SEC Scouts Football Power Rankings — Week 2

The regular season is barely underway, and the SEC has already refused to follow the script. Texas sits atop the SEC Scouts Power Rankings at 1-0 with a league-best 60.1 Power Score, riding a perfect 5-0 mark over its last five games and a +52 point differential — separation the formula rewards heavily. The Longhorns backed it up on the field, handling Texas A&M 27-17 in a result that reverberates through the middle of these rankings.

But the story of the early season is chaos just below the top. Georgia holds at No. 2 on the strength of its resume and a conference-best +60 point differential, yet the Bulldogs just dropped a 39-34 home decision to Ole Miss — the same Rebels who vault to No. 4. Add in Vanderbilt's 45-24 dismantling of Tennessee and Alabama's 34-24 road win at Oklahoma, and the gap between the AP poll and our formula is already producing friction. Six teams are packed between Power Scores of 44.9 and 49.6, which means one result next week could scramble spots four through eleven.

With every team at 1-0 and conference records still 0-0 across the board, these rankings lean on point differential, recent form, and head-to-head results. Here's where all 16 stand.

The Rankings

1. Texas (1-0) — Power Score: 60.1 The Longhorns own the largest Power Score cushion in the league at 5.6 points over Georgia, and the profile is spotless: 5-0 in their last five, +52 point differential, and a 27-17 win over then-No. 8 Texas A&M already banked. The AP poll has Texas at No. 5; our formula says they're clearly the team to beat.

2. Georgia (1-0) — Power Score: 54.5 The Bulldogs' +60 point differential leads the SEC, and the AP still has them No. 3. But the 39-34 home loss to Ole Miss stings, and a 3-2 mark over the last five keeps the form component from carrying them any higher. The margin behind Texas is real.

3. Oklahoma (1-0) — Power Score: 52.0 A +51 point differential keeps the Sooners in the top three despite a 34-24 home loss to Alabama. The AP has Oklahoma at No. 10, so the formula is more bullish than the voters — but at 3-2 over the last five, the trend line needs to turn before this ranking is safe.

4. Ole Miss (1-0) — Power Score: 49.6 The Rebels went into Athens and beat Georgia 39-34 — the best road win anyone in this league can claim right now. The catch: a +3 point differential is the second-thinnest among ranked teams, which is why the quality win only lifts them to fourth. Ranked No. 9 by the AP, Ole Miss has the resume piece; now it needs margin.

5. Alabama (1-0) — Power Score: 49.4 Winning 34-24 at Oklahoma is exactly the kind of result the quality-wins component values, and the Crimson Tide's +38 differential is solid. The AP has Alabama at No. 13, but the formula sees a top-five team separated from Ole Miss by two-tenths of a point.

6. Texas A&M (1-0) — Power Score: 49.0 The Aggies' +50 point differential is fourth-best in the league, but the 27-17 loss at Texas and a 2-3 record over the last five drag the score down. The AP still ranks A&M No. 8 — higher than our formula does — setting up a real test of which evaluation is right.

7. Vanderbilt (1-0) — Power Score: 48.5 The Commodores made the loudest statement of the week, going into Knoxville and hammering Tennessee 45-24. At 3-2 over the last five with an AP rank of No. 15, Vanderbilt is trending in one direction. The +19 differential is the only thing keeping them out of the top five.

8. South Carolina (1-0) — Power Score: 47.4 A +57 point differential — second in the SEC — and an AP rank of No. 11 suggest the Gamecocks belong higher. But the one-point 31-30 loss at Texas A&M and a 2-3 stretch over the last five games hold them at eighth. Few teams have a smaller gap between what they are and what they could be.

9. Florida (1-0) — Power Score: 46.8 The Gators bring a +45 differential, but the 31-11 home loss to Tennessee was the week's most one-sided result among ranked teams. At 2-3 in their last five and No. 13 in the AP poll, Florida's ranking is built on margin, not momentum.

10. LSU (1-0) — Power Score: 46.5 LSU's 17-13 loss at Oklahoma was competitive to the final margin, and a +41 differential keeps the profile respectable. The AP has the Tigers at No. 11, three spots ahead of the formula. A 2-3 recent stretch is the anchor.

11. Tennessee (1-0) — Power Score: 44.9 The Volunteers' week was a whiplash: they own a 31-11 win over Florida in the record, but the 45-24 home loss to Vanderbilt was a blowout in the wrong direction. A +47 differential says the ceiling is high; the AP's No. 20 ranking and a 2-3 last-five mark say the floor is low.

12. Missouri (1-0) — Power Score: 44.5 The Tigers took care of business with a 31-17 win at Arkansas and carry a +40 differential. Sitting at No. 25 in the AP poll with a 2-3 recent stretch, Missouri is quietly positioned to climb if the results keep coming.

13. Kentucky (1-0) — Power Score: 43.1 The Wildcats are 3-2 over their last five — better recent form than several teams above them — but the 45-17 loss at Vanderbilt and an unranked AP status cap the score. A +32 differential keeps them within range of the middle tier.

14. Auburn (1-0) — Power Score: 42.5 Auburn played Alabama to a 27-20 margin, but a loss is a loss, and a +1 point differential is the thinnest in the conference. The AP ranks the Tigers No. 22; the formula needs to see margin before it agrees.

15. Mississippi State (1-0) — Power Score: 40.0 Here's the oddity of the week: the Bulldogs' +49 point differential is fifth-best in the SEC, yet a 1-2 mark over their last five games and an unranked AP status leave them 15th. If the recent form catches up to the scoring margin, this ranking won't last.

16. Arkansas (1-0) — Power Score: 36.4 The Razorbacks lost to Missouri 31-17 and sit at 1-4 over their last five — the worst form line in the league. A +17 differential and no AP ranking round out a profile with nowhere to go but up.

Stock Up

Ole Miss — Beating Georgia 39-34 on the road is the single most valuable result on any resume in this week's rankings. The quality-wins component will keep paying dividends, and the AP's No. 9 ranking adds bonus points. If the Rebels start winning with margin, the top three is in reach.

Vanderbilt — A 45-24 road win over an AP-ranked Tennessee team, a 3-2 recent stretch, and a No. 15 AP ranking. The Commodores are seventh with an argument for higher, and the formula's form component is about to become their best friend.

Alabama — The Crimson Tide went to Oklahoma and won by 10 against the AP's No. 10 team. With a +38 differential and the AP at No. 13, Alabama is positioned two-tenths of a point behind Ole Miss with a comparable quality win.

Stock Down

Tennessee — A 21-point home loss to Vanderbilt undid whatever goodwill the 31-11 win over Florida generated. Eleventh in the Power Rankings against a No. 20 AP rank, with a 2-3 form line, the Volunteers head the wrong way.

Texas A&M — The Aggies' No. 8 AP ranking is now the most inflated number in the league relative to a 49.0 Power Score. The 27-17 loss at Texas plus a 2-3 recent record has A&M sixth and sliding.

Georgia — Still No. 2, but the trajectory matters: a home loss to Ole Miss, a 3-2 form line, and a 5.6-point Power Score gap behind Texas. The +60 differential is doing the heavy lifting.

What Could Shift the Rankings

Every team in the conference sits at 0-0 in SEC play, which means the league schedule is about to become the entire story. The compression is the thing to watch: spots four through eleven are separated by fewer than five Power Score points, so any result carries outsized movement. Keep an eye on whether Ole Miss and Alabama — separated by 0.2 — can add margin to their marquee wins, whether South Carolina's league-best-adjacent +57 differential finally converts into a signature result, and whether Mississippi State's +49 differential forces its way past a 15th-place ranking. Texas has the cushion; everyone else is one Saturday from a shakeup.