If Week 2 was a chainsaw to the status quo, Week 3 was a total demolition derby that permanently altered the landscape of the conference.
We just witnessed a seismic shift in the hierarchy, highlighted by a high-stakes top-ten shootout in Oxford and an absolute shocker at Kyle Field that sent one of the league’s top preseason contenders into an unprecedented free-fall.
The phase of early-season tune-ups is officially over.
The harsh reality of SEC football has arrived.
Texas continued to look like the team to beat. Georgia once again looked nearly untouchable. Ole Miss officially crashed the top tier by taking down LSU in Oxford, while Alabama and Tennessee continued to strengthen their cases.
And then there was Texas A&M.
The Aggies entered the weekend sitting comfortably near the top of our rankings. They left it after being stunned at home by Kentucky, producing the biggest single-week collapse in our Week 4 rankings.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State continues to climb, Florida survived an absolute shootout at Auburn, Kentucky made perhaps the biggest leap of the week, and Oklahoma remains stuck in the middle of a conference hierarchy that is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate.
Heading into Week 4, the pretenders are being separated from the contenders—and there isn’t much room left for teams to hide.
Here’s how the Heartland Sports staff sees the SEC after a wild Week 3.
The Consensus SEC Power Rankings
Using our standard scoring system—16 points for a first-place vote, 15 for second, all the way down to 1 point for 16th—the Week 4 consensus rankings shake out like this:
| Rank | Team | Points | Caleb | Craig | Matt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 48 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Georgia | 45 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | 42 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Alabama | 39 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | LSU | 36 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 33 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Missouri | 28 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| 8 | Mississippi State | 25 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
| 9 | Florida | 24 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 22 | 11 | 8 | 10 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 18 | 10 | 12 | 11 |
| 12 | Texas A&M | 15 | 12 | 9 | 15 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 11 | 13 | 15 | 12 |
| 14 | Vanderbilt | 10 | 15 | 13 | 13 |
| 15 | Auburn | 9 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| 16 | Arkansas | 3 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
There is something notable about that table.
The top six are completely unanimous.
Every one of us has Texas first, Georgia second, Ole Miss third, Alabama fourth, LSU fifth and Tennessee sixth.
That’s about as much clarity as you’re going to get in a conference this chaotic.
The Individual Rankings
Caleb
- Texas | Texas remains No. 1 after beating Ohio State and then handling UTSA. The Longhorns have the strongest combination of résumé, talent, and early-season results.
- Georgia | Georgia has been extremely consistent, including a convincing win over Arkansas. The Bulldogs continue to look like one of the SEC’s most complete teams.
- Ole Miss | Ole Miss jumps into the top three after beating LSU. The Rebels have one of the strongest résumés in the country right now.
- Alabama
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Missouri
- Florida
- Mississippi State
- Oklahoma
- Kentucky
- Texas A&M
- South Carolina
- Auburn
- Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt is undefeated, but the résumé is still relatively light compared with the rest of the SEC. They need a major conference win to move higher.
- Arkansas | Arkansas sits at the bottom after a rough loss to Georgia. The Razorbacks need a strong response against SEC competition to climb out of last place.
Craig
- Texas | The Longhorns continue to impress and hold down the top spot in the conference and in the country. Tough matchup against Tennessee this week.
- Georgia | The Bulldogs look great on both sides of the ball. No one has given them any competition yet. It will be interesting to see this offense against the Oklahoma defense this week.
- Ole Miss | The Rebels took down LSU in Kiffin’s return and they looked pretty darn good while doing it. Ole Miss is a serious title contender.
- Alabama
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Missouri
- Kentucky
- Texas A&M
- Mississippi State
- Florida
- Oklahoma
- Vanderbilt
- Auburn
- South Carolina | Things are not going well in South Carolina for Shane Beamer’s team. The Gamecocks gave up a 16 point lead to Mississippi State.
- Arkansas | Got embarrassed so badly by Georgia that the Bulldogs were running drills on the sideline during timeouts. Yikes!
Matt
- Texas | There was no emotional hangover for the Longhorns following their legendary win over Ohio State. Arch Manning handled business smoothly in a 30-6 comfortable win over UTSA. The Longhorns firmly hold the No. 1 spot as they look completely balanced.
- Georgia | Kirby Smart took his squad into Fayetteville for their SEC opener and completely choked the life out of the Razorbacks in a 45-17 statement road victory. They stay locked at No. 2, showcasing the most reliable, terrifying defensive depth in the country.
- Ole Miss | In the most anticipated matchup of the weekend, the Rebels proved they belong in the national championship conversation by knocking off LSU 32-24. Trinidad Chambliss was spectacular, carving up the Tigers for 363 passing yards and accounting for three total scores.
- Alabama
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Mississippi State
- Florida
- Missouri
- Kentucky
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Vanderbilt
- Auburn
- Texas A&M | An absolute free-fall for the Aggies. Marcel Reed struggled severely to generate efficiency from the pocket, and the Aggies looked completely lost against the Wildcats’ physical lines. With a brutal schedule ahead, their playoff path has shrunk significantly.
- Arkansas | Coming off a blowout loss at Utah, the Hogs welcomed Georgia to town and were thoroughly dismantled 45-17. Running for just 17 yards on 20 attempts highlights an offensive line that is completely overwhelmed against Power Four competition. At 1-2, the Razorbacks look like a team staring down a very long, painful conference schedule.
The Top Tier: The SEC Finally Has Some Clarity
For the first time this season, there is virtually no debate among the three voters about the top of the conference.
Texas is No. 1 on all three ballots.
Georgia is No. 2 on all three.
Ole Miss is No. 3 on all three.
Alabama is No. 4 on all three.
LSU is No. 5 on all three.
Tennessee is No. 6 on all three.
That’s remarkable consistency in a conference that has produced chaos almost everywhere else.
1. Texas
Caleb:
Texas remains No. 1 after beating Ohio State and then handling UTSA. The Longhorns have the strongest combination of résumé, talent, and early-season results.
Craig:
The Longhorns continue to impress and hold down the top spot in the conference and in the country. Tough matchup against Tennessee this week.
Matt:
There was no emotional hangover for the Longhorns following their legendary win over Ohio State. Arch Manning handled business smoothly in a 30-6 comfortable win over UTSA. The Longhorns firmly hold the No. 1 spot as they look completely balanced.
There simply isn’t a disagreement here.
The Longhorns have the biggest résumé win in the conference after knocking off Ohio State, then avoided the classic post-upset letdown against UTSA.
Now comes the next test.
Tennessee represents Texas’ first opportunity to prove that the Ohio State victory wasn’t an isolated moment.
2. Georgia
Caleb:
Georgia has been extremely consistent, including a convincing win over Arkansas. The Bulldogs continue to look like one of the SEC’s most complete teams.
Craig:
The Bulldogs look great on both sides of the ball. No one has given them any competition yet. It will be interesting to see this offense against the Oklahoma defense this week.
Matt:
Kirby Smart took his squad into Fayetteville for their SEC opener and completely choked the life out of the Razorbacks in a 45-17 statement road victory. They stay locked at No. 2, showcasing the most reliable, terrifying defensive depth in the country.
The only thing separating Georgia from Texas right now is résumé.
The Bulldogs haven’t had the same signature victory, but they’ve been brutally consistent. And now Georgia gets Oklahoma in Athens, giving the Sooners a chance to dramatically alter the perception of the Bulldogs.
3. Ole Miss
Caleb:
Ole Miss jumps into the top three after beating LSU. The Rebels have one of the strongest résumés in the country right now.
Craig:
The Rebels took down LSU in Kiffin’s return and they looked pretty darn good while doing it. Ole Miss is a serious title contender.
Matt:
In the most anticipated matchup of the weekend, the Rebels proved they belong in the national championship conversation by knocking off LSU 32-24. Trinidad Chambliss was spectacular, carving up the Tigers for 363 passing yards and accounting for three total scores.
This is the biggest movement among the top teams.
Ole Miss was No. 6 for Matt last week, but all three voters now agree that the Rebels belong in the top three after beating LSU.
And they did it in the biggest game of the weekend.
Alabama and LSU: One Moves Up, One Moves Down
Alabama and LSU are separated by just three consensus points, but their trajectories couldn’t be more different.
Alabama moves up to No. 4 across the board after beating Florida State 50-36.
LSU falls from No. 3 to No. 5 after losing to Ole Miss.
That doesn’t mean the staff suddenly believes LSU isn’t a contender. In fact, all three still have the Tigers firmly inside the top five.
But Ole Miss now owns the head-to-head victory, and that matters.
Tennessee: No. 6 and Completely Unanimous
Tennessee is another fascinating case because there isn’t any disagreement whatsoever.
All three voters have the Volunteers sixth.
That comes after Tennessee handled Kennesaw State 42-9, but the bigger question is what happens next.
Tennessee hosts No. 1 Texas.
That’s the kind of game that can completely reshape these rankings again.
The Middle: Where the Real Arguments Begin
Once we get past Tennessee, the agreement starts to disappear.
Missouri is seventh for Caleb and Craig but ninth for Matt, while Mississippi State ranges from seventh to 10th.
Florida ranges from eighth to 11th.
Kentucky ranges from eighth to 11th.
This is where the SEC gets messy.
Mississippi State Is Starting to Force Its Way Up
Mississippi State is perhaps the most interesting team in this section.
Matt has the Bulldogs seventh.
Caleb has them ninth.
Craig has them 10th.
That’s still a relatively tight three-position range, but the direction is obvious.
Mississippi State is climbing.
The Bulldogs didn’t just beat South Carolina. They overcame a 16-point deficit and won 41-34.
That’s the type of conference performance that changes how a team is viewed.
Kentucky Made the Biggest Jump
Kentucky is another team that benefited dramatically from Week 3.
Craig has the Wildcats eighth.
Matt has them 10th.
Caleb has them 11th.
That’s a significant improvement from where Kentucky sat previously, and it is entirely driven by the 31-21 road win at Texas A&M.
That victory didn’t just give Kentucky another win.
It completely changed the conversation around both teams.
The Biggest Disagreement: Texas A&M
No team created more disagreement among the three ballots than Texas A&M.
Caleb has the Aggies 12th.
Craig has them 9th.
Matt has them 15th.
That’s a six-position gap from highest to lowest.
And there’s a reason.
Texas A&M was sitting at No. 4 on Matt’s previous rankings before getting stunned by Kentucky.
The Aggies now have to answer a very difficult question: Was the Kentucky loss an isolated disaster, or did it expose larger problems that will follow them through SEC play?
Matt’s ranking reflects the latter.
Craig is considerably more forgiving, leaving Texas A&M inside the top 10.
Caleb lands in the middle.
The consensus score of just 15 points drops the Aggies all the way to No. 12.
That’s the largest fall on the Week 4 board.
Oklahoma Remains Stuck in the Middle
Oklahoma doesn’t move dramatically in any direction.
Caleb has the Sooners 10th.
Matt has them 11th.
Craig has them 12th.
That produces a consensus ranking of No. 11.
The frustrating part for Oklahoma is that the Sooners have an opportunity sitting directly in front of them.
Georgia.
After the ugly 14-6 win over New Mexico, Oklahoma doesn’t have much room for error heading into Athens.
A strong performance against the Bulldogs would immediately change the conversation.
A poor one would reinforce the idea that Oklahoma belongs somewhere in this middle tier rather than among the conference’s true contenders.
The Bottom Tier
There is one point of complete agreement here as well.
Arkansas is No. 16 on every ballot.
Caleb:
Arkansas sits at the bottom after a rough loss to Georgia. The Razorbacks need a strong response against SEC competition to climb out of last place.
Craig:
Got embarrassed so badly by Georgia that the Bulldogs were running drills on the sideline during timeouts. Yikes!
Matt:
Coming off a blowout loss at Utah, the Hogs welcomed Georgia to town and were thoroughly dismantled 45-17. Running for just 17 yards on 20 attempts highlights an offensive line that is completely overwhelmed against Power Four competition. At 1-2, the Razorbacks look like a team staring down a very long, painful conference schedule.
Arkansas receives just three total consensus points.
That’s because all three voters placed the Razorbacks 16th.
South Carolina’s Slide
South Carolina is another team trending in the wrong direction.
Craig has the Gamecocks 15th, while Caleb has them 13th and Matt 12th.
Craig explained his ranking:
Things are not going well in South Carolina for Shane Beamer’s team. The Gamecocks gave up a 16 point lead to Mississippi State.
The loss to Mississippi State erased much of the momentum South Carolina had built earlier in the season.
Auburn Falls, Florida Survives
Auburn fell to No. 14 in the consensus rankings after losing 44-39 to Florida.
The Gators, meanwhile, rise to No. 9.
Caleb and Matt both have Florida eighth, while Craig has the Gators 11th.
That three-position disagreement reflects the nature of the game itself.
Florida won, but allowing 39 to Auburn leaves plenty of questions.
Still, a road win in the SEC is a road win, and Florida’s position in these rankings reflects that.
Where We Agree
The most striking feature of the Week 4 rankings is how much agreement exists at the top.
Complete agreement
All three voters have the same ranking for:
- Texas — No. 1
- Georgia — No. 2
- Ole Miss — No. 3
- Alabama — No. 4
- LSU — No. 5
- Tennessee — No. 6
- Arkansas — No. 16
Seven teams have identical rankings across all three ballots.
That’s a huge amount of consensus.
Close agreement
The next group is still relatively tight:
- Missouri: 7, 7, 9
- Mississippi State: 9, 10, 7
- Florida: 8, 11, 8
- Kentucky: 11, 8, 10
- Oklahoma: 10, 12, 11
- Vanderbilt: 15, 13, 13
- Auburn: 14, 14, 14
For the most part, we’re arguing about a few spots rather than completely different tiers.
Where We Were Way Off
There is one clear outlier.
Texas A&M.
The Aggies occupy three completely different worlds:
- Caleb: 12th
- Craig: 9th
- Matt: 15th
That six-position gap is easily the largest disagreement on the board.
The other notable differences are Mississippi State, Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina, each of which has a three-position spread between the highest and lowest ballot.
But even those disagreements pale in comparison to what happened to Texas A&M.
And that’s what makes the Week 4 rankings so interesting.
The top six may finally be taking shape.
Everything behind them remains up for grabs.
The Week 4 SEC Board
The conference has gone from preseason projections to résumé-based rankings remarkably quickly.
Texas has the résumé.
Georgia has the consistency.
Ole Miss has the signature victory.
Alabama and Tennessee continue to build.
LSU has taken its first significant hit.
Mississippi State and Kentucky are climbing.
Florida is surviving.
Oklahoma is waiting for its opportunity.
And Texas A&M has gone from one of the conference’s most highly regarded teams to one of its biggest question marks in a single Saturday.
Then there’s Arkansas, sitting at the bottom and desperately needing something to change.
The SEC doesn’t get any easier from here.
In fact, it’s about to get much harder.
And with Texas heading to Knoxville, Oklahoma traveling to Athens and the middle of this conference still completely unsettled, there’s a very good chance these rankings look dramatically different again next week.
That’s the SEC.
One week can change everything.