Halloween is supposed to be unpredictable. So is the SEC.
One week a team looks like a playoff contender. The next week it’s getting run off its own field.
With two months of evidence and just as many reasons to ignore it, ranking this conference feels a lot like digging through a trick-or-treat bag. Some teams are the full-size candy bars everybody wants. Others are candy corn. Nobody wants to be candy corn.
With Halloween around the corner, here’s this week’s SEC power rankings, with each team matched to the candy that best captures its season so far.
Taylor’s SEC Power Rankings
(Last week’s ranking in parenthesis.)
1. Georgia (1)
- Last week: Off
- This week: vs. No. 17 Florida
- Halloween candy: Snickers. One of the best, most consistent candies trick-or-treaters love to see in their bag. Unless they have a peanut allergy, like Georgia facing Auburn.
2. Texas (3)
- Last week: def. No. 7 Ole Miss, 34-27
- This week: vs. Mississippi State
- Halloween candy: 100 Grand Bar. A candy named after a large sum of money that doesn’t live up to the hype? The Longhorns certainly have the resources, even if the results don’t always match.
3. Alabama (5)
- Last week: def. Texas A&M, 31-20
- This week: Off
- Halloween candy: Kit Kat. Give Alabama a break. The dynasty is over and isn’t restarting this season, but the Crimson Tide’s fans still expect the results of the Nick Saban era.
4. Ole Miss (2)
- Last week: lost to No. 19 Texas, 34-27
- This week: vs. Auburn
- Halloween candy: Sour Patch Kids. First they’re sweet, then they’re sour. Just like the Rebels looked great against Missouri, but not so-great against Texas.
5. Kentucky (6)
- Last week: def. Vanderbilt, 34-17
- This week: Off
- Halloween candy: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Who doesn’t love seeing a Reese’s in their candy bag? Amongst all of the chaos, Kentucky is making a convincing argument that its the best thing in the SEC’s trick-or-treat bag.
6. LSU (7)
- Last week: def. Auburn, 38-17
- This week: Off
- Halloween candy: Butterfinger. Delicious when everything comes together, but there’s something inherently messy about the whole experience.
7. Tennessee (4)
- Last week: lost to South Carolina, 27-24
- This week: Off
- Halloween candy: Pop rocks. Explosive, exciting and occasionally spectacular. But the excitement doesn’t last very long before everything fizzles out.
8. Missouri (8)
- Last week: Off
- This week: at Arkansas
- Halloween candy: Whoppers. They’re supposed to be a big deal, but there’s an awful lot of empty space inside.
9. Florida (10)
- Last week: Off
- This week: at No. 3 Georgia
- Halloween candy: Warheads. Sometimes it’s exhilarating. Other times it’s a miserable experience. Either way, there’s no middle ground.
10. Texas A&M (11)
- Last week: lost to No. 13 Alabama, 31-20
- This week: Off
- Halloween candy: Payday. A program that spends a lot of money expecting a big payday only to be disappointed when the return isn’t as spectacular as expected.
11. Mississippi State (9)
- Last week: lost to Oklahoma, 23-15
- This week: at No. 11 Texas
- Halloween candy: Fun Dip. Start off with a giant sugar rush but once you’re out of powder it’s just a stick. Kind of like how the Bulldogs are without Kamario Taylor at quarterback.
12. Auburn (12)
- Last week: lost to No. 18 LSU, 38-17
- This week: at No. 12 Ole Miss
- Halloween candy: Mystery-flavor Dum-Dums. You have absolutely no idea what you’re getting until you unwrap it. One week it’s beating Georgia, the next it’s getting demolished by LSU.
13. Oklahoma (13)
- Last week: def. Mississippi State, 23-15
- This week: vs. South Carolina
- Halloween candy: Tootise Rolls. Nobody gets particularly excited about finding one, but they’re reliable, tough and surprisingly difficult to chew through. Kind of like Oklahoma’s defense.
14. South Carolina (14)
- Last week: def. No. 11 Tennessee, 27-24
- This week: at Oklahoma
- Halloween candy: Tootsie Pop. You spend a lot of time trying to get to the end and a lot of times the work wasn’t worth the treat. Other times, like against Tennessee, the ending is fantastic.
15. Vanderbilt (15)
- Last week: lost to No. 12 Kentucky, 34-17
- This week: Off
- Halloween candy: Smarties. All that academic excellence and not a single SEC victory. Some people see that as a good thing, others are left feeling disappointed.
16. Arkansas (16)
- Last week: Off
- This week: vs. No. 23 Missouri
- Halloween candy: Candy corn. The worst candy ever invented for the SEC’s worst team.
