Georgia remains atop the poll
1. Georgia (No Change)
The Bulldogs suffered the proverbial big game hangover after the upset of Kentucky when they fell to Vanderbilt last week. Fortunately for Georgia (13-3, 2-1), the SEC East is wide open, so they've been able to remain atop the standings after rebounding at Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have three consecutive home games coming up to widen the gap between them and the field. — Isabelle Khurshudyan
2. Kentucky (No Change)
After an uncharacteristic loss to Georgia, Kentucky (14-3, 2-1) once again asserted its dominance in the SEC, routing Auburn and LSU with scores of 78-54 and 82-44 respectively. Though this is a young squad, with six freshmen on the team, it is led by John Calipari, a talented coach who has experience with gaining momentum at the right time. — IK
3. Florida (No Change)
The Gators have struggled in the worst way possible — three of their four losses have come at home. Should Florida (13-4, 2-1) start winning more consistently at home, their senior-led squad has the ability to make a run toward the end of the season, especially with the amount of success they're having on the road. Fortunately for the Gators, three of their next four games will be away.. — IK
4. USC (Up 2)
Despite falling to Alabama on the road, the Gamecocks were able to right the ship with a win at Florida, which served as a confidence boost after the buzzer-beating defeat the Gators dealt them a season ago. South Carolina (11-5, 2-1) will be forced to prove itself in upcoming matchups against two top-notch SEC opponents — Arkansas and Kentucky. — IK
5. Tennessee (Up 2)
With the suspension of Bruce Pearl, the Volunteers have struggled at the start of their conference schedule, but after a win against Vanderbilt, Tennessee (11-6, 1-2) has found chemistry under associate head coach Tony Jones' leadership. — IK
6. Arkansas (Down 2)
After an embarrassing road loss to LSU, the Hogs got back to winning ways with a 70-65 defeat of Alabama in Fayetteville. Things are about to get tough on John Pelphrey's team, however. This week brings a road swing East, with games against USC and Florida. If the Razorbacks (12-4, 2-1) want to stay atop the Western Division, they'll need to win at least one of those games. — James Kratch
7. Vanderbilt (Down 2)
The Commodores suffered their second conference loss on the road against the arch-rival, Tennessee, which has to hurt their confidence when it comes to road games. After a short break, Vanderbilt (12-4, 1-2) will have two home match-ups against Ole Miss and Saint Mary's before hitting the road again to face Mississippi State. — IK
8. LSU (Up 2)
What to make of the Tigers? They're 2-1 in the league and 10-8 overall, which seems pretty good for a team that was expected to do next to nothing coming into the season. But one of those wins is against lowly Auburn and the loss was to Kentucky by 38 points. With two of its next three games on the road, we should learn a lot about LSU. — JK
9. Alabama (No Change)
The Crimson Tide can play defense. A lot of teams, including the Gamecocks, can attest to that. But can it score when it has to? Alabama (10-7, 2-1) hasn't won a game this season in which its opponent scored more than 60 points. Anthony Grant's team needs to find some consistent offense to go along with the stifling defense. — JK
10. Mississippi State (Up 1)
The Bulldogs (10-7, 2-1) were the latest team to get the SEC pick-me-up that is a date with Auburn. The going is about to get tough for Rick Stansbury's team now, with Georgia, Vanderbilt and Florida in the next three contests The stretch may make, or break, MSU's season. — JK
11. Ole Miss (Down 3)
The Rebels are struggling mightily, having lost three straight after a four-game win streak to end non-conference play. It doesn't get any easier for Ole Miss (12-6, 0-3) — road trips to Vanderbilt and Arkansas and home visits by Kentucky and Tennessee lie ahead. — JK
12. Auburn (No Change)
The last SEC team to go winless in league play was Georgia Tech, which went 0-14 during the 1953-54 season. Tony Barbee's 2010-11 Tiger team might be able to prevent those old Yellow Jackets from breaking out the bittersweet champagne one more time by March. Auburn (7-10, 0-3) is well-coached, but extremely low on talent. No team has won less than two conference games since the league expanded in 1992. Auburn may soon be the exception. — JK