SEC Scouts Football Power Rankings — Week 10

The regular season has reached November, and the SEC has split into clear tiers — but the gap at the very top has never been thinner. Georgia sits at No. 1 in our power rankings with a score of 87.5, holding off Kentucky by a razor-thin 0.2 points. Both teams are 7-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play, and both took care of business this weekend. The difference comes down to resume texture: Georgia's +209 point differential dwarfs Kentucky's +65, but the Wildcats own the league's only perfect 5-0 mark over their last five games.

Below the top two, a logjam of 6-2 teams — LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas, Tennessee and Missouri — occupy spots three through eight, separated by barely 10 power-score points. Every one of them is 3-2 or better in the SEC, and every one of them is ranked in the AP poll. The November stretch will sort this group out, and the margins are small enough that one bad Saturday can drop a team three spots.

At the bottom, the separation is just as stark. Vanderbilt has lost five straight, Mississippi State has dropped four of five, and Arkansas sits at 3-5 with a -64 point differential. For that trio, the final month is about salvage.

The Rankings

1. Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC) — Power Score: 87.5 The Bulldogs reasserted themselves with a 27-8 dismantling of Florida, a defensive statement that held the Gators to single digits. Georgia's +209 point differential is the best in the conference, and the AP voters agree with the formula — the No. 3 national ranking is the SEC's highest. A 4-1 mark over the last five keeps the Bulldogs on top, but just barely.

2. Kentucky (7-1, 5-1 SEC) — Power Score: 87.3 Nobody in the league is hotter. Kentucky's 34-17 win over Vanderbilt extended a perfect 5-0 run, and the Wildcats sit just 0.2 power-score points behind Georgia. The one soft spot in the profile is a +65 point differential — modest for a 7-1 team — which suggests Kentucky wins close rather than winning big. At No. 9 in the AP poll, the Wildcats are still arguably underrated relative to their resume.

3. LSU (6-2, 3-2 SEC) — Power Score: 72.8 The Tigers lead the 6-2 pack on the strength of a +193 point differential, second only to Georgia, and a 4-1 run over their last five. The 38-17 road win at Auburn was exactly the kind of comfortable conference result the formula rewards. The AP has LSU at No. 15, five spots below Alabama — but the power score says the Tigers belong a notch ahead.

4. Alabama (6-2, 4-2 SEC) — Power Score: 72.4 Alabama edged Texas A&M 31-20 at home to move to 4-2 in league play — the best conference record among the 6-2 group alongside Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide's +136 point differential and No. 10 AP ranking round out a solid profile, though a 3-2 mark over the last five keeps them from climbing higher. The gap to LSU at No. 3 is a mere 0.4 points.

5. Ole Miss (6-2, 4-2 SEC) — Power Score: 71.8 The Rebels delivered the weekend's most lopsided conference result, hammering Auburn 45-15. At 4-2 in the SEC with a +105 point differential and a No. 12 AP ranking, Ole Miss sits in a near dead heat with Alabama — just 0.6 power-score points separate them. Like the Tide, a 3-2 recent stretch is what's holding the Rebels back.

6. Texas (6-2, 3-2 SEC) — Power Score: 67.7 Texas took care of Mississippi State 31-3, the kind of no-drama blowout that steadies a resume. The Longhorns are No. 11 in the AP poll with a +109 point differential, but the formula slots them sixth — the 3-2 conference record trails the 4-2 marks of Alabama and Ole Miss, and the 3-2 last-five form doesn't move the needle.

7. Tennessee (6-2, 3-2 SEC) — Power Score: 63.6 The Volunteers suffered the sting of the week, falling 27-24 at South Carolina. It cost them position in a tier where every result matters. Tennessee still owns a healthy +128 point differential — better than several teams ranked above them — but the fresh loss and 3-2 recent form drop the Vols to seventh. The AP has them at No. 16.

8. Missouri (6-2, 3-2 SEC) — Power Score: 62.5 Missouri's 34-10 road win at Arkansas was as professional as it gets. The Tigers match the rest of the 6-2 group with a +105 point differential and 3-2 form over the last five, but a No. 23 AP ranking — lowest among the league's 6-2 teams — trims their power score. Only 1.1 points separate Missouri from Tennessee at No. 7.

9. South Carolina (5-3, 3-3 SEC) — Power Score: 61.8 The Gamecocks are the biggest story outside the top two. A week after knocking off Tennessee, South Carolina went to Norman and routed Oklahoma 42-25. The AP poll has taken notice, vaulting the Gamecocks to No. 11 — notably higher than the power formula, which weighs the 5-3 overall record. With a +93 point differential and clear upward momentum, South Carolina is just 0.7 points behind Missouri.

10. Florida (5-3, 3-3 SEC) — Power Score: 55.1 The 27-8 loss to Georgia exposed the gap between the Gators and the league's top tier. Florida has now lost three of its last five, and a +60 point differential is thin for a team ranked No. 17 in the AP poll. The drop-off from South Carolina at No. 9 is nearly seven power-score points — the largest gap between adjacent teams in the top ten.

11. Oklahoma (4-4, 2-3 SEC) — Power Score: 44.5 The Sooners were run off their own field by South Carolina, 42-25, and now sit at .500 with a barely positive point differential of +10. Oklahoma clings to a No. 24 AP ranking, but 2-3 form over the last five and a 2-3 conference record tell the story of a team trending the wrong way.

12. Auburn (4-4, 2-4 SEC) — Power Score: 41.6 Auburn's 45-15 loss at Ole Miss dropped the Tigers to 2-4 in the SEC and pushed their point differential into the red at -21. The No. 22 AP ranking looks increasingly out of step with a power score of 41.6. Auburn has lost three of five, and the margin of these recent defeats is the real concern.

13. Mississippi State (4-4, 2-4 SEC) — Power Score: 39.1 A 31-3 loss at Texas marked the fourth defeat in five games for the Bulldogs, whose point differential has slipped to -12. The curiosity here is the AP poll, which still has Mississippi State at No. 16 — a ranking the power formula, at 39.1, flatly disagrees with. The 1-4 last-five mark is the second worst in the conference.

14. Texas A&M (4-4, 1-4 SEC) — Power Score: 37.8 The Aggies are this ranking's strangest profile: a +75 point differential — better than six teams ranked above them — paired with a 1-4 conference record. The 31-20 loss at Alabama was competitive, and the AP still lists A&M at No. 23, but the formula punishes losing league games, and the Aggies keep losing them.

15. Arkansas (3-5, 1-4 SEC) — Power Score: 26.7 Missouri's 34-10 visit dropped the Razorbacks to 3-5 with a -64 point differential, the worst in the conference. Arkansas is the only unranked team in this field, and the nine-point power-score gap to Texas A&M above them shows how far the bottom tier has fallen off.

16. Vanderbilt (3-5, 0-5 SEC) — Power Score: 19.9 The Commodores have lost five straight, are winless in SEC play, and fell 34-17 at Kentucky. Yet the AP poll somehow still lists Vanderbilt at No. 15 — the single largest disconnect between poll position and power score (19.9) in the league. The formula sees an 0-5 conference team on an 0-5 slide; the resume offers no counterargument.

Stock Up

Kentucky. A 5-0 run over the last five games — the only perfect recent form in the conference — has the Wildcats within 0.2 power-score points of the top spot. The 34-17 handling of Vanderbilt kept the streak alive. If the point differential (+65) starts catching up to the win column, the No. 1 ranking is in play.

South Carolina. Back-to-back statement wins — 27-24 over Tennessee and 42-25 at Oklahoma — have transformed the Gamecocks' trajectory. The AP poll has them at No. 11, well ahead of their No. 9 power ranking, and at 3-3 in the SEC they're one more win from flipping their conference ledger positive.

LSU. Quietly 4-1 over the last five with a +193 point differential that trails only Georgia. The 38-17 road win at Auburn was the Tigers' second straight comfortable result, and they've climbed to the top of the crowded 6-2 tier.

Stock Down

Vanderbilt. Five straight losses, 0-5 in the SEC, a -60 point differential — and a power score of 19.9 that sits 65-plus points behind the league leaders. The Commodores' No. 15 AP ranking is living on borrowed time.

Mississippi State. Losers of four of five, capped by a 3-31 no-show at Texas. The Bulldogs have scored three points or fewer in their most recent outing and watched their point differential go negative. The formula has them 13th; the trend line points lower.

Auburn. The Tigers have dropped to 2-4 in conference play, and the losses are getting uglier — 45-15 at Ole Miss after a 38-17 home defeat to LSU the week prior. A -21 point differential for a team still holding an AP ranking is a warning sign.

What to Watch Down the Stretch

The defining race of November is Georgia versus Kentucky at the top — 0.2 power-score points apart, identical 7-1 and 5-1 records, and no margin for a slip from either. Kentucky's perfect last-five form means any Georgia stumble flips the order immediately.

Just as compelling is the six-team pileup from No. 3 through No. 8. LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas, Tennessee and Missouri are all 6-2, all ranked, and separated by just over 10 power-score points. With Alabama and Ole Miss holding 4-2 conference records against the 3-2 marks of the other four, head-to-head results within this tier will carry enormous weight in the final rankings.

Finally, keep an eye on the bowl-eligibility line. Oklahoma, Auburn, Mississippi State and Texas A&M all sit at 4-4, needing two wins in the final month. For Arkansas and Vanderbilt at 3-5, the math is harsher — and the power scores say the path is steep.