The SEC may have taken a breather midweek, but the weekend brought plenty of drama-and some serious movement in the latest conference power rankings.
Florida now stands alone at the top. The Gators didn’t suit up during the week, but they made a loud statement on Saturday with an 86-67 win over Texas A&M. That performance was enough to solidify their spot as the unanimous No. 1 in this week’s SEC poll, earning all 11 first-place votes.
Here’s how the full poll shakes out:
- Florida (11)
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Vanderbilt
- Tennessee
- Texas A&M
- Alabama
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Texas
- Missouri
- Ole Miss
- LSU
- Mississippi State
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
While Florida held firm, it was Kentucky that made the biggest splash this week. The Wildcats climbed three spots after putting together a pair of impressive wins.
First came a 94-78 victory over Oklahoma on Wednesday, followed by a hard-fought 74-71 win over Tennessee on Saturday. That’s the kind of week that turns heads-and shifts rankings.
Arkansas also made a move, jumping up multiple spots thanks to a dominant 88-68 win over Mississippi State. The Razorbacks looked sharp on both ends of the floor, and they’re starting to build some momentum as we get deeper into conference play.
Oklahoma managed to climb a spot despite a midweek loss to Kentucky. The Sooners rebounded with a nail-biting 92-91 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday-a game that showed their resilience and ability to close out tight matchups.
On the flip side, Texas A&M took the biggest tumble. The Aggies dropped three spots after a rough week that included a 100-97 loss to Alabama on Wednesday and the aforementioned defeat at the hands of Florida. That’s a tough stretch, and it’s reflected in the rankings.
Vanderbilt also slipped after their one-point home loss to Oklahoma. The Commodores had a chance to solidify their top-four standing but couldn’t quite get it done in crunch time.
South Carolina rounded out the week’s downward movers, falling to the bottom of the poll after back-to-back losses-first to Texas (84-75) on Tuesday, then to Missouri (78-59) on Saturday. The Gamecocks are still searching for their footing in what’s shaping up to be a tough SEC slate.
Looking ahead, the upcoming schedule is stacked with intriguing matchups that could shake up the standings once again. Tuesday brings us Vanderbilt at Auburn and Arkansas at LSU. Wednesday’s slate features Florida at Georgia, Alabama at Ole Miss, Tennessee at Mississippi State, and Missouri at Texas A&M.
Saturday is where things really heat up. We’ll see Texas A&M at Vanderbilt, Kentucky visiting top-ranked Florida, Georgia at Oklahoma, LSU at Tennessee, Mississippi State at Ole Miss, Auburn at Arkansas, South Carolina at Alabama, and Texas at Missouri.
The SEC standings are still very much in flux, and with each passing game, teams are either tightening their grip on a top spot or scrambling to climb back into the mix. With Florida holding the crown for now, the rest of the pack is chasing-and the race is just getting started.