Alabama Football: SEC Football Week 9 Power Rankings
No. 5 – Arkansas Razorbacks; 47 points – previous ranking, No. 5
The Razorbacks may be the best 2-3 team in the country. Or it just seems like that because we hadn’t seen them win a conference game in three seasons. Whichever, Sam Pittman was obviously the right choice to be Arkansas’ head coach.
And even though Barry Odom’s defense gave up 42 points against the Aggies on Saturday, Kendal Briles’ offense continues to put up huge numbers through the air and on the ground. The destination is only up for this program.
No. 6 – Auburn Tigers; 46 points – previous ranking, No. 8
The Barners jump up two spots in this week’s Power Rankings because…well, because we were bored. Also, they had a major 48-11 home victory over LSU on Saturday.
This is easily the best game the team has played all season, most especially quarterback Bo Nix, who threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, as well as rushing for 91 yards and another TD. If this is the Auburn team that comes out every week from here on, they could be a major thorn for a couple of teams at the top of the rankings.
No. 7 – Ole Miss Rebels; 39 points – previous ranking, No. 12
The Rebels jumped up majorly from last week’s rankings. Sure, a victory over 2020 SEC’s doormat, Vanderbilt, isn’t the largest feather in one’s cap, but the fact is Lane Kiffin’s offense is racking up yards and points at an alarming rate.
Defensive recruiting will be paramount if Ole Miss wants to be competitive in the West, but with an offense that averages over 500 yards and 38 points per game, they may be the greatest example of being a reflection of their coach in college football: an annoyance.
No. 8 – Tennessee Volunteers; 32 points – previous ranking, No. 10
The BYE week came for the Volunteers at the absolute best time. Having been outscored 126-45 over their previous three games, Tennessee needed a break before having to travel to Fayetteville to face a trending Arkansas team.
No. 9 – Kentucky Wildcats; 30 points – previous ranking, No. 9
This is an interesting team, Kentucky. Mark Stoops has obviously made the Wildcats’ defense in his reflection, but without the kind of offensive talent that Georgia, Florida and even Tennessee accrue on an annual basis, it’s hard to imagine them being anything other than the team that exceeds expectations.
No. 10 – Missouri Tigers; 29 points – previous ranking, No. 6
The Tigers took a tumble this week after being mauled by the Gators in both on-field play and fighting. No one told new Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz that it’d be easy, but having to travel to Gainesville (an apparent hotspot of COVID activity) and subsequently lose by 24 points isn’t something he probably gave much thought to upon taking the job.
Regardless, there’s plenty of promise with this program and it appears Drinkwitz is the right guy for the job.