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2026 SEC Week 3 Power Rankings: Texas Takes the Throne as the SEC’s Hierarchy Takes Shape

M. Hofeld
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If Week 1 was a feeling-out process, and Week 2 was a chainsaw to the status quo, Week 3 is about figuring out which changes are real.

The SEC has already given us a little bit of everything. Texas erased a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit against No. 1 Ohio State to produce the most impressive victory on the conference résumé. Georgia responded by hanging 70 points on Western Kentucky. LSU continued its offensive assault, while Tennessee emerged as a legitimate contender behind a freshman quarterback.

And then there is the middle of the conference, where almost nothing is settled.

Mississippi State went from No. 16 on Matt’s board to No. 9 after winning at Minnesota. Missouri has quietly climbed. Florida, South Carolina and Oklahoma have all moved in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Arkansas has gone from a preseason question mark to the consensus No. 16 team after getting demolished at Utah.

That’s what makes these rankings so fascinating entering Week 3. We’re no longer ranking what we thought these teams would be. We’re beginning to rank what they’ve actually shown us.

The top three have emerged as the SEC’s early heavyweight class. But from No. 4 down, the differences between our boards reveal just how unsettled this conference remains.

The Consensus SEC Power Rankings

Using our three individual ballots, each first-place vote is worth 16 points, second is worth 15, all the way down to one point for 16th.

RankTeamPointsCalebCraigMatt
1Texas48111
2Georgia45222
3LSU41433
4Ole Miss36546
5Alabama35655
6Tennessee34377
7Texas A&M34764
8Missouri27888
9Oklahoma209913
10Florida18131010
11South Carolina17111211
12Auburn16101312
13Mississippi State1615119
14Kentucky9121515
15Vanderbilt7161414
15Arkansas5141616

The Top Tier: Texas Takes the Throne

1. Texas Longhorns

Caleb:

Texas | The Longhorns have earned No. 1 after an incredible comeback against Ohio State. Coming back from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to win 24–23 is the best résumé win in the SEC so far. Arch Manning showed tremendous poise, and Texas is now No. 1 in the country.

Craig:

Texas | The Longhorns erased a 20 point deficit to beat #1 Georgia. There’s no doubt they’re deserving of the top spot in the rankings.

Matt:

Texas | The absolute definition of a statement win. Arch Manning solidified his Heisman resume early by orchestrating a stunning, legendary fourth-quarter comeback. Down by 20 points, the Longhorns reeled off 21 unanswered points. They reclaim the throne because nobody in the country has a better win right now.

There isn’t much debate here.

All three of us have Texas No. 1.

That’s significant because Texas isn’t sitting at the top because of preseason expectations anymore. The Longhorns actually went out and produced the defining victory of the young season.

Arch Manning and Texas now have the kind of résumé that can support the No. 1 ranking rather than simply justify it on paper.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Caleb:

Georgia | Georgia hasn’t had the huge signature win Texas has, but the Bulldogs continue to look like one of the most complete teams in college football. They’re still No. 2 nationally, and there’s no reason to drop them after two weeks.

Craig:

Georgia | Tough luck for Georgia dropping a spot after scoring 70 in a 50 point win. This team is very good, but doesn’t have the signature win that Texas has.

Matt:

Georgia | Kirby Smart’s team didn’t just win; they sent a terrifying message to the rest of the country by hanging a 70-spot on a decent Western Kentucky team. The offense is clicking on all cylinders, and the depth is suffocating. They slide past LSU, in my rankings, purely because the sheer style points of a 70-20 throttling cannot be ignored.

Again, there is virtually complete agreement.

Georgia is No. 2 on all three ballots.

The reasoning is slightly different, but the conclusion is identical: Georgia remains one of the most complete teams in America, while Texas has simply earned the résumé advantage after Week 2.

3. LSU Tigers

Craig:

LSU | Lane Kiffin has the Tigers rolling and now they’ll head into his former home at Ole Miss. Kiffin has always done a great job at preventing outside noise from distracting his team. He will need that and then some for this matchup.

Matt:

LSU | Lane Kiffin’s squad did exactly what they were supposed to do, coasting to a 45-14 victory over Louisiana Tech behind a strong night from quarterback Sam Leavitt. They only drop to No. 3 because Texas pulled off an all-time classic, and Georgia scored at will. LSU is still a Ferrari, but the top of this conference is a game of fine margins.

Here’s where the first major split appears.

Craig and Matt both have LSU No. 3. Caleb has Tennessee No. 3 and LSU No. 4.

And that’s not a disagreement over LSU’s quality as much as it is about how quickly we’re willing to elevate Tennessee.

LSU has already delivered a major statement against Clemson and followed it up with another convincing win. Caleb, meanwhile, is buying into what Tennessee has shown offensively and the potential of Faizon Brandon.

The next few weeks should tell us whether Tennessee belongs in this top tier or whether Caleb’s aggressive placement proves premature.

The SEC Middle: Where the Debate Gets Interesting

The consensus has Ole Miss at No. 4, Alabama at No. 5, Tennessee at No. 6 and Texas A&M at No. 7.

But look at the ballots.

Ole Miss: 4, 5, 6
Alabama: 5, 6, 5
Tennessee: 3, 7, 7
Texas A&M: 7, 6, 4

That’s an important distinction.

The consensus says these teams are relatively close together, but our individual ballots reveal that we aren’t necessarily seeing the same teams the same way.

Caleb is the believer in Tennessee.

Matt is the believer in Texas A&M.

Craig is the middle ground on both.

Ole Miss, meanwhile, is the most consistently ranked team in this group, never falling below sixth.

8. Missouri

This might be the quietest consensus agreement lower on the board.

All three of us have Missouri No. 8.

That’s not necessarily because Missouri has done something spectacular. It’s because we’ve reached essentially the same conclusion about where the Tigers belong in the SEC’s current middle tier.

There isn’t a huge argument here. Missouri has done enough to remain ahead of the pack below it, but hasn’t yet forced its way into the upper tier.

The Biggest Disagreement: Oklahoma

Oklahoma is where the Week 2 results really split us.

Caleb: No. 9
Craig: No. 9
Matt: No. 13

The Sooners remain relatively high on Caleb and Craig’s boards despite the 17-10 loss at Michigan.

Matt is much less forgiving.

That makes Oklahoma one of the most interesting teams on this entire ranking because the disagreement isn’t about whether the Michigan loss happened. It’s about how much that loss should change our perception of Oklahoma.

Caleb and Craig are essentially saying the Sooners’ overall team remains good enough to survive one difficult road loss.

Matt is treating the loss as a more significant indicator of Oklahoma’s offensive limitations.

That’s a debate that will probably resolve itself quickly once SEC play begins.

The Mississippi State Surge

Perhaps no team has generated a bigger philosophical disagreement than Mississippi State.

Caleb: 15
Craig: 11
Matt: 9

That’s a six-position difference from top to bottom.

And it comes almost entirely down to how much weight we are willing to put on the Bulldogs’ 38-13 road win at Minnesota.

Matt has already moved Mississippi State from No. 16 to No. 9.

Craig has them at No. 11.

Caleb is still waiting.

His argument is straightforward: the Bulldogs are 2-0, but their résumé hasn’t yet proven they can compete with SEC opponents.

This is exactly the kind of disagreement power rankings are supposed to expose.

If Mississippi State continues winning once conference play begins, Caleb’s No. 15 ranking will look increasingly difficult to defend. If the Bulldogs struggle against SEC competition, Matt’s aggressive leap will look premature.

For now, Mississippi State is the biggest wild card on the board.

The Bottom Tier

15. Vanderbilt

Caleb:

Vanderbilt -Vanderbilt is also 2–0, but I don’t think they’ve shown enough yet to rank them above the other SEC teams. Their win over Delaware was solid, but they still have to prove they can compete with the stronger teams in the conference.

There is actually less disagreement here than the raw numbers suggest. Craig and Matt both have Vanderbilt 14th, while Caleb is considerably lower.

The common thread is that Vanderbilt hasn’t yet provided enough evidence to move into the SEC’s middle class.

16. Arkansas Razorbacks

Caleb:

Arkansas-Arkansas snapped a 10 game losing streak with a 31-14 win over North Alabama. Happy for them, but not enough to get out of last place in my rankings.

Craig:

Arkansas – Absolutely embarrassed by Utah in week two. This Arkansas team is bad!

Matt:

Arkansas Razorbacks | A brutal weekend for the Hogs. After a lackluster Week 1, traveling to Salt Lake City went about as poorly as possible as they were thoroughly dismantled by Utah in a 43-10 blowout.

This is another area of overwhelming agreement.

Craig and Matt both have Arkansas No. 16, while Caleb has them 14th.

And there is a clear reason for the separation: Week 2 exposed Arkansas against Utah in a way that Week 1 didn’t.

Where We Agree — And Where We Don’t

The most striking thing about this week’s rankings is how much agreement exists at the very top.

Complete agreement

Those three teams are essentially consensus teams at this point.

Close agreement

The next group is tightly packed:

The consensus ranking smooths out those differences, but Tennessee and Texas A&M are particularly interesting because one of us has each team substantially higher than the other two.

Biggest disagreements

Mississippi State: 9 vs. 11 vs. 15

The Bulldogs’ 2-0 start has forced a philosophical question: should power rankings reward what a team has actually accomplished, or wait for better competition?

Oklahoma: 9 vs. 9 vs. 13

Two of us view the Michigan loss as a bump in the road. One sees it as a warning sign.

Vanderbilt: 14 vs. 14 vs. 16

There isn’t much separation here, but Caleb’s placement reflects his belief that Vanderbilt has yet to prove enough.

Tennessee: 3 vs. 7 vs. 7

This might be the most fascinating disagreement of the week. Caleb is already treating the Volunteers as a legitimate SEC contender. Craig and Matt aren’t ready to make that leap yet.

The Week 3 Board

For the first time this season, the SEC Power Rankings have a clearly defined top.

Texas. Georgia. LSU.

After that?

That’s where the arguments begin.

The Longhorns have the résumé. Georgia has the overwhelming talent and consistency. LSU has already delivered the biggest blowout against a major opponent. Tennessee is emerging. Texas A&M remains dangerous. Alabama is Alabama. Ole Miss is quietly sitting in the middle of all of it.

And lurking behind them are teams like Oklahoma, Missouri and Mississippi State, each carrying very different questions into the next stage of the season.

The SEC isn’t settled.

But after two weeks, we finally have a much better idea of where the fault lines are.

The Individual Rankings

Caleb

  1. Texas | The Longhorns have earned No. 1 after an incredible comeback against Ohio State. Coming back from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to win 24–23 is the best résumé win in the SEC so far. Arch Manning showed tremendous poise, and Texas is now No. 1 in the country.
  2. Georgia | Georgia hasn’t had the huge signature win Texas has, but the Bulldogs continue to look like one of the most complete teams in college football. They’re still No. 2 nationally, and there’s no reason to drop them after two weeks.
  3. Tennessee | Tennessee has impressed me on offense, especially with freshman QB Faizon Brandon. The Vols look like a legitimate playoff contender and have enough talent on both sides of the ball to challenge for the SEC.
  4. LSU
  5. Ole Miss
  6. Alabama
  7. Texas A&M
  8. Missouri
  9. Oklahoma
  10. Auburn
  11. South Carolina
  12. Kentucky
  13. Florida
  14. Arkansas
  15. Mississippi State | Mississippi State is 2–0, but I need to see the Bulldogs against SEC competition before I move them higher. Their record is good, but their résumé isn’t strong enough yet.
  16. Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt is also 2–0, but I don’t think they’ve shown enough yet to rank them above the other SEC teams. Their win over Delaware was solid, but they still have to prove they can compete with the stronger teams in the conference.

Craig

  1. Texas | The Longhorns erased a 20 point deficit to beat #1 Georgia. There’s no doubt they’re deserving of the top spot in the rankings.
  2. Georgia | Tough luck for Georgia dropping a spot after scoring 70 a 50 point win. This team is very good, but doesn’t have the signature win that Texas has.
  3. LSU | Lane Kiffin has the Tigers rolling and now they’ll head into his former home at Ole Miss. Kiffin has always done a great job at preventing outside noise from distracting his team. He will need that and then some for this matchup. 
  4. Ole Miss
  5. Alabama
  6. Texas A&M
  7. Tennessee
  8. Missouri
  9. Oklahoma
  10. Florida
  11. Mississippi State
  12. South Carolina
  13. Auburn
  14. Vanderbilt
  15. Kentucky | Kept it close early against Alabama, but ultimately got blown out. Probably how most of their conference games will look this season.
  16. Arkansas | Absolutely embarrassed by Utah in week two. This Arkansas team is bad!

Matt

  1. Texas | The absolute definition of a statement win. Arch Manning solidified his Heisman resume early by orchestrating a stunning, legendary fourth-quarter comeback. Down by 20 points, the Longhorns reeled off 21 unanswered points. They reclaim the throne because nobody in the country has a better win right now.
  2. Georgia | Kirby Smart’s team didn’t just win; they sent a terrifying message to the rest of the country by hanging a 70-spot on a decent Western Kentucky team. The offense is clicking on all cylinders, and the depth is suffocating. They slide past LSU purely because the sheer style points of a 70-20 throttling cannot be ignored.
  3. LSU | Lane Kiffin’s squad did exactly what they were supposed to do, coasting to a 45-14 victory over Louisiana Tech behind a strong night from quarterback Sam Leavitt. They only drop to No. 3 because Texas pulled off an all-time classic, and Georgia scored at will. LSU is still a Ferrari, but the top of this conference is a game of fine margins.
  4. Texas A&M
  5. Alabama
  6. Ole Miss
  7. Tennessee
  8. Missouri
  9. Mississippi State
  10. Florida
  11. South Carolina
  12. Auburn
  13. Oklahoma
  14. Vanderbilt
  15. Kentucky | Opening up the SEC slate against Alabama is always a tough draw, and the Wildcats found out the hard way in a 45-17 loss. While they clearly aren’t a finished product and struggled to stop the Crimson Tide down the stretch, they remain out of the bottom of the cellar because their loss came at the hands of a top-15 conference heavyweight rather than an embarrassing non-conference showing.
  16. Arkansas | A brutal weekend for the Hogs. After a lackluster Week 1, traveling to Salt Lake City went about as poorly as possible as they were thoroughly dismantled by Utah in a 43-10 blowout.
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