Week Nine of the college football season was relatively quiet compared to the excitement of previous weeks. The Hustler’s SEC Power Rankings from last week focused on what went wrong; this week, we concluded a thrilling October with some positivity.
1. Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC)
Most improved: October performance
The Bulldogs have been on a revenge campaign in the SEC since falling to Alabama in September, taking care of Mississippi State, Auburn and Texas. While they did not play last week due to a bye, they comfortably lead the SEC in the AP Poll, ranked at No. 2. The loss to Alabama seemed to flip a switch in Athens, as the Bulldogs’ defense smothered the Longhorns, who averaged 453 yards per game, to only 259 yards. With a comparably easier schedule remaining, it wouldn’t be surprising to see head coach Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs make it back to the SEC championship for a fourth consecutive year.
2. Texas A&M (7-1, 5-0)
Most improved: Mike Elko’s halftime speeches
At halftime last week, ESPN calculated that LSU had an 80.1% chance of defeating Texas A&M. Whatever Aggie head coach Mike Elko said in the locker room during halftime, though, ignited a fire that resulted in a 38-23 victory. This marked the first time all season that Texas A&M trailed going into the second half against an SEC team. Having never been in that situation before, Elko successfully rallied his team and reminded it of what it does best — pounding in touchdowns off Le’Veon Moss’ rushing attack. The Aggies have now cemented themselves as a top-10 team and is the only team left without an SEC loss.
3. Texas (7-1, 3-1)
Most improved: Quinn Ewers
Halloween came early for the Longhorns as Quinn Ewers returned from the dead after an anemic performance against Georiga last week. This poor showing was temporarily forgotten in Nashville as he led the Longhorns to a redemption victory over the Commodores, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Ewers even threw 17 straight completions en route to his team’s 27-24 victory. He ended the night with a 73% completion percentage, and while he did throw two interceptions, Ewers squashed any questions about his lack of competence. Despite Ewers’ performance, the cracks in Texas’ game were exposed against the Commodores. The Longhorns’ offensive line failed to protect its quarterback, allowing four sacks and nine tackles for loss. Texas must work on this to bring any postseason hardware to Austin.
4. Tennessee (6-1, 3-1)
Most improved: Dylan Sampson
Tennessee’s MVP for this season is clearly Dylan Sampson. The contrast from last season to this season has been night and day for the third-year running back. Last season, Sampson rushed for 604 yards and seven touchdowns off 106 carries. With five games remaining in 2024, Sampson has already put up 838 yards and 17 touchdowns off 144 carries. Sampson has had several notable performances, but his stat line against Alabama sums up his success this season. Against the Crimson Tide’s tough defense, Sampson put up 139 yards for 2 touchdowns, leading Tennessee to its biggest win of the season. If the rest of Tennessee’s offense can follow his trajectory, the Volunteers will become a force to be reckoned with for the remainder of this season.
5. Alabama (6-2, 3-2)
Most improved: Offensive line and rushing offense
After a devastating loss to the Volunteers — its second of the season — the Crimson Tide rebounded in formidable fashion, shutting out Missouri in a 34-0 victory. While its defense got most of the credit for this game, Alabama’s offense also deserves some love. The Crimson Tide only rushed for 75 yards against Tennessee, but it was a different story against the Tigers. Backed by a masterclass performance from its offensive line, the Crimson Tide rushed for a whopping 271 yards on 7.3 yards per carry.
6. LSU (6-2, 3-1)
Most improved: Garrett Nussmeier’s carrying capacity
After an upset win over Ole Miss in Week Seven saw them ascend to No. 8 in the country, the hype surrounding the Tigers came crashing down thanks to a 23-38 loss to Texas A&M. The first half of LSU’s appearance at College Station was all Garrett Nussmeier. He passed for 259 yards, leading the Tigers to a 10-point lead going into the break. While the Tigers blew their lead, Nussmeier accumulated another 146 passing yards, finishing the night with 405 yards and two touchdowns. While he did throw three interceptions, it’s hard to find faults in Nussmeier's performance, as his team’s rushing attack was nonexistent. LSU’s offense left College Station with only 24 rushing yards on 23 attempts. Something must change on the ground if the Tigers want to beat Alabama.
7. Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2)
Most improved: Linebackers
Coming off a tough loss to LSU in overtime, it was clear that Ole Miss’ defense took full advantage of the bye week and turned things around. After failing to sack Garrett Nussmeier once a few weeks ago, the Rebels’ defense entered the Oklahoma game hungry and eager for redemption. Ole Miss sacked opposing quarterback Jackson Arnold a whopping 10 times, led by linebacker Suntarine Perkins who recorded four sacks. Coupled with 15 tackles for loss, the Rebels rebounded commandingly, beating the Sooners 26-14. They’ll face a tough road test when they travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas in Week Ten.
8. Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2)
Most improved: School spirit
While the Commodores fell to Texas 24-27, Nick Saban’s statement about Vanderbilt being an easy school to play on the road has been proven false. The student section, just like its team, has been revitalized and is being filled beyond capacity. As a result, students had to get tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis against Texas. The general queue for tickets opened at 10 a.m. and sold out within minutes, and the crowd at FirstBank Stadium affirmed that Commodore Nation — just like the team it supports — is the real deal. The Black and Gold will be back on the field in Week Ten against Auburn, hoping to catch their first Tiger this season after failing to do so in Missouri.
9. Missouri (6-2, 2-2)
Most improved: Sway with AP voters
Despite being shut out by Alabama 34-0, Missouri stayed inside the Top 25 of the AP Poll. Although the Tigers were touted as a dark horse to win the national championship before the season, those aspirations have become hazy memories. The theme of Missouri’s season has been underperformance, and Luther Burden III’s production encapsulates that. Against Alabama, the wide receiver only had three yards on three receptions as he failed to connect with Brady Cook. The Tigers’ defense also was a non-factor as the Tide rolled 487 yards over it. Missouri’s season will continue to squeak along, but the only people it can continue to fool are the AP voters, and even that will be increasingly difficult.
10. Arkansas (5-3, 3-2)
Most improved: Offensive production
The Razorbacks marched into Starkville, Mississippi, and delivered a 58-23 victory over Mississippi State in Week Nine. While it faced a relatively stout LSU defense the week prior (and struggled), Arkansas’ offense found a way to make it into the end zone continuously against the Bulldogs this week. Quarterback Taylen Green had a steady performance, throwing five touchdowns in the game. While other SEC offenses seem to be slipping, Arkansas has found its rhythm — even if it is just for the last four games of the season.
11. Florida (4-3, 2-2)
Most improved: Third-down conversions
The Gators had a bye in Week Nine, but they had an impressive win over Kentucky in Week Eight. In its best performance all year, Florida hosted and pummeled the Wildcats with a 48-20 victory. At the helm of this improvement was the Gators’ third-down conversion rate. Against Tennessee the week prior, Florida made just 33% of its third downs, but they improved this stat against Kentucky, converting 50%. The Gators channeled their pent-up rage after a frustrating loss to the Volunteers into 476 total offensive yards against Kentucky. They dropped 24 points on the Wildcats in the second quarter alone and now sit at .500 in conference play and are looking to reach a coveted bowl game. The road ahead won’t be easy, and it’ll start with a matchup against No. 2 Georgia in Jacksonville this weekend.
12. South Carolina (4-3, 2-3)
Most improved: Kyle Kennard
The Gamecocks handed a battered Oklahoma team a 35-3 domination in Week Eight, primarily thanks to Georgia Tech transfer edge Kyle Kennard. Kennard was already a force with the Yellowjackets, racking up 53 total tackles and six sacks in his last year with the team. Kennard has brought his reign of terror to the SEC since moving to Columbia this year. He has 19 total tackles and ranks second in the entire conference with 8.5 sacks. If the Gamecocks want to finish their season strong, it will be behind Kennard and the rest of their physically dominant defensive line.
13. Auburn (3-5, 1-4)
Most improved: Jarquez Hunter
Auburn won its first SEC game against Kentucky 24-10 this past weekend. Despite an underwhelming season thus far from the Tigers, running back Jarquez Hunter has improved significantly and blossomed into a star. Against Missouri in Week Eight, Hunter had 19 carries for only 57 yards; last week, Hunter was responsible for more than half of the Tigers’ total offense, totaling 278 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. While Auburn’s offensive workhorse may have improved, the same cannot be said for the rest of the team. Payton Thorne and the Tigers’ passing game must get things together if they want to erase the disappointments the Tigers have dealt with this season.
14. Oklahoma (3-5, 1-4)
Most improved: Physical trainers in Norman (soon)
Oklahoma’s SEC debut has been an injury-ridden disaster. In Week Nine, the Sooners had four wide receivers, two defensive backs and an offensive lineman out because of injury. These injuries have forced head coach Brent Venables to reach into the depths of the Sooners’ roster. The loss of the Sooners’ veterans has shown, especially on the offensive side of the ball. In its Saturday game against Ole Miss, Oklahoma only scored two touchdowns — both were in the first half. The offensive momentum gained in the first half did not re-materialize in the second. The Sooners left Oxford with a 14-26 loss. Expect some training improvements to be made this offseason after something clearly went wrong with injury prevention this season.
15. Kentucky (3-5, 1-5)
Most improved: Hype for the basketball season
Any positive feelings for Kentucky Football were evaporated by a 10-24 loss to Auburn last weekend. The Wildcats’ defense allowed the Tigers to accumulate nearly 500 yards of total offense — well above Auburn’s 384 average against SEC opponents. Kentucky’s offense looked equally weak, as all 10 of its points were achieved in the first quarter. Disasters on both sides of the ball have been the trend for Kentucky this season. Kentucky faithful can rejoice that the men’s basketball season will begin next week — at least Kentucky is ranked in the top 25 on the hardwood.
16. Mississippi State (1-7, 0-5)
Most improved: Penalty yardage
There aren’t many positives to take away from Mississippi State Football this year. Nonetheless, one of them is its decrease in penalty yardage. Mississippi State committed eight penalties against Texas A&M, racking up 78 penalty yards. This week against Arkansas, the Bulldogs reduced their number of penalties to just four, limiting the damage to 48 yards. At least Mississippi State fans can enjoy low ticket prices for this weekend’s matchup against UMass, which are going for as little as three dollars.
