2024 Week Six SEC Power Rankings: Arkansas and Vanderbilt shakeup conference
The SEC standings have been shaken up after Week Six. Tennessee and Alabama's perfect season ends after both teams come off big, emotional wins in their previous game. The Vols fall to Arkansas 19-14, and Alabama loses 40-35 to Vanderbilt in a thrilling Saturday.
The only team at the top of the league that emerges from Week Six as a winner is Texas, which had its bye week this past week ahead of the Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma. Other than the Longhorns, Georgia handled business against Auburn, and Texas A&M entered the SEC title picture with a blowout win against No. 9 Missouri.
With its most recent expansion, the SEC didn't have divisions for the first time in its history. The SEC has 16 teams, and the top two teams in the conference standings go to Atlanta to play for the SEC Championship. Right now, it looks like Texas is the frontrunner, and the other spot is up for grabs for at least six other SEC programs.
Rank | Team | Previous Rank | Week Six Result |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas Longhorns | 2 | IDLE |
2 | Georgia Bulldogs | 4 | W 31-13 vs Auburn |
3 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 1 | L 35-40 vs Vanderbilt |
4 | Tennessee Volunteers | 3 | L 14-19 vs Arkansas |
5 | Texas A&M Aggies | 7 | W 41-10 vs Missouri |
6 | LSU Tigers | 6 | IDLE |
7 | Ole Miss Rebels | 8 | W 27-3 vs South Carolina |
8 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 12 | W 19-14 vs Tennessee |
9 | Kentucky Wildcats | 10 | IDLE |
10 | Oklahoma Sooners | 9 | IDLE |
11 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 13 | W 40-35 vs Alabama |
12 | Missouri Tigers | 5 | L 10-41 vs Texas A&M |
13 | Florida Gators | 14 | W 24-13 |
14 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 11 | L 3-27 vs Ole Miss |
15 | Auburn Tigers | 15 | L 13-31 vs Georgia |
16 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 16 | IDLE |
Winners
Vanderbilt is the biggest winner of Week Six. Two weeks after Nick Saban claimed Vanderbilt is the only place it's not hard to win in the SEC, Vanderbilt beat Alabama in Nashville in front of a crowd full of Crimson Tide fans. The 40-35 win could be a program-defining win for Clark Lea's Commodores.
Texas A&M continues to win after opening the season with a loss to Notre Dame. They dominated Missouri in every phase of the game and made the Tigers look like the No. 25 team in the country, while the Aggies looked like the No. 9 team in the country.
Arkansas' win over Tennessee just might have saved Sam Pittman's job. The Razorbacks are a few plays away from being 6-0 on the year and proved they could be a contender to make the SEC Championship Game with only one conference loss on the year.
Losers
Alabama lost to Vanderbilt for the first time since the Jimmy Carter administration. On Saturday, the Commodores were the better team and had multiple chances to lose their lead, but they proved it wasn't a fluke by continuing to score points and protecting their lead throughout the second half.
Tennessee's loss to Arkansas is a not-so-shocking turn of events. The Vols have struggled on the road in the Josh Heupel era, and this loss is just another example of that reality. The Vols will have to recover with two pivotal games at home in the next two weeks.
Missouri's chances of making the College Football Playoff virtually ended on Saturday. The Tigers were manhandled against Texas A&M in College Station. They've taken a step back this year and have proven to be pretenders, not contenders.
Week Seven in the SEC
Week Seven brings more big games and rivalries in the SEC. Texas-Oklahoma, Tennessee-Florida, and Ole Miss-LSU headline the weekend, with Kentucky-Vanderbilt and Alabama-South Carolina also on the schedule with the potential to be surprisingly fun games.