SEC Power Rankings, Week 10: Oklahoma plunges deeper into despair, South Carolina stays hot

The Sooners and Gamecocks are headed in opposite directions, and it showed on the field

Nov 3, 2026 at 10:58 am ET • 8 min read

As we put a bow on the month of October in the SEC, could there have been a starker difference between the trajectories of two teams than Saturday's matchup between Oklahoma and South Carolina?

The Sooners are going nowhere fast, and they looked lifeless in a 42-25 loss at home. It was another anemic offensive showing from Oklahoma, resulting in a staff change on Monday as Brent Venables fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. There are now serious questions about whether Venables has what it takes to get the Sooners back on track in the long term.

On the other side, Shane Beamer is the rare example of a coach who has coached himself off the hot seat with relative ease. The Gamecocks offense is explosive, and LaNorris Sellers looks like the quarterback everyone thought he could be a couple of years ago. Vibes are high in Columbia as South Carolina looks to complete its second midseason turnaround in the last three years.

As for the rest of this week's SEC Power Rankings, there wasn't a ton of movement at the top due to a slew of open dates, but there is plenty of misery to be found at the bottom.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Last week: 1

The Bulldogs came out of their open date with a decisive 27-8 win over rival Florida, but they also have a tricky stretch coming up over the next three weeks. Georgia gets Ole Miss, Missouri and South Carolina to wrap up SEC play. Those are all winnable games, but they may also require the Dawgs' passing game to hit a level that we haven't seen in a while. Even with those lingering questions on offense, Georgia has proven to be the conference's most trustworthy team.

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Chip Patterson

2. Kentucky Wildcats

Last week: 2

After a week off, Kentucky kicks off a critical month of November with a road trip to Tennessee. The Wildcats have lost five straight to the Volunteers and seven of the last eight in a series dominated by Tennessee since the 1930s. Of course, this is the first time Will Stein has coached against Tennessee, and he's already proven that this team is not the Kentucky of old. The question for the Cats is whether they have enough on offense to overcome an elite defense and hostile atmosphere on the other side.

3. LSU Tigers

Last week: 3

In their last two games before the open date, the Tigers seemed to be hitting their stride with blowout wins over Mississippi State and Auburn. Was that the quality of the opponent, or was LSU finding another gear for real? We're about to find out on Saturday when the Tigers host Alabama in Death Valley. If Sam Leavitt can keep his recent run of form going, not only will LSU be in a great position to win, but he could force his way into the Heisman Trophy race with an important stretch coming up.

4. Texas Longhorns

Last week: 4

There was a refreshing sight in Austin last weekend: A stress-free win for the Longhorns. Texas handled a Kamario Taylor-less Mississippi State without much of a sweat, and it allowed the team to exhale a bit before a critical conference game against Missouri. The bad news for the Longhorns is that they are battling some injuries coming out of that game. Defensive backs Kade Phillips and Graceson Littleton are banged up, and Colin Simmons is still dealing with an ankle injury. That's far from ideal, given how good the Missouri passing game has been with Austin Simmons at quarterback. 

5. Alabama Crimson Tide

Last week: 5

Alabama is coming into Tiger Stadium with two losses and zero margin for error in the College Football Playoff race. If the Crimson Tide lose this one, it's hard to see them getting in at 9-3. That said, it's not all negative for the Tide. They've dominated the Tigers in Baton Rouge of late, and Keelon Russell is dynamic enough to present real problems for an LSU defense that has dealt with a rash of injuries lately.

6. Ole Miss Rebels

Last week: 6

They got off to a slow start, but the Rebels eventually rolled to a 30-point win over Auburn. It was a nice bounce-back after a disappointing performance against Texas, and Trinidad Chambliss showed once again why he will be considered a top draft pick at quarterback, despite his size. Speaking of Chambliss, Ole Miss will need one of his best games of the season against Georgia on Saturday. He gives the Rebels a decisive edge at the most important position on the field, but Georgia's defense is coming off a ferocious outing against Florida.

7. South Carolina Gamecocks

Last week: 9

It might be time to start talking about South Carolina as the hottest team in the SEC. The Gamecocks are at least in that realm. There's a reason they're ranked ahead of a couple of two-loss teams in these rankings. Something has really clicked for LaNorris Sellers in Kendal Briles' offense, and he's been on a tear. Over the last three games -- all wins -- Sellers has thrown for 790 yards, rushed for 212 yards and totaled 13 touchdowns. If he got off to a faster start, Sellers would be in the Heisman Trophy conversation.

8. Tennessee Volunteers

Last week: 7

Tennessee controls its College Football Playoff fate entering November, but it needs to finish the season much better than it did last year. It helps that the Volunteers' two biggest games, against Kentucky and LSU, are in Neyland Stadium. They also get a de facto home game against Vanderbilt in Nashville to close out the regular season. If Josh Heupel can squeeze more out of his offense -- particularly in the passing game -- it's possible that Tennessee could run the table.

9. Missouri Tigers

Last week: 10

The last four weeks of the season are some of the toughest for Missouri, but there's reason to believe it could get to the finish line relatively unscathed. The biggest reason for optimism is the passing offense, which has been excellent all season. Austin Simmons has been a great transfer portal addition, and the Tigers have two of the SEC's top eight receivers in Cayden Lee (1st) and Donovan Olugbode (8th). The return of Ahmad Hardy will only strengthen the run game. It just comes down to whether Missouri has the horses elsewhere on the field to compete with teams like Texas and Georgia.

10. Florida Gators

Last week: 8

The Gators may have a quarterback problem. Aaron Philo got the start coming out of the open date, and he turned the ball over twice. Jon Sumrall then pivoted to sophomore Tramell Jones Jr., and he also turned the ball over twice. That duo combined to complete 22 of 32 passes for 198 yards and three picks. Don't expect the run game to pick up much slack. Jadan Baugh was once again held in check for 38 yards. Florida does have a manageable schedule down the stretch, so Sumrall could pick up positive momentum going into the offseason.

11. Texas A&M Aggies

Last week: 14

The Aggies didn't play football last weekend and moved up a few spots. That's how terrible the teams below them were. Looking ahead, can Texas A&M salvage its season? It won't be easy. South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas are among three of the Aggies' last four opponents. That Nov. 21 matchup against Oklahoma is shaping up to be a sad affair.

12. Auburn Tigers

Last week: 12

That win over the No. 1 Georgia only gets more stunning with each passing day. In the two weeks since beating the Bulldogs, Auburn has lost both of its games by a combined 51 points. But there is great news for the Tigers. They get a soft landing spot this weekend as they host Arkansas. A win in that game virtually guarantees Alex Golesh bowl eligibility in his first season on the job because Auburn has a game against FCS Samford later this month.

13. Oklahoma Sooners

Last week: 11

In a move that can be filed under "too little, too late," Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle on Monday. That move came on the heels of a blowout loss to South Carolina. From here on out, the Sooners will simply be fighting to reach bowl eligibility, and even that is a long shot. Oklahoma will go on the road to face Florida this week before closing out the season with games against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Missouri. Regardless of what happens, Brent Venables will be sitting on a warm seat next year.

14. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Last week: 13

Watching the Bulldogs without Kamario Taylor is an exercise in masochism. Mississippi State has now lost four straight, and it's scored a combined 41 points in those games. In the three without Taylor, it's scored 18 points. I never want to tell a team to pack it in with a month left, but it feels like the program's focus now should be on keeping Taylor in Starkville and loading up the weaponry around him.

15. Arkansas Razorbacks

Last week: 15

Because of how they looked against Missouri on Saturday, I was tempted to move the Razorbacks into the last spot, despite the head-to-head win over Vanderbilt. Arkansas turned the ball over four times, and three of those were lost fumbles. If the team is going to taste the sweet nectar of victory again this fall, it needs to beat Auburn on Saturday because its chances of getting another after that are considerably lower. 

16. Vanderbilt Commodores

Last week: 16

The Commodores have a very good chance to get on the board in conference play this weekend as they visit Starkville to play a downtrodden Mississippi State team. With Kamario Taylor out, Vanderbilt will have the best quarterback on the field in freshman Jared Curtis, who has been making big-time throws all season. Will that be enough for the Dores to pick up a much-needed win?