October closed with a stark contrast in the SEC, as South Carolina rolled to a 42-25 road win over Oklahoma on Saturday. Two days later, Sooners coach Brent Venables fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle after another anemic offensive showing. Oklahoma fell to 13th in this week's CBS Sports SEC Power Rankings, down from 11th, and now faces long odds just to reach bowl eligibility with trips to Florida and games against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Missouri still ahead.
South Carolina moved in the opposite direction, jumping from ninth to seventh and entering the conversation as the hottest team in the conference. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers has thrown for 790 yards, rushed for 212 yards and totaled 13 touchdowns over the last three games, all wins, while thriving in Kendal Briles' offense. Coach Shane Beamer has coached himself off the hot seat, and the Gamecocks are chasing a second midseason turnaround in three years.
Georgia remains No. 1 after a decisive 27-8 win over rival Florida, though a tricky closing stretch against Ole Miss, Missouri and South Carolina may require more from a passing game that has not hit a high level in a while. Kentucky stays second ahead of a critical November that opens at Tennessee. The Wildcats have lost five straight to the Volunteers and seven of the last eight, but this is Will Stein's first time coaching in the series and he has already shown this is not the Kentucky of old.
LSU holds at No. 3 before hosting Alabama in Death Valley on Saturday. Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt could force his way into the Heisman Trophy race with another strong performance. Fifth-ranked Alabama arrives with two losses and zero margin for error in the College Football Playoff race, though the Tide have dominated lately in Baton Rouge and Keelon Russell is dynamic enough to trouble an LSU defense dealing with a rash of injuries.
Texas remains fourth after a stress-free win over a Mississippi State team playing without quarterback Kamario Taylor, but the Longhorns came out of it banged up. Defensive backs Kade Phillips and Graceson Littleton are hurt and Colin Simmons is still managing an ankle injury, far from ideal with Missouri and quarterback Austin Simmons up next. Ole Miss stays sixth after a 30-point bounce-back win over Auburn, and the Rebels will need one of Trinidad Chambliss' best games of the season against Georgia's ferocious defense on Saturday.
Tennessee, ranked eighth, controls its playoff fate entering November and gets its two biggest games, against Kentucky and LSU, at Neyland Stadium, plus a de facto home finale against Vanderbilt in Nashville. Missouri climbed from 10th to ninth behind an excellent passing offense. Transfer addition Austin Simmons has two of the SEC's top eight receivers in Cayden Lee, who ranks first, and Donovan Olugbode, who ranks eighth, and the return of Ahmad Hardy should strengthen the run game.
Florida dropped from eighth to 10th amid a quarterback problem. Aaron Philo started and turned the ball over twice, and Jon Sumrall's pivot to sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. produced two more giveaways. The pair combined to complete 22 of 32 passes for 198 yards and three interceptions, while running back Jadan Baugh was held to 38 yards. Florida's remaining schedule is manageable, offering Sumrall a chance to build momentum before the offseason.
Texas A&M moved up from 14th to 11th despite not playing last weekend, largely because of how poorly the teams below it performed. A salvage job will not be easy with South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas among the Aggies' final four opponents. Auburn stayed 12th and has lost both games by a combined 51 points since its stunning win over No. 1 Georgia, but the Tigers host Arkansas this weekend and a victory would virtually guarantee bowl eligibility in Alex Golesh's first season, with FCS opponent Samford also on the schedule this month.
Mississippi State sits 14th after a fourth straight loss. The Bulldogs have scored 41 combined points during the skid and just 18 in the three games Taylor has missed. Arkansas, 15th, turned the ball over four times against Missouri, three on lost fumbles, and likely needs to win at Auburn on Saturday to find another victory this fall. Vanderbilt remains last but visits Starkville this weekend, where freshman quarterback Jared Curtis, who has been making big-time throws all season, gives the Commodores a real chance at their first conference win.
