Oklahoma on the up elevator in SEC power rankings after Week 2

The power and toughness of the SEC was on full display through the opening two weeks of the 2025 college football season, and the Oklahoma Sooners formally joined the party.

The Sooners showed their own power and resolve, delivering a 24-13 statement win over then-No. 15 Michigan on Saturday, one of just four games by SEC teams against ranked teams so far this season. Oklahoma and LSU (over then-No. 4 Clemson to open the season) were both victors in their top-25 matchups.

Florida State, No. 10 this week in the AP Top 25, was not ranked when the Seminoles defeated Alabama in Week 1, but obviously should have been given how they've looked so far. Texas at Ohio State to kick off the season was the other top-25 game involving an SEC team.

Twelve SEC teams, including Oklahoma, remain undefeated after two games, and the other four are 1-1 through the first two weeks. Overall, the SEC is 28-4. There has been just one conference game on the schedule entering Week 3 (Ole Miss defeated Kentucky 30-23 this past weekend), but four league matchups are on the schedule for this weekend.

Eleven of the 16 SEC teams are ranked in this week's AP Top 25, and eight of those remain on the Sooners' 2025 schedule. It's obviously early in the season, and with so many top-25 matchups involving SEC teams ahead on the schedule, there are bound to be shakeups in the standings, as well as the national rankings, as the season progresses.

With two weeks of limited results in the books, however, here is how we sort out the conference standings and break it down in the form of the SEC power rankings.

1. LSU Tigers (2-0)

LSU is a fairly easy choice at this stage as No. 1. The Tigers have the most impressive win, beating No. 4 Clemson 17-10 at Clemson. They also have one of the lead contenders for the Heisman Trophy in quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

We'll learn a lot more about LSU in the weeks ahead. Over the next three months, the Tigers will face six teams that were either ranked in the top 25 to begin the season or ranked currently.

Week 3: Florida at No. 3 LSU

2. Georgia Bulldogs (2-0)

Georgia has defeated its two nonconference opponents (Marshall and Austin Peay) by an average of 30 points. But Georgia continues to be Georgia, and the Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the SEC in the conference's preseason media poll. A big game is on tap this weekend, which will give us a better read on how good this Georgia team is.

Week 3: No. 6 Georgia at No. 15 Tennessee

3. Texas Longhorns (1-1)

Texas, the favorite to win the SEC this season and the preseason No. 1 team nationally, rebounded from the season-opening 14-7 loss at new No. 1 Ohio State with a sound 38-7 win at home over San Jose State. The Longhorns may be the best team in the SEC this season, and they have the most highly touted quarterback in the country in Arch Manning, but they still have to prove it on the field and will have plenty of opportunity to do so with the SEC schedule.

Week 3: University of Texas-El Paso at Texas

4. Oklahoma Sooners (2-0)

The Sooners and their new-look offense were impressive in their season-opening win over FCS opponent Illinois State, and quarterback John Mateer and Co. were even more so against Michigan. If you question OU's offseason moves bringing in new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and Mateer and what they mean to the Sooner offense, you got your answer on Saturday. The Sooners are as balanced offensively and defensively as they have been going back to the early 2000s.

Week 3: No. 13 Oklahoma at Temple

5. South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0)

The Gamecocks were picked to finish fifth in the SEC this season and are currently 11th in the AP Top 25. They opened the season with a 24-11 win over Virginia Tech in Atlanta and followed that up by defeating South Carolina State 38-10 in their home opener. South Carolina opens its conference season this coming weekend, hosting undefeated Vanderbilt.

Week 3: Vanderbilt at No. 11 South Carolina

6. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-1)

Alabama was surprised on the road by a Florida State team that may be the most underrated team in the Power Four to start the season. The Seminoles won that game 31-17, but exposed Bama in several areas in the process. The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 19 in this week's AP poll and should move up some as the season progresses. But right now, they have some work to do to regain what they lost in falling to FSU in the opening game of the season.

Week 3: Wisconsin at No. 19 Alabama

7. Tennessee Volunteers (2-0)

It's difficult what to make of Tennessee this early in the season. It was projected the Volunteers would be down a little from last season, especially after losing quarterback Nico Imaleava to the Transfer Portal. Despite being picked to finish ninth in the SEC preseason poll, Tennessee has opened the season with a couple of sound wins over Syracuse (45-26) and East Tennessee State (72-17). We will have a much better idea how good this Tennessee team is this weekend, when the Volunteers host No. 6 Georgia.

Week 3: No. 6 Georgia at Tennessee

8. Missouri Tigers (2-0)

Missouri lost a number of key personnel off of last season's 10-win team. The Tigers, projected to finish 10th in the SEC in 2025, have begun the new season in impressive fashion, overwhelming Central Arkansas 61-6 and besting Border Showdown rival Kansas 42-31 this past Saturday. Next up for Mizzou is a third consecutive home game, hosting the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana, who are coming off of a 34-10 win over McNeese to even their record at 1-1.

Week 3: Louisiana at Missouri

9. Auburn Tigers (2-0)

Auburn, with former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, has averaged 40 points a game and the Tigers look to have another favorable matchup this weekend in hosting South Alabama for a homecoming weekend. A week from this Saturday, Auburn gets its first major test and first road game of the season, when Arnold returns to Norman to face No. 13 Oklahoma.

Week 3: South Alabama at Auburn

10. Ole Miss Rebels (2-0)

Ole Miss had a good season a year ago going 10-3 and was expected to produce another solid season in 2025. The Rebels are off to a 2-0 start this season, including a 30-23 win over Kentucky over the weekend. The week before, Ole Miss opened the season with a 63-7 win over Georgia State. Lane Kiffin's Rebels are back home this weekend for the first of four straight home games, including a Sept. 27 home date against LSU.

Week 3: Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss

11. Vanderbilt Commodores (2-0)

The Commodores surprised a lot of folks last season, finishing with a 7-6 record and an upset of then-No. 1 Alabama. They've begun the 2025 season with two straight wins, including a 44-20 comeback win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, scoring 34 unanswered points in the second half.

Week 3: Vanderbilt at No. 11 South Carolina

12. Texas A&M Aggies (2-0)

Texas A&M is another SEC team that is a bit of an enigma at this early stage of the season. The Aggies are 2-0, but those two wins have been against teams highly inferior to the talented A&M team. The Aggies will face a giant challenge this weekend, traveling to South Bend, Indiana, to play No. 8 Notre Dame.

Week 3: Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame

13. Florida Gators (1-1)

Florida opened the season No. 15 in the AP Top 25 and validated its national ranking with a 55-0 beatdown of Long Island. Then came this past weekend and a 16-15 upset loss to in-state rival South Florida. And things aren't about to get much better this weekend when the Gators travel to Baton Rouge to do battle against No. 3 LSU.

Week 3: Florida at No. 3 LSU

14. Mississippi State (2-0)

The Bulldogs, coached by former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, drew the long straw in the SEC preseason media poll, picked to finish 16 out of 16 in the conference. They were just 2-10 a year ago, but have already matched that win total two games into the new season. They defeated No. 12 Arizona State 24-20 on Saturday, courtesy of a 58-yard touchdown pass caught by former OU receiver Brenen Thompson with 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Week 3: Alcorn State at Mississippi State

15. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-0)

If you go by scores alone, Arkansas should be ranked much higher than this. The Razorbacks opened the season with a 52-7 win over FCS Alabama A&M, and this past weekend they defeated Arkansas State 56-14. Over the next two and a half months, Arkansas will face eight ranked teams, including Notre Dame three Saturdays from now. I see a drastic regression to the mean coming.