Eight SEC teams, including the 4-0 and 7th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, remain undefeated entering Week 5 of the 2025 college football season. That's half of the conference with a number key conference matchups looming over the next few weeks.
As the season gets ready to move out of September and into the more telling month of October, when the schedule will be saturated with critical conference matchups, this is when things will really begin to get topsy turvy as far as the shake-up within the weekly power rankings.
For example, this weekend's schedule features the annual Magnolia Bowl with LSU at Ole Miss (named that because the state flower of both states is the magnolia). Also this weekend, Alabama is at Georgia, and three weekends from now is the annual Red River Rivalry game between OU and Texas, which is shaping up as a pivotal game in the season trajectory of both teams.
Lots of potential chaos is on the horizon as the college season, and in particular the SEC schedule, moves forward over the next two months. But for now, here is what the SEC Power Rankings look like entering Week 5.
The top three teams -- No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Oklahoma -- remained unfazed from a week ago. Oklahoma (4-0) defeated Auburn and LSU (4-0) hammered an overmatched Southeastern Louisiana, 56-10. Georgia (3-0) had the week off ahead of hosting Alabama this weekend.
The teams that occupy spots 4-7 in this week's power rankings also stayed the same, but there is a slight shake-up in the positions after that.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0)
Georgia is coming off a bye week and will host Alabama on Saturday. The Bulldogs are 1-0 in conference play with a 44-41 road win over Tennessee.
2. LSU Tigers (4-0, 1-0)
LSU is at Ole Miss on Saturday in the 111th renewal of the Magnolia Bowl. The Tigers hold a decisive edge in the all-time series at 64-42-4. Both teams are undefeated in conference play, but Ole Miss leads the conference standings as the only SEC team with two conference wins.
3. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0, 1-0)
The Sooners are starting 4-0 for the second time in Brent Venables' four seasons as head coach. OU went 7-0 to begin its final season as a member of the Big 12 in 2023, but split its final six games that season to finish 10-3. The Sooners have a bye week before hosting Kent State on Oct. 4, and then it's Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas the following week.
4. Tennessee Volunteers (3-1, 0-1)
No. 15 Tennessee took care of business against UAB, 55-14, over the weekend, and this weekend the Vols are at Mississippi State, a surprising 3-0 to start the season.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1, 0-0)
No. 17 Alabama is coming off a bye week and will be at Georgia this weekend. It will be the SEC opener for the Crimson Tide.
6. Texas A&M Aggies (3-0, 0-0)
Texas A&M also was off this past week following a huge quality win at Notre Dame the week before. The Aggies are ranked ninth this week and are back in action this weekend hosting Auburn, which lost at OU over the weekend.
7. Vanderbilt Commodores (4-0, 1-0)
Vanderbilt is off to a terrific 4-0 start and has a conference win over South Carolina. The Commodores easily disposed of Georgia State 70-21 over the weekend and should have another win coming when then host Utah State this weekend.
Previous ranking: 8
8. Texas Longhorns (3-1, 0-0)
Texas remains somewhat of an enigma. Other than the season-opener against a now top-ranked Ohio State team, the Longhorns haven't played anyone of real consequence, and until this past weekend (a 55-0 pounding of Sam Houston State) haven't looked as impressive as all the preseason hype that had them ranked as the preseason No. 1. Texas, ranked 10th this week in the Associated Press Top 25, is off until Oct. 4, when it will take on a struggling Florida team a week before facing Oklahoma.
Previous ranking: 7
9. Ole Miss Rebels (4-0, 2-0)
The Rebels, ranked 13th nationally, are the only SEC team with two conference wins (over Kentucky and Arkansas), but they will have their biggest test so far of the season this weekend when they host LSU.
Previous ranking: 10
10. Missouri Tigers (4-0, 1-0)
Missouri, one of the eight undefeated SEC teams entering Week 5, got its first SEC win of the season with a 29-21 home win over South Carolina on Saturday. The Tigers are at home on Saturday for the fifth of six straight home games to open the season. It should be another easy victory for Missouri hosting Massachusetts, but a much sterner test awaits on Oct. 4, when Alabama goes to Columbia, Missouri.
11. Auburn Tigers (3-1, 0-1)
Auburn lost to Oklahoma over the weekend, but the Tigers were in the game to the end with a chance to win it. This is a good Auburn team with an outstanding defense and is going to cause some trouble for every opponent it faces the rest of the season. The Tigers are on the road for a second straight week, traveling to College Station to play Texas A&M on Saturday.
Previous ranking: 12
12. Florida Gators (1-3, 0-1)
The schedule has been tough for Florida with consecutive losses to upstart South Florida, LSU and Miami, all ranked in the top 25 this season. The Gators will get a much-needed week off before hosting Texas on Oct. 4.
Previous ranking: 11
13. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-0, 0-0)
Former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby has Mississippi State off to a 4-0 start. The Bulldogs' signature win so far was a 24-20 victory over reigning Big 12 champ and then-No. 12 Arizona State. The sledding gets increasingly tougher going forward with a home game against Tennessee this weekend.
Previous ranking: 14
14. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-2, 0-1)
Arkansas suffered a disappointing nonconference road loss at Memphis over the weekend. The Razorbacks were trailing by a point, but had the ball inside the Memphis 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Arkansas, unfortunately, fumbled the ball inside the 10, and the ball was recovered by Memphis, ending the Razorbacks' chances to win the game.
Now, they must regroup and prepare for the arrival of Notre Dame.
Previous ranking: 15
15. South Carolina Gamecocks (2-2, 0-2)
South Carolina is coming off a disappointing 29-21 loss at Missouri, its second conference loss of the season. Now, the Gamecocks have Kentucky coming to Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday, hoping to avoid a third straight conference loss.
Previous ranking: 13
16. Kentucky Wildcats (2-1, 0-1)
Kentucky did not play this past weekend and has two conference road games the next two weekends. The Wildcats are at South Carolina on Saturday, with both teams looking for their first conference win, and the week after that they must go to Georgia, where they have won just four times in 36 previous visits.
Previous ranking: 16
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