Week 10 shook up the SEC, and the fallout showed up again on Sunday when the new Super 16 poll dropped.
The conference had a rough-and-tumble weekend of crossover games that helped sort out the real College Football Playoff and SEC title threats from the teams slipping out of the picture. When the dust settled, five SEC programs had earned spots in the National Football Foundation’s latest top 16.
Georgia claimed the top spot in the new Super 16 poll, just as it did in Sunday’s AP Poll. The Bulldogs backed up that ranking with a blowout win at Ole Miss on Saturday night, and they remain the SEC’s lone one-loss team as Week 11 approaches. That performance also kept Georgia perched at No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches’ polls.
The SEC’s next representative doesn’t show up until No. 7, where Alabama landed after its own statement win on the road. The Crimson Tide went into Baton Rouge and beat LSU, leaving the Tigers on the edge of irrelevance in the Playoff conversation.
Alabama kicked off a run of three straight SEC teams in the poll. Texas checked in at No. 8, followed by Tennessee at No. 9.
Kentucky rounded out the league’s group of five, but the Wildcats took a hit after Saturday night’s loss at Tennessee. They dropped five places to No. 13.
With nearly a third of the poll occupied by SEC teams, here is how the full new Super 16 looked on Sunday:
In Other News...
Kentucky Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious After Tennessee Loss
Kentucky left Neyland Stadium with more than a loss on its hands, because the Wildcats also left with a long list of grievances about how the game was called. Two moments in particular stood out: a missed defensive pass interference against Tennessee near halftime and an offsides no-call on Tennessees Qua Moss in the third quarter, both of which had the feel of swings that could matter in a tight road game.
For a Kentucky team still alive with three games left, the frustration is easy to understand. The Wildcats have enough football remaining to keep chasing a College Football Playoff path if they can win out, but a defeat like this one lingers because it invites the question of what might have been had those calls gone the other way. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Biggest Concern From The Win Wont Go Away Before Kansas
James Madison kept firing away from deep against Kentucky, launching 45 three-pointers and tying a program record for most attempts by an opponent. The Wildcats still escaped with an 89-80 win by leaning on their interior scoring edge, but the game also exposed a familiar issue for a team trying to build momentum early in the season.
Perimeter defense is the part that will linger now, especially with Kansas next on the schedule. Kentucky can survive a night like this when its size and paint scoring hold up, but the margin gets much thinner if opponents keep getting that many clean looks from outside. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's Offense Leaves A Bigger Concern Than The Tennessee Loss
Kentuckys trip to Tennessee was supposed to be a measuring stick, and for three quarters it looked like the Wildcats might keep it close enough to make the finish interesting. Instead, the game unraveled late in a 34-6 loss that dropped Kentucky to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the SEC, with Tennessee putting up 21 points in the fourth quarter to turn a manageable night into a lopsided one.
The bigger concern for Kentucky may not be the final score so much as the offenses inability to keep pace when the game was still there to be won. Kenny Minchey finished 26 of 34 for 224 yards, and Willie Rodriguez led the pass catchers with six receptions for 81 yards, but those numbers never translated into enough points to threaten Tennessee down the stretch. For a team with SEC aspirations, the question now is whether this was just a bad night or a sign that the offense still has a ceiling to break through. [Read more 🡒]