Is the age of the SEC juggernaut behind us?

There haven’t been all that many blowout wins among league teams this season, and Alabama and Georgia in particular seem to be keeping things interesting on a weekly basis. We also saw the middle of the SEC pack start to take shape in Week 7, as Missouri and Tennessee are surging, and Texas A&M and Kentucky are flagging.

So how do the teams in the SEC stack up as we head into the third week of October? Here’s the Week 8 edition of AL.com’s SEC football power rankings for 2023 (all times Central and all games Saturday):

14. Vanderbilt (2-6, 0-4)

Last week’s ranking: 14

Last week’s game: Lost to Georgia, 37-20

This week’s game: Open date

The Commodores put forth a good effort vs. Georgia, actually getting within 10 points before the Bulldogs tacked on a late touchdown. Vanderbilt will have four games left after its open date — at Ole Miss, home vs. Auburn, at South Carolina and at Tennessee — and their only hope for an SEC victory this year might be to catch one of them napping.

13. Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3)

Last week’s ranking: 13

Last week’s game: Open date

This week’s game: At Arkansas, 11 a.m., ESPN

The Bulldogs used the open date to heal up, with quarterback Will Rogers and running back Jo’Quavious Marks among those dealing with injuries. Mississippi State has struggled to find an identity in Year 1 under coach Zach Arnett, and meets up with a team facing its own existential crisis on Saturday in Fayetteville.

12. Arkansas (2-5, 0-4)

Last week’s ranking: 12

Last week’s game: Lost to Alabama, 24-21

This week’s game: vs. Mississippi State, 11 a.m., ESPN

The Razorbacks’ losing streak reached five games after a comeback vs. the Crimson Tide fell short. Four of those losses have been by a single score, which is either an indication that Arkansas is just unlucky or is lacking somewhere in its preparation. Things are starting to look dire for coach Sam Pittman, who might need to beat both Mississippi State and Auburn to get off the hot seat.

11. Auburn (3-3, 0-3)

Last week’s ranking: 10

Last week’s game: Lost to LSU, 48-18

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

Well, that was not what Auburn fans were looking for coming out of a bye week. The Tigers who played with so much grit and determination vs. Georgia on Oct. 1 were nowhere to be found in Baton Rouge. LSU’s 48 points were the most it had ever scored against Auburn. The Tigers are a different team when playing at home, and will need all the Jordan-Hare mojo they can get to keep up with high-scoring Ole Miss.

10. South Carolina (2-4, 1-3)

Last week’s ranking: 11

Last week’s game: Lost to Florida, 41-39

This week’s game: at Missouri, 2:30 p.m., SEC Network

The Gamecocks’ pattern of falling apart in the second half continued against Florida, as they blew a 10-point lead and gave up the go-ahead touchdown with 47 seconds left. Quarterback Spencer Rattler has been largely brilliant, but hasn’t had a ton of help. There’s still time to turn things around, however, and a visit to the “other” Columbia has turned into something of a must-win.

9. Florida (5-2, 3-1)

Last week’s ranking: 9

Last week’s game: Beat South Carolina, 41-39

This week’s game: Open date

The Gators showed quite a bit of heart in rallying for last-minute victory in a very hostile environment at South Carolina, and continued to show that perhaps Billy Napier has things headed in the right direction after all. Quarterback Graham Mertz was outstanding again, though the running game continues to struggle. Now comes the bye week before the annual trip to Jacksonville to face top-ranked Georgia, which has won five of six in the “Cocktail Party.”

8. Kentucky (5-2, 2-2)

Last week’s ranking: 7

Last week’s game: Lost to Missouri, 38-21

This week’s game: Open date

We’ve hinted before that the Mark Stoops era of Kentucky football might have passed its peak, and a 17-point home loss to Missouri is yet another indication of that possibility. Vanderbilt transfer Ray Davis has been a revelation at running back, but the Wildcats head into their open date with some things to sort out in the passing game, both offensively and defensively. Tennessee awaits on the other side, with the loser likely looking at no better than third in the SEC East.

7. Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2)

Last week’s ranking: 5

Last week’s game: Lost to Tennessee, 20-13

This week’s game: Open date

The Aggies might have let one loss turn into two, as they followed up a hard-fought 26-20 home loss to Alabama with a fairly flat effort in Knoxville. Texas A&M lost its starting quarterback three weeks ago, but it’s not as if they were lighting things up even before Conner Weigman was injured. Defense is carrying the day right now for Jimbo Fisher’s team, which has an open date before hosting South Carolina on Oct. 28. The Nov. 4 game at Ole Miss might be the difference between 7-5 and 8-4.

6. Missouri (6-1, 2-1)

Last week’s ranking: 8

Last week’s game: Beat Kentucky, 38-21

This week’s game: vs. South Carolina, 2:30 p.m., SEC Network

The Tigers bounced back nicely from a disappointing home loss to LSU, playing well in all three phases in a three-score road win at Kentucky. Wide receiver Luther Burden is one of the most exciting players in the SEC, and Eli Drinkwitz’s Tigers are just good enough on defense and special teams to keep things interesting. South Carolina visits on Saturday for the first of four straight SEC East games that will tell the tale of Missouri’s season.

5. Tennessee (5-1, 2-1)

Last week’s ranking: 6

Last week’s game: Beat Texas A&M, 20-13

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

The seven-point home win over Texas A&M was the kind of game past Tennessee teams almost certainly would have lost, which is a sure sign of growth in Year 3 under Josh Heupel. The Volunteers did it with defense and special teams, which has been rare in the last decade-plus. The running game continues to be steady, but the passing game is going to have to show up if Tennessee is going to be a real contender. The Vols now head to Tuscaloosa, where they haven’t won in two decades.

4. LSU (5-2, 4-1)

Last week’s ranking: 4

Last week’s game: Beat Auburn, 48-18

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

The Tigers continued their basketball-on-grass offensive fireworks vs. Auburn, piling 563 yards and punting just once. LSU’s defense even showed up this time, though Auburn’s hapless offense might have had something to do with that. The Tigers step out of conference to face Army this week, which still runs the triple option, but mostly out of the shotgun. In other words, the Black Knights are not the preparation nightmare they have been in years past.

3. Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1)

Last week’s ranking: 3

Last week’s game: Open date

This week’s game: at Auburn, 6 p.m., ESPN

LSU and Alabama both won while the Rebels were idle, which didn’t help in Ole Miss’ quest for a first-ever trip to the SEC championship game. Lane Kiffin’s team essentially has to win out and hope Alabama loses twice in order to finally get to Atlanta. First up is a visit from Auburn, which is one of the worst teams in the country when playing away from home. Don’t expect Kiffin to take it easy on former Rebels coach Hugh Freeze.

2. Alabama (6-1, 4-0)

Last week’s ranking: 2

Last week’s game: Beat Arkansas, 24-21

This week’s game: vs. Tennessee, 2:30 p.m., CBS

This might just be the new reality for Alabama in the age of SEC parity — the Crimson Tide will win most of its games, but rarely will do so comfortably. Nick Saban’s team looked well on its way to a rout of Arkansas on Saturday before the offense suddenly stopped scoring in the second half. Good thing this Alabama defense is elite, however. Next up is Tennessee, which like Arkansas hasn’t won in Tuscaloosa since 2003.

1. Georgia (7-0, 4-0)

Last week’s ranking: 1

Last week’s game: Beat Vanderbilt, 37-20

This week’s game: Open date

The Bulldogs are undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country, but once again sleepwalked through a victory against a lesser opponent. Just once this year — vs. Kentucky in Week 7 — has Georgia dominated for four quarters. Thanks to the open date, superstar tight end Brock Bowers gets an extra week to heal his sprained ankle before the Oct. 28 showdown with Florida in Jacksonville.

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.