SEC Power Rankings, Week 11: Does anyone want to win the SEC East?

The SEC East is still a wide open race despite Florida and Kentucky's losses last week

By Robby Kalland

Nov 8, 2016 at 11:32 am ET • 5 min read

Florida had a chance this past weekend to take a stranglehold on the SEC East division race with a win over an Arkansas team that had lost its most recent game 56-3. The Gators ended up losing 31-10 with only three points coming by way of the offense.

Later in the evening, Kentucky had a chance to pull a half game ahead of Florida in the standings with a win over a Georgia team that has been struggling mightily. The Wildcats lost at home 27-24, meaning the SEC East title race remains a jumbled mess -- for a full breakdown of what teams can win it and how, go here.

While the top of the SEC East was floundering, the middle of the SEC West wasn't faring much better. The noon slate was not kind to the West's middle class as Auburn struggled with Vanderbilt, Texas A&M lost to Mississippi State and Ole Miss had issues with Georgia Southern.

The only constant in the SEC right now is that Alabama is the best team, but everything else is a fluid situation. With that in mind, here are this week's SEC Power Rankings.

1. Alabama

I don't feel like I need to explain this one too much. The Tide only won 10-0 at LSU on Saturday night, but the outcome never really felt in doubt. LSU's offense couldn't do a thing against Alabama and it was a matter of time before the Tide got some points on the board. Last week: 1

2. Auburn

The Tigers escaped with a win in a sleepy noon kick against a sneaky tough Vanderbilt team. The Commodores can play some defense and the Tigers were frustrated by Zach Cunningham and company. That was a trap game that the Tigers got through, and coupled with so many other bad performances from last week, they hold steady. Last week: 2

3. Arkansas

I don't really know what to do with Arkansas. The loss to Auburn looked bad but it was also its eighth game of the season without a bye week, so I take that with a grain of salt. The Razorbacks were tremendous against Florida on Saturday. Say what you will about the Gators' offense, but Arkansas was moving the ball well against an excellent defense. We'll see if they can keep rolling with LSU in town this week. Last week: 7

4. LSU

So you lost to Alabama. Guess what? It happens to almost everyone, and losing by 10 to Alabama isn't really that bad, so the Tigers stay here. LSU's defense can hold its head high after that performance against the Tide, although the offense will be looking to burn that game film. Last week: 4

5. South Carolina

Power Rankings are about who is playing well right now, and folks, that would be the Gamecocks riding a three-game winning streak into the Florida game. Jake Bentley looks very good under center and the defense is playing hard all the time and quite well some of the time. The Gamecocks get the Gators this week, and wouldn't it be tasty if Will Muschamp got a win in The Swamp? Last week: 8

6. Mississippi State

Nick Fitzgerald is super fun, and on Saturday, he morphed into Dak Prescott for an afternoon. The Bulldogs didn't just beat Texas A&M on Saturday, they controlled that football game. I'm not sure exactly where that performance came from, but the Bulldogs earn a top half spot in this week's Power Rankings for it. Enjoy this while it lasts, because I fear the good times are going to come to an abrupt end this week with a trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday. Last week: 11

7. Texas A&M

Oh, Aggies. Not like this. You get ranked No. 4 in the nation and then go lose to Mississippi State? That's exceedingly disappointing, even for you. The good news is, a struggling Ole Miss squad is up next. A loss there, though, and we might see Kevin Sumlin's seat warm up a bit. Last week: 3

8. Florida

The dam that is Florida's defense finally broke under the pressure of its failing offensive counterparts on Saturday. Injuries are piling up for the Gators on both sides of the ball, and they just got blown out by Arkansas. Even still, Florida controls its destiny in the East. LSU looms large in two weeks and South Carolina seems like a much more difficult game than it did a month ago. Last week: 5

9. Ole Miss

The Rebels struggled early with Georgia Southern but settled in and got a 10-point victory to move to just two wins away from bowl eligibility. The bigger news out of Oxford is the loss of quarterback Chad Kelly for the season, which will make reaching a bowl game that much more difficult with Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State remaining on the schedule. Last week: 9

10. Tennessee

The Vols beat up on Tennessee Tech. Maybe that was what they needed to settle down and close the season. A win at Kentucky this week will keep the Vols' slim division title dreams alive. Last week: 12

T11. Vanderbilt

I can't really separate these next three teams, so I'm going to cop out and give them all a tie for 11th -- each team has one win and one loss against the others. Vanderbilt has a really good defense that keeps them in games, but the Commodores are only half of a football team. They are pretty much a poor man's Florida. Last week: 10

T11. Georgia

The Bulldogs beat Kentucky on Saturday to effectively ruin the Wildcats' chances in the East and also propel themselves closer to bowl eligibility. Georgia has its issues on both sides of the ball, but hey, at least it appears the Bulldogs have found a kicker. Last week: 13

T11. Kentucky

The run of the Wildcats was so much fun, but the clock may have struck midnight on our Cinderellas on Saturday. There's still a possibility that the 'Cats find their way to Atlanta, but that will require a win over Tennessee on Saturday and lots of help from others. Last week: 6