With another week of SEC play in the books, here's my week four SEC power rankings:
14. Vanderbilt Commodores
Vandy gave number three Ole Miss all that they could handle, but the Commodores were unable to pull of a stunning road upset. The Commodores played the Rebels stiff on defense, but since they've yet to beat a FBS team, they stay in the last spot of our rankings.
13. Arkansas Razorbacks
Despite an incredible effort from running back Alex Collins, the Razorbacks dropped a heartbreaker in overtime to Texas A&M. The loss leaves Bret Bielema searching for answers, as Arkansas is now 1-3 on the year and 0-1 in SEC play.
12. South Carolina Gamecocks
The Gamecocks had their fans worried after they trailed Central Florida 14-8 going into the half. Steve Spurrier must've said something in the locker room, because the Gamecocks came out in the second half fired up and scored 23 unanswered points. True freshman Lorenzo Nunez made his first career start for South Carolina, and he looked pretty good throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for over 120 yards. South Carolina travels to Missouri to face the Tigers in a game where both teams are in desparate need of a SEC victory.
11. Missouri Tigers
The Tigers' offense sputtered in the second half against Kentucky, and once the Wildcats took the lead in the third quarter, they never looked back. Maty Mauk hasn't had the weapons that he's accustomed to this season, and it has really made things difficult for Gary Pinkel's team. Missouri host South Carolina next week at home, and that game will kick off next Saturday's conference games.
10. Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats find themselves in the thick of things of the SEC East, sitting at 2-1 after three conference games. Sophomore Garret Johnson has proven himself as a legitimate SEC receiver, and he caught six passes for 119 yards against the Missouri defense. Patrick Towles also turned in a good performance for Kentucky, completing 22-of-27 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. The Wildcats face Eastern Kentucky this weekend before their next SEC game which will be at home against the Auburn Tigers.
9. Auburn Tigers
The Tigers didn't think they would start conference play at 0-2, but Auburn fans need to remember there's still a lot of football left in the 2015 season. This week's matchup against San Jose State couldn't have come at a better time for Gus Mahlzan's team, as it will allow new starter Sean White an opportunity to polish his game up before a road trip to Kentucky to face the Wildcats.
8. Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers lost their eleventh-straight game to the Florida Gators in week three in a game that left a lot of Tennessee fans scratching their heads. Tennessee had a 13-point lead with less than five minutes left to play in the fourth quarter when the game just blew up in their face. At the end of the day, the Vols missed a 55-yard field goal as time expired, handing them their second loss of the season. The Vols will have to learn how to close games out, as this is the second time Tennessee has lost with a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
7. Florida Gators
The Gators showed a lot of heart in their victory against Tennesse that we just talked about, and Florida even had a couple of key suspensions going into this game. We get to see exactly how good the Gators are under first-year head coach Jim McElwain when they face the undefeated Ole Miss Rebels in The Swamp this upcoming weekend.
6. Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs only scored three points in the second half, but that turned out to be more than enough to beat Auburn. The victory moves Mississippi State to 3-1 on the season and 1-1 in the conference, but things only get harder for the Bulldogs when they travel to Kyle Field to take on Texas A&M in week five.
5. Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies seemingly dodged a bullet against Arkansas on Saturday, edging the Razorbacks in overtime. Sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen had a good day, completing 21-of-28 passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns. Allen will have to keep his rhythm when the Aggies host Mississippi State at home next weekend.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama was Alabama in week four, easily handing a loss to Louisiana-Monroe in Tuscaloosa. The Tide has a big statement game this upcoming weekend in Athens against a Georgia Bulldogs' team that looks like a legitimate playoff contender.
3. Georgia Bulldogs
The Bulldogs had an easy time against a lower-level opponent in the Southern University Jaguars. Nick Chubb tied Herschel Walker's record of 12 consecutive games with 100-yards rushing. The Bulldogs face a huge SEC test at home this weekend against Alabama in what will be the SEC Game of the Week.
2. LSU Tigers
Leonard Fournette rushed for over 200 yards again this weekend, and at this point, he's got to be the front runner for the Heisman Trophy. The Tigers will get a tune-up game this week against Eastern Michigan before hitting the road to continue their SEC schedule in Columbia against South Carolina in week six.
1. Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels stay at the top of this week's power rankings, at least for now. Ole Miss escaped with a win against Vanderbilt, and the score to that game doesn't do any kind of justice for how tough the Commodores played one of the top teams in the country. Ole Miss will have to play much better this weekend when they travel to The Swamp to play the Florida Gators, who are now a top 25 team.
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @griffaldo for more of my updated work.
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