Georgia still owns the SEC, but the race behind the Bulldogs is getting a lot more interesting after Week 4. Florida made the biggest leap in these rankings, Mississippi State picked up a statement win, and Texas and Texas A&M both slid after another rough weekend.
At the top, Georgia remains the standard. The Bulldogs keep rolling through games while getting plenty of snaps for their backups, and right now it’s hard to see anyone knocking them off the conference perch. Still, the note that “stranger things have happened” hangs there for a reason.
Florida is the team making the loudest noise. The Gators jump to No. 4, and the buzz around them is real: “I'm hearing that the Gators are all of a sudden looking like Playoff contenders.”
Aaron Philo and Buster Faulkner are powering an offense that looks hard to slow down, with Dallas Wilson and Jadan Baugh adding even more punch. The defense, meanwhile, is “coming along nicely.”
That combination has Florida suddenly looking dangerous.
Ole Miss sits just ahead of the Gators at No. 5, but the question is whether the Rebels simply hit an emotional wall or whether Florida really is that good. The answer sounds like a little of both. Trinidad Chambliss should keep Ole Miss from falling too far, but the Gators’ rise is impossible to ignore.
Alabama checks in at No. 3 after Keelon Russell and company kept building momentum following a slower start. The Tide have tougher games coming, but for now they look like a team rounding into form.
LSU is right behind them at No. 2 after a big win helped get the Tigers back on track, though injuries are starting to pile up for Kiffin’s squad. They get McNeese this weekend, then head to Kentucky for what could be a tricky trip.
Mississippi State comes in at No. 6 after beating Missouri in one of the weekend’s sleeper games. The Bulldogs have a massive test ahead against Alabama at home, and a win there would launch them into the top 10 for the first time in years.
Missouri drops after taking its first loss of the season, though Eli Drinkwitz’s team was still solid for much of the game. Tennessee also falls after Faizon Brandon struggled to capitalize on chances against Texas, even while the Volunteers’ defense kept them in a very winnable home game. The quarterback showed flashes of what could be coming in a year or so, but he “was unable to capitalize on many opportunities” and “ran himself into sacks all day.”
Texas sits at No. 8, and the criticism is blunt: “At some point, people just need to recognize that Arch Manning doesn't have it.” Colin Simmons had a huge day, and Muschamp’s defense did what it does best against indecisive quarterbacks, but the offense remains a problem unless the Longhorns commit fully to a power run identity.
Texas A&M is down at No. 7 after falling well short of preseason expectations, though there are still signs of life. The run game held up against the nation’s top rush defense, and the defense fought in the first half. Arkansas comes to College Station this week, giving the Aggies a chance to build on those positives.
Oklahoma is 11th after looking “completely lost on offense” at Georgia. The defense did what it could, but it was too much to ask for that unit to carry everything by itself. The bye week gives the Sooners time to reset before Red River.
Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Auburn, South Carolina and Arkansas round out the bottom half of the rankings. Kentucky slipped a bit after last week’s overachieving performance, but there’s still real excitement around Will Stein and a chance to reach 4-1 with a trip to South Carolina.
Vanderbilt showed enough in Jordan-Hare to suggest the future is bright, with Jared Curtis continuing to impress when he gets his chances. Auburn’s defense, led by Xavier Atkins, has its moments, but the offense “doesn't look like it can scale very well with this personnel.”
South Carolina, meanwhile, is stuck in a rough stretch after the Alabama blowout and the suspension of Dylan Stewart, with LaNorris Sellers’ bounce-back season still not materializing. Arkansas stays last despite handling Tulsa, though Chris Marshall had a huge day and the trip to Texas A&M offers another shot at a surprise.
In Other News...
Johnny Manziel Just Said What Texas A&M Fans Are Fearing
Johnny Manziels postgame criticism landed with the kind of force only a former Texas A&M star can bring. After the loss to LSU, he took to social media to question what the Aggies are doing right now, and the reaction was not hard to understand. The offense has struggled to find rhythm, the defense has had its own issues, and the overall look has been of a team still searching for something steady to hang onto in SEC play.
For Aggies fans, the uncomfortable part is that the problems do not seem isolated to one side of the ball. Coaching, cohesion and the lack of a clear offensive identity have all become part of the conversation, with the running game looking like one area that could help set a tone if it ever gets going. Until then, the concern Manziel voiced is the same one hovering over the program: the season feels like it needs a reset, and there is no obvious sign yet of where that comes from. [Read more 🡒]
Mario Craver Is Giving Texas A&M Fans A New Reason To Vent
Texas A&Ms rocky start has already left Aggies fans looking for answers after two straight losses erased the momentum of a 2-0 opening, and now receiver Mario Craver has given them another topic to grumble about. The latest frustration came off the field, where Craver drew criticism on social media after liking Instagram photos of Peyton Blomquist, the Florida Gators fan who went viral during Floridas win over Ole Miss.
For a fan base already uneasy about the direction of the season, the timing could hardly be worse. Even a small social media gesture can become a talking point when a team is trying to steady itself, and Cravers online activity landed in the middle of a week when Texas A&M supporters were already searching for reasons to feel better about a 2-2 start. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Fans Wont Love What Elko Is Facing After LSU Loss
A rough night in Baton Rouge left Texas A&M searching for answers after a 35-6 loss to LSU dropped the Aggies to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play. The offense never found much rhythm, the defense spent too much time on its heels, and the kind of complementary football Mike Elko has been trying to build was nowhere to be found.
Marcel Reeds uneven performance only added to the frustration, but Elko said he is not changing the starting quarterback for now. For a fan base already uneasy about the early conference skid, the bigger concern may be how many areas need fixing at once, from protection and execution on offense to a defense that could not generate pressure or keep LSU from piling up passing yards. [Read more 🡒]