Through three weeks of the 2023 football schedule, the SEC remains a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside a lackluster performance.

There’s been significant slippage in the league’s national prestige already this season, and that was before teams have really begun to cannibalize each other in conference play. Two perceived championship contenders showed serious faults in Week 3, and a couple of others suffered inexplicable non-conference losses (there was one pretty big non-conference win, however.)

So how do the teams in the SEC stack up now that all 14 teams have played at least three games? Here’s the Week 4 edition of AL.com’s SEC football power rankings for 2023 (all times Central and all games Saturday unless noted):

14. Vanderbilt (2-2)

Last week’s ranking: 14

Last week’s game: Lost to UNLV, 40-37

This week’s game: vs. Kentucky, 11 a.m. (SEC Network)

The Commodores had a chance to score a nice non-conference win on Saturday, but instead missed a short field goal and then gave up a game-winning drive to the Rebels. Vandy appears improved on offense this year, but might be staring at 0-8 in conference play if the defense doesn’t get a lot better.

13. Mississippi State (2-1, 0-1)

Last week’s ranking: 9

Last week’s game: Lost to LSU, 41-14

This week’s game: at South Carolina, 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

The Bulldogs were blown out from the opening kickoff at home on Saturday, getting shredded both offensively and defensively by a talented LSU team. Mississippi State officials made the easy, popular hire in elevating defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to head coach following the death of Mike Leach last December, but I’m wondering if they might soon regret not conducting a real search.

12. Arkansas (2-1)

Last week’s ranking: 6

Last week’s game: Lost to BYU, 38-31

This week’s game: at LSU, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

Oh boy, the wheels might be getting ready to run off in Year 4 for Sam Pittman, whose team is not playing with much discipline these days. BYU is a quality program, but isn’t the level of opponent that should come into Fayetteville and put 38 points on the board. Arkansas plays the four best teams in the SEC West the next four weeks, so there’s that.

11. South Carolina (1-2, 0-1)

Last week’s ranking: 11

Last week’s game: Lost to Georgia, 24-14

This week’s game: vs. Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network

The Gamecocks hung with the two-time national champions on the road for a half, but things quickly got away from them in the third quarter. It wasn’t the total domination many predicted, however, so perhaps there’s some solace in that. South Carolina has a chance to get back on the positive side of the ledger when a suddenly vulnerable Mississippi State visits this weekend.

10. Kentucky (3-0)

Last week’s ranking: 10

Last week’s game: Beat Akron, 38-3

This week’s game: at Vanderbilt, 11 a.m., SEC Network

The Wildcats are a very quiet 3-0, having played three largely anonymous non-conference opponents thus far. Kentucky appears to be much-improved offensively, though it’s difficult to tell given the level of competition. Mark Stoops’ team opens conference play with the SEC’s weakest team, so a 4-0 start seems almost a given.

9. Tennessee (2-1, 0-1)

Last week’s ranking: 3

Last week’s game: Lost at Florida, 29-16

This week’s game: vs. UT-San Antonio, 3 p.m. (SEC Network)

The Volunteers have now lost three of five SEC games following last year’s 8-0 start, with Georgia, South Carolina and now Florida each handing them a double-digit defeat. Tennessee struggled in the Swamp as it always does (UT’s last win in Gainesville was in 2003), with five false start penalties and two delay flags avoided by burning timeouts. UTSA is a potentially dangerous non-conference opponent, assuming QB Frank Harris gets healthy.

8. Florida (2-1, 1-0)

Last week’s ranking: 13

Last week’s game: Beat Tennessee, 29-16

This week’s game: vs. Charlotte, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Billy Napier picked up easily his biggest win over his short tenure in Gainesville, dominating the first half against Tennessee and cruising to a double-digit win. The Gators showed a physical style on both sides of the ball, the hallmark of Napier’s teams at Louisiana. Charlotte is one of the worst FBS teams in the country, so a 3-1 record is a near-certainty.

7. Missouri (3-0)

Last week’s ranking: 12

Last week’s game: Beat Kansas State, 30-27

This week’s game: vs. Memphis, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Speaking of signature wins, Eli Drinkwitz’s Tigers finished the job against a ranked opponent in the way past Mizzou teams have not been able to do. Harrison Mevis’ 61-yard walk-off field goal is one of the greatest kicks not only in Missouri history, but in the history of the sport. If the Tigers can get past an interesting date with Memphis in St. Louis, a 5-0 start heading into LSU in two weeks is a real possibility.

6. Auburn (3-0)

Last week’s ranking: 8

Last week’s game: Beat Samford, 45-13

This week’s game: at Texas A&M, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Auburn has taken care of business to this point, including against a potentially frisky Samford team on Saturday night. Quarterback Payton Thorne has taken control of the job, and showed a dual-threat aspect to his game not often previously displayed. Now comes a brutal four-game stretch against Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss that will tell the tale of the Tigers’ season.

5. Texas A&M (2-1)

Last week’s ranking: 7

Last week’s game: Beat Louisiana-Monroe, 47-3

This week’s game: vs Auburn, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

The Aggies didn’t fool around with ULM after getting embarrassed the previous week at Miami, and continued to put points on the board in the third game of the Bobby Petrino experiment. An Auburn team that is 4-1 all-time in College Station visits Kyle Field this week, and A&M needs to win this one if it’s truly going to contend in the SEC West.

4. Alabama (2-1)

Last week’s ranking: 4

Last week’s game: Beat South Florida, 17-3

This week’s game: vs. Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. (CBS)

It seems impossible to take a step back with a two-touchdown win on the road, but the Crimson Tide certainly did that in a sloppy victory at USF on Saturday. Nick Saban has no idea who should be his starting quarterback, and has even fewer answers on the offensive line. There’s no excuse for a roster this talented to play this poorly, and an explosive Ole Miss team could add to the misery when it visits Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

3. LSU (2-1, 1-0)

Last week’s ranking: 5

Last week’s game: Beat Mississippi State, 41-14

This week’s game: vs. Arkansas, 6 p.m., ESPN

We almost certainly overreacted to the Tigers’ second-half collapse against Florida State in Week 1, as they have played more like an SEC championship contender in the last two weeks. Jayden Daniels was nearly perfect against Mississippi State on Saturday, while Harold Perkins finally showed the form that had many people calling him the best defender in the SEC headed into the season.

2. Ole Miss (3-0)

Last week’s ranking: 2

Last week’s game: Beat Georgia Tech, 48-23

This week’s game: at Alabama, 2:30 p.m. (CBS)

The Rebels have done exactly what they needed to do through three games, and looked particularly impressive on Saturday despite being less-than-healthy at some key offensive skill positions. But all the early-season offensive fireworks in the world won’t matter if Lane Kiffin’s team can’t get over the hump vs. Alabama. Ole Miss finally has Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide in a vulnerable spot, so there are no excuses this time.

1. Georgia (3-0, 1-0)

Last week’s ranking: 1

Last week’s game: Beat South Carolina, 24-14

This week’s game: vs. UAB, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

The Bulldogs have played below their standard for three straight weeks now, but still haven’t appeared to be in any danger of losing. Georgia trailed 14-3 at halftime vs. South Carolina, only to erase that deficit and take the lead for good by halfway through the third quarter. Kirby Smart’s team isn’t likely to be challenged much this week, either.

Creg Stephenson has worked for AL.com since 2010 and covered college football for a variety of publications since 1994. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @CregStephenson.