SEC Rankings: Top 10 heading into Week 8
Boston Mountain Publishing, Thursday. October 20, 2022 2:05 PM
We have ranked the Top 10 SEC Teams through Week 7 and discuss their outlooks going forward.
SEC TEAM POWER RANKINGS
Game of the Week
Last Saturday night, Tennessee (6-0) hit the game winning field goal as the clock ran out against Alabama to remain undefeated on the season. Vols Fans rushed the field, lit up their cigars, tore down the goal posts and then threw them in the Tennessee River in a wild night in Knoxville. This was the Vols first victory over the Tide in 15 seasons.
Heading into Week 8, the SEC has 4 teams in the Top 10 and 6 teams in the Top 25.
Three teams are undefeated, both divisions are still up for grabs, and two players headline the Heisman race at the mid-way point in the 2022 season.
There are still several big games to be played, even bigger than last weekend's headline matchup.
SEC Top Games of the Week
Mississippi State @ Alabama
LSU @ Ole Miss
Texas A&M @ South Carolina
#10 - SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS 4-2
SEC EAST (1-2)
Coming out of their BYE Week, South Carolina has a tough matchup Saturday taking on Texas A&M at home. The Gamecocks have had an extra week to prepare for the Aggies, and if they can take this game, this would go a long way in Columbia.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#17 Fewest passing yards allowed per game (180)
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
Texas A&M (3-3)
@ South Carolina
Saturday October 29
Missouri Tigers (2-4)
@ South Carolina
#9 - TEXAS A&M AGGIES 3-3
SEC WEST (1-2)
Repeating from above, coming out of their BYE Week, Texas A&M has a tough matchup Saturday taking on South Carolina on the road. The Aggies have had an extra week to prepare for the Gamecocks and if they can take this game on the road, this could heal some of the wounds left behind after the Alabama loss 2 weeks ago.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#14 Fewest passing yards allowed per game (176)
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
Texas A&M
@ South Carolina (4-2)
Saturday October 29
Ole Miss (7-0)
@ Texas A&M
#8 - ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS 4-3
SEC WEST (1-3)
The running game is led by RB Raheim "Rocket" Sanders who is currently ranked 3rd in the nation and 1st in the SEC with 870 yards on the ground.
The toughest loss for the Razorbacks was against Texas A&M in Arlington, TX for the annual Southwest Classic. The Aggies have dominated the series at the neutral site rivalry game.
Mississippi St. looked impressive against the Hogs, relentless the entire game. The loss to Alabama was predictable. Last week's win over BYU in Provo allows the team to regroup this week while on a BYE week.
LB Drew Sanders leads the SEC with 7 sacks and is ranked 4th with 63 tackles.
DL Jordan Domineck is 3rd in the SEC with 5 sacks.
DB Dwight McGlothern ranks 2nd in the SEC with 3 INTs.
LB Bumper Pool is 3rd in the SEC with 66 tackles on the year.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#11 176 First Downs
#18 Rushing yards per game (240)
#18 Total Offense: yards per game (489)
#18 Completes 49% of their 3rd downs
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
BYE
Saturday October 29
Arkansas
@ Auburn (3-4)
#7 - MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS 5-2
SEC WEST (2-2)
This week is huge for the Bulldogs as they head to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. They have been putting up points in most of their games this year, just not last week as Kentucky contained the offense throughout the game. If Mississippi State can get the ball downfield in this game, they may have a chance against the Tide this weekend.
QB Will Rogers leads the SEC with 2,334 yards passing.
CB Emmanuel Forbes leads the conference with 5 INTs on the year.
LB Jeff Johnson ranks 3rd in the SEC with 67 tackles.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#4 Completion rate 71%
#8 Average passing yards per game (335)
#18 Competed 169 First Downs
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
Mississippi St
@ Alabama (6-1)
Saturday October 29
BYE
#6 - LSU TIGERS 5-2
SEC WEST (3-1)
This is a big week for Brian Kelly and his LSU Tigers as they play undefeated Ole Miss for an SEC West matchup. The Tigers have played better than most expected in Coach Kelly's first year. Their toughest loss of the year was the first game against Florida State. That game could have gone either way, but they did bounce back and are starting to come together. The Tennessee loss didn't help their cause, but the Tigers are still in the hunt for an SEC West title.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#21 167 First Downs
#24 Completes 48% of their 3rd downs.
#24 Completion rate 68% through the air
#24 Fewest passing yards allowed per game (192)
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
Ole Miss (7-0)
@ LSU
Saturday October 29
BYE
Saturday November 5
Alabama
@ LSU
#5 - KENTUCKY WILDCATS 5-2
SEC EAST (2-2)
The Wildcats will embrace their BYE week and try to heal up before heading to Knoxville to take on Tennessee in this much-anticipated matchup since the beginning of the year. There is still something to play for here, bragging rights.
QB Will Levis ranks 5th in the SEC with 1,635 passing yards on the year.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#16 Fewest passing yards allowed per game (178)
#21 Completion rate 68%
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
BYE
Saturday October 29
Kentucky
@ Tennessee (7-0)
#4 - OLE MISS 7-0
SEC WEST (3-0)
The next two weeks will be crucial for Ole Miss as they go on the road to Baton Rouge and College Station. Coach Lane Kiffin has his team in perfect position in the tough SEC West and if they can get through these two games, they will have a BYE week to prepare for a home game against Alabama.
RB Quinshon Judkins ranks 2nd in the SEC with 720 rushing yards.
WR Jonathan Mingo has 507 receiving yards on the year ranking 2nd in the SEC.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#2 Completes 55% of their 3rd downs
#4 Rushing yards per game (271)
#14 Total Offense: yards per game (503)
#15 Points per game 40.9
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
Ole Miss
@ LSU (5-2)
Saturday October 29
Ole Miss
@ Texas A&M (3-3)
#3 - ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE 6-1
SEC WEST (3-1)
All the talk has been about Tennessee beating Alabama this past weekend. The loss doesn't affect the Tide in the West. They still have a path to make the SEC Championship game in Atlanta and secure a CFP bid in December.
Last year's Heisman winner QB Bryce Young is currently 4th in the SEC with 1,657 passing yards.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs is 3rd in the SEC with 635 rushing yards.
LB Will Anderson Jr. has 5 sacks for the Tide and is ranked 2nd in the SEC
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#4 Points per game 45
#7 Total Offense: yards per game (513)
#9 Completes 52% of 3rd down attempts
#11 First Downs 176
#12 Rushing yards per game (237)
#15 Allows only 98 yards rushing per game
Mississippi State comes to town with something to play for here, a chance to jump ahead of the Tide in the SEC West. Although the Bulldogs will be hyped up for this game, Alabama Coach Nick Saban usually makes a statement when coming off a loss.
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
Mississippi State
@ Alabama
Saturday October 29
BYE
#2 - TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS 6-0
SEC EAST (3-0)
After a wild weekend in Knoxville, the Volunteers get a non-conference opponent in Tennessee-Martin this weekend after taking down Alabama this past weekend. Based on their statistics, the Vols starters will get a rest most of the game as they should dismantle the visiting team this weekend.
QB Henden Hooker is 3rd in the SEC with 1,817 passing yards to date.
WR Jalin Hyatt leads the SEC with 595 receiving yards.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#1 Total Offense 551 yards per game
#2 Points per game 47.7
#5 Average passing yards per game (348)
#6 Completion rate 71%
#19 Allows only 93 yards rushing per game
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
Tennessee Martin
@ Tennessee
Saturday October 29
Kentucky (5-2)
@ Tennessee
#1 - GEORGIA BULLDOGS 7-0
SEC EAST (4-0)
Defending Champs remain at the top of the SEC
QB Stetson Bennett is 2nd in the SEC with 2,033 passing yards.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#2 First Downs: 191
#4 Total Offense: yards per game (527)
#5 Allows only 83 yards rushing per game
#7 Completion rate of 71%
#8 Fewest Penalties with 28
#8 Fewest passing yards allowed per game (164)
#9 Completes 52% of their 3rd downs
#10 Points per game: 41.7
#10 Average passing yards per game (330)
Looking at the above stats, Georgia is obviously stacked and in championship form. They have a BYE Week ahead to prepare for their annual trek to Jacksonville for the World's Largest Cocktail Party against rival Florida.
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 22
BYE
Saturday October 29
Florida vs. Georgia
@ Jacksonville, FL
Copyright 2022 Boston Mountain Publishing
All rights reserved
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
If you have an idea for a future story, encounter news to report, want to share a video, or you would like to share your voice with our viewers, feel free to contact us. We can offer you a platform to promote your story to our audience. We welcome your thoughts.