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All for Tennessee Official Week 8 SEC Power Rankings: Vols Move Up
Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers former quarterback Peyton Manning waves to the crowd before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Despite not playing this past Saturday, the Volunteers did move up in the All for Tennessee official Week Eight SEC Power Rankings.
Talk about another crazy week of Southeastern Conference football! As the season continues on, our SEC Power Rankings are really starting to take shape now.
The Tennessee Vols, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs all had the weekend off, and somehow the conference still provided a massive amount of entertainment.
Heck the three biggest games of the weekend all turned out to be blowouts, and there was still not a dull moment. From the final game of a Round Robin between the three undefeated teams left two weeks ago to more separation in the SEC West, we are finally starting to see who the real players are in the conference.
Six teams in the conference still have a legitimate chance to win the championship and potentially reach the College Football Playoff if a few things break their way.
A couple of them were dead in the water at the beginning of the year. And some others simply have not yet been tested enough. That all is about to change, though.
Oh, and the bottom of the conference is slowly but surely being sorted out. There are two teams in that tier that still have a real shot at reaching a bowl game. So the conference standings are starting to take real form.
And there’s still a lot of football left to play. So with five more weeks in the regular season, here are our official SEC Power Rankings following Week Eight of the college football season.
Oct 22, 2016; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Ray Wingo (14) is congratulated by quarterback Drew Lock (3) after scoring during the second half against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Faurot Field. Middle Tennessee won 51-45. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Missouri Tigers
2-5 (0-3)
Last week: Lost to the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders 51-45Last rank: 14th
Even after their blowout loss to the Florida Gators two Saturdays ago in which we dropped the Missouri Tigers to this spot in our SEC Power Rankings, they still had reason to be encouraged.
After all, in his first year, Barry Odom’s team was set to begin an easy schedule that could get them to six wins. However, they collapsed in the first game of that four-game stretch. Despite the fact that Odom is a defensive-minded coach, the Tigers showed far too many problems on that side of the ball on Saturday.
And the Middle Tennessee State Blue Radiers shocked them in a shootout. Drew Lock was his usual self by putting up huge numbers against inferior competition, but the defense has turned into a real concern. It has changed our projections on the Tigers from a potential six-win team to perhaps going 2-10.
That’s a huge drop-off, but even with the Kentucky Wildcats, South Carolina Gamecocks, and Vanderbilt Commodores all up next, it’s hard to see them getting to a bowl game now.
Middle Tennessee was a devastating loss en route to them reaching that goal. As a result, we have to keep them at the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings, and at this point, it’s not even close.
Oct 22, 2016; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks running back David Williams (33) celebrates his touchdown with South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Brandon McIlwain (11) in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina Gamecocks
3-4 (1-4)
Last week: Defeated the Massachusetts Minutemen 34-28Last rank: 13th
A close win over the UMASS Minutemen is not going to be enough to move the South Carolina Gamecocks up from this spot in our SEC Power Rankings. Sure, this is the same team that gave the Mississippi State Bulldogs hell and competed with the Florida Gators for a half.
But as we have seen, there is absolutely nothing impressive about that at this point.
In this game, Will Muschamp’s first team at least showed that it has some offensive firepower with a new quarterback in Jake Bentley, who was highly efficient. He was able to spark the running game with Rico Rico Dowdle and David Williams.
Perhaps that’s something they can build on.
However, in the process, they developed some concerns on defense. The Gamecocks gave up 28 points and nearly 400 yards to a MAC team that is 1-7 on the year. That’s pretty embarrassing, and it’s what keeps them here on the list.
We’ll have a better read on this team and its new quarterback this Saturday with Butch Jones and the Tennessee Vols coming to town. Muschamp is facing them off of a bye week.
However, if they want to reach a bowl, they’re going to have to beat either the Florida Gators, Clemson Tigers, or the Vols. So things aren’t looking good.
Oct 15, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jacob Eason (10) runs with the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia Bulldogs
4-3 (2-3)
Last week: Did Not PlayLast rank: 12th
Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs got a much-needed bye week after an embarrassing home loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores two weeks ago. Although the loss likely knocked them out of contention for any SEC East championship, they still have a lot to play for the rest of the year.
Sure, a loss to Vanderbilt is disappointing, but we mostly consider that a fluke. Still, for now that loss has knocked them down to here on this list because it’s up to them to prove it was a fluke. That comes with the next few weeks of play.
The Dawgs are obviously rebuilding with a new head coach and are playing for a bright future with Jacob Eason at quarterback. Remember, Matthew Stafford also lost to the Commodores his first year. He lost to the Kentucky Wildcats as well.
So the Dawgs still can have a decent season. They have a solid defense, a quarterback with a cannon for an arm who just needs to develop, and of course, Nick Chubb still in the backfield. He should be a lot healthier now.
That’s enough for them to be able to play any team close.
So we’ll find out just how good they are this year with the next few weeks. They have a huge opportunity this Saturday alone against the Florida Gators. And they still have to face a resurgent Kentucky Wildcats team, the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Those are plenty of tests.
Oct 22, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Malik Dear (22) and wide receiver Fred Ross (8) celebrate after scoring a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Mississippi State Bulldogs
2-5 (1-3)
Last week: Lost to the Kentucky Wildcats 40-38Last rank: 9th
Well the wheels have come off of Dan Mullen’s Mississippi State Bulldogs this year as they try to rebuild after the loss of Dak Prescott. And the rebuilding project is not going nearly as well as planned, which is why they continue falling in our SEC Power Rankings.
A close road loss to the Kentucky Wildcats has them now down at No. 11 on our list, as this team is riddled with problems. The defense is a flat-out disaster. After struggling all year, they collapsed against Kentucky and cost the Bulldogs.
Nick Fitzgerald is still the exact type of quarterback Mullen needs to run his system, but right now he looks like all they have. And he’s not good enough yet to mask all of their other problems the way Prescott was the past couple of years.
So Mullen has a lot of work to do. The future is bright for the program still, but they have to adjust to life without the greatest player in their history.
They’ll have a chance to tune up and find some more things out with what should be an easy win against Samford this weekend.
But then the rebuilding gets really tough with a brutal SEC West run to close the season against the Texas A&M Aggies, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, and Ole Miss Rebels.
Oct 22, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores wide receiver Trent Sherfield (10) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Tennessee State Tigers with teammate Commodores running back Josh Crawford (22) during the second half at Vanderbilt Stadium. Vanderbilt won 35-17. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Vanderbilt Commodores
4-4 (1-3)
Last week: Defeated the Tennessee State Tigers 35-17Last rank: 11th
Talk about a change in program trajectory! Just four weeks ago, we had all written off Derek Mason as a head coach and considered his Vanderbilt Commodores to be dead in the water. But out of the blue, his team has gotten on a roll.
Honestly, they turned things around with their overtime victory over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. After that, they suffered two close and heartbreaking losses. Then they went on to shock the Georgia Bulldogs.
And a dominating win over Tennessee State may not mean much, but it has this team back at .500. Everything is turning around. So they have earned the right to slowly move up in our SEC Power Rankings.
Mason’s defense remains dominant, as we expected, Kyle Shurmur is doing just enough to be a solid game manager, and they have a dominant rushing attack led by Ralph Webb. With all of this help, the Commodores are all of a sudden in a great position to get to a bowl game.
That seemed like the most impossible feat in the world just a few short weeks ago.
To do it, they somehow have to beat the Missouri Tigers, and then they need an upset against the Ole Miss Rebels, Auburn Tigers, or Tennessee Vols. It’s going to be tough, but they certainly have a chance at getting there.
Oct 22, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats kicker Austin MacGinnis (99) celebrates with teammates after kicking the game winning field goal against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated Mississippi 40-38. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Kentucky Wildcats
4-3 (3-2)
Last week: Defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 40-38Last rank: 10th
Even more than the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Kentucky Wildcats were buried and left for dead after their atrocious start to the 2016 season. They had a bad loss to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and then got rocked by the Florida Gators.
At the time, they were rightfully at the bottom of our SEC Power Rankings. But since that point, Mark Stoops has rallied the team after being a sure bet to lose his job earlier. He led the Wildcats to one easy non-conference win, and his team has taken control against the weaker teams in the conference.
Behind Stephen Johnson at quarterback, the offense has seen a major resurgence and scored huge victories over the South Carolina Gamecocks and Vanderbilt Commodores. But the highlight was this past weekend, as they won a shootout against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
In the process, they found a new weapon in kicker Austin MacGinnis, who was ultra-clutch in nailing a 51-yard field goal to win the game.
Now, the team is all of a sudden 4-3, and a bowl game seems extremely possible. This weekend will determine whether or not that happens. The Wildcats have a huge game at the Missouri Tigers. Winning gets them to 5-3, and they still have a home game against Austin Peay that they should win.
So six wins is very real now. But it all comes down to this weekend.
Oct 22, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Austin Allen (8) looks for a receiver during the first quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Arkansas Razorbacks
5-3 (1-3)
Last week: Lost to the Auburn Tigers 56-3Last rank: 3rd
We’re now out of the bottom tier of our SEC Power Rankings. But that’s just barely. In one weekend, Bret Bielema’s team woke back up to reality after a very exciting start to the season.
Up until last Saturday, Arkansas’s only losses were to the Texas A&M Aggies and Alabama Crimson Tide. No shame there, and with their balanced offense, they looked like they’d be able to beat anybody.
Then they got hit with a dose of reality and knocked back down to Earth with a 56-3 thrashing at the hands of the Auburn Tigers. The loss exposed lots of issues with the Razorbacks, mainly the fact that their physical defense still can’t handle up-tempo offenses that like to spread things out.
Meanwhile, they may not be as physical as we thought either, as they gave up over 500 rushing yards on Saturday. And they were unable to generate any of their offense against a physical Auburn defense.
The Razorbacks are entering a bye week at the perfect time after that thumping. Now they have a chance to get healthy for a stretch run and prove if this team is different.
With the Missouri Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs both on the road to close out the year, they are still likely to get to 7-5. But the Florida Gators and LSU Tigers at home directly after the bye week will determine if this is a better than usual Razorbacks team or just your average team from Fayetteville.
Oct 22, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Van Jefferson (12) celebrates with wide receiver DaMarkus Lodge (5) following a touchdown against the LSU Tigers during the first quarter of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Ole Miss Rebels
3-4 (1-3)
Last week: Lost to the LSU Tigers 38-21Last rank: 5th
Well, they are the best team in the country with a losing record. But we can’t keep the Ole Miss Rebels high in our SEC Power Rankings just because they keep losing to good teams. Two weeks ago they blew a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks, and we could make a case for them even being lower than here.
The only reason they aren’t is that Arkansas got blown out so badly we had to drop them further.
But with a chance to show how good they were, Hugh Freeze’s Rebels collapsed against the LSU Tigers. They went into halftime with the game tied, and Chad Kelly became completely useless in the second half. His play in crunch time of games this year has been a big issue.
The same holds true for their defense, which has struggled with consistency all year. As a result, this team is now 3-4 when it could easily be 5-2 or 6-1 on the year.
Now, the Rebels have work to do just to somehow make it to a bowl game. After all, the Auburn Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies are still on the schedule.
Georgia Southern is also on the schedule, but after that they have to beat the Vanderbilt Commodores on the road and the Mississippi State Bulldogs if they don’t beat Auburn or Texas A&M. That could be difficult.
Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) passing against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee Volunteers
5-2 (2-2)
Last week: Did Not PlayLast rank: 8th
No team in college football needed a bye week more than Butch Jones and the Tennessee Vols this past week. Because of the most brutal four-game stretch in maybe the history of the sport, they never had a chance to rest any of their injured players.
And as a result, they all piled up against the Alabama Crimson Tide, which resulted in a blowout. But as we’ve now seen, there’s no shame in losing to the Tide this year. Nobody is really playing them close.
With the other things that happened this past weekend, they were able to move up anyway. Now, fully healthy, they have a chance to make a stretch run.
The Vols still need some help to win the SEC East, but they have the right players to run the table. Joshua Dobbs is clearly a leader, Cameron Sutton could be coming back soon, and Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara are still deadly weapons.
There’s a chance they could have 20 of 22 starters back by the time the season ends. And with not one ranked team left on the schedule, they should be able to coast the rest of the way. The toughest game could come this weekend with the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road.
But Tennessee Tech, Kentucky, and Missouri at home should all be easy. Now, they just have to hope the next team in our SEC Power Rankings lose somewhere.
Oct 15, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Luke Del Rio (14) huddles up with teammates to call a play against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Missouri Tigers 40-14. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Florida Gators
5-1 (3-1)
Last week: Did Not PlayLast rank: 7th
The Florida Gators were able to cash in on the Vols playing the two toughest teams from the SEC West, and then they got a bye week at the perfect time. Now, Jim McElwain’s Gators are fully healthy and in perfect shape to defend their first place spot.
Luke Del rio is now fully healthy and should be ready to go, and the Gators still have the most dominant secondary in all of college football. It’s one half away from being undefeated.
The offense and defense should now be able to come together completely now after a bye week to get everything worked out.
At 5-1, Florida still controls its own destiny for the SEC Championship and even a spot in the College Football Playoff. However, they’ve only played one decent team all year, and they lost.
Now, the real tests begin. Over the next six weeks, they have to face the Georgia Bulldogs this week, the Arkansas Razorbacks next week, and then the makeup game against the LSU Tigers on the road three weeks after that.
So the fight to stay in first place in the SEC East is going to be extremely difficult.
Oh, and they still close out the year against those Florida State Seminoles on the road, making the playoff picture very difficult.
Oct 22, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Trevor Knight (8) drops back to pass against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Texas A&M Aggies
6-1 (4-1)
Last week: Lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-14Last rank: 2nd
Given the fact that the Alabama Crimson Tide are blowing out everybody, many people might deem it unfair to drop the Texas A&M Aggies from No. 1 to No. 4 in our SEC Power Rankings just because they lost 33-14.
After all, they were playing the Crimson Tide on the road, and they had a 14-13 lead in the second half with the chance to get the ball back after a third down stop that was nullified due to a roughing the passer penalty.
However, Kevin Sumlin’s offense got exposed with Trevor Knight after that, as he struggled all night to deal with Alabama’s outside pressure.
Meanwhile, the Aggies have one major thing that take away their chance for an excuse: they were coming off of a bye week. Sumlin had two weeks to prepare for this Alabama offense, and the Aggies’ weapons were set to get fully healthy.
But they came up short.
Still, this is a great team that has a lot to play for and a very balanced offense. So we knew not t drop them too much. Now, we’ll find out if they once again collapse after a great start. This team still gets to face New Mexico State, UT San Antonio, and Mississippi State to ensure its best year since Johnny Manziel left.
But games against the LSU Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels will define the season.
Oct 22, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron celebrates with his team following a win against the Mississippi Rebels in a game at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Mississippi 38-21. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
LSU Tigers
5-2 (3-1)
Last week: Defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 38-21Last rank: 6th
Talk about a resurgence! The LSU Tigers fired Les Miles at 2-2 and dead in the water in the SEC. But with Ed Orgeron stepping in and this team needing to prove itself against solid competition, they have completely turned things around.
LSU is on a three-game winning streak, and at 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference, they actually still have a chance at winning the SEC West.
But this past weekend was the biggest win they had. Dominating the Ole Miss Rebels in the second half was very impressive and proved that they are still a great team.
Danny Etling’s play at quarterback is getting a lot better, and this offense is coming together with Leonard Fournette getting healthy…and Cam Cameron being gone.
Meanwhile, the Tigers are still dominant on defense. All of this gives them a great chance to make a stretch run. But that stretch run will still be excruciatingly hard.
After all, they still have to face the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Gators, and Texas A&M Aggies. The Arkansas Razorbacks on the road will be no pushover either. So right now, they are only guaranteed to get to six wins.
But they have still made a dramatic jump. Now let’s move onto the team that last beat them.
Oct 22, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Kamryn Pittway (36) celebrates a touchdown with fullback Chandler Cox (27) and quarterback Sean White (13) during the third quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 56-3. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Auburn Tigers
5-2 (3-1)
Last week: Defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 56-3Last rank: 4th
Two weeks into this season, Gus Malzahn was on the hot seat. Just a month later, he now looks like he could lead the Auburn Tigers to the SEC Championship.
With the Texas A&M Aggies losing last weekend, the Tigers are in prime position to win the SEC West, or at least set the Iron Bowl up for a showdown to win the division. Malzahn masterfully used the bye week to re-tool his offense, which he began to do back in early September.
He based this offense on a dominant rushing attack, efficient play from Sean White at quarterback, and dominant play from his physical defense.
All of that was put on steroids this past weekend as his team dominated the Arkansas Razorbacks with a 56-3 rout. In the process, they had over 540 yards rushing on offense, including 192 yards from Kamryn Pettway, 94 yards from Eli Stove, 80 yards from Kam Martin, 78 yards from Stanton Truitt, and another 61 yards from White, who also was 6-for-11 passing with 77 yards and a touchdown.
Oh, and they shut down Bret Bielema’s offense.
Malzahn’s team can be cutting-edge offensively and still physical, which is a huge plus. But their work isn’t done. They still have to face the Ole Miss Rebels, a resurgent Vanderbilt Commodores, and the Georgia Bulldogs.
And then there’s that Iron Bowl showdown. But to get to that, the Tigers have to run the table the next four weeks. It’s difficult, but it’s very possible.
Oct 22, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) carries the ball up the field against the Texas A&M Aggies during the third quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama Crimson Tide
8-0 (5-0)
Last week: Defeated the Texas A&M Aggies 33-14Last rank: 1st
Does anybody seriously contest this? In a three-week Round Robin between the final undefeated teams in the SEC, the Alabama Crimson Tide steamrolled the Tennessee Vols and then the Texas A&M Aggies.
They beat Tennessee in Knoxville, and Texas A&M was coming off of a bye week. This may be the best Alabama Crimson Tide team Nick Saban has ever coached, and that’s saying something.
Jalen Hurts is only getting better at quarterback, and that 3-4 defense is simply dominating people. They shut down Joshua Dobbs and Trevor Knight in back to back weeks. Oh, and they’re still scoring a touchdown a week.
The only team that has even looked decent against them was the Ole Miss Rebels, and they did it for a half.
There is one minor hole in the team though, and that’s the injury to Eddie Jackson. They’ve been fortunate to be fully healthy for most of the year, and Jackson being lost for the year hurts.
Still, after this Round Robin, they get a much-needed bye week to return everybody else to 100 percent. Then they have to get ready for a brutal stretch run of their own that includes games against the resurgent LSU and Auburn Tigers.
At least they have the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Chattanooga Mocs in between. Overall, it’s almost impossible to see the Tide losing now.
They are far and away ahead of everybody else, and it puts them at No. 1 in our SEC Power Rankings.
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