# SEC Scouts Football Power Rankings Week 5: Georgia Holds Off Texas for No. 1 as Five SEC Unbeatens Remain in the Regular Season

**Published:** 2026-09-28 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield
**Category:** analysis — **Type:** power-rankings
**Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-football-power-rankings-week-5-georgia-texas-five-unbeatens

**Teams:** [Alabama](https://secscouts.com/alabama/), [Arkansas](https://secscouts.com/arkansas/), [Auburn](https://secscouts.com/auburn/), [Kentucky](https://secscouts.com/kentucky/), [LSU](https://secscouts.com/lsu/), [Miss State](https://secscouts.com/mississippi-state/), [Ole Miss](https://secscouts.com/ole-miss/), [South Carolina](https://secscouts.com/south-carolina/), [Texas A&M](https://secscouts.com/texas-am/), [Vanderbilt](https://secscouts.com/vanderbilt/)


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# SEC Scouts Football Power Rankings: Week 5

Five SEC teams are still unbeaten heading into October, and our formula has them packed tightly together. Georgia keeps the top spot by half a point over Texas, 85.0 to 84.5. The gap comes mostly from point differential: Georgia's +166 is the best in the league by 43 points, while Texas has won its games by smaller margins.

The bigger gap is in the middle of the table. Mississippi State, the fifth unbeaten team, scores 78.9. LSU, the best of the one-loss teams, scores 60.9. That 18-point drop splits the conference into two tiers after four weeks.

Our rankings also differ from the AP poll in several places. Florida is No. 3 here but No. 21 in the AP. Ole Miss is No. 4 in the AP but seventh here after losing 52-28 in Gainesville. South Carolina is No. 11 in the AP and 13th in our rankings. Our formula weighs results against conference opponents, and it does not give much credit for preseason reputation.

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## The Rankings

### 1. Georgia (4-0, 2-0 SEC)
**Power Score: 85.0 | Point Diff: +166 | AP: #2**

Georgia's +166 point differential is the reason it stays ahead of Texas. The Bulldogs beat Oklahoma 41-13 in their latest game and hold a 45-17 win over Arkansas, which gives them two lopsided conference wins. Their Last 5 mark of 4-1 is a small drag on the score. Their margins make up for it.

### 2. Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC)
**Power Score: 84.5 | Point Diff: +80 | AP: #1**

The AP's No. 1 team won a close road game at Tennessee, 20-17. Texas is one of only two SEC teams at 5-0 over its last five. It sits second here because it has one conference game to Georgia's two and roughly half of Georgia's point differential.

### 3. Florida (4-0, 2-0 SEC)
**Power Score: 83.7 | Point Diff: +123 | AP: #21**

Florida has the biggest difference between our ranking and the AP poll. The Gators beat AP No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28, which is the best win of the season for any SEC team so far. With a 5-0 Last 5, a +123 point differential and a 2-0 conference record, Florida is within 0.8 points of Texas despite being ranked 18 spots lower in the AP.

### 4. Alabama (4-0, 2-0 SEC)
**Power Score: 81.0 | Point Diff: +111 | AP: #8**

Alabama beat AP No. 11 South Carolina 49-18, a 31-point win over a ranked team. The Crimson Tide are 2-0 in the SEC with a +111 differential. A 4-1 Last 5 keeps them just behind Florida.

### 5. Mississippi State (4-0, 2-0 SEC)
**Power Score: 78.9 | Point Diff: +88 | AP: #24**

Mississippi State beat AP No. 19 Missouri 31-24 and is 2-0 in league play. The Bulldogs are ranked 24th in the AP but fifth here, because our formula counts both their unbeaten record and their conference record.

### 6. LSU (3-1, 1-1 SEC)
**Power Score: 60.9 | Point Diff: +93 | AP: #10**

LSU leads the one-loss teams after beating Texas A&M 35-6. The Tigers' +93 point differential is better than two of the unbeaten teams. The 1-1 conference record keeps them in the second tier for now.

### 7. Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1 SEC)
**Power Score: 59.2 | Point Diff: +19 | AP: #4**

The 52-28 loss at Florida cost Ole Miss much of its point differential, which is now +19. That is the lowest among teams with winning records. The AP still has the Rebels fourth. Our formula ranks them seventh.

### 8. Auburn (3-1, 1-1 SEC)
**Power Score: 54.1 | Point Diff: +37 | AP: #22**

Auburn evened its SEC record by beating Vanderbilt 21-15. Because Vanderbilt is ranked No. 15 in the AP, that counts as a quality win in our formula, and it moves Auburn ahead of Kentucky.

### 9. Kentucky (3-1, 1-1 SEC)
**Power Score: 50.1 | Point Diff: +38 | AP: NR**

Kentucky is the only team in our top 12 that is unranked in the AP. The Wildcats won 31-21 at Texas A&M and are 1-1 in the SEC. Their +38 differential is nearly identical to Auburn's.

### 10. Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC)
**Power Score: 46.1 | Point Diff: +98 | AP: #14**

Tennessee has the second-best point differential among one-loss teams at +98, but it lost its conference opener 20-17 at home to Texas. The 0-1 SEC mark is what keeps the Volunteers in the bottom half. They are in a better spot than their ranking suggests.

### 11. Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1 SEC)
**Power Score: 42.5 | Point Diff: +26 | AP: #15**

Vanderbilt lost 21-15 at Auburn, a one-possession game, and fell to 0-1 in the SEC. The Commodores are No. 15 in the AP but 11th here because they have no conference wins yet.

### 12. Missouri (3-1, 0-1 SEC)
**Power Score: 42.3 | Point Diff: +60 | AP: #19**

Missouri lost 31-24 at Mississippi State. The Tigers trail Vanderbilt by just 0.2 points, and their +60 differential shows they have been competitive. They need a conference win to move up.

### 13. South Carolina (2-2, 0-2 SEC)
**Power Score: 34.8 | Point Diff: +55 | AP: #11**

South Carolina has the largest drop from its AP ranking to our ranking among ranked teams. The Gamecocks are No. 11 in the AP but 13th here. They lost 49-18 at Alabama and are 0-2 in the SEC. Their +55 point differential is the only strong number on their résumé.

### 14. Texas A&M (2-2, 0-2 SEC)
**Power Score: 31.9 | Point Diff: +39 | AP: #23**

Texas A&M has lost two straight conference games: 31-21 at home to Kentucky and 35-6 at LSU. The six points at LSU were the fewest any SEC team scored in its most recent game. The Aggies are 0-2 in the league.

### 15. Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1 SEC)
**Power Score: 31.2 | Point Diff: +24 | AP: #24**

Oklahoma lost 41-13 at Georgia and is now 2-2. It still has an AP ranking, but its +24 differential and 2-3 Last 5 put it near the bottom of our rankings.

### 16. Arkansas (2-2, 0-1 SEC)
**Power Score: 25.2 | Point Diff: -16 | AP: NR**

Arkansas is the only SEC team with a negative point differential, at -16. Its most recent result in our data is a 45-17 home loss to Georgia. The Razorbacks need a conference win to get out of last place.

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## Stock Up

**Florida:** The Gators have a 5-0 Last 5, a 2-0 SEC record and a 24-point win over the AP's No. 4 team. The AP has them at No. 21, which looks too low based on these numbers.

**Kentucky:** The Wildcats won on the road at Texas A&M, are 1-1 in the SEC and rank ninth here while unranked in the AP. Our formula rates them ahead of three AP-ranked SEC teams.

**Mississippi State:** The Bulldogs are 4-0, 2-0 in the SEC and beat an AP-ranked Missouri team. They are the fifth member of the unbeaten group and 18 points clear of the next team.

## Stock Down

**Ole Miss:** The 52-28 loss at Florida cut the Rebels' point differential to +19. Their AP No. 4 ranking and our seventh-place ranking now differ more than for almost any other team.

**South Carolina:** The Gamecocks are 0-2 in the SEC, lost by 31 at Alabama and have a 2-3 Last 5. Their AP No. 11 ranking and our 13th-place ranking are far apart.

**Texas A&M:** The Aggies lost at home to Kentucky and then lost by 29 at LSU. At 0-2 in the SEC, they need a result that changes their direction.

## Games to Watch

The data behind these rankings does not include next week's schedule. These are the results that would move the rankings most:

- **Any game between two unbeaten teams.** Georgia, Texas, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi State are separated by 6.1 points. A head-to-head result among them would change the top five immediately.
- **Tennessee's next conference game.** The Volunteers' +98 differential says they are better than 10th place. A first SEC win would likely move them into the middle of the table.
- **Games between one-loss teams.** LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn and Kentucky are all 1-1 in the SEC and within 10.8 points of each other. Results among them will decide who leads the second tier.
- **Arkansas's next result.** A win for the Razorbacks would help them catch the three 2-2 teams directly above them.

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*Original article: [SEC Scouts Football Power Rankings Week 5: Georgia Holds Off Texas for No. 1 as Five SEC Unbeatens Remain in the Regular Season](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-football-power-rankings-week-5-georgia-texas-five-unbeatens) — SEC Scouts*