SEC Power Rankings Week 9

So, I think I may have figured out the SEC (note what I am about to say will certainly prove to be wrong 15 minutes after posting this) and basically it's this, the SEC has a great team, a bunch of good teams, some ok teams and then a few awful teams. The good teams aren't always good enough to beat the bad and the bad aren't bad enough to get run over, hence the constant shifting. But, this week, this week could see a slight solidifying of the rankings...maybe.

In first we have a consensus, that being that Kentucky is good and you are not. Kentucky continued to receive every first place vote available after another week of winning games. Kentucky hasn't lost a game as yet and are either pounding teams into a pulp or just getting by them. It seems as if this team is going to get up for the "name" teams in the conference and then merely get by those of the less interesting variety, their ability will then be challenged, they'll curb stomp the next team on the schedule, and then repeat. They're probably not going to lose this season...

In previous weeks Arkansas had a pretty firm grip on second place but after two consecutive losses and an overtime victory at home, things are getting closer between 2nd and 4th, with the difference being only 6 points. Coming in third you've got a confusing LSU team who somehow lost to Mizzou but has beaten Georgia, Ole Miss and handed Florida their worst home loss since Obama's first term. It appears as if the Tigers have figured out their strengths and are playing to them. Coming in at a close 4th (behind by one point) is a Georgia team that looks to have woken up following their own two game skid earlier in the season by beating Florida and Ole Miss recently. Looking at the two to four spots, it appears that our voters are valuing wins over Florida, who by their name alone are in their own way playing havoc with the rankings with what could actually turn out to be wins that only mean something on paper.

Sitting in 5th we've got the Vols of Tennessee who just don't lose. The Vols have only one loss (a weird 56-38 home loss to Bama) and could either be this good, or just riding a favorable schedule at this point not having really been challenged, as Arkansas appears to be doing Arkansas road things. But with weekly rankings that's irrelevant, it's what have you done lately and the Vols are winning and that's really all that matters right now.

Arriving in the middle of the conference we've got two teams that have been moving in two different directions of late, with Alabama coming in at 6th down one spot from last week after a tough overtime road loss to Arkansas. Our voters did wait until this game had occurred before ranking Bama and Arky and many mentioned that had the outcome been different, Bama would have moved up a bit and Arkansas slipped, but that didn't happen so it's not all together relevant is it? Just behind Bama sits another confusing team in Ole Miss who are truly a feast or famine group. When this team is on as they were against Kentucky and Arkansas they look like they won't miss a shot, and then when things regress to the mean look less great. Bottom line is the team can rebound, shoot lights out (at times) and honestly the teams beneath them don't look good enough to pass them.

As we enter the lower middle half of the rankings, we've got the Gators who are tumbling dropping 5 spots from 3rd to 8th. Florida has lost two in a row and look positively ordinary, what this means for the rest of the season I don't know. The Gators could find themselves and go on a big run in the SEC tournament and we'd all feel silly for ranking them this low at any point or they could just be in for a bad season. Tomorrow's game against Ole Miss should help us figure this out. Following the Gators in 9th are the Aggies who just quietly win games in their fashion of looking bad in the first half, making adjustments at half time and then beating teams in the second, expect more of the same going forward.

South Carolina comes in at 10th and are in a bit of a free fall in a power rankings sense. The bloom seems off the rose with the Gamecocks as a season that started with promise has turned sour and with Kentucky coming to town looking to avenge last year's loss it doesn't appear that things will get better sooner. Vanderbilt meanwhile sits at 11th and have lost four straight games, but the fashion in which they are doing it is clearly more impressive than what the bottom teams have done even in wins.

Finally we get to the bottom three of the conference who have been the bottom three since the get go. Auburn, State and Mizzou, your doormats of the SEC. Auburn had shown some signs of life and then they lost at home to State. State who many thought would go without a win in conference, now sits at 13th and are making moves up the charts. Finally in 14th you've got Mizzou who seems incapable of playing more than 25 - 30 minutes of basketball before completely falling apart of late.

To the Rankings We Must Go!

Team	Points	Ranking	Ranking Last Week	Change	Highest Rank	Lowest Rank
Kentucky	140	1st	1st	None	1st	1st
Arkansas	117	2nd	2nd	None	2nd	6th
LSU	112	3rd	3rd	None	2nd	6th
Georgia	111	4th	6th	Up 2	2nd	6th
Tennessee	105	5th	8th	Up 3	2nd	8th
Alabama	89	6th	5th	Down 1	3rd	9th
Ole Miss	83	7th	9th	Up 2	4th	8th
Florida	74	8th	3rd	Down 5	6th	9th
Texas A&M	69	9th	11th	Up 2	6th	9th
South Carolina	48	10th	7th	Down 3	10th	11th
Vanderbilt	36	11th	10th	Down 1	10th	13th
Auburn	27	12th	12th	None	11th	14th
Mississippi State	26	13th	14th	Up 1	11th	14th
Mizzou	13	14th	13th	Down 1	13th	14th

Points were distributed 1st = 14, 2nd = 13, 3rd = 12, 4th = 11, 5th = 10, 6th = 9, 7th = 8, 8th = 7, 9th = 6, 10th = 5, 
11th = 4, 12th = 3, 13th = 2, and 14th = 1

The Tide are solid but unspectacular and that's good enough to be in the top half of the conference. (And the Valley Shook)

*sigh*. (Roll Bama Roll)

Doesn't have any outstanding losses (save @SCarolina) and have an impressive win @Tennessee. The resume is rather dull outside of that. (Red Cup Rebellion)

Both offense and defense way too dependent on forcing turnovers; things can get ugly when they're not. (Anchor of Gold)

Portis is the league's best non Kentucky big man and their guards are good enough to help him to the Sweet 16. (Dawg Sports)

I'm not ready to give up on the Hogs just yet. A home loss to Alabama would not have been bad, a road loss to Missouri would be way worse.(Rock M Nation)

Beat South Carolina, lose to Mississippi St. Who is this team? (A Sea of Blue)

You raised my hopes and dashed them quite expertly sir. Bravo! (College and Magnolia)

Pearl got at least the students to buy in. Will be interested to see if they can hold on with him through the rest of this year. (Rocky Top Talk)

For Billy D, a rebuilding year is still on the bubble with talent.(Dawg Sports)

I still think the Gators have the potential to rip off 5 or 6 in a row come February and be in the mix for the postseason, but this team cannot score right now. (And the Valley Shook)

The Gators continue to get the benefit of the doubt, but they really don't look anything like a NCAA Tournament team. Could be a rare NIT season for Billy Donovan. (Roll Bama Roll)

Winners of three in a row, and should be four. Looking like the class of the league after Kentucky. (A Sea of Blue)

The injury situation looks dangerous but the win over Florida shows a steadily improving group. (Dawg Sports)

3 straight wins and a legitimate chance to make that 5 straight with upcoming games at Vandy and vs. Vandy, maybe 6 with a trip to reeling South Carolina. I think UGa has a solid hold on the 2 spot right now.. (Rock M Nation)

It's amazing that Kentucky can put together such a talented roster and somehow manage to stay under the NBA salary cap. (Red Cup Rebellion)

Challenged by Vanderbilt, but were equal to the task.(A Sea of Blue)

Figured out people won't watch them if they keep winning by 50. (Rocky Top Talk)

Can't decide if hammering Florida on the road says more about them or the Gators. (Anchor of Gold)

Who knows what to make of this team? Certainly not its own fans. We're just as baffled as the rest of you about which team will show up since SEC play started. (And the Valley Shook)

One cannot overstate how big a comfortable win in the O-Dome over Florida is. So much talent on this team, but they seem to be lacking a bit in the coaching department. (Roll Bama Roll)

In snapping a two calendar year SEC road losing streak, Mississippi State laid claim to a position among the pantheon of mediocre conference teams--a vast improvement over where they were. (College and Magnolia)

I think this is the first time I haven't ranked them at the bottom in two years. (Rocky Top Talk)

I'm not sure which headline is less believable, "Mississippi State wins two games in a row" or "Man in England tries to fornicate with a mailbox." (Rock M Nation)

Remember, two straight SEC Easts. If you wanna really become SEC these basketball losses are irrelevant. (Dawg Sports)

How about that undefeated WRESTLING team? Huh guys? Huh? (Rock M Nation)

Inexperienced and inconsistent; I think now we all know why Haith fled for Tulsa. (Anchor of Gold)

There are two Ole Miss teams. One of these teams is going to make the Elite 8 this year. The other team will be lucky to make the Elite 8 of the SEC tournament. Good luck guessing which team shows up. (College and Magnolia)

Have ridden the consistency rollercoaster all season long. They seem to play much better away from the soon-to-be-destroyed Tad Smith Coliseum (wins @Oregon, @Arkansas, Neutral site wins vs. Creighton and Cincinnati, and took Kentucky to OT), and have some very odd home losses. The Rebels rely too heavily on the guards for their scoring, which contributes to their lack of consistency. (Red Cup Rebellion)

The Rebels are a really dangerous team. They are chaotic, spastic, and explosive. Stefan Moody is so much fun to watch. (Roll Bama Roll)

Losing to Auburn and Tennessee back-to-back says this team isn't as ready as I thought. (A Sea of Blue)

The Gamecocks are an Alabama missed shot away from being 0-5 in SEC play, but they still have wins that the other lower-tier teams couldn't even dream of. (Roll Bama Roll)

I thought the Gamecocks were capable of more but so far, it seems they might still be a year away. (And the Valley Shook)

Still trying to figure out if 4-1 start is a reflection of schedule or Vols actually being good. (Anchor of Gold)

Vols' second half SEC schedule is very difficult, but right now me and the standings have them in second place with a straight face. (Rocky Top Talk)

Smoke and Mirrors. I've seen them play, and they're terrible. I've no idea how they keep winning. (Rock M Nation)

Not showing up in any brackets just yet and have four of next five on the road, but they could dark horse their way there.(Rocky Top Talk)

The Aggies have still yet to make full believers out of me, needing an LSU collapse and second-half comebacks versus State and Missouri at home. (And the Valley Shook)

You have to give these guys some credit. Maybe the close game vs. Kentucky wasn't a fluke. (A Sea of Blue)

Best team in the league with four straight losses.(A Sea of Blue)

Very young team has some talent but will have ups and downs. (Anchor of Gold)

The loss in Starkville was their fourth loss of the season by three points. (Rocky Top Talk)

There you have it friends, the week that the SEC put together..,honestly, I have no idea either. In our rankings we get a lot of this guy "¯\_(ツ)_/¯" and honestly it fits when thinking about the SEC. The SEC is a cannibal who will feed on her own to survive the cold winter to reach the sunny days of spring football and baseball, with one or two teams falling into the tournament in March. It's fun no? See you next week when more weird things will happen! Until then, enjoy the basketball.