SEC Power Rankings after Week 15

Welcome to championship Saturday in the SEC. In all likelihood the winner of tonight’s massive Florida versus Kentucky in Lexington will decide this season’s regular season champion, that is if both teams following the game can keep it together and beat the teams remaining on their schedule. But [cue the music and the white lady on the beach] in the SEC it just means…something…’cause it has to…I mean, someone’s got to win the conference…right?

Tier 1

Welcome welcome welcome, to the Hogs. After months with the Gamecocks inhabiting Tier 1 and getting all the way up to second in our Power Rankings SC has slid into Tier 2 and in their place the road warriors out of Arkansas. Sitting atop the poll we’ve got the Gators who have won nine straight games and did their part to continue SC’s slide of the season with a comfortable win in the O Dome where the Gators just don’t lose…except to Vanderbilt. In second we’ve got the Cats of Kentucky who had a harder time this week against Mizzou than you would expect and to be honest they did not look good in the game. Finally rounding out Tier 1 are the aforementioned Hogs who have won four in a row and have an opportunity this coming week to slam their imprint on the NCAA tournament with a road game in Florida.

Tier 2

Oh South Carolina what is going on? For so long this season the Gamecocks were riding high, ranked in the top 25 and in the conversation for best in the conference, but all of a sudden things have gone off the rails. SC has lost 4 out of 5 and have not looked like the defensive force they had earlier this season. The Gamecocks are going to have to get their season together starting today when they face off with surprisingly strong Tennessee. Hanging steadily in Tier 2 are the Tide who have done what one would expect of them, beat the trash and lose to those teams slightly better than they. This week they went down in a close one to Georgia at home in a game both teams need for higher SEC tournament seeding and more than likely, NIT seeding. Moving into the second Tier are the Commodores of Vandy who have won four of five games (with an odd spanking at the hands of Mizzou) with nice wins over South Carolina and Tennessee. Vandy is an interesting case and have a real shot at the post season with their upcoming schedule where they get both Kentucky and Florida, along with State. So if Vandy’s got a shot to play spoiler and possibly back their way into the postseason.

Tier 3

Tier 3 is the home of teams that spent this week getting wins but not great wins. Ole Miss won the basketball version of the Egg Bowl and have a visit from three years road winless Mizzou, so a consistent grind towards .500 is on the table for Andy Kennedy. Following Ole Miss are the Bulldogs of Georgia who have started to feast on the lower half of the conference and were a few free throws away from a big home win over Kentucky last weekend. The rest of the season schedule plays out nicely for the Dawgs, so don’t sleep on these guys just yet. Finally rounding out Tier 3 are the Vols who have been in a bit of a funk lately with only a win over Mizzou over the past two weeks. But today they’ve got a home game with slipping and sliding South Carolina, so Tennessee could get a nice win in a surprisingly good season.

Tier 4

Lower mediocrity, they name is Tier 4. The Aggies and Tigers of the Plains reside here and continue to play out their season disjointedly. A&M had a tough road game against suddenly competent at home Arkansas, while Auburn, beat LSU which means about as much as winning a spring training game against a local university. Auburn could play the role of spoiler today as Arkansas makes a visit, where Auburn has been quite good.

Tier 5

It’s almost firing time for two of these schools! First though, the Bulldogs of Mississippi State who in year two of the Ben Howland era have not been consistent nor reliable. Next year can’t come soon enough for the kids in Starkvegas. Meanwhile Mizzou and LSU are just playing out the season and getting ready for a short trip to Nashville and then a longer coaching search that both fanbases are particularly psyched about.

---

Points were distributed as follows: 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 Georgia loss doesn't help their bubble, but a chance to add two road wins (@A&M Saturday and @ Tennessee to end the year), plus a winnable home game with Ole Miss can get them back on the dance invite list. (Dawg Sports)

If you told me Anthony Grant was still coaching them, I would probably believe you. (Anchor of Gold)

They are sooooo close to legitimately entering the bubble conversation. (Good Bull Hunting)

Soooo the Hogs are surging. (Red Cup Rebellion)

Arkansas has won four straight while South Carolina is tanking and has worked themselves into the top three in the conference. (College and Magnolia)

The Hogs seem to be putting it together here of late, so cue the homeplosion in 3-2-1… (Rock M Nation)

Playing against LSU's defense is like a cheat code. (Anchor of Gold)

The East and West All Star teams have more effective defenses than Auburn. (College and Magnolia)

The kids have three winnable games to close the season, and a little confidence boost could do all the talent well going in to next season. (Dawg Sports)

Only 40 minutes in Rupp Arena stand between Florida and the SEC title. (College and Magnolia)

Oh, look, Florida is in first place. Michael White has done a fine job in year two. (Red Cup Rebellion)

It's a shame we won't see a full strength Florida at Rupp. That's a game worthy of the second weekend of any NCAA tourney. (Good Bull Hunting)

All they had to do was lose Yante Maten for the season! (Anchor of Gold)

They could have used a game like that when they hosted Alabama earlier this year. Now they are looking for a little consolation to a disappointing season. (Dawg Sports)

Mark Fox, this past weekend’s John Calipari “Every Coach in the SEC is Great and None Should be Fired” coach of the week. (Rock M Nation)

This Kentucky team is dang good at winning ugly road games. That's not a slight, either. It's an actual skill. (Good Bull Hunting)

There have been comparisons made between this Kentucky team and the 2014 version that went on a run in the NCAAs…I’ve watched this Kentucky team and you sir are not the 2014 version. (Rock M Nation)

From best I can tell, spent most of the first half trying to keep Kim Anderson employed. (Anchor of Gold)

It's a shame LSU is coached by Johnny Jones and not J'onn J'onzz. The Martian Manhunter could morph himself into a decent basketball player. (College and Magnolia)

It's still not over, is it? (Dawg Sports)

Somehow, their defense makes Alabama and Auburn look like UCLA and Villanova. (Anchor of Gold)

I'm a supporter of Texas A&M football, yet even I'm impressed by this late-season collapse. Let that sink in. (Good Bull Hunting)

They've got some good talent to go with this extremely young squad, which makes the coaching rumor carousel's addition of Ben Howland's name to the mill a little odd. (Dawg Sports)

Between them and Auburn someone is going to actually have to make a move at some point. (Rock M Nation)

I SEE YOU MIZZOU GETTING THAT SECOND CONFERENCE WIN AYYYYE (Red Cup Rebellion)

The praise John Calipari dumped on Kim Anderson would make you wonder how Anderson could have possibly lost a minimum of 20 games each season and never won a road game. (Rock M Nation)

Somehow, they figured out how to stop Malik Monk from scoring at will. (Anchor of Gold)

Beat Mizzou at home, lose to Bama on the road and South Carolina at home, and it'll be a 9-9 SEC record. I'm astonished. (Dawg Sports)

Don't mind me, I will just be over here waiting on the NCAA to crack down on Andy Kennedy for the recruitment of Terence Davis and Breein Tyree. (Red Cup Rebellion)

I'm sure their win against MSU on the road will distract fans from the imminent demise of their football program. (Good Bull Hunting)

We might start pressing the panic button if they lose to Tennessee on Saturday. (Anchor of Gold)

The yearly collapse is a month later this year, but it’s real and it may be time for a change in scenery for crazy ol’ Frank Martin. (Rock M Nation)

The Gamecocks really need to steal a few down the stretch to get some momentum back before the tourney. (Red Cup Rebellion)

Get the kids some work in the NIT and look forward to next year. (Dawg Sports)

At least the guy threw the water bottle instead of buttchugging it. (Anchor of Gold)

Gonna be swinging that hammer down on that nail that’s got “South Carolina’s post season hopes” on top of it. (Rock M Nation)

Having decent guards is important when playing basketball games. (Dawg Sports)

We're not bad, because we beat the bad teams. But we definitely aren't good, either. We are "meh," personified. (Good Bull Hunting)

Billy Kennedy has a $7 million buyout. That's not relevant to this, I just wanted to point that out. (Anchor of Gold)

How this team lost to Mizzou is more confusing to me than, well everything. (Rock M Nation)

Has suddenly learned to play defense. Also, have a look at the SOS numbers! (Anchor of Gold)

They're 4-1 in their last five, with that one loss coming in a 20-point whoopin' by Mizzou. Sure. That's a sentence. (Good Bull Hunting)

---

That will get you through this week. Be sure to check out today’s game with the highlight being Kentucky taking on Florida to see who’s cuisine truly reigns supreme!