SEC Rankings: Breaking down the Top 10 Teams
Boston Mountain Publishing, Sunday. October 23, 2022 4:51 PM
We have ranked the Top 10 SEC Teams through Week 8 and discuss their current status and the teams outlook going forward. Heading into Week 9, the SEC has 3 teams in the Top 10 and 7 teams in the Top 25 AP Poll. Two teams remain 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 in the regular season, especially over the next two weeks. Before we jump ahead, let's get through Week 9 first which offers 3 big games with division ramifications on the line in East.
SEC Top Games of the Week 9
FLORIDA vs GEORGIA @ Jacksonville, FL
KENTUCKY @ TENNESSEE
OLE MISS @ TEXAS A&M
SEC TEAM POWER RANKINGS
Game of the Weekend
OLE MISS @ LSU
Ole Miss traveled to Baton Rouge yesterday afternoon with their undefeated record on the line to take on the LSU Tigers in an SEC West midseason showdown. The game was close in the first half with Ole Miss leading the Tigers 20-17 heading into halftime. Coming out of the break, the Tigers really sped up the game in the second half and Ole Miss couldn't stop the Tiger's running game, especially QB Jayden Daniels who ran for 121 yards on the ground with 3 rushing TD's. Daniels also threw for 248 yards and 2 TDs for LSU. Coach Kelly said after the win, "we are starting to play with consistency, and we play the game to win it." LSU moves to 6-2 and Ole Miss falls to 7-1 on the year.
#10 - TEXAS A&M AGGIES 3-4 Down 1
SEC WEST (1-3)
Coming out of their BYE Week, Texas A&M had a tough matchup Saturday taking on South Carolina on the road. The Aggies had an extra week to prepare for the Gamecocks and it still wasn't enough time as South Carolina won in a close game in Columbia, 30-24. The Aggies have now lost 3 straight games and Coach Fisher was quoted after the loss saying, "we just need to help our players out and be a little more consistent, we are there, and the players are believing in what we are doing, but we need to evaluate everything we're doing." Player development has been brought up in the national media and that will be all talk this week in College Station. The Defense is what kept the Aggies in the game all night, but the QB situation remains up in the air.
The key to the game happened when QB Haynes King went down with shoulder pain after being shoved out of bounds on a QB Scramble with 12:54 in the game and South Carolina only up 3 at the time. He left the game finishing 17 for 32 passing with 178 yards and 1 TD to go along with 1 INT.
The Aggies did give themselves a last chance opportunity with :08 seconds on the clock by recovering an onside kick and having one last shot at a Hail Mary to win the game, but they came up short and headed home with the loss.
Looking ahead: After going down on the road 30-24 for their 3rd straight loss, the Aggies go back to the drawing board in College Station this week as they prepare for a home game against Ole Miss. The schedule doesn't get any easier over the next 2 games, but they are both at home.
RB Devon Achane leads the team and ranks 4th in conference with 627 rushing yards.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#12 Fewest passing yards allowed: 174.4 per gam
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 29
Ole Miss (7-1)
@ Texas A&M
Saturday November 5
Florida
@ Texas A&M
#9 - MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS 5-3 Down 2
SEC WEST (2-3)
This weekend was huge for the Bulldogs as they headed to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide to try and stay in the SEC West conversation. Well, the conversation remains on the Tide because Mississippi State couldn't do much this game, losing 30-6 on the road.
It's hard to win a game when you are consistently in 4th down mode and Coach Leach went for it on 4th down all night and had little success. The Bulldogs lone score came on the very last play of the game to make the final score 30-6 Alabama.
Alabama Coach Nick Saban said after the game, "we wanted to take the air out of the ball" which we highlighted before this game and knew if the Bulldogs couldn't get the ball downfield in this matchup, they wouldn't have a chance in this game. Mississippi State has now lost 2 conference games in consecutive weeks and their Offense has been contained in both losses. Alabama wore them down and the Bulldogs will look to pick up the pieces and try to look ahead while on BYE this upcoming weekend.
QB Will Rogers still leads the SEC with 2,555 passing yards.
CB Emmanuel Forbes leads the conference with 5 INTs on the year.
LB Jett Johnson ranks 2nd in the SEC with 72 tackles.
LB Nathaniel Watson ranks 3rd with 68 tackles.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#10 Average passing yards per game: 321.6
#14 Competed 189 First Downs
#19 Completion rate 67.9%
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 29
BYE
Saturday November 5
Auburn (3-4)
@ Mississippi State
#8 - SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS 5-2 Up 2
SEC EAST (2-2)
Repeating from above, South Carolina was coming out of their BYE Week and was prepared for the tough matchup Saturday night with the Texas A&M Aggies at home. The Gamecocks had an extra week to prepare for the Aggies and they came prepared taking down the Aggies 30-24 at Williams-Bryce Stadium. Coach Beamer praised the atmosphere at Williams-Bryce Stadium saying, "the crowd helped us win that game tonight." This was South Carolia's 4th straight win on the year, and their first win over Texas A&M in program history. This win will go a long way for Beamer and his team in Columbia.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#24 Fewest passing yards allowed per game: 192.4
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 29
Missouri Tigers (3-4)
@ South Carolina
Saturday November 5
South Carolina
@ Vanderbilt (3-5)
#7 - ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS 4-3 Up 1
SEC WEST (1-3)
The running game is led by RB Raheim "Rocket" Sanders who is currently ranked 1st in the SEC with 870 yards on the ground.
The toughest loss for the Razorbacks this season was against Texas A&M in Arlington, TX for the annual Southwest Classic. The Aggies have dominated the series at the neutral site.
Mississippi St. looked impressive against the Hogs, relentless the entire game. The loss to Alabama was predictable.
Arkansas had a BYE week after taking down BYU in Utah. They have been preparing for their road game against the Auburn Tigers (3-4) this Saturday in their return to conference play. The Tigers went into Fayetteville last year at this time and came out with one of their best showings of the year defeating the Hogs 38-23 in a game that wasn't close all day. This should be a good matchup as Auburn has been preparing for Arkansas during their BYE week as well.
LB Drew Sanders leads the SEC with 7 sacks and is ranked 5th 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 4th in the SEC with 66 tackles on the year.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#9 Rushing yards per game (240)
#14 Total Offense: yards per game 488.6
#16 Completes 49% of their 3rd downs
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 29
Arkansas
@ Auburn (3-4)
Saturday November 5
Liberty (7-1)
@ Arkansas
#6 - OLE MISS 7-1 Down 2
SEC WEST (3-1)
Taking a quick 14-point lead early in the game, Ole Miss came out hot in Baton Rouge to start the game. They led the game up 3 headed into halftime, but the Rebel's forgot to show up in the 2nd half and didn't score a single point after halftime. They lost their offensive rhythm against the LSU Defense and the Rebels fall to 7-1 on the year after the 45-20 beatdown at LSU.
The next game is crucial for Ole Miss if they want to remain in contention for an SEC West title. Coach Lane Kiffin had his team in perfect position in the tough SEC West before this game but the light dims for the Rebels for the timing being as their Defense will need to improve in the coming weeks. They go on the road to College Station this upcoming weekend to take on an Aggies team that is reeling from their 3rd straight loss. IF they can get through this next game with a win before their BYE week to prepare for a home game against Alabama, there will be a spotlight on Oxford the 2nd weekend of November.
RB Quinshon Judkins ranks 2nd in the SEC with 831 rushing yards.
WR Jonathan Mingo has 576 receiving yards on the year ranking 2nd in the SEC.
Jared Ivy ranks 3rd in the conference with 5 sacks.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#10 Completes 52.3% of their 3rd downs
#3 Rushing yards per game: 252
#12 Total Offense: yards per game: 490.5
#16 Points per game: 38.2
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 29
Ole Miss
@ Texas A&M (3-4)
Saturday November 5
BYE
#5 - KENTUCKY WILDCATS 5-2
SEC EAST (2-2)
The Wildcats were on a BYE week and trying to heal up before heading to Knoxville this weekend 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.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#14 Fewest passing yards allowed per game (178)
#19 Completion rate 68%
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 29
Kentucky
@ Tennessee (7-1)
Saturday November 5
Kentucky
@ Missouri (3-4)
#4 - LSU TIGERS 6-2 Up 2
SEC WEST (4-1)
This weekend was a big game for Brian Kelly and his LSU Tigers as they took on undefeated Ole Miss at home in this midseason SEC West matchup. The Tigers have played better than most expected in Coach Brian 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, especially after running over the Ole Miss Rebels yesterday afternoon.
Coach Kelly and QB Jayden Daniels spoke before the game and he said to his QB, "Let's go, it's time." QB Jayden Daniels response to the talk, he led the Tigers with 248 passing yards with 2 TDs and 121 rushing yards and 3 TDs on the ground. The Tigers owned the 4th Quarter going on to win 45-20 in a big game for LSU.
The Tigers get a BYE week and start preparing for a visit from Alabama in 2 weeks.
QB Jayden Daniels moves into 5th in the SEC with 1,812 passing yards.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#4 202 First Downs
#18 Completes 49% of their 3rd downs.
#18 Completion rate of 68.5% through the air
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 29
BYE
Saturday November 5
Alabama (7-1)
@ LSU
#3 - ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE 7-1
SEC WEST (4-1)
All the talk had been about Tennessee beating Alabama this past weekend. That loss doesn't affect the Tide in the West as their path to make the SEC Championship game in Atlanta and secure a CFP bid in December is still on track.
Last year's Heisman Trophy winner QB Bryce Young threw for 249 yards and 2 TDs against the Bulldogs. He completed passes to 11 different wide receivers in the win. He is currently 4th in the SEC with 1,906 passing yards.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs is 3rd in the SEC with 672 rushing yards.
LB Will Anderson Jr. has 6 sacks for the Tide and is ranked 2nd in the SEC.
The Alabama Defense was locked in for most of the game and Mississippi State couldn't get the ball over the top and in true Alabama form, the Defense was visibly upset when they gave up their only points on the day in the final :03 seconds of the game.
Coach Saban said after the game, "we answered the bell, and I really like how our team played this week." We wanted to take the air out of the ball." which we highlighted before this game. Alabama wins easily 30-6 at home, and now they head to their BYE week with the SEC West still in sight.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#5 Points per game: 43.1
#7 First Downs 197
#10 Allows only 93.9 yards rushing per game
#15 Total Offense: yards per game 485.1
#17 Rushing yards per game 210.8
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 29
BYE
Saturday November 5
Alabama
@ LSU (5-2)
#2 - TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS 7-0
SEC EAST (3-0)
Coming off a wild weekend last week in Knoxville, the Volunteers celebrated Homecoming on Rocky Top Saturday and took on a non-conference opponent in Tennessee-Martin. The Vols starters were able to rest most of the game as they dismantled the Skyhawks this weekend, 65-24 at home.
QB Henden Hooker moves up to 2nd in the SEC with 2.093 passing yards to date.
WR Jalin Hyatt continues to lead the SEC with 769 receiving yards.
Side note: TE Princeton Fant had a dynamic game for the Vols, catching 1 pass for 17 yards, running for 2 TDs, and throwing a TD for the Vols on Saturday.
The toughest stretch of the Tennessee season will be the next 2 games and those games will have the biggest impact on the SEC East.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#1 Total Offense 571.7 yards per game
#1 Points per game 5
#2 Average passing yards per game: 368.9
#3 Completion rate 70.8%
#8 Allows only 90.9 yards rushing per game
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 29
Kentucky (5-2)
@ Tennessee
Saturday November 5
Tennessee
@ Georgia (7-0)
#1 - GEORGIA BULLDOGS 7-0
SEC EAST (4-0)
Defending Champs remain at the top of the SEC, travel for neutral site matchup with Florida this coming Saturday.
QB Stetson Bennett is 3rd in the SEC with 2,033 passing yards.
NCAA NATIONAL RANKING
#2 Total Offense: yards per game 52.6
#3 Fewest Penalties with 28
#4 Allows only 83 yards rushing per game
#6 Completion rate of 71%
#6 Completes 52% of their 3rd downs
#7 Average passing yards per game (330)
#8 Points per game: 41.7
#12 First Downs: 191
Looking at the above stats, Georgia is obviously stacked and in championship form. The Bulldogs are coming off their BYE Week for their annual trek to Jacksonville for the World's Largest Cocktail Party against rival Florida.
The Bulldogs have the toughest part of their schedule still remaining at it starts with the Gators this weekend.
Upcoming Games:
Saturday October 29
Florida vs. Georgia
@ Jacksonville, FL
Saturday November 5
Tennessee (7-0)
@ Georgia
*Check out our updated BMPReport.com Top 30 rankings here:
updated 10/23/2022
Check out the Review of the Top Games from the weekend...
Stats @ SECSPORTS.com
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