems prone to) could cause problems against better teams.

2. LSU 3-1 (2-0)  1

vs. Arkansas- W 34-31

Had a couple more close elements of this game gone Arkansas’ way, LSU would have fallen out of the top 5 of the SEC Power Rankings. Jayden Daniels and his receiving group were top-tier in that game. Nabors and Thomas were wide open the entire 2nd half. There was no stopping this offense. Lastly, LSU is probably the best team in the SEC West. After Saturday night’s game, take that for what you will.

3. Alabama 3-1 (1-0)  5

vs. Ole Miss- W 24-10

Alabama being outside the top 5 of the SEC Power Rankings didn’t last long. In a dominating defensive performance, the Crimson Tide shut down the potent Ole Miss offense. Am I surprised? Not at all. We’ve seen the Alabama defense play this way before under Nick Saban. With unsteady quarterback and offensive line play, this team may have to rely on their defense to win them some more games later on in conference play.

4. Texas A&M 3-1 (1-0)

vs. Auburn- W 27-10

This A&M team is good. With Conner Weigman hurt, they secured a much-needed win. Max Johnson stepped into the offense and played well. The Aggie defense also looks improved from last season. Next week’s game with Arkansas is going to be a battle.

5. Ole Miss 3-1 (0-1)3

at Alabama- L 24-10

Ole Miss played close with Alabama for the majority of that football game. That’s a moral victory any day. Sadly, moral victories don’t count as victories at all. On paper, a moral victory looks identical to a 50-point blowout. Jaxson Dart didn’t play poorly, but the run game found nothing against the Tide. If this trend continues, Ole Miss will struggle to get to 6 wins.

6. Tennessee 3-1 (0-1)

vs. UTSA- W 45-14

Some people thought UTSA would play close with Tennessee after the loss to Florida the previous week. Others watched something else when this game was on. It was 31-0 at halftime. That should make a fanbase happy any day.

7. Missouri 4-0 (0-0)

vs. Memphis- W 34-27

In yet another close call, Mizzou remains unblemished in 2023. Brady Cook is the heart of this football team. Luther Burden is easily one of the best wideouts in the conference (and possibly the country). In a couple of weeks, Missouri plays LSU and should boast a 5-0 record. College GameDay might visit Columbia.

8. Florida 3-1 (1-0)3

vs. Charlotte- W 22-7

What was that? After what they did to Tennessee last week, it looked like a different Florida team stepped out against one of the worst teams in the FBS. This Florida team just couldn’t execute on offense. Troublesome.

9. Kentucky 4-0 (1-0)  1

at Vanderbilt- W 45-28

You would think an undefeated team would be higher in the SEC Power Rankings than this, but Kentucky hasn’t looked the part. The schedule has been a cake walk, but Kentucky could easily 2-2 or worse right now. Conference play will not be kind to the Wildcats unless they can fix some of the avoidable mistakes they have been making on both sides of the ball.

10. Arkansas 2-2 (0-1)  2

at LSU- L 34-31

I’m beginning to sense a trend. A trend I don’t enjoy. Arkansas just finds ways to lose close games. Games that they should win. Add this one to the list. KJ Jefferson was phenomenal. Rashod Dubinion played his best game in an Arkansas uniform. Luke Hasz showed up and showed out. The defense played a stellar first half only to give up 24 points in the second half. That’s 31 points if you consider the final minute of the first half. Small coaching errors turned into huge problems late in the game. Penalties continue to be a glaring concern. Next week is a must-win for Sam Pittman against Texas A&M. However, the way this team played against LSU, it won’t surprise me if the Hogs win big. They’re due for one of those types of games. Rocket Sanders hasn’t played since Week 1, which is worrisome.

11. South Carolina 2-2 (1-1)

vs. Mississippi State- W 37-30

After this showing, South Carolina does not move in the SEC Power Rankings. The Gamecocks are a team I expected to do well this season. They aren’t looking like who I thought they were. This team may struggle to win another conference game. Without their star receiver, they struggled on offense a little, but not enough to worry me. What I worry about is their offensive line and their defensive play. Something has to change, and fast.

12. Auburn 3-1 (0-1)

at Texas A&M- L 27-10

Auburn’s offense is horrible. Watching them play is just painful to watch. Hugh Freeze is hoping another week or two will help them get into a groove. If not, they may have a rough road ahead in the SEC West. The defense is a decent group (especially the front seven).

13. Mississippi State 2-2 (0-2)

at South Carolina- L 37-30

That was just a tough loss. There were times it looked like Mississippi State was about to take control of this game. Will Rogers played like himself. The defense looks to be the worst in the conference aside from Vanderbilt’s after the last two games. Zach Arnett is having a rough start to year one.

14. Vanderbilt 2-3 (0-1)

vs. Kentucky- L 45-28

Giving up 45 at home to Kentucky is bad. Vanderbilt football has officially closed the case on being competitive in the SEC this year. That was probably confirmed when they gave up 40 to UNLV. This is a bad team, but part of me hopes they knock Missouri off their high horse next week.

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