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The turmoil in the Southeastern Conference continues and there's a new leader in the clubhouse. No. 5 Texas (6-1, 2-1) fell to No. 2 Georgia (6-1, 4-1). That opened the door for No. 14 Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0) to take control of the conference. No. 15 Alabama (5-2, 2-2),the SEC's pride and joy, lost its second game of the season. No. 21 Missouri (6-1, 2-1) quarterback Brady Cook took a trip to the hospital in the middle of the game, then returned to lead a storybook-esk comeback over the Auburn Tigers (2-5, 0-4). Imagine what could happen in Week 9. Let's take a look at where each team landed in this week's power rankings.
No. 1 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC)
The Bulldogs gave Texas its first welcome to the SEC moment as Georgia scored 23 unanswered points to open the game and led Texas 23-0 at halftime. The game wasn't pretty by any means. Quarterback Carson Beck threw 3 interceptions, one coming on a play that was originally called pass interference. Texas would push the game to within eight before Georgia running back Trevor Etienne scored the game's last touchdown with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Georgia won the game 30-15. Up next for the Bulldogs is a well-deserved bye week before the annual rivalry game against Florida (4-3, 2-2) in Week 10.
No. 2 LSU (6-1, 3-0)
No. 8 LSU traveled to face Arkansas (4-3, 2-2) in the Battle for the Golden Boot. The Razorbacks were upset-minded, but the Tigers avoided the letdown. The Hogs hung around, but LSU controlled the line of scrimmage and ultimately took a stranglehold on the game. The Tigers held Arkansas to 38 yards rushing and won the game 34-10. LSU travels to College Station, Texas to face the Aggies of Texas A&M in Week 9.
No. 3 Texas (6-1, 2-1)
The Longhorns' stint as the SEC's top team was short-lived. Georgia's defense smothered the Texas offense in classic SEC fashion and knocked Texas and their fans down a peg. Next up for the Longhorns is a road trip to face the newly ranked No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores (5-2, 2-1). Surely Texas will be fired up, but don't expect the Commodores to make it easy.
No. 4 Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0)
The Aggies beat Mississippi State (1-6, 0-4) 34-24 in Week 8. A&M had pushed the score to 31-17 before quarterback Connor Weigman threw his second interception of the game, and State was able to score after the turnover. It was closer than the experts would have expected, but expect the Aggies to be at their best when LSU comes to town.
No. 5 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1)
The No. 7 Volunteers beat rival Alabama 24-17 in an ugly exchange of interceptions and missed opportunities. Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw an interception and had 2 fumbles in the first half. Tennessee would go into the half scoreless. The Vols offense kicked into gear in the second half. Running back Dylan Sampson had 2 third-quarter rushing touchdowns and finished the game with 126 yards. Tennessee finished with 408 yards of total offense, but it was the defense that made the play to end the game, picking Bama quarterback Jalen Milroe with less than two minutes left in the game. The Vols will ride the high of the upset into a bye week in Week 9.
No. 6 Vanderbilt (5-2, 2-1)
It is late October and the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores are legitimately in the mix at the top of the SEC. After coming off consecutive conference victories, Vandy did what any true SEC contender does and played down to their competition in Week 8. The Commodores beat Ball State (2-5, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) 24-14. The game was tied at 14 going into the fourth quarter, but Vandy scored 10 unanswered fourth-quarter points to seal the victory. One could assume the Commodores may have been looking ahead as the Longhorns travel to Nashville, Tenn. in Week 9. It is a chance for Vandy to knock off another top-5 team and prove they belong among the SEC's best in 2024.
No. 7 Alabama (5-2, 2-1)
Bama fans, welcome to how football works for the rest of the country. After falling to Tennessee, the Crimson Tide have lost 2 games in their first 7 games for the first time since 2007—Nick Saban's first year as head coach. And the sky is falling for the fan base. Tide Nation has forgotten what it's like to not know exactly what will happen from week to week. It's called parody, and it's something the rest of college football is happy to see now that "Darth Saban" has retired. The sky isn't falling, Bama fans. Your Tide are still in the thick of the SEC race with plenty of ball left to be played. The Crimson Tide welcome Missouri to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Week 9.
No. 8 Missouri (6-1, 2-1)
The Tigers of Missouri feel like a forgotten team in the SEC. They have struggled with some offensive consistency in some games, not won games the way the experts had expected them to and got trounced by A&M. But that is Mizzou's only loss. And now they are coming off an emotional comeback win over Auburn in which they beat the Tigers in orange and blue 21-17. Will the emotion of that win and the heroics of Cook be the spark that sets Mizzou right, or will the emotional comedown hinder their success in their visit to Alabama?
No. 9 Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2)
The No. 18 Rebels are coming off of a bye week in Week 8, fresh from licking their wounds after the epic overtime loss to LSU. Up next for the Rebels is a visit from the Oklahoma Sooners (4-3, 1-3).
No. 10 Arkansas (4-3, 2-2)
Things didn't go the Razorbacks' way against LSU. Positive takeaways? Junior quarterback Taylen Green is pretty good. Expect Green and the Hogs to try to regain some rhythm as they travel to Starkville, Miss. to take on the Bulldogs of Mississippi State.
No. 11 South Carolina (4-3, 2-3)
The Gamecocks just dismantled the Oklahoma Sooners (4-3, 1-3). South Carolina scored 21 first quarter points including two defensive touchdowns and beat the Sooners 35-9. The 'Cocks have a bye week in Week 9 and face A&M in Week 10.
No. 12 Florida (4-3, 2-2)
The smart money in the offseason said that head coach Billy Napier would have lost his job by this point in the season. But Napier has won games he wasn't expected to, took a top-10 team to overtime and just boatraced Kentucky (3-4, 1-4) 48-20. There's still time for things to go south as the Gators' schedule gets significantly more difficult in the back end of the season. Napier and the Gators have a bye week before the facing Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla. in Week 10.
No. 13 Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3)
The Sooners' offense has been dreadful in 2024. And the poor defense has been borderline elite. Don't be fooled by 35-9. The Sooner defense held South Carolina to less than 300 yards of offense and 3.7 yards per play. But there is only so much a defense can do when the offense turns the ball over four times. Week 9 sees the Sooners travel to play a rested Ole Miss team. It will be up to the Oklahoma defense to keep the Sooners in the game.
No. 14 Kentucky (3-4, 1-4)
The Wildcats are coming off a thrashing from the Florida Gators in The Swamp. It's only going to get harder for the 'Cats to find wins as the season starts to wind down. In Week 9 the Auburn Tigers visit Lexington, Ky. This may be the last chance for Kentucky to add to their conference win total, but don't expect the Tigers to be an easy out.
No. 15 Mississippi State (1-6, 0-4)
Sure, State fans, 1-6 is not great. But let's look at something positive. Freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. is a stud. Over the previous two weeks, Van Buren has passed for 548 yards and 6 touchdowns. That's against Georgia and A&M. Things haven't gone great for the Bulldogs in the win column, but there's enough football left that the young QB could lead the Bulldogs to some upsets. State gets Arkansas at home in Week 9.
No. 16 Auburn (2-5, 0-4)
The Tigers were in the wrong stadium, at the wrong time in Week 8. It couldn't have set up any more perfect for the Tigers of Missouri. The star quarterback goes down with an injury, the team falls behind but maintains closing distance.
The star quarterback goes to the hospital, comes back to a crowd that is absolutely buzzing as he warms up on the sideline and leads a touchdown drive on his first action since the first quarter. Auburn stood no chance. The writers who script the universe were in control on that day. The Tigers face Kentucky on the road in Week 9. Vandy, A&M and Bama are the conference games left after the 'Cats. This may be Auburn's last opportunity for an SEC victory.
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