SEC Power Rankings: Florida falls outside the top 10 and Georgia states its case

It's the biggest SEC Power Rankings of the year!

The top team in the conference couldn't be clearer after Week 6, but how does the rest of the SEC landscape look after some major upsets and a few blowout wins that might have caught some people by surprise?

Here is how the SEC Power Rankings look entering Week 7 of the season:

The big four in the SEC

1. Georgia (6-0, 4-0)

There's no question about where the Bulldogs belong. They are the most balanced, complete team in college football. Georgia does everything well and Kirby Smart has always had the pulse of his program and been able to push the right buttons. The Bulldogs went into a place they'd rarely had success in and walked out with a win.

2. Alabama (5-1, 3-1)

The Crimson Tide-Bulldogs battle was everything it was promised to be — tough, gritty, physical and both teams left with things to be proud of and things to work on. Alabama came out on the short end, but the Crimson Tide will leave this game feeling good about what's next.

3. Texas (4-1, 1-1)

Upsets happen and this could turn out well for the Longhorns. Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning don't always work well when the pressure is on them and that was the case against Oklahoma. But the sun came up the next day and everything Texas wants to achieve is still in front of it. Now maybe the Longhorns will loosen up and play to their potential.

4. Missouri (5-1, 2-1)

Missouri s a tough sell for me because the Tigers have been such a tease. But following up an impressive destruction of Florida with an equally impressive destruction of Texas A&M showed me something. That November 7 matchup against Texas looks bigger and bigger with each passing week. 

The SEC's tightening second-tier

5. Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1)
6. Kentucky (5-1, 3-1)
7. Mississippi State (5-1, 2-1)
8. LSU (4-2, 1-2)
9. Tennessee (5-1, 2-1)

It's very possible one of these five teams will make the playoffs and Ole Miss could be a major factor if it can continue to run the ball as effectively as it did against Vanderbilt. Kentucky is riding high right now, but the Wildcats have to show it each week. They could easily be 9-1 when Missouri rolls around on November 21, or they could be 6-4. LSU might be a year away from making real noise. Tennessee is going to have to get the QB situation fixed because the schedule gets a lot tougher from here.

The SEC's growing middle class

10. Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1)
11. South Carolina (3-3, 1-3)
12. Florida (4-2, 2-2)
13. Auburn (3-2, 1-2)
14. Texas A&M (3-3, 1-3)

It's hard to tell who's ascending and descending from this group. Oklahoma gets to lead the group because of a mammoth upset over Texas, but can the Sooners find points off defense and special teams every week? Because the offense had just 13 points. South Carolina has the most upside of this group, but the Gamecocks are also the most unpredictable from week to week. Someone from this pack is going to get eight wins.

Florida's weaknesses have been very evident over the past few weeks, but part of that are the injuries that have kept two of the team's best playmakers off the field or ineffective. If Vernell Brown and Eric Singleton can get back to health by the Georgia game, maybe they will be a live underdog. One thing is certain, this season is teetering on the next few weeks.

And then there was the bottom two

15. Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3)
16. Arkansas (2-4, 0-3)

We will get some answers in Week 7 when Arkansas travels to Vanderbilt in a game that represents each team's best chance for another win this season. I know Ryan Silverfield is just in his first season, but there's a lot of angst there towards him and athletic director Hunter Yurachek. A loss to the Commodores will just increase the anger of that fiercely loyal fanbase.

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