SEC Men's Power Rankings: Week 3

1. Florida (Up 2)
Just over a week after falling to Carolina at home, Florida (15-4, 4-1) finds itself atop the SEC East standings thanks to a two-game win streak and losses around the rest of the division. With a difficult stretch ahead, however, this week will say a lot about the Gators’ title chances. Fresh off wins over lightweights Auburn and Arkansas, Florida faces road trips to Georgia and Mississippi State – Ryan Velasquez

2. Georgia (Down 1)

Despite close losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee, the Bulldogs remain near the top of the standings, mostly due to help from the rest of the conference. With no team demonstrating consistent success at this point, if Georgia (14-4, 3-2) can put together a streak, it could cement itself as the top SEC team, especially with Florida and Kentucky next.
– Isabelle Khurshudyan

3. Kentucky (Down 1)

Kentucky (15-4, 3-2) drops in the rankings this week despite knocking off South Carolina on Saturday. Their comeback rally against Alabama last week barely fell short, but coach John Calipari said his team was “muscled and manhandled” in the loss. With an upcoming showdown against Georgia, the Wildcats have a chance to prove they belong at the top of the SEC East. – Paulina Berkovich

4. Alabama (Up 5)
The Crimson Tide (12-7, 4-1) can flat-out play defense. That’s why it currently sits squarely atop the Western Division. And, with home games this week against LSU and Mississippi State, Anthony Grant’s squad can put some real distance between itself and the rest of the division. – James Kratch

5. Tennessee (No Change)
The Volunteers were able to overcome Georgia thanks to a buzzer beater from Brian Williams, but they were overmatched by Connecticut, marking their first loss this season against a ranked opponent and spoiling coach Bruce Pearl’s temporary return. This week’s matchups against LSU and Ole Miss should provide easy wins for Tennessee (12-7, 2-2). – PB

6. USC (Down 2)
Though South Carolina (12-6, 3-2) couldn’t recreate its upset over Kentucky this year, it still has wins over some of the better teams in the SEC, including Florida and Vanderbilt. With upcoming games against Auburn, LSU and Vandy, the Gamecocks should have a winning streak before facing Florida again at home. – IK

7. Vanderbilt (No Change)
The Commodores improved to 3-1 against ranked opponents this season with a dominating win over Saint Mary’s. Vanderbilt (14-4, 2-2) will have a chance to improve its road record at Mississippi State this week before returning home for a matchup with Arkansas. – PB

8. Arkansas (Down 2)
Coming off back-to-back road losses to South Carolina and Florida, the Razorbacks seem to have been thrown a bit of a life preserver in lowly Auburn tonight. The Hogs (12-6, 2-3) better take care of business against AU, though. Their next two are against Vandy and Georgia. Trips to Alabama and Kentucky await down the road as well. – JK

9. Mississippi State (Up 1)
Things continue to look uncertain in Starkville as Mississippi State (10-8, 2-2) comes into a difficult week fresh off a 22-point thumping at the hands of Georgia. Considered by some to be a title contender in 2011, the Bulldogs need at least one victory over their two-game home stand to stay in the hunt in the SEC West. With the matchups against Vanderbilt and Florida, however, that could be a lot to ask. – RV

10. Ole Miss (Up 1)
With only one victory in SEC play, things are not expected to turn around for the Rebels with Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas next on the schedule. Luckily for Ole Miss (13-7, 1-4), one never knows when things could change in SEC basketball, so it’s possible they could upset at least one of those teams to give themselves a boost in the rankings. – IK

11. LSU (Down 3)
After starting SEC play with two wins, the Tigers have proceeded to drop two in a row to Kentucky and Ole Miss by 38 and 27 points, respectively. This week’s road swing to Tennessee and Alabama won’t be easy. LSU (10-9, 2-2) has shown some pluck, but it should probably get used to being at No. 11 for the rest of the year. – JK

12. Auburn (No Change)
It really can’t get much worse for the Tigers. Two weeks into conference play, Auburn (7-12, 0-5) is still desperate for its first SEC win, and with a pair of road games at Arkansas and South Carolina next on the schedule, hopes for that are pretty slim. It’s safe to say Tiger fans will stick to Cam Newton highlight reels as their basketball season continues to plummet. – RV