Oklahoma's Shocking Climb Up the SEC Power Rankings After Week 12

SEC Power Rankings After Week 12

Week 12 in the SEC delivered a thrilling series of games, with one of the most exciting comebacks in conference history kicking things off at noon, all the way to Georgia waxing a fraudulent Texas team as a nightcap. That's not even to mention Oklahoma's shocking upset of Alabama down in T-Town, or Missouri flexing their offensive muscles a week after looking entirely inept.

So how does the SEC stack up after all this action? Let's rank the teams one through sixteen.

16 - Kentucky

There was a bit of a question coming into this game about how Kentucky would play. The Wildcats don’t make a habit of losing to FCS teams, but Tennessee Tech was undefeated coming into this game, which has to count for something— it’s not as though the Wildcats are the best team in FBS.

Even so, they took care of business against a lower level opponent, winning 42-10. Cutter Boley was highly accurate on the day, going 18/21 for 236 yards while adding 24 on the ground. Dante Dowdell and Seth McGowan made plays at running back as well, racking up 159 yards in tandem.

After last week’s win over the Florida Gators, the Wildcats needed to win two of three down the stretch to make it to a bowl. Now, that number is one out of two.

The only problem is that those games come against Vanderbilt and Louisville, both of which will be tough asks for this Kentucky team. It will be quite the Houdini act if Stoops is able to get this team to bowl season— but it could be exactly what we see happen here.

15 - Texas

In psychology, the concept of “projection” is where an individual attributes their own undesirable qualities or faults to others in order to externally direct criticism rather than internally face their own issues. This is precisely what has been going on for weeks with Longhorn fans and their schedule this year, especially with respect to the Aggies.

They have pointed the finger at Texas A&M’s schedule so often and so vehemently exactly because the setup of their own schedule is directly responsible for them being better than a five-loss team right now. The teams and the order in which they have played them has allowed their fraudulence to slip under the radar of most casual fans and allowed Texas homers to delude themselves about the quality of their team.

This is simply not a team that can stack up with the good squads in this conference. Good teams don’t go to overtime with Kentucky and Mississippi State, but plenty of bad teams get lucky enough to beat a superior squad in a rivalry game.

They’ll have their hands full at home against the Arkansas Razorbacks, who will most likely serve up enough turnovers for the home team to win, but with their head man already demonstrating a high degree of trepidation about their game against the Aggies, they are likely in for a rude awakening on Black Friday. If this is what they looked like against a good team when they had a preparation advantage, I shudder to think how it will look when they are at a disadvantage in the same situation.

14 - Mississippi State

There’s a lot to say about this Mississippi State team, and most of it is not that great. There are things to hope in, without a doubt, but the inability to produce against disciplined defenses continues to be concerning for Lebby’s long-term viability.

I say that, but I also am impressed that they are able to move the ball well at all with the level of offensive line play they’re rolling out right now in Starkville. Being able to produce on that side of the ball when you can’t protect or move the opposing defensive front is really not a very realistic prospect.

There’s some optimism to be had about the future here when you think about the kind of weapons that Kamario Taylor can be, and if Lebby can work the transfer portal once more like he did last year, then this can truly be a formidable team going forward.

Now, though this has been a season of definite progress, they need a win in the Egg Bowl to really solidify that progress. That’s a huge ask without a doubt, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility by any means.

13 - Florida

The Gators came into this one just about as bruised and battered as a team could be— less so on the actual injury report and more so when it comes to their pride. After barely losing to Georgia in the Cocktail Party, the Gators got absolutely destroyed by the Kentucky Wildcats of all teams, losing 38-7 in Lexington.

That’s not exactly a team coming into this game on a hot streak— in fact, it’s the exact opposite. The Gators came out playing like they were on a hot streak, however, dragging the no. 7 Rebels down into the muck with them from the very beginning.

DJ Lagway and the Gator offense were doing just enough to stay connected for a large part of this game, but it evaporated by the end. They were simply unable to do enough to take down a top-10 team on the road, which there is very little shame in.

If you believe Gator insiders, though, they have something pretty exciting coming down the pike soon, with heavy implications that they will be hiring Lane Kiffin. If that’s the case, I’m not exactly sure just how exciting of a preview this was.

12 - Arkansas

The Hogs put forth a valiant effort in Death Valley this week, going up 14-0 early on thanks to the classic Petrino opening script, but it wasn’t enough to see them through. Arkansas ended up losing by one point despite having a bit of a stranglehold on the game early, and the problem was exactly what it has been all year: turnovers.

Arkansas is an offensive machine if they don’t give the ball away, but they just can’t seem to help doing so. Every single time they’re close to a big win, they simply serve up the ball on a silver platter to the other team.

The only game in which they did not do that, of course, was against Texas A&M, when they were more dialed in and focused than they have been in any other game this year. As the losses pile up, though, you have to wonder if that focus is all but completely gone.

The Hogs head to Texas this week to try to get a rivalry win, but prospects seem dim. They have a dangerous enough offense to challenge anybody, but if they don’t take care of the ball, then no serious team needs to be scared of them— and I doubt Texas would be either.

11 - South Carolina

Despite the utter heartbreak that this was for South Carolina fans, there was also a glimpse of just how good this team could be if they actually played up to their potential. That’s probably actually an infuriating thing for Carolina fans, but it’s also good enough to move them up in this ranking.

LaNorris Sellers played his best game of the year, even though most of his good plays were concentrated in the first half. Nyck Harbor made a lot of noise in this game as well, pulling down some huge catches and scoring on an incredible catch and run.

A finally-healthy Dylan Stewart showed just how much of a game-wrecker he is, making lots of plays— even though they again mostly came in the first 30 minutes. This is a team that has three extremely highly athletically talented players that can win a game almost all by themselves— which is almost what we saw, and is something that is not present in any other conference.

The Gamecocks are now out of bowl contention after this disastrous meltdown, and it will be interesting to see how hard they play against Coastal and Clemson. Will Shane Beamer be out the door soon? We’ll have to see.

10 - Auburn

The Tigers had the week off to heal up from the wounds of this last stretch that was so deleterious for their program. Head coach DJ Durkin does seem to have injected some life into this program, evidenced by their pushing a top-25 Vanderbilt team to the limit on the road, but if they don’t get a win or two to show for it, it will be for naught.

The obvious candidate is the Iron Bowl. With this off week and a game against Mercer next week, you can bet that preparations have already begun for that pivotal contest.

The stakes in that one will be asymmetrical, but still quite high on both sides. The Tigers are looking to spoil a potential College Football Playoff appearance for their chief rivals, as well as get to bowl eligibility themselves, while this game for the Tide could quickly become a referendum on their head man.

The Tigers have the ability to pull off that win, without a doubt, and they’ve pushed much better Alabama teams to the limit when in Jordan-Hare the last two times. This will be a game to watch closely when rivalry weekend rolls around.

9 - LSU

The Tigers were forced to start backup quarterback Michael Van Buren in this game after it became clear that the nagging injury that continues to affect Garrett Nussmeier is not going to go away. He was benched last week in one of the more awkward eventualities we’ve seen this college football season, given everything that was said about him coming into the year.

They eked out a one-point win over the Arkansas Razorbacks at home in a rare early-day Death Valley game, winning the turnover margin by 3 in the process. It was the first win as an LSU starter for Van Buren, and though he delivered the W, it was not immediately clear that he was better than Nussmeier.

All the same concerns still remain with this LSU team as they move towards the end of the season. They had trouble defending Taylen Green as a mobile quarterback, and they had a pretty poor day running th ball themselves.

This was maybe the worst Power 4 defense they’ll face all year, and they racked up only 390 total yards on 70 plays. It was far from convincing, and the concern this team keeps registering is why they moved down this week.

8 - Tennessee

I thought about taking points off for Tennessee for their ugly uniforms alone, but I decided against it in the name of honor and fairness. They do those gray ones like once a year, but they really looked awful with the mismatched pants in this one.

They took care of business against New Mexico State, which you should do, but that’s not always a given in the SEC, apparently! The Vols are all but completely eliminated from the College Football Playoff, but they could be in line for a decent bowl if they keep winning.

That will mostly come down to how they play against Vanderbilt on the final weekend of the year. The Commodores are vying for a playoff spot themselves, and are still a top-25 team— knocking them off would not only be satisfying for Tennessee fans, but quite the boon for their team.

A 9-3 finish would be pretty good for the Vols considering everything that happened in the offseason. I think most Tennessee fans would take that if you offered it to them in June or July— but right now, it simply doesn’t sound all that great.

7 - Vanderbilt

The Commodores had an off weekend after their game against Auburn as they prepare for their final two games of the year. They’ll host Kentucky next week before they venture to Neyland for what could possibly be their most difficult game of the season.

Vanderbilt is well-positioned to challenge for a College Football Playoff spot, and chaos in front of them would go a long way. They can’t love the result for the OU and Alabama game, but Texas going down in Athens is a plus for them (provided the committee slides them down properly).

Especially with a very poor ACC right now, the ‘Dores will probably need some help ahead of them. Oregon has some tougher games coming up, as does OU. It’s possible that the Tide could stumble again as well.

They need to win out, and do so impressively, as well as have some things fall their way here. They have a shot at the 12-team field, but it won’t be a shoo-in by any means.

6 - Missouri

Funnily enough, all of a sudden, when Missouri isn’t facing Texas A&M’s defense, Matt Zollers looks like a decent quarterback! Imagine that!

The Tigers are still an above-average SEC squad— they’re not the top of the first tier, but they’re pretty good. Fans pointing to their 2-3 conference record as some kind of proof that they’re actually a bad team are pretty ignorant.

They could finish with four losses, for sure— the Oklahoma game on the road will not be easy in the slightest next week— but this is by no means a bad team. They will most likely match up with some ACC or Big 10 squad with a similar record in bowl season and, despite some opt-outs, wipe the floor with them.

What their defense accomplished against the Bulldogs was really very impressive, especially considering what that offense has been able to do to other teams in the conference. They have a shot in Norman this upcoming week, even with Zollers starting at QB instead of Pribula.

5 - Alabama

When you follow a coach like Nick Saban, your margin for error is going to be extremely slim. Any and every loss will be over-analyzed and scrutinized, inevitably compared to the legend that came before you, even if fans know that’s not fair.

That comparison is not looking favorably upon Kalen DeBoer right now, as he suffers a second-straight loss to the Oklahoma Sooners. Combined with the Florida State loss earlier, and with the Iron Bowl now looming, things could get frightening quickly for DeBoer.

I say that because a trip to the College Football Playoff will be on the line for ‘Bama when they travel to Auburn here in a couple of weeks. If they fall in Jordan Hare to a mostly hapless (yet definitely skilled) Auburn team, the noise in Tuscaloosa will be hard to ignore.

For now, the Tide are alive. Two losses doesn’t knock them out of contention, but there are alarms blaring right now— especially given how poorly Ty Simpson played overall.

4 - Oklahoma

What can you say about this Sooners team? They’ve now won back to back road games against ranked teams (albeit benefitting from a bye in between), neither of which a lot of neutral fans thought they had a great shot at.

Those losses against Texas (which only looks more inexplicable by the day) and Ole Miss (which they had in hand at one point before failing to finish) will haunt them, without a doubt, but the difficulty of their schedule will help them mightily come selection Sunday.

This was the toughest game left on their schedule, and they’ve now come through with a win. If they can finish strong against Missouri and LSU at home— both of which are playing with their backup quarterbacks— they will be in the playoff.

It didn’t look like that would be a possibility only a few weeks ago when they fell at home to the Ole Miss Rebels with all of these games still yet to go. And yet, here we are. They may just be catching fire at the right time.

3 - Georgia

The first half for the Bulldogs was quite the statement in this one. They flexed their muscles offensively, rolling up touchdowns on each of their first two drives, putting the pressure on Texas right from the jump.

This was a big day from their defense as well, absolutely devouring the Texas offensive front time and time again. This is what you have to do when you’re facing a team of this caliber, of course, so you can’t overreact, but it says a lot about the Bulldogs that they took care of business.

I moved them down a slot since they shouldn’t quite have messed around with a team of this quality for so long, but they eventually pulled away, just like they did last week against Mississippi State. If Georgia wants to contend for championships, they need to dispatch with a squad like this earlier on— this wasn’t some virtuoso performance by their opponent or every bad break going against them, it was just some wheel-spinning on the Dawgs’ part.

All they can do at this point is wait and hope that the Aggies fall on Black Friday or that the Tide drop another game. If so, they’ll be in Atlanta with yet another chance to contend for a SEC title.

2 - Ole Miss

There was no shortage of discussion this entire week about this game for Ole Miss— but not because it was a ranked matchup or some kind of intriguing contest on the field, true though that latter factor may have been. Rather, it was because of the clear confidence by the Gator faithful that Lane Kiffin would be wearing their colors soon rather than the Rebel blue and red.

Whether that will come to pass remains to be seen. What we did see was his current team outlast an upstart Gators team that came in at the lowest point possible, despite three quarters of trading punches back and forth.

Florida got the ball only down three with precious little time left in the fourth quarter, but Ole Miss showed up big time to stymy their progress. They got the ball back, scored to go up 10, and from there it was over with only less than two minutes to go.

Despite the win, Rebel fans will be waiting out the rest of this regular season on pins and needles. They’re a near lock for the College Football Playoff at this point, with only a trip to Starkville left to navigate, but if Kiffin does indeed decide to depart, their season is essentially over.

1 - Texas A&M

What more can be said about the Aggies’ amazing comeback that hasn’t already been said? Texas A&M’s furious run in the second half makes them even more of a solid no. 1 in these rankings than they were previously, giving them a stranglehold on that ranking at this point.

Texas A&M is clearly a much better team than South Carolina, as we all knew heading into the game— with 9 games of experience on each side, that much was clear. It was set to be a story of how the Aggies responded to receiving a haymaker to the face, and they did exactly what they needed to do.

This is the final piece of the puzzle when it comes to the “styles” of winning for this Aggie team, as Brooks Austin said on Twitter. They’ve won shootouts, low-scoring fights, blowouts, won in tough road environments, and now they’ve had a massive comeback.

This Texas A&M team really can do it all. The confidence that this kind of game instills can hardly be expressed, and they will no doubt carry that confidence forward into the final stretch of this schedule.