SEC Scouts Football Power Rankings: Week 6

Five weeks into the regular season, three SEC teams are still unbeaten, and the SEC Scouts formula separates them clearly. Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) is No. 1 with a 91.0 Power Score and a +190 point differential, the best in the league. Alabama (5-0, 3-0 SEC) is second at 88.7 after a 56-23 road win at Mississippi State. Texas, No. 1 in the AP poll, is third at 84.5. The Longhorns are unbeaten, but they have one SEC game on their record while Georgia and Alabama have three each.

The middle of the table is crowded. Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri are all 4-1, and only 10.7 points separate No. 4 from No. 9. In a pack this tight, a single result moves teams. Missouri's 45-17 win over Florida is the best example: it put the Tigers inside the top 10 and cost the Gators ground on the leaders.

The formula and the AP poll disagree in places. Vanderbilt (AP No. 15) and South Carolina (AP No. 11) both sit in the bottom four here because neither has won an SEC game yet. The formula gives 45% of its weight to overall and conference win percentage, and it is holding both teams to that standard.

The Rankings

1. Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) | Power Score: 91.0 | AP: #2 Georgia leads the SEC in point differential at +190 and has two lopsided wins over AP-ranked teams: 41-13 over Oklahoma and 38-14 over Vanderbilt. That combination of winning margin and quality wins is why the Bulldogs top the formula, even though the AP has them second.

2. Alabama (5-0, 3-0 SEC) | Power Score: 88.7 | AP: #7 No team in the conference has a better on-field case to be ranked higher than its AP spot. Alabama is 3-0 in the SEC, has a +144 differential, and put up 56 points in a 33-point road win at Mississippi State, currently No. 16 in the AP poll. The Crimson Tide are 2.3 points behind Georgia in the formula.

3. Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) | Power Score: 84.5 | AP: #1 Texas has won every game, including a 20-17 road win at Tennessee (AP No. 17). Its +80 point differential is the smallest among the unbeaten teams, though, and with one conference game played the Longhorns have less SEC data than the two teams above them.

4. Florida (4-1, 2-1 SEC) | Power Score: 71.6 | AP: #8 Florida beat Ole Miss 52-28 and then lost 45-17 at Missouri, which is about as wide a swing as a team can have. A +95 differential and a 2-1 SEC record keep the Gators at No. 4, but the 28-point loss at Missouri leaves a real question mark.

5. LSU (4-1, 1-1 SEC) | Power Score: 65.6 | AP: #11 LSU's +142 point differential ranks third in the SEC, behind only Georgia and Alabama. The Tigers' 35-6 win over Texas A&M was one of the most complete performances in the league this season. A 1-1 conference record is the main thing holding them below Florida.

6. Mississippi State (4-1, 2-1 SEC) | Power Score: 65.6 | AP: #16 Mississippi State has the same Power Score as LSU. Its 2-1 SEC record helps, but the 56-23 home loss to Alabama dragged its point differential down to +55. Alabama has shown the Bulldogs what the top of the league looks like.

7. Kentucky (4-1, 2-1 SEC) | Power Score: 64.8 | AP: #24 Kentucky won 35-34 at South Carolina, a game decided by one point. The Wildcats' +39 differential is modest for a 4-1 team, but a 2-1 SEC record and wins that hold up on the road have them ahead of several teams the AP ranks higher.

8. Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) | Power Score: 61.9 | AP: #17 Tennessee's only loss was 20-17 to Texas, and the Volunteers followed it with a 24-14 win over Auburn. A +108 differential says the Volunteers are better than their 1-1 SEC record. Splitting their two ranked conference games has them in the middle of the pack.

9. Missouri (4-1, 1-1 SEC) | Power Score: 60.9 | AP: #25 Missouri had the biggest single result of the week, beating Florida (AP No. 8) 45-17. That win lifted the Tigers' differential to +88. The AP has them at No. 25, and the formula suggests that undersells them.

10. Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1 SEC) | Power Score: 57.2 | AP: #9 Ole Miss has the largest gap between its AP rank (No. 9) and its spot in these rankings. The 52-28 loss at Florida cut its point differential to +19, the lowest among teams in the top 10. A 1-1 conference record leaves the Rebels with plenty of work to do.

11. Auburn (3-2, 1-2 SEC) | Power Score: 46.5 | AP: #22 There is a big drop-off after No. 10. Auburn lost 24-14 at Tennessee and is now 1-2 in the SEC with a +27 differential. Its two losses have dropped it 10.7 points behind Ole Miss.

12. Texas A&M (3-2, 1-2 SEC) | Power Score: 45.5 | AP: #23 The Aggies' results swing widely. They beat Arkansas 34-7 but lost 35-6 to LSU. Their +66 differential is better than Auburn's, but the same 1-2 SEC record keeps them just behind the Tigers.

13. Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-2 SEC) | Power Score: 37.6 | AP: #15 Vanderbilt is ranked No. 15 in the AP poll but has not won an SEC game. The 38-14 loss at Georgia dropped the Commodores to 0-2 in league play, and their +2 differential is the second-lowest in the conference.

14. South Carolina (2-3, 0-3 SEC) | Power Score: 32.2 | AP: #11 The Gamecocks' +54 differential shows they can compete, but they are 0-3 in the SEC after a 35-34 home loss to Kentucky. The formula weighs that winless conference record more heavily than the AP poll does.

15. Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1 SEC) | Power Score: 31.2 | AP: #24 The Sooners lost 41-13 at Georgia, their only SEC game so far. They are 2-2 with a +24 differential and have had little chance to change the formula's view of them.

16. Arkansas (2-3, 0-2 SEC) | Power Score: 21.4 | AP: NR Arkansas is the only SEC team with a negative point differential (-43) and the only one not ranked in the AP poll. The 34-7 loss at Texas A&M dropped the Razorbacks to 0-2 in conference play.

Stock Up

Missouri: Beating a top-10 Florida team 45-17 is the most convincing result of any SEC team outside the top three. The Tigers sit ninth in the formula and 25th in the AP poll, and that win should move them up in both.

Alabama: Scoring 56 points on the road against an AP No. 16 team pulled Alabama within 2.3 points of Georgia. The Crimson Tide are 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the SEC, with nothing in their results so far to suggest they are slowing down.

LSU: A 35-6 win over Texas A&M took LSU's point differential to +142, nearly matching Alabama's +144. Of the 4-1 teams, LSU has the strongest scoring margin.

Stock Down

Florida: The 45-17 loss at Missouri undid much of what the 52-28 win over Ole Miss had built. The Gators are still fourth, but they now have a 4.9-point cushion over LSU and Mississippi State.

Ole Miss: A 24-point loss to Florida dropped the Rebels to 1-1 in the SEC with a +19 differential. Their AP ranking (No. 9) is now well ahead of where their results put them.

South Carolina: Losing to Kentucky by one point at home was costly. The Gamecocks are 0-3 in the SEC, and the AP's No. 11 ranking does not match a 2-3 overall record.

What to Watch

The race for No. 1: Georgia and Alabama are both 3-0 in conference play and separated by 2.3 Power Score points. The No. 1 spot could change hands quickly. Georgia's lead depends on its +190 differential and its two wins over ranked teams.

Texas and SEC games: Texas has played one conference game. As it plays more, its 84.5 Power Score will either rise toward Georgia and Alabama or fall back toward the 4-1 teams, depending on whether it keeps winning.

The 4-1 logjam: Six teams from Florida (71.6) to Missouri (60.9) are separated by 10.7 points, and four of them are 2-1 or 1-1 in the SEC. Head-to-head results within this group will decide the middle of the rankings, as Missouri's win over Florida did this week.

Vanderbilt and South Carolina: Both teams are ranked in the AP Top 15 without an SEC win. A first conference win would help either one climb quickly. Another loss would widen the gap between their AP rank and their spot here.