SEC Power Rankings: Week 5

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Hey guys! Welcome to the week five SEC Power Rankings.

Before we start, there’s a lot going on in the world right now. Take a moment to pray, to think, to reflect, or to just appreciate who and what you have in your life. Don’t dwell on the act of an evil person, but instead, focus on the heroics of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the face of danger. Look at the long lines at blood drives, the funds overflowing with money for victims, and the outpouring of support for our fellow men. When it’s dark, look for the light. Remember that the good in the world vastly outweighs the bad.

My job with this article is to entertain you, and give you something to do when you’re pretending to work on a Thursday. I will do my best to provide an escape and entertain. With that in mind, let’s head to the rankings.

1. Alabama – Another week, another statement by the Tide. Nick Saban and company absolutely dominated Ole Miss for four solid quarters. Jalen Hurts has improved, the running backs look sharp, and even the reserves are phenomenal. There’s still plenty of season left, but if the Tide continues to stay this dominant, who can challenge them? They head to College Station this Saturday.

2. Georgia – Another team with a statement win, the Bulldogs embarrassed the Vols in Neyland Stadium. Georgia is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the East, and should cruise to Atlanta. With Eason being healthy again, Kirby Smart has two capable QBs on the roster, but should continue with Jake Fromm (State Farm). They travel to Vanderbilt this weekend.

3. Auburn – With an impressive beat down of Mississippi State, the Tigers are sitting at 4-1, with their only loss coming from Clemson. Kerryon Johnson is a bruising RB that has been punishing defenses in the last two weeks. Auburn needs to keep putting together impressive performances and improving, since Georgia and Alabama still loom on the schedule. The Tigers seem like the biggest threat to the top two contenders. They host Ole Miss this Saturday.

4. Florida – I’ll finally admit that Florida looked better against Vanderbilt on Saturday. I’m not ready to admit that they are a great team. The rushing attack also showed up for the Gators. Will they continue the trend? They’ll need more consistent QB play if Florida wants to make it to Atlanta. They host LSU on Saturday.

5. Texas A&M – So, the team I thought was dead in the water is 4-1 with 2 SEC wins? Will I admit that I’m wrong? Of course not. I’m still waiting on that patented midseason collapse. I will, however, give the Aggies credit for exceeding expectations five weeks into the season. We’ll see if they can stay hot enough to save Kevin Sumlin’s job. The first big test will be Saturday when Alabama comes to town.

6. Kentucky – Speaking of 4-1 teams, Kentucky keeps sneaking out wins. Barring a terrible last two minutes against Florida, the Wildcats could be 5-0! I’m not saying they’re a great team, or that they’ll beat Georgia, but Kentucky will definitely be bowl eligible this season. They should notch a win this weekend when they welcome Missouri.

7. Mississippi State – Another blowout loss for the Bulldogs. As my friend Jake pointed out (hey Jake!): “They are who we thought they are.” Mississippi State has been thrashed in the last two weeks. The Bulldogs go how Nick Fitzgerald goes, and he was completely shut down. In short, the Bulldogs have been exposed as one dimensional. Fortunately, they head to a bye week to figure it out.

8. Vanderbilt – For the second week in a row, the Commodores were handed a rough beating. The solid defense from two weeks ago still hasn’t recovered from the Alabama game. Kyle Shurmur continues to play well, but will need some support from the other side of the ball. Fortunately for Vanderbilt, their 4-week gauntlet ends this week. Unfortunately, they welcome a red-hot Georgia.

9. South Carolina – The loss of Deebo Samuel has never been more obvious. Without him, the Gamecocks offense looks stagnant. Jake Bentley hasn’t been playing at a high level, while the defense continues to give up big plays. With this kind of lackluster play, bowl eligibility isn’t a certainty. They’ll need a win against Arkansas this weekend.

10. Arkansas – The Razorbacks took full advantage of a scrimmage style game against New Mexico State. Austin Allen finally played a complete game and had the offense firing on all cylinders. The defense, however, still seemed to lack the dominance it should have displayed against an inferior opponent. They’ll need to keep the momentum as they travel to South Carolina.

11. LSU – Goodness gracious, LSU, what happened? The Tigers paid Troy over $900,000 to come beat them on homecoming. Here’s the thing: the Tigers have the talent. So what’s wrong? Maybe Orgeron wasn’t the man for the job. According to sources at LSU, they’ve had multiple meetings, but no word of practices. Meetings don’t get you ready for games, so this could be ugly for the Tigers when they head to the Swamp.

12. Tennessee – Another downward spiral, the Vols were shutout at home for the first time in decades. Butch Jones seems to have lost the faith of the fan base, and possibly the locker room. The writing is on the wall, even if Butch doesn’t want to read it. He’ll need to find some magic, and find it fast to save his job. The bye week couldn’t come at a better time.

13. Ole Miss – The Rebels are probably still reeling from a 66-3 beat down courtesy of Alabama. With no bowl eligibility to strive for, Ole Miss will continue to flounder in this lost season. Expect another heavy loss when they travel to Auburn.

14. Missouri – The bye week was the best week Missouri has had all season.

Have a great week folks! Poppa Bear loves you.

Poppa Bear is the lead SEC contributor for the SoBros Network, and serves as our resident expert on the human anatomy, fixin’ stuff, and tomatoes. Follow on Twitter:@SoBroPoppaBear

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