2024 Week Three SEC Power Rankings: A battle for the top spot
Week three provided something we've rarely seen over the past three years—the Georgia Bulldogs struggling to get a win. That result, among others, has shaken up the standings in the SEC power rankings.
Tennessee football continued its dominating ways on Saturday night, hammering Kent State in front of 100,000 fans in Neyland Stadium. The Vols scored five first-quarter touchdowns to put the game away soon after it got started.
The highlight of this game was the Vols' running back room and defense. Tennessee finished the night rushing for a combined 456 yards and six touchdowns, while the defense shut out Kent State.
Tennessee's defense was all over Kent State. They held the opposing offense to only 24 total yards in the first half and 112 total yards in the game. The Golden Flashes couldn't get points on the board and only had one realistic opportunity to do so but missed a 52-yard field goal.
Rank | Team | Previous Rank | Week Three Results |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas Longhorns | 2 | W 56-7 vs UTSA |
2 | Georgia Bulldogs | 1 | W 13-12 vs Kentucky |
3 | Tennessee Volunteers | 3 | W 71-0 vs Kent State |
4 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 4 | W 42-10 vs Wisconsin |
5 | Ole Miss Rebels | 5 | W 40-6 vs Wake Forest |
6 | Missouri Tigers | 6 | W 27-21 vs Boston College |
7 | Oklahoma Sooners | 7 | W 34-15 vs Tulane |
8 | LSU Tigers | 9 | W 36-33 vs South Carolina |
9 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 8 | W 37-27 vs UAB |
10 | Texas A&M Aggies | 11 | W 33-20 vs Florida |
11 | Auburn Tigers | 10 | W 45-19 vs New Mexico |
12 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 12 | L 33-36 vs LSU |
13 | Kentucky Wildcats | 16 | L 12-13 vs Georgia |
14 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 13 | L 32-36 vs Georgia State |
15 | Florida Gators | 15 | L 20-33 vs Texas A&M |
16 | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 14 | L 17-41 vs Toledo |
While the top 12 seemingly seem the same, small changes have been made throughout the rankings, including at the top. Georgia struggled against Kentucky, while Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Ole Miss all had blowout wins.
Georgia almost lost to Kentucky, and probably would have if Mark Stoops didn't punt the ball on his own end of the field, but the Bulldogs survived and live to fight another day in the SEC.
Two years ago, Georgia went to Lexington to play Kentucky late in the season, and the Bulldogs survived a 16-6 scare against the Wildcats. That's the only reason there wasn't a bigger shakeup in the rankings.
Georgia also won the National Championship that season, so I'm not counting them out of the National Championship or SEC Championship picture yet.
I had a sliver of hope for Mississippi State coming into the season, but all of that hope is gone after the Bulldogs were routed by Toledo in their home stadium. The Bulldogs likely won't leave the No. 16 spot for the rest of the season unless Florida forces them to move up to No. 15.
Winners
The top five, excluding Georgia, are all winners in Week Three. They all had blowout wins and closed the gap between Georgia and themselves. It looks like we could see any combination of the top five in Atlanta in December later this year.
I'm still higher than most on Arkansas early in the season. They could easily prove me wrong, but I think Sam Pittman knows he has to get things turned around this year, or he'll be looking for another job. The Razorbacks get another win over a decent opponent and open the year 2-1 in a season they were not expected to win more than three or four games.
Losers
Georgia's win over Kentucky is still a win, but it made them vulnerable early in the season. The close win could help other teams in the future mentally prepare for a Georgia team that might not be as good as the teams over the past two or three seasons.
The Gators lost by 13 to Texas A&M at home and start the season 1-2 with Mississippi State coming to town next week. If Florida can't find a way to win that game, a lot of change could come to Gainesville.
Week Four in the SEC
Week Three will start conference play for a handful of SEC programs. Tennessee-Oklahoma, Florida-Mississippi State, Arkansas-Auburn, and Vandrbilt-Missouri are the four conference matchups for Week Four. These games could shake up the SEC standings and help some programs get an early leg up on the competition.