SEC Power Rankings Week 5: Consensus, Clashes and a Clear No. 3

Another week of SEC football is in the books, and with it comes our latest round of Power Rankings. As always, these standings are compiled from the individual ballots of our three panelists — Caleb, Craig and Matt — who each rank all 16 teams from top to bottom. We then average the positions to produce one composite list. There are no ties again this week — that’s two straight weeks with a clean, one-through-16 pecking order — but the debates behind the scenes were anything but tidy.

In fact, the only place we were fully unanimous was LSU at No. 3. Everything else sparked at least some disagreement. We were relatively close on several teams — Georgia and Oklahoma at the top, Texas A&M in the No. 4 slot and Missouri floating around the middle. But the back half of the league exposed our biggest gaps. Caleb, Craig and Matt were miles apart on Auburn, Alabama and Vanderbilt, and the bottom trio (Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky) produced three very different visions of who really belongs in the cellar.

Below you’ll find the full Week 5 rankings with each of our individual ballots listed. Scroll down to see exactly where your team landed and how each of us voted — and, of course, to tell us where you think we got it right or wrong.

2025 Heartland Sports SEC Power Rankings – Week 5

Ranking	Points
1. Georgia	47
2. Oklahoma	46
3. LSU	42
4. Texas A&M	38
5. Texas	37
6. Tennessee	31
7. Ole Miss	30
8. Alabama	26
9. Missouri	24
10. Vanderbilt	20
11. Auburn	19
12. Mississippi State	16
13. South Carolina	14
14. Arkansas	7
15. Florida	6
16. Kentucky	5

Comparing Week 4 to Week 5

The top of the Heartland Sports SEC Power Rankings stayed mostly intact from Week 4 to Week 5, but there were some subtle shifts worth noting. Georgia and Oklahoma remain firmly entrenched as the league’s top two teams, with the Sooners even picking up a couple of additional points to close the gap on the Bulldogs. LSU held its ground at No. 3 but slipped a point in the voting, while Texas A&M and Texas kept their same spots at Nos. 4 and 5. The middle tier — Tennessee, Ole Miss and Alabama — is also unchanged in order, but Alabama lost a point in the composite and now sits just a hair closer to Missouri.

The more noticeable movement came in the back half of the rankings. Vanderbilt leapfrogged Auburn for the No. 10 spot after adding two points to its total, while Auburn slid two points and fell to No. 11. Mississippi State and South Carolina each gained a point, reflecting a slight uptick in confidence, whereas Arkansas lost two points but stayed at No. 14. Kentucky remains at the bottom but picked up a point as well. In short, Week 5 produced stability at the top but some jockeying for position in the league’s crowded middle and lower tiers.

Caleb 

1. Georgia | The Bulldogs got the week off as they prep for Bama.

2. Oklahoma | Oklahoma’s defense showed anyone who wanted to doubt just how good they are. The Sooners produced a 9 sack game, as they suffocated Auburn all day.

3. LSU | The Tigers had a pretty easy week where they got to try and find some rhythm heading into the rest of the season.

4. Texas A&M

5. Texas

6. Ole Miss

7. Tennessee

8. Aubrun

9. Alabama 

10. Missouri

11. Vanderbilt

12. Mississippi State

13. South Carolina 

14. Arkansas

15. Florida | A 1-3 start is not how I, and a lot of others, saw this Florida team starting off. With two Top 10 opponents coming up, its very easy seeing the Gators heading towards 1-5.

16. Kentucky | The Wildcats get to play a very underwhelming South Carolina team this week, and coming off a bye, Kentucky might just prove me wrong and show us they aren’t the bottom team in the SEC.

Craig

1. Oklahoma | The Sooners have two wins over top 25 teams. Their defense can compete with anyone, and the offense has found ways to win without playing to their potential. 

2. Georgia | No game this week for Georgia. They’ve got a tough one coming up against Alabama. 

3. LSU | The Tigers certainly passed the eye test, but I’m not sold on the quality of their wins just yet. 

4. Texas 

5. Texas A&M 

6. Tennessee 

7. Ole Miss

8. Missouri 

9. Vanderbilt 

10. Alabama 

11. Auburn 

12. South Carolina 

13. Mississippi State 

14. Kentucky 

15. Arkansas | All they had to do was kick a field goal to win, but they fumbled the ball trying to get a few extra yards. Back-to-back losses for the Razorbacks moves them near the bottom of my list. 

16. Florida | This is a bad football team. Only 33 points in the last three games for the Gators. 

Matt 

1. Georgia | Still the most complete roster, and an idle week doesn’t cost them the top spot. The Tennessee shootout lingers in the background, but no one else has done enough to leapfrog the Bulldogs.

2. Oklahoma | A gritty home win over Auburn isn’t flashy like the Temple rout, but it’s a quality SEC victory. The Sooners’ defense answered when it had to, keeping them narrowly ahead of LSU.

3. LSU | The Tigers finally got their offense clicking—but it came against an FCS opponent. The big win doesn’t move them ahead of OU yet; they’ll need to replicate that balance versus a Power Five team.

4. Texas A&M 

5. Texas 

6. Alabama 

7. Tennessee 

8. Ole Miss 

9. Missouri

10. Mississippi State

11. Vanderbilt 

12. South Carolina 

13. Auburn 

14. Florida 

15. Arkansas | Heartbreaking loss to Memphis drops them to the cellar. They’ve fought hard but have no notable wins.

16. Kentucky | An idle week, but earlier struggles (Toledo, loss to Ole Miss) plus Arkansas’s near-win in Memphis keep them pinned at the bottom for now.

Follow us on Instagram