SEC Week 3 Power Rankings: A new No. 1 and South Carolina tumbles

SEC Week 3 provided a few more cluse to sorting out the league. Vanderbilt makes a massive rise, there's a new top squad, and plenty has been shaken up. Here's a rundown on where the SEC stands post-Week 3.

16. Kentucky (2-1)

Kentucky beat an awful Eastern Michigan team, but gave up 461 yards in doing so. If that was a statement game, the statement was that the ceiling is low for this team.

15. Florida (1-2)

An awful offense, with 10 points and five interceptions, keeps the Gators low. The truly bad news is that the schedule doesn't let up anytime soon.

14. South Carolina (2-1)

Seven points at home against Vanderbilt won't help things much. Carolina's offensive line is bad, and without LaNorris Sellers, the whole offense is pretty awful.

13. Arkansas (2-1)

The Razorbacks very nearly pulled off an impressive upset, but didn't quite have the firepower. Giving up 481 total yards to an Ole Miss team running its backup QB isn't the best sign for the long haul.

12. Mississippi State (3-0)

A one-sided beatdown of Alcorn State gets the Bulldogs up another spot. Picking up 282 rushing yards was a nice sign.

11. Auburn (3-0)

The Tigers won and fell down a spot anyway. Getting outpassed by South Alabama isn't a great sign for a passing game that has struggled to find consistency so far.

10. Missouri (3-0)

Holy rushing game. The Tigers ran for 427 yards on 62 carries against Louisiana. Ahmad Hardy can jump Mizzou into the top half of the SEC in the near future if he keeps this work up.

9. Ole Miss (3-0)

Is it the worst thing if the struggling wins over Kentucky and Arkansas don't inspire a ton of confidence? The offense is typically brilliant, but the defense will get them into trouble against top opponents.

8. Vanderbilt (3-0)

The Commodores put an absolute beating on a No. 11 South Carolina team on the road. Forcing four turnovers and outrushing Carolina 146-86 spells something pretty nigh dominance. Could Vandy be the SEC's surprise CFP entrant?

7. Alabama (2-1)

Ty Simpson dominated Wisconsin and suggests that the distance between Week 1 and the rest of the season could be fairly large for this Alabama squad.

6. Tennessee (2-1)

The Vols do fall a spot, but a valiant effort against Georgia was impressive. The Georgia game suggests that Tennessee still has some work to do in the fine details of the game, but the ceiling for the Vols is very high.

5. Texas (2-1)

The Longhorns got another win, but still haven't looked very good on offense. An 11-for-25 passing game with 114 yards doesn't give creedence to the possibility of a competent passing game against a team that's stronger than UTEP.

4. Texas A&M (3-0)

The Aggies got a gutsy win at Notre Dame and seem to indicate that Marcel Reed really can be the kind of elite offensive leader to carry A&M into legitimate SEC title contention.

3. LSU (3-0)

The Tigers are on the same playbook as Texas. The defense is fine, the offense is just not quite clicking. The good news is that LSU seems to have superior pieces and Garrett Nussmeier is a safer bet to improve than Arch Manning.

2. Oklahoma (3-0)

The Sooners held Temple to 105 total yards in Philadelphia, meaning rolling up 287 yards in the air and 228 on the ground. Beating the brakes off Temple doesn't prove much, but it does prove that the Sooners are deserving of this spot.

1. Georgia (3-0)

When Gunner Stockton had to make plays, he made them. The Bulldogs outrushed Tennessee 198-125 and committed half as many penalties. Yes, they were lucky to win, but they also were very, very good.