Several of the teams in the SEC were able to pull off upsets during rivalry weekend while others came up on the losing end. Needless to say, Week 13 of the 2022 season was an intriguing one, to say the least. It was also one of the more eventful weekends of the entire college football season.
Kentucky and Mississippi State handled business against their rivals, but LSU and Florida were unable to come away with victories on the road.
Meanwhile, it was South Carolina that caught everyone’s attention with an impressive win to improve to eight wins on the season.
Today, we take a look at the SEC power rankings after Week 13 of the 2022 season.
14
Vanderbilt Commodores (5-7)
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Things seemed to be trending in the right direction for the Commodores after consecutive wins against SEC opponents. However, that trend did not continue as the Commodores fell to Tennessee 52-0 in the final week of the regular season. With the loss, Clark Lea’s squad fell to 5-7 on the season and failed to make a bowl game. This season was an improvement from seasons in the past, but they still finish the season with a losing record to show for it.
13
Auburn Tigers (5-7)
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Auburn has proven that it has no quit. Interim head coach Carnell Williams had his squad fighting all the way up to their last game of the season against Alabama. The Tigers stood tall at the beginning of the Iron Bowl but were unable to stop the Tide’s scoring attack. There will be a lot of changes on the Plains in the offseason.
12
Texas A&M Aggies (4-8)
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Texas A&M had some lofty expectations after landing last year’s top recruiting class as well as coming off of an 8-win season a year ago. Things didn’t bode well for the Aggies as they lost eight games this season. However, things did go better than expected against their rival, LSU. The Aggies put on a scoring clinic en route to a two-touchdown win over the Tigers. This off-season will be an interesting one in College Station. Several players have already entered the transfer portal and it is expected that several more to follow suit. We will have to wait and see.
11
Arkansas Razorbacks (6-6)
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This season has been a disappointing one for Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks. Arkansas dropped its sixth game of the season on the road against Missouri. Despite a valiant effort to come away with a win in Columbia, it just wasn’t enough to overcome the Tigers’ offensive success. The Razorbacks fell to 6-6 and did not have the season that many had expected. Their bowl game could go a long way to determining how the roster and coaching staff look heading into next season. Things could get shaky in Fayetteville.
10
Missouri Tigers (6-6)
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This season has seen its share of ups and downs for the Tigers. Eli Drinkwitz’s squad has fallen in four of their five conference games by a total of 18 points. The other two losses were blowouts against Kansas State and Tennessee. This team will likely lose their leading receiver Dominic Lovett as he announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal several days after a 100-yard game against Arkansas. That will be a huge loss heading into the off-season. However, it is an encouraging sign that the Tigers reached a bowl game for the second year in a row.
9
Florida Gators (6-6)
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First-year Florida head coach Billy Napier has his squad in a bowl game this season. However, that doesn’t mean a whole lot to the Gators faithful. Their goal is to knock off Tennessee and Georgia each year in order to reach the conference championship game. The Gators came up just short this season in those two games. There is hope for the future in Gainesville. It will be interesting to see how they perform in the bowl game.
8
Kentucky Wildcats (7-5)
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Kentucky was a team that many had expected to compete to win the SEC East. However, this team had too many problems up front to make that into fruition. Mark Stoops’ squad was able to close the season out on a good note with a top-25 win over rival Louisville. The Wildcats will get to play a bowl game to close out the season. There will likely be some changes that are made in the off-season whether it be amongst the roster or coaching staff.
7
Ole Miss Rebels (8-4)
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After being considered ‘in the hunt’ to reach the College Football Playoff, the Rebels have since dropped three games in a row to Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi State. Despite all of that, the administration decided to extend head coach Lane Kiffin’s contract. Ole Miss will likely return a lot on the offensive side of the ball next season which should present some hope for the future. It will be intriguing to see what goes down in Oxford in the offseason.
6
Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4)
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Mississippi State was able to get their first 8-win season since 2018 when Joe Moorhead was the Bulldogs’ head coach. Since then, the Bulldogs have progressed on both sides of the ball. They have put that on display for the majority of the season. Mike Leach’s squad won the Egg Bowl this season and will get to close the season on a good note in a bowl game.
5
LSU Tigers (9-3)
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It was not the type of ending that Tigers’ head coach Brian Kelly nor his team had envisioned. LSU was already penciled in to face Georgia in the SEC Championship game regardless of the outcome. However, virtually no one expected them to fall to Texas A&M. That is exactly what happened to close out the Tigers’ regular season. It was better than expected most would say. Nonetheless, it was a disappointing ending to the regular season for the Tiger faithful.
4
South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4)
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After a substantial loss to Florida on the road in Week 11, many counted South Carolina out in their next two games. However, they did not count themselves out. The Gamecocks were able to close the season with two ranked wins against Tennessee and Clemson. That is quite the finish for Shane Beamer’s squad. Now, the Gamecocks will look to carry that mometum into their bowl game. Things are trending in the right direction for the team from Columbia.
3
Tennessee Volunteers (10-2)
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Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has been able to transcend the Volunteers’ success in just two years. He has done a lot for a program that had not seen a lot of success in recent years. Without starting quarterback Hendon Hooker, the Volunteers still managed to close the season with a 52-0 win over Vanderbilt. Their chances of reaching the College Football Playoff are slim to none. However, they could reach a New Years Six possibly. It will be interesting to see where Tennessee lands at for their bowl game.
2
Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2)
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The Tide rolled in this year’s Iron Bowl against Auburn. This has been a difficult season for the Alabama football program. The team lost two regular season games for the first time since 2010. That says a lot about what head coach Nick Saban has established during his tenure at Alabama. Yet, this team still closed the season on a good note. Their chances of making the College Football Playoff remain in the air at this time. It would take some more chaos to unfold but anything is possible. We have seen that in recent weeks.
1
Georgia Bulldogs (12-0)
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Georgia has pretty much cemented themselves a bid in the College Football Playoff this year. Kirby Smarts’ squad has ran the table throughout the regular season and has high hopes that it will carry over into postseason play. The Bulldogs have played well on both sides of the ball and have shown why they deserve an opportunity to be in the final four heading into the playoff. The Bulldogs remain atop the SEC power rankings after the final week of the regular season.
