SEC Power Rankings: Separation Saturday

Safe to say I’m not going to be placing Missouri anywhere in the Top Tier again! (editor’s note: OHHHH, so it’s you and BK both to blame, then?!?) As for the rest of the SEC, I’m seeing enough flaws in contenders that we’re breaking the conference down to five tiers instead of four. Here we go:

I can’t really see any argument for these two to be anywhere but the top. With Tua Tagovailoa suffering a high ankle sprain we (probably) won’t see him against Arkansas. My personal hope is that two weeks off allows him to face off against LSU in what will probably be the game of the year.

These three teams have the talent and capability to beat ‘Bama/LSU, but are flawed enough that they could lose other games in the process. Auburn’s passing game leaves a lot to be desired, Florida is thoroughly mediocre in running the ball, and Georgia is basically a more talented Missouri: elite defense, an offensive line that’s not living up to expectations, and a receiving corps that is incapable of getting open downfield. If any of these three mask their deficiencies, they’ll go far, but that’s far from a guaranteed thing.

Missouri has the schedule and talent for 8-10 wins, but have yet to win a game on the road and are prone to falling asleep at the wheel. A&M has had elite recruiting for several years, but the talent is still super young and are inconsistent as hell. These two might/could jump up, but are much more likely to have merely very good seasons with a lingering stench of “what if?”.

Tier IV teams exist to beat Tier III teams and scare/upset Tier II. Missouri has beaten two teams in this tier and will have their hands full with the other two left.

Vandy stays in Tier V now because I’m salty and don’t believe they’ll win more than 4 games. For Missouri’s sake, I hope they do, but odds say no.