SEC power rankings after Week 7: While Ole Miss stumbles Texas ranks on top

The biggest story of SEC Week 7 was probably a couple of the league's apparent powerhouse teams struggling. Ole Miss lost, Alabama squeaked by over South Carolina, and Georgia genuinely struggled with Mississippi State. Here's how the teams of the SEC stack up after Week 7.

SEC Power Rankings After Week 7

16. Mississippi State (1-5)

Mississippi State played better than expected in a 41-31 loss to Georgia. QB Michael Van Buren is a player to build around but needs help.

15. Auburn (2-4)

The Tigers were off this week, but there's no question they remain near the bottom of the SEC. The defense can keep them competitive, but this offense doesn't seem likely to win many more games.

14. Florida (3-3)

There are two ways to see Saturday's game. Florida did plenty of things right and put themselves in a position to beat Tennessee. But they also squandered a ton of chances to score points and then couldn't win the game when the chips were down. It's a net negative for UF.

13. Kentucky (3-3)

On the other hand, there's only one way to see Kentucky's second straight home loss to Vanderbilt. The Wildcats are certainly one of the league's weaker squads and if not for remaining league games with Florida and Auburn, their bowl chances would be slim.

12. South Carolina (3-3)

The Gamecocks fought valiantly with Alabama but couldn't pull it out. That mattered because aside from a game with Wofford, South Carolina has to pull out a minor surprise or two to reach six wins. Winning at Vanderbilt is competitive, but even if they pull off a victory there (and that's no sure thing), another win would be needed.

11. Vanderbilt (4-2)

The part of the Vandy story that nobody wants to hear? After next week's game with Ball State, it's a tough finish. The Commodores could be massively improved and still go 5-7 after beating Alabama. That said, if Diego Pavia can stay healthy, there's still juice left for more upsets.

10. Arkansas (4-2)

There are some lumps to be taken for the Hog, with LSU, Ole Miss and Texas all coming to town. But Arkansas will hold its own, win six or seven games and make a tough season a success.

9. Oklahoma (4-2)

This is a perilous spot for the Sooners. An offensively depleted team has to play South Carolina, Ole Miss and Missouri. That's not the SEC's best teams, but they're good enough to beat Oklahoma on a given Saturday.

8. Missouri (5-1)

Yes, they won, but there's nothing to be learned for SEC football teams against UMass. The Tigers have a light schedule, but they absolutely have to go 10-2 to be in the playoff discussion. The team whipped by Texas A&M didn't seem likely to do that.

7. Ole Miss (5-2)

It's a thin line between overreacting and writing off two straight tough losses. Ole Miss is probably better than they have shown. But their offense is failing to take off at key times, and that probably knocks them outside the CFP picture in the long haul.

6. Texas A&M (5-1)

Aside from that brutal opening loss to Notre Dame, the Aggies keep hanging around and doing just fine. The back half of the schedule includes LSU and Texas, but both games are at home. A&M could be the SEC's CFP surprise.

5. LSU (5-1)

The LSU game is sort of the inverse of the experience of many of the league's top teams. The Tigers were continually a millimeter from a loss against Ole Miss, but they turned in the necessary plays in clutch moments. That looked like a Les Miles win-how-you-can team, and they could still surprise in the SEC.

4. Tennessee (5-1)

Which Tennessee is the real Tennessee? The one that lit up scoreboards against NC State and Oklahoma? Or the one that lost to Arkansas and needed overtime to outlast Florida? Next week, Alabama could jump UT to second place in the league or send them sliding to the middle of the pack.

3. Alabama (5-1)

Off a loss to Vanderbilt, the Tide almost walked into an ugly loss to South Carolina. Alabama has to get right in a hurry, and some of that's a matter of defense. Mostly, though, the Tide offense really hasn't been humming as expected. Kalen DeBoer needs to right the ship quickly, or the CFP could slip away.

2. Georgia (5-1)

This was an ugly, unfocused defensive effort from a Georgia team that should be better. Getting shredded by the Mississippi State offense casts some questions about how ready the Bulldogs will be for Texas, Ole Miss or Tennessee.

1. Texas (6-0)

The Longhorns dispatched Oklahoma with ease on a week when the rest of the top of the SEC had major issues. There are good reasons why they're on top of the conference.

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