SEC Power Rankings – Week 3: The Debate Heats Up

Through two weeks, the SEC already looks as unpredictable as ever — and our weekly power rankings reflect that. As always, our system tallies the composite votes from all three of us — Caleb, Craig and Matt — to give a big-picture look at where each program stands. But just because we tally them doesn’t mean we agree. In fact, the fun comes in those spots where we don’t.

Georgia hangs on to the top spot for now, though LSU is right on their heels and making a strong case. Oklahoma’s impressive win over Michigan pushed the Sooners into a tie with Texas at No. 3, and down the board, Alabama and Ole Miss locked into a tie at No. 8. Ties aren’t unusual for us — they’ve become part of the character of these rankings.

And if you want a glimpse into how divided we can be, just look at South Carolina and Florida. Caleb and Craig see the Gamecocks as a Top-5 team, while Matt has them closer to the bottom half. Meanwhile, Florida’s shocking loss to South Florida sent them tumbling, but even there, we’re split on just how low the Gators should go. On the other end of the spectrum, Vanderbilt has surprisingly been one of the easier teams to slot, thanks to a convincing road win over Virginia Tech.

So, buckle up — we’re only two weeks in, and the movement is already wild. Scroll down to see where every team landed in this week’s full set of rankings.

2025 Heartland Sports SEC Power Rankings – Week 3

Ranking	Points
1. Georgia	47
2. LSU	45
3. Oklahoma	41
3. Texas	41
5. Tennessee	33
6. Texas A&M	32
7. South Carolina	28
8. Alabama	26
8. Ole Miss	26
10. Missouri	22
11. Auburn	18
12. Vanderbilt	16
13. Mississippi State	13
14. Arkansas	11
15. Florida	5
16. Kentucky	4

Comparing Week 2 to Week 3

The Week 3 SEC Power Rankings brought plenty of movement compared to last week, highlighted by Oklahoma’s surge into a tie for third with Texas after knocking off Michigan. Florida, who held the No. 4 spot in Week 2, suffered the biggest fall, plummeting all the way to 15th after a stunning upset loss to South Florida. Tennessee made a strong climb as well, leaping from No. 8 to No. 5, while Vanderbilt continues to build momentum with a move from 13th into 12th.

Further down the list, Mississippi State showed signs of life with a notable rise from 15th to 13th, pushing Arkansas down a spot. Alabama and Ole Miss couldn’t be separated, both sitting tied for No. 8, while South Carolina held on at 7th. Georgia and LSU remain firmly entrenched at the top, but the shuffling behind them makes clear that the SEC’s middle tier is as volatile as ever.

Individual Rankings

Caleb 

1. LSU | With Florida coming to town next week we will see just how good this team is. Clemson struggling this past week has a lot of people are questioning just how good this team is, but the way that Nussmeir has been playing this team should not be doubted.

2. Georgia | The Bulldogs took care of business against Austin Peay. With a long rain delay, Georgia looked like they just wanted to get out of the game as quickly as possible.

3. Texas | The Longhorns had a good bounce back game against San Jose St. Texas has a couple of easy games back-to-back and should be able to find an identity on offense before Florida.

4. Oklahoma 

5. South Carolina 

6. Texas A&M

7. Tennessee

8. Alabama

9. Ole Miss

10. Auburn

11. Missouri

12. Vanderbilt

13. Arkansas

14. Mississippi State

15. Florida | The Gators looked like the 2024 team on Saturday, losing to South Florida. Florida’s next 3 games are against top 10 teams. We shall see how they hold up.

16. Kentucky | The Wildcats looked strong against Ole Miss, but failed to walk away with a win. While their passing game looked better its gonna take a lot for this team to find success.

Craig 

1. Georgia | The Bulldogs had one of the most vanilla wins you’ll ever see over Austin Peay. With a big matchup against Tennessee coming up, I assume Georgia didn’t want to show their cards very much. Should they still have won by a larger margin? Probably. 

2. LSU | After a huge win over Clemson last week, the Tigers beat Louisiana Tech by a mere 16 points. Likely a similar story to Georgia vs. Austin Peay, but you still have to wonder if the LSU offense is going to hinder their top tier defense. 

3. Texas | Hopes are still high in Austin after the Texas offense looked much better against San José State. However, questions are swirling around about the health of Arch Manning. 

4. Oklahoma 

5. South Carolina 

6. Tennessee 

7. Texas A&M 

8. Ole Miss

9. Missouri 

10. Alabama 

11. Auburn 

12. Vanderbilt 

13. Arkansas 

14. Mississippi State 

15. Kentucky | The Wildcats played well against Ole Miss but came up just short in the end. I think their ceiling is a lot higher than where they are currently. But, they have to be ranked here after being near the bottom already and suffering the first conference loss of the season. 

16. Florida | The Gators were favored by 18.5 points against South Florida. Well, that didn’t turn out so great. It doesn’t get any easier for Florida as they’ll now prepare to go on the road to face LSU. 

Matt

1. Georgia | Took care of Austin Peay 28–6. Not flashy, but the Bulldogs remain the class of the league.

2. Oklahoma | A 24–13 win over No. 15 Michigan is the SEC’s best victory of the week. John Mateer looks like the real deal.

3. LSU | Beat Louisiana Tech 23–7, but the offense wasn’t sharp. Still a contender, but OU jumps them.

4. Texas

5. Tennessee

6. Texas A&M

7. Alabama

8. Ole Miss

9. Missouri

10. Mississippi State

11. Vanderbilt

12. Auburn

13. South Carolina

14. Arkansas

15. Florida | Stunning 18–16 loss to South Florida sends the Gators tumbling. They look shaky.

16. Kentucky | Loss to Ole Miss keeps them in the basement. Escaping Toledo Week 1 plus this loss is a rough start.

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