SEC Daily: Conference Power Rankings After Week 1

The first full week of the college football season got underway this weekend and the SEC was at the center of focus.

No. 1 Texas went on the road to No. 3 Ohio State, No. 8 Alabama went on the road to Florida State, No. 24 Tennessee and No. 13 South Carolina both played ACC teams at the Aflac Kickoff in Atlanta and No. 9 LSU went on the road to No. 4 Clemson.

The first week was a wake up call for Texas and Alabama LSU let the country know that it intends on turning its national title aspirations into reality. The Crimson Tide got stunned on the road 31-17 against the Seminoles and Texas’ offense ran into a buzzsaw of an Ohio State defense, falling 14-7.

Everyone knew going into Week 1 that LSU would have its hands full against a legit Clemson defense, but what fans found out is that the Bayou Bengals boasts of a defense that is just as good, if not, better as LSU came away with a 17-10 win.

After a wild first week, where do all 16 SEC teams stand? Here are the updated SEC power rankings.

1. LSU

This may be a bit of a surprise, but the Tigers had by far the best win of the weekend. LSU went to No. 4 Clemson and grinded out a resume-defining victory against a Clemson team that returned 75 percent of last season’s production. Preseason Heisman candidate Garrett Nussmeier may not have totally stuffed the statsheet, but he stepped up when his name was called upon in the fourth quarter with his touchdown pass. Brian Kelly’s Tigers finally starting 1-0 for the first time since 2019 boosts their national championship hope significantly.

2. Texas

Arch Manning was criticized heavily for his performance as his team lost to Ohio State 14-7. It was understandable, though. Manning threw for 170 yards and a touchdown, but he did have a crucial interception midway through the game as the Longhorns were going down the field. But this game was more so about the dominating Ohio State defense. People have seemingly forgotten how good the Buckeyes are and how difficult it is to go to Columbus as the visitor and win. Texas will be just fine as the season goes on.

3. Georgia

The Bulldogs took care of business against Marshall 45-7. Gunner Stockton played fine, throwing for 190 yards and two touchdowns, but Georgia’s defense was great all game as it allowed only 129 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs host Austin Peay next week before going to Tennessee to open conference play.

4. Florida

The Gators did not break a sweat in its opening game as they took down Long Island 55-0. Florida left no doubt as quarterbacks DJ Lagway and Tramell Jones Jr. each threw for over 100 yards while running back Jadan Baugh ran for over 100 yards. It was a game Florida should have won anyway, but the Gators may have something in the works as the schedule turns brutal in two weeks.

5. South Carolina

The Gamecocks first drive of the game was like clockwork, running down the field for 75 yards. But in the second and third quarters, the offense was nonexistent. The final quarter, however, South Carolina woke up by way of a 80-yard punt return for a touchdown and LaNorris Sellers delivered a 64-yard passing touchdown in stride to Nyck Harbor. While the start was slow, the Gamecocks showed how much of a threat they can pose to opposing teams.

6. Alabama

Alabama had high expectations after falling short of its goals last season. And it looked like the Crimson Tide was back and better than last season when it started the game off with a nine-minute touchdown drive to go up 7-0. But that momentum quickly died as Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos used his mobility to give the Alabama defense fits all afternoon as the Noles won 31-17. It marked the fourth time Kalen DeBoer and Alabama have lost as double-digit favorites in just 14 games and they did not look good doing so.

7. Tennessee

The fallout from Nico Iamaleave leaving the program for UCLA brought in Joey Aguilar, who played well in his orange and white debut, throwing for 247 yards and three touchdowns. The Tennessee defense was able to force multiple turnovers, but Syracuse did manage to put up some points after a slow start.

8. Texas A&M

UTSA gave the Aggies a run for their money for a good chunk of the game. Texas A&M was up 21-17 halfway through the third quarter and gave the in-state group of five school reason to believe they could pull an upset. But two touchdowns in a five-minute period put all that to rest as the Aggies won 42-24. Marcel Reed has a game to get warm next week against Utah State before his team heads up to Notre Dame.

9. Oklahoma

Another transfer quarterback in John Mateer played nicely in his Sooner debut. Oklahoma won 35-3 over Illinois State, but there was not a ton that stood out and made Oklahoma look like a top tier team. Regardless, Oklahoma got its feet wet and welcomes a good opportunity to pick up a big win next week as it hosts No. 14 Michigan.

10. Auburn

It may be a bit of a surprise to put Auburn higher than Ole Miss, but that is because there was a lot to like about the debut of quarterback Jackson Arnold as he led his team to a 38-24 road win over Baylor. Arnold did not have impressive throwing stats that jump out, but he ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns. His running ability was so strong that Auburn did not really need to throw that much. The Tigers are definitely a team to watch develop over the next few weeks.

11. Ole Miss

Ole Miss started off its season with a 63-7 statement win over Georgia State. There was no shortage of offense whatsoever as Lane Kiffin’s guys put up 695 yards of offense on the night. Austin Simmons threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, but he threw two interceptions. But against a weaker opponent, it is hard to tell how good this team actually is.

12. Missouri

In what was a rather slow start from Missouri ended up being a total clobbering. The Tigers were up just 12-0 with seven minutes to go before halftime, but won the game 61-6. Penn State transfer quarterback Beau Pribula played solidly in his Missouri debut with 283 yards and two touchdowns on 23/28 passing.

13. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt had a strong showing to start its 2025 season, throttling Charleston Southern 45-3. Transfer receiver Tre Richardson had the most receptions on the team Saturday night and FAU transfer safety CJ Heard got his first interception as a Commodore. Vanderbilt has potential to move up the rankings if it passes its first test of the season next week against Virginia Tech.

14. Arkansas

Arkansas did exactly what it had to do against Alabama A&M. As 47.5-point favorites, the Razorbacks took care of business with a 52-7 win as Taylen Green threw for 322 yards and six touchdowns. However, Arkansas’ victory did not do much in terms of moving the needle up the rankings of the SEC.

15. Mississippi State

Mississippi State went down south to an in-state opponent in Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles and head coach Charles Huff put up a good fight going into halftime and trailing only 13-10. But a 21-point third quarter put away any hope of an upset in Hattiesburg.

16. Kentucky

The Wildcats did not have high expectations going into this season. But on Saturday, any positive expectations they did have got called into question. Kentucky narrowly escaped Toledo with a 24-16 win. Toledo trailed just 17-9 with 9:30 left in the game, but a 79-yard rushing touchdown from Dante Dowdell gave the Cats enough breathing room to avoid a home upset.

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