The Daily Mississippian sports editors Dylan Rubino and Collin Brister rank the 14 Southeastern Conference teams in week 11. The Ole Miss Rebels are on a bye week before they face LSU at home and then Mississippi State on the road to end the season.
- Alabama- The Alabama defense showed their dominance against rival LSU and controlled the game from the start in their 30-16 win. The Crimson Tide held LSU running back Leonard Fournette to a career-low 31 yards on 19 carries. The rest of the defense did their part as well, holding an LSU offense to 16 points on only 182 total yards of offense. With that and the performance of running back Derrick Henry, Alabama may have solidified themselves as the best team in the country. They’ll face Mississippi State in Starkville this Saturday. Dylan
- LSU- LSU lost the biggest game in the SEC to date 30-16 to Alabama on Saturday. Alabama’s front seven dominated Leonard Fournette and the Tigers. The Tigers are still 7-1 on the season, and will take on Arkansas this weekend. The Tigers still have plenty of reasons to fight, with the SEC West still in sight and games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M after Arkansas. Collin
- Florida- It was a nail-biter for the Gators when it shouldn’t have been. It went down to the wire, but the Gators topped Vanderbilt 9-7 at home. The Gator offense overcame four turnovers and won on a late field goal. With this win, Florida clinched the SEC East title and will play for the conference championship in Atlanta. Florida will travel to South Carolina this Saturday. Dylan
- Mississippi State- Mississippi State defeated Missouri 31-13 on Saturday. Quarterback Dak Prescott should be in the Heisman consideration, as he became the 10th player in SEC history to total over 10,000 yards in his career. Prescott also became sixth player in history to account for 100 touchdowns. The Bulldogs will take on Alabama this weekend in a game that could go a long way in deciding who wins the SEC West. Collin
- Ole Miss- The devastating loss in overtime to Arkansas knocks the Rebels out of the College Football Playoff picture and almost takes the Rebels out of the SEC title talks. The defense will need to regroup in the bye week to face LSU and Mississippi State the last two games of the season. There are encouraging signs on offense, with Chad Kelly and Jaylen Walton playing their best. Dylan
- Arkansas- Arkansas defeated Ole Miss in overtime last Saturday. The Razorbacks will need some breaks, but are still alive in their chase for an SEC West title. Quarterback Brandon had a career-high 442 yards and six touchdowns against the Rebels and accounted for the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime. The Razorbacks will go to Death Valley this weekend to face an LSU team that lost their first game of the season Saturday. Collin
- Tennessee- Tennessee took a 17-3 lead going into halftime, but South Carolina scored 21 points in the third quarter. Still, Tennessee rallied and won 27-24 at home last Saturday. Tennessee has been competitive in every game they played, and could have a better record to show for it if they pulled out some closer wins. The Volunteers sit at 5-4 overall on the season (3-3 SEC) as they face North Texas at home Saturday. Dylan
- Georgia- The Georgia defense shined last Saturday at home against Kentucky and won 27-3. The Bulldogs held a Kentucky offense to only three points and 180 yards of total offense, also forcing three turnovers. The home stretch of the season starts with a rivalry game at Auburn this Saturday. Collin
- Auburn- The Will Muschamp Auburn defense finally showed up last Saturday when they manhandled Texas A&M on the road in a 26-10 win. The Tigers held Texas A&M to only 10 points and forced three turnovers, picking off Aggie quarterback Kyler Murray three times. The running game ran wild for Auburn on the way to 311 yards and one score. Auburn will face rival Georgia at home this Saturday. Dylan
- Texas A&M- Texas A&M has done the novel thing and just flat out quit. The Aggies lost to Auburn last weekend at home. I’m not sure how any SEC West team could lose to Auburn at home, but Kevin Sumlin and the Aggies found a way. The Aggies now seem lost on offense, with questions at quarterback and little help with the running game. Texas A&M stays at home to face Western Carolina this Saturday. Collin
- Kentucky- This year’s Kentucky team looks like a carbon copy of last year’s Kentucky team, starting off hot and ending ice cold. The Wildcats have now lost four in a row thanks to a 27-3 road slaughter against Georgia. With two straight years ending on a low note, could head coach Mark Stoops be on the hot seat? The good news is, it’s almost basketball season in Lexington. Dylan
- South Carolina- To determine the 12th, 13th, and 14th teams in this power poll, we put names in a hat and drew them out. South Carolina lost to Tennessee, as Tennessee tried to blow a fourth quarter lead for, like, the billionth time this year, but South Carolina was too bad to take advantage. Collin
- Missouri- With all that’s happening in Columbia right now, football seems to be the last thing on the team’s mind. Head coach Gary Pinkel took the side of his players and defended their actions as they rebelled against former university president Tim Wolfe. It was the right move for Pinkel, who showed his endless commitment to his players and led them the right way. Good for you, Pinkel. Dylan
- Vanderbilt- Vanderbilt lost 9-7 to Florida. If I have to talk more about that game or the Commodores, I will get sick. Collin
