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Auburn was “close” again. But this time, we actually believed that description was more than coach-speak. The Tigers came to life offensively against Vanderbilt, setting season-highs in several categories in a 45-38 overtime loss. It not only made us realize firing Hugh Freeze a week ago was the right decision but also left us wondering why it hadn’t happened sooner. However, the SEC’s other Tigers — Missouri and LSU — took a step back this week. LSU lost its fourth straight game (but first under its own interim coach), while Missouri dropped its third out of four. Elsewhere, the four teams at the top of the SEC heap all won. That means we’re really no closer to figuring out which two will represent the conference in Atlanta for the SEC championship game, though we have narrowed down the field of College Football Playoff contenders. So how do the teams in the SEC stack up heading into Week 12 of the 2025 season? Here’s the latest edition of AL.com’s SEC football power rankings for 2025 (all times Central and all games Saturday): 16. Arkansas (2-7, 0-5) Last week’s ranking: 16 Last week’s game: Open date This week’s game: at LSU, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network The Razorbacks come out of their second bye week playing for little more than pride, trying to snap a seven-game losing streak and pick up their first SEC win of the year. That won’t be easy against a final three of LSU, Texas and Missouri, but Arkansas might have a decent shot to win in Baton Rouge this week since the game is not at night. If there’s one team the Hogs might be able to outscore, it’s the Tigers. 15. South Carolina (3-6, 1-6) Last week’s ranking: 13 Last week’s game: Open date This week’s game: at Texas A&M, 11 a.m., ESPN The Gamecocks — also coming off a bye — need to win out to reach a bowl, with a trip to College Station before home games with Coastal Carolina and Clemson. The last two might be winnable for Shane Beamer’s team, but the Aggies are likely to put Carolina out of its misery early. 14. Mississippi State (5-5, 1-5) Last week’s ranking: 12 Last week’s game: Lost to Georgia, 41-21 This week’s game: at Missouri, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network The Bulldogs were non-competitive for really the first time all year against Georgia, falling behind 24-7 at halftime and 38-7 by the middle of the third quarter before losing by 20. Jeff Lebby’s team can score and Missouri suddenly cannot, so a win in Columbia and bowl-eligibility isn’t out of the question. 13. Auburn (4-6, 1-6) Last week’s ranking: 15 Last week’s game: Lost to Vanderbilt, 45-38 (OT) This week’s game: Open date Lost in the euphoria of Auburn suddenly finding an offense was that the defense disappeared, blowing a two-touchdown lead before losing in overtime. That said, Ashton Daniels proved more than capable at quarterback and Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton returned to productivity after several weeks of being lost in Hugh Freeze’s pathetic offense. The Tigers get a bye before hosting Mercer, setting up what should be an interesting Iron Bowl on Nov. 29 at Jordan-Hare, with bowl-eligibility on the line. 12. Florida (3-6, 2-4) Last week’s ranking: 11 Last week’s game: Lost to Kentucky, 38-7 This week’s game: at Ole Miss, 6 p.m., ESPN After a nice showing against Georgia, the interim coach “bounce” bounced right out of the Gators’ lives against Kentucky, to whom they suffered their most-decisive loss in 75 years. Any chance Florida might compete for a bowl game this year is probably out the window now, with a trip to Oxford to face an Ole Miss team with a whole lot to play for this weekend. 11. Kentucky (4-5, 2-5) Last week’s ranking: 14 Last week’s game: Beat Florida, 38-7 This week’s game: vs. Tennessee Tech, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+ A week after returning to the win column against hapless Auburn, Kentucky took the fight to Florida for 60 minutes and scored their biggest blowout in the series since Paul “Bear” Bryant prowled the sidelines in Lexington. The Wildcats still need two wins in their final three to make a bowl, but that path is much more doable knowing they only have to beat either Vanderbilt or Louisville in their final two games — and not both (assuming, of course, they handle Tennessee Tech this week). 10. LSU (5-4, 2-4) Last week’s ranking: 10 Last week’s game: Lost to Alabama, 20-9 This week’s game: vs. Arkansas, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network The Tigers played hard on defense and made Alabama work four quarters to finally put them away, but you have to think interim coach Frank Wilson made it a little easier on the Crimson Tide by benching quarterback Garrett Nussmeier for Michael Van Buren in the second half. LSU has a good shot at victory in each of the next two weeks — with Arkansas and Western Kentucky both visiting Baton Rouge — and should get to a bowl game despite all its other problems. 9. Missouri (6-3, 2-3) Last week’s ranking: 8 Last week’s game: Lost to Texas A&M, 38-17 This week’s game: vs. Mississippi State, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network The Tigers’ 5-0 start seems like a distant memory, with only a gift-wrapped overtime win at Auburn saving them from a four-game losing streak. Missouri is down to its third quarterback, and simply no longer capable of keeping up offensively with the better teams in the SEC. With Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Arkansas remaining on the schedule, 9-3 is not out of the question, but 8-4 is much more likely. 8. Tennessee (6-3, 3-3) Last week’s ranking: 9 Last week’s game: Open date This week’s game: vs. New Mexico State, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network The Volunteers had their bye week to mutter to themselves about lost opportunities, but should be able to heal themselves a bit against a New Mexico State team that is on a four-game losing streak. After that is a trip to Florida — where Tennessee hasn’t won in 22 years — before a home game with a Vanderbilt team that might still be in the thick of the College Football Playoff race. 7. Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2) Last week’s ranking: 7 Last week’s game: Beat Auburn, 45-38 (OT) This week’s game: Open date Diego Pavia saved the day in a fashion spectacular even for him, totaling 489 yards of total offense as the Commodores rallied from two scores down to hold off suddenly dangerous Auburn. Vandy’s defense, on the other hand, continued to have all kinds of trouble stopping the pass, even against a team that had shown no ability to throw the ball downfield all year. Clark Lea’s team has a bye week to get itself right before a finishing kick vs. Kentucky and Tennessee that will determine if this was merely a good season or a truly special one. 6. Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2) Last week’s ranking: 6 Last week’s game: Open date This week’s game: at Alabama, 2:30 p.m., ABC The Sooners are lurking on the fringes of the SEC and playoff races, and come out of a bye week with a shot to face one of the big boys in Tuscaloosa this weekend. The Crimson Tide isn’t likely to get caught sleeping again the way it was in Norman last year, but the truth of the matter is that Oklahoma’s suffocating defense matches up well with the one-dimensional Alabama offense. With home games against struggling Missouri and LSU after Alabama, Brent Venables’ team has a chance to make some hay in November. 5. Texas (7-2, 4-1) Last week’s ranking: 5 Last week’s game: Open date This week’s game: at Georgia, 6:30 p.m., ABC The Longhorns are clearly fifth among the SEC’s “Big Five,” but also have a shot at two of the teams ahead of them (Georgia and Texas A&M) in the season’s final three weeks. Arch Manning went into the bye week playing his best football of the year and gets another “prove it” game in Athens on Saturday night. Texas needs to win out (probably including the SEC championship game) to get a third straight trip to the playoff, but has the toughest path of the main contenders to get there. 4. Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1) Last week’s ranking: 4 Last week’s game: Beat The Citadel, 49-0 This week’s game: vs. Florida, 6 p.m., ESPN The Rebels didn’t have an open date Saturday, but had the closest thing to that in what looked like a glorified scrimmage against the overmatched Bulldogs. As we mentioned last week, Ole Miss has the easiest path of any of the contenders to both the SEC championship game and the playoff, but probably needs Georgia to lose to Texas in order to get to Atlanta. With only Florida and Mississippi State remaining on the schedule, Lane Kiffin and company are a lock for the playoff if they take care of business. 3. Georgia (8-1, 6-1) Last week’s ranking: 3 Last week’s game: Beat Mississippi State, 41-21 This week’s game: vs. Texas, 6:30 p.m., ABC Kirby Smart’s team finally didn’t have to play catch-up in the second half, dominating the “other” Bulldogs for the final three quarters of the game in Starkville. Thanks to that September loss to Alabama, Georgia still needs help to make it to the SEC championship game for the fifth straight year, but is probably a shoo-in for the playoff if it can beat Texas on Saturday. 2. Alabama (8-1, 6-0) Last week’s ranking: 2 Last week’s game: Beat LSU, 20-9 This week’s game: vs. Oklahoma, 2:30 p.m., ABC The Crimson Tide is now up to eight straight wins, but the last two have been anything but dominant. Alabama’s striking inability to run the ball is going to catch up with it at some point, perhaps as soon as this week against Oklahoma’s rock-ribbed defensive front. The Alabama defense did play one of its better games of the year against LSU, and has been in the habit of getting takeaways in big spots the last few weeks. Kalen DeBoer’s team can still probably make the playoff (or even the SEC championship game) with a loss on Saturday, but would lose any margin for error if that were to happen. 1. Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0) Last week’s ranking: 1 Last week’s game: Beat Missouri, 38-17 This week’s game: vs. South Carolina, 11 a.m., ESPN I think we can finally agree that the Aggies are for real, as they won a November SEC road game for the first time since 2020 on Saturday. It was an overwhelming effort on both sides of the ball for Texas A&M, which is probably the most-balanced team in the conference. The next two weeks — at home vs. South Carolina and Samford — should serve as merely tune-ups for the Black Friday showdown with Texas, which the Aggies might have to win to make their first trip to Atlanta. A playoff spot seems assured right now, barring an epic collapse.
