POWER RANKINGS
Breaking down the SEC
1. Alabama (8-0): It’s an open week for Alabama to heal its bumps and bruises and let the offense catch its breath.
2. LSU (7-1): The Tigers move up two notches because the Birmingham Illuminati have deemed it shall be so.
3. Florida (6-1): Not supposed to call it the Outdoor Cocktail Party any more, but this is the biggest Liquid Refreshment game in years.
4. Georgia (6-1): The Bulldogs didn’t play last week but dropped two spots because there isn’t any buzz about them for some reason.
5. Texas A&M (5-2): The Aggies could take a big step toward a prominent bowl with a win over MSU.
6. Kentucky (6-1): The Wildcats still have a shot at their first SEC East title and a trip to Atlanta that could be a dream or a nightmare.
7. Mississippi State (4-3): If Dan Mullen agrees to return Mississippi State’s 2017 offense to Starkville, MSU will pay all shipping costs.
8. Auburn (5-3): If the truck carrying the 2017 Mullen offense from Gainesville to Starkville travels on I-85, Gus should hijack it.
9. Missouri (4-3): No one noticed, but Missouri’s win over Memphis was better than SEC fans might think.
10. South Carolina (3-3): Sometimes movies come to the cinema for a week, run a month on cable and are forgotten, which is South Carolina vs. Tennessee in a nutshell
11. Ole Miss (5-3): It looks like Ole Miss has run out of gas and hopes it can coast downhill to the Egg Bowl.
12. Tennessee (3-4): As bad as the Third Saturday in October was, don’t be surprised if the Vols bounce back this week.
13. Vanderbilt (3-5): The Commodores have stayed out of the Power Rankings basement so far, but the door is wide open this week.
14. Arkansas (2-6): By small steps, the Razorbacks are getting better, as the shutout of Tulsa showed.