SEC power rankings after Week 6: Some continue hot streak while others decline

The Commodores got the season started on a good note. However, the past few weeks have been rough for Clark Lea’s squad. On Saturday, the Commodores held the lead at halftime over Ole Miss. That changed in the second half as the Rebels outscored them 35-8 to end the game. Next week, the Commodores will be tasked with facing Georgia on the road.

Missouri has lost their past three games by one possession. The defense has played well for the most part, but the offense has struggled to create any consistency. As a result of their inconsistency, they sit at No. 13 in my latest SEC power rankings.

Auburn has played poorly in all of their games within the conference which have been the last three weeks. With head coach Bryan Harsin on the hot seat, there is a lot of pressure surrounding the program right now. The quarterback position has been a looming concern and will likely continue for the rest of the season. The Tigers are looking for answers and it might be a while before they receive any.

The LSU faithful expected a strong performance from their Bayou Bengals. However, that wasn’t the case on Saturday against Tennessee. Brian Kelly’s squad played well for the first quarter, but that was it. The Volunteers would outscore the Tigers 27-13 after that. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier down the road. It will be an uphill climb for the Tigers.

“Beamer Ball” has been effective for the past three weeks. Head coach Shane Beamer has the Gamecocks on a three-game win streak. On Saturday, they took down a good Kentucky team. The program appears to be trending in the right direction. The Gamecocks will have an off week before hosting Texas A&M on Oct. 22.

After a strong start to the season, Arkansas has dropped three straight games. Sam Pittman’s squad is looking for answers at this point. The defense was stout up until their matchup with Texas A&M two weeks ago. Then, it was Alabama and Mississippi State that took advantage of some sloppy play. The Hogs will be tasked with traveling to face BYU next weekend. This will be a big game for the Razorbacks.

Under the first-year head coach, the Gators have shown improvements from a season ago. On Saturday, they were able to knock off a gritty Missouri team at home. It wasn’t the cleanest-played game by any means, but the Gators did win. Florida will play LSU in Week 7 in the Swamp in what will be a very big game for both programs moving forward.

The Aggies put up a good fight on the road against Alabama. However, the Crimson Tide prevented the upset with a stop at the goal line to end the game. Head coach Jimbo Fisher has the talent on the roster to turn things around. The Aggies will have next week off before facing South Carolina on Oct. 22.

Kentucky came off a devastating loss at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels a weekend ago. The Wildcats were without their starting quarterback on Saturday night, and it hurt their chances of putting points on the board. After a disappointing performance for the second week in a row, the Wildcats fell to 4-2. Next week, they will play host to an improving Mississippi State squad.

The Bulldogs have played well the past three weeks on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Will Rogers has been emerging as a possible Heisman candidate. The defense has played better since their lone loss to LSU. Next week will be a tough matchup as they travel to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats.

Ole Miss has been productive on offense and done just enough on defense to remain undefeated. Lane Kiffin’s squad got off to a slow start offensively but was able to score 35 points in the second half. The Rebels control their destiny in the SEC West and have put the league on display thus far.

Tennessee was expected by many to be a contender in the SEC East. I’m not sure people envisioned them as a top-10 team heading into their matchup against Alabama. However, that is the case. The Volunteers haven’t had much trouble outside of a road game against Pittsburgh. Other than that, they have caught the eyes of many. College GameDay will be in Knoxville for the Volunteers’ matchup against the Crimson Tide in Week 7.

Kirby Smart has paved the way for success at Georgia as of late, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. On Saturday, the Bulldogs held their own against the Auburn Tigers on both sides of the ball. The first half of their schedule was very favorable in comparison to the rest of their games. The Bulldogs will host Vanderbilt in their Week 7 matchup.

It wasn’t a pretty win by any means for the Crimson Tide. Nonetheless, they came out on top. Not to mention, they were without their starting quarterback Bryce Young this past weekend. The defense looked relatively good outside of a few miscues in the secondary. The offense had its troubles but pulled through in crunch time. I think it is okay to leave the Crimson Tide at No. 1 for now. They will be faced with traveling to Knoxville to take on an ascending Tennessee team in Week 7.