Week 12 gave us some intriguing games in the East, that shouldn't have been interesting, and some games from the West that proved to be thrillers. Let's see how each SEC team stacks going into rivalry week:
14. South Carolina Gamecocks
The Gamecocks didn't take in-state FCS foe seriously, and quite frankly, the Bulldogs were the better team in Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday. Citadel running back Tyler Renew rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns, including a big 56-yard run that sealed the Bulldogs' 23-22 victory. South Carolina, now ineligible for a bowl, will play their "bowl game" this weekend against the number one team in the country, the Clemson Tigers.
13. Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats got "back on the right track" so to speak against Charlotte Saturday, crushing the 49ers 58-10. Freshman quarterback Drew Barker completed 16-of-29 passes for 129 yards. It was the Kentucky running backs, however, that stole the show. Boom Williams and Jojo Kemp both rushed for over 100 yards and scored multiple touchdowns. The Wildcats now sit at 5-6 on the season and are a win short of a bowl game. They'll try to get that on Saturday when they take on bitter in-state rival Louisville.
12. Vanderbilt Commodores
The Commodores finished Saturday's game with just 23 total passing yards and allowed the Aggies' defense to shut them out on Saturday. Vandy quarterbacks Kyle Shurmur and Johnny McCrary completed just five passes between the two of them. The loss drops them to 4-7 on the season. The Commodores will try notch another SEC win by pulling an upset over Tennessee on Knoxville Saturday.
11. Missouri Tigers
The Tigers' team has been through a lot of distractions over the last couple of weeks that culminated in Gary Pinkel announcing his retirement that will be effective immediately after the season. Missouri was unable to rush for over 100 yards in a difficult loss to Tennessee. The Tigers, like Kentucky, need just one more win to become bowl eligible, and they'll try to pick up that victory against Arkansas on the road.
10. Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies picked up a solid win on the road in Nashville this weekend, shutting Vanderbilt out 25-0. Kyle Allen threw for over 300 yards in his return, including a touchdown strike to Josh Reynolds. The Aggies also received a great performance from running back Tra Carson, who rushed for over 120 yards on 22 carries. They'll face a disappointed LSU team on the road this weekend in an attempt to pick up their ninth win of the season.
9. Auburn Tigers
Jeremy Johnson accounted for four touchdowns, as the Tigers were able to defeat Idaho 56-34. The Vandals didn't go down without a fight, however, but couldn't overcome Auburn's 21-point second quarter. The Tigers prepare to host number two Alabama in Jordan-Hare on Saturday to try to pull a huge upset in this year's Iron Bowl.
8. Georgia Bulldogs
The Bulldogs had to use extra time to finish off Georgia Southern 23-17 last weekend. Georgia sits at 8-3 with one game remaining against bitter in-state rival Georgia Tech. This is a very interesting matchup, and is one-of-four SEC versus ACC rivalry games to be played on Saturday.
7. Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols were able to top an emotional Missouri team last weekend, winning 19-8. This was an interesting game for Tennessee, as Josh Dobbs completed 16-of-24 passes for just 88 yards. The Vols' top performer was running back Jalen Hurd, who ran for 151 yards on 34 carries. Tennessee will host in-state rival Vanderbilt in Knoxville on Saturday.
6. Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas lost a heartbreaker to Mississippi State in an absolute thriller, 51-50. The Razorbacks led 42-31 at the end of the third quarter, but Dak Prescott and company unleashed a 20 point fourth quarter that was just enough to seal the deal. The Razorbacks now have a 6-5 record, as they will try to improve their win total to seven this weekend against Missouri at home.
5. Mississippi State Bulldogs
As I mentioned above, this weekend's win against Arkansas was a thriller. Dak Prescott put on a display, proving that he's the top passer in the SEC with 38 completions totaling 508 and five touchdowns, though Arkansas did manage to intercept him once. The Bulldogs have a chance to win their ninth-game against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.
4. LSU Tigers
It's been a tough three weeks for LSU, but I still believe that the Tigers are one of the best teams in the SEC. Despite the rumor mill surrounding Les Miles' dismissal, the Tigers will look to exploit Texas A&M's defense with Leonard Fournette. Fournette hasn't seen as nearly as much success as he started the season with. The Tigers will have a chance to win their eighth game of the season when they host Texas A&M on Saturday.
3. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss was able to play agressive on defense, creating three turnovers against the LSU offense. LSU was able to total over 500 yards on offense, but that wasn't enough as the Rebels were able to pull out the 38-17 win. This weekend the Rebels will go for their ninth-win, like their bitter rivals Mississippi State, in the Egg Bowl this Saturday.
2. Florida Gators
The Gators' defense was strong enough to get yet another win this weekend, but it took Florida extra time to defeat Florida Atlantic on Saturday. Florida will get a chance to flex their SEC dominance against bitter rival Florida State this Saturday.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Yet another week has passed, and Alabama is still fixed at the top of my rankings. This may sound funny, but the loss to Ole Miss might have been the best thing that could have happened to Alabama this season. Since that loss, they've continued to simply dominate their opponents. The Tide will need to defeat Auburn in this Saturday's Iron Bowl to continue their playoff run for the second-straight season.
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @griffaldo.
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