SEC Power Rankings: Texas tops Georgia in Week 5 on the strength of an impressive resume

How things stack up in the SEC after one month of the college football season

Sep 29, 2026 at 1:13 pm ET • 6 min read

Conference play has officially gotten underway in the SEC as each team has now played at least one game. That means we have some frame of reference by which to compare the teams, so there's no better time to fire up the SEC Power Rankings.

As we roll into October, the top two teams in the SEC are quite clear. Texas has the best pair of wins in the country, and Georgia is simply bludgeoning opponents without mercy. There are still questions about each team, but it's hard to deny what they've done through the first month.

After that, things get a little more interesting. Florida is off to a roaring start under first-year coach Jon Sumrall, and Alabama has been impressive with Keelon Russell asserting himself as a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been smooth sailing for everyone. Oklahoma and Texas A&M are already in a world of hurt, and their margin for error has vanished in the span of four weeks. Unless they get things fixed quickly, it'll be rough sledding the rest of the way.

With all that said, here are the inaugural SEC Power Rankings for the 2026 season.

CBS Sports 138: Florida crashes top 10, Georgia moves closer to Texas in college football rankings

Chip Patterson

1. Texas Longhorns

Texas isn't winning any beauty contests, but it's 4-0 with a pair of top-15 wins, the latest one coming on the road against an SEC opponent. There's zero question the defense is championship-caliber under Will Muschamp. Between Colin Simmons, Rasheem Biles and Bo Mascoe, the Longhorns have elite players at every level. The offense has room for improvement, but I'm still putting Texas on top because I don't want to be forced to write another article.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

The margin was relatively thin at the top, largely because Georgia has looked the part of a national championship contender against inferior opponents. The Bulldogs haven't won a game by fewer than 28 points, so I am eager to see how Gunnar Stockton and the offense respond when pushed for 60 minutes. That probably won't happen this week as Georgia hosts Vanderbilt, which failed to muster more than 15 points against Auburn.

3. Florida Gators

If we're looking for the most fun team in the SEC, the Gators are probably at the top of the list. Jadan Baugh is a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, and the Buster Faulkner offense is putting up 53.5 points per game, which ranks second nationally. It took Jon Sumrall four games to get his first top-five win in Gainesville, and now the College Football Playoff looks like an attainable goal. The vibes couldn't be much higher.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

With the first month of the season behind us, everyone has the same question about Alabama. How did it take so long for Keelon Russell to win the starting job? Russell has been every bit as advertised so far, and he's in the early Heisman Trophy conversation. With Russell running the show, the Crimson Tide has yet to score fewer than 45 points in a single game, and a potential shootout against Mississippi State is next.

5. Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss dealt with the letdown game to end all letdown games this past weekend, and the result was a beatdown in The Swamp. Losing Kewan Lacy to injury didn't help matters, but there are fair questions about Pete Golding's defense. Ole Miss has faced some high-powered offenses, but the Rebels have ranged from leaky to bad at various times. Good thing Ole Miss has one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

6. LSU Tigers

There was no post-Kiffin Bowl hangover for LSU. The Tigers returned to the friendly confines of Death Valley and beat the brakes off Texas A&M in a rivalry game. When Chambliss isn't making magic happen, the LSU defense has been outstanding, and the offense has an elite ceiling as long as Sam Leavitt avoids mistakes. For now, the Tigers remain below the Rebels, but it may not take long for the two to flip.

7. Mississippi State Bulldogs

It's really hard not to be enamored with this Mississippi State team. The Bulldogs play a fun style of football, and Kamario Taylor does something spectacular every weekend. There are many tougher challenges that await Mississippi State -- starting this weekend -- but it has looked like a top-half SEC team based on what we've seen so far.

8. Tennessee Volunteers

The good news for Tennessee is that defense and special teams gave it a chance to beat the No. 1 team in the country. The bad news is that the offense was an abject disaster. The offensive line was a collection of turnstiles, and Faizon Brandon looked like an 18-year-old making his first SEC start. That side of the ball needs a huge bounce-back effort against Auburn on Saturday.

9. Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma put all its apples in the basket labeled "John Mateer and Ben Arbuckle," and that looks like a bad bet right now. Even if Mateer took care of the ball on Saturday, the Sooners probably wouldn't have beaten the Bulldogs, but there's really no way to know. Oklahoma was never in that game, largely due to Mateer's performance, and a quarterback change has to be on the table before the game against Texas.

10. Kentucky Wildcats

Will Stein has made an immediate impact on the Kentucky program. The rebuilt offensive line was a major reason the Wildcats won in College Station a couple of weeks ago, and the rushing attack has taken a big step forward. I'm still not sure what Kentucky's ceiling is this season, but it will be a tough out week after week.

11. Texas A&M Aggies

Through two conference games, Texas A&M has a minus-39 point differential. Yes, one of those games came against LSU on the road, but the other was Kentucky at home. Based on that, putting the Aggies at No. 11 might be a little generous. Marcel Reed needs a get-right game, and Arkansas is coming up this weekend. If Texas A&M fails to roll in that one, it will drop at least a couple more spots.

12. Missouri Tigers

I'm not sure what to make of Missouri. It just suffered a gut-wrenching loss in Starkville and surrendered 500 yards in the process. The week before, the Tigers were significantly outgained by Troy in a narrow home win. At times, the passing game has looked really sharp with Austin Simmons throwing to Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode, but this team remains an enigma.

13. Auburn Tigers

The transition to the SEC hasn't exactly been smooth for Alex Golesh and his collection of South Florida transfers, although the Tigers are still 3-1. The blueprint for success in Golesh's first year was on display last weekend against Vanderbilt. Lean on the defense and let Byrum Brown run the offense. Maybe that keeps the Tigers in some games with a tough stretch upcoming.

14. Vanderbilt Commodores

The Commodores may not be a good team, but they do play in compelling games that come down to the wire. Each of Vanderbilt's last three games has been decided by nine or fewer points. There will be some growing pains, but Jared Curtis has flashed the raw talent that made him a five-star prospect.

15. South Carolina Gamecocks

I'm not close enough to the South Carolina program to make any bold declarations about the culture, but there is a whiff of toxicity emanating from Columbia. Dylan Stewart has been suspended indefinitely, and the Gamecocks have given up 90 points through two games in league play. Yikes.

16. Arkansas Razorbacks

There will likely be plenty of down weeks for Arkansas here, but for now, congratulations to the Razorbacks for handling their business against Tulsa. Hey, that Texas A&M game looks a lot less scary now than it did a month ago!