AL.com’s SEC Football Power Rankings for Week 9 of 2025 season: And then there was one

This past weekend was the first (of only two) this season where all 16 SEC teams were in action and all 16 were playing a conference game, and it did not disappoint.

Two of the eight SEC games went to overtime, and four others were decided by a touchdown or less. When all was finished, only Texas A&M was left with a perfect record; only the Aggies and Alabama remain with zero SEC losses.

On the opposite end, there are still four SEC teams without a conference victory. Two SEC teams have already fired their head coach, and a couple of others might do so before we reach the end of the line.

So how do the teams in the SEC stack up heading into Week 9 of the 2025 season? Here’s the latest edition of AL.com’s SEC football power rankings for 2025 (all times Central and all games Saturday unless noted):

16. Kentucky (2-4, 0-4)

Last week’s ranking: 15

Last week’s game: Lost to Texas, 13-10 in OT

This week’s game: vs. Tennessee, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network

The Wildcats had a chance to spring a major upset over the Longhorns on Saturday night, though that result might have been more about listless Texas than anything Mark Stoops’ team was doing. To its credit, Kentucky played to win — going for a touchdown in overtime despite getting the ball first. The fourth-and-1 play call — a running back over the top — wasn’t great, but the Wildcats have nothing to lose at this point. A disappointed Tennessee team visits Lexington for the old “Beer Barrel” game this week, so maybe Kentucky will have a chance.

15. Auburn (3-4, 0-4)

Last week’s ranking: 14

Last week’s game: Lost to Missouri, 23-17 in 2 OT

This week’s game: at Arkansas, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network

Hugh Freeze kept his job for at least another week despite a fourth straight SEC loss under eerily similar circumstances — a great start offensively, followed by a no-show in the second half. As we approached the back half of Year 3 under Freeze, we’ve seen enough to say that his program is not only broken, but probably unfixable. The biggest shame is that Auburn has wasted an outstanding defense with some comically inept offense. Interim coach Bobby Petrino and Arkansas do not lack for offensive firepower, so the end could come swiftly for Freeze if the Tigers lay another egg in Fayetteville on Saturday.

14. Arkansas (2-5, 0-3)

Last week’s ranking: 16

Last week’s game: Lost to Texas A&M, 45-42

This week’s game: vs. Auburn, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network

Bobby Petrino’s Razorbacks rolled up 527 yards and 42 points on one of the better defenses in the SEC, so you can’t say they’ve given up despite the coaching change three weeks ago. The defense continues to be God-awful, but might get a cure this weekend when a demoralized and inept Auburn team visits Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium. It would perhaps be fitting if the man Auburn once tried to push Tommy Tuberville aside to hire away from Louisville finally put Hugh Freeze out of his misery some 22 years later.

13. South Carolina (3-4, 1-4)

Last week’s ranking: 13

Last week’s game: Lost to Oklahoma, 26-7

This week’s game: vs. Alabama, 2:30 p.m., ABC

Shane Beamer wouldn’t be the first SEC coach to let an atrocious assistant coaching hire run his program into the ground, but he might be the latest. Beamer’s decision to turn the keys over to Mike Shula last offseason has wasted what is likely to be the last year in Columbia for blue-chip quarterback LaNorris Sellers. Oklahoma’s defense is the best in the SEC by just about any measure, but South Carolina’s 5.2 yards per pass ATTEMPT and 1.6 yards per rush against the Sooners is an absolutely putrid showing. The hottest team in the league visits Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, so things aren’t likely to get better.

12. Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3)

Last week’s ranking: 11

Last week’s game: Lost to Florida, 23-21

This week’s game: vs. Texas, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network

Jeff Lebby’s Bulldogs gave Billy Napier what turned out to be a going-away gift on Saturday night, with some bizarre game-management at the end of a 23-21 loss in Gainesville. Mississippi State was well within Kyle Ferrie’s field goal range with less than 30 seconds remaining, but Lebby called for a pass in the flat, which defensive lineman Michai Boireau intercepted to clinch the Florida win. The Bulldogs have not won an SEC game in nearly two years, and might have given away their best shot at one — not to mention a chance at bowl eligibility this past weekend.

11. Florida (3-4, 2-2)

Last week’s ranking: 12

Last week’s game: Beat Mississippi State, 23-21

This week’s game: Open date

The inevitable finally happened on Sunday, with Napier fired after three-plus years in which his team never seemed to live up to its potential — in least not for more than a week or two at a time. Napier’s stubborn refusal to give up play-calling hastened his undoing, and whoever replaces him could inherit some of the best skill talent in the SEC. Billy Gonzales steps in as interim coach, and has an extra week to prepare the Gators for their annual battle with Georgia in Jacksonville on Nov. 1. The “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” has been all Bulldogs the last four years.

10. Texas (5-2, 2-1)

Last week’s ranking: 8

Last week’s game: Beat Kentucky, 13-10 in OT

This week’s game: at Mississippi State, 3:15 p.m., SEC Network

The Longhorns’ 23-6 win over Oklahoma in Dallas the previous week seems to have been an outlier, as Steve Sarkisian and company regressed to being the SEC’s version of Iowa — great defense and kicking game, but very little offense to speak of — again this past Saturday in Lexington. Texas was fortunate to get out of town with a win after getting outgained by more than 200 yards by what is probably the worst team in the conference. Some very real offensive line issues notwithstanding, Arch Manning’s failure to launch remains inexplicable. The Longhorns have Vanderbilt, Georgia and Texas A&M remaining on their schedule, so they’ll have a chance to play their way into playoff position. However, based on the way this offense is performing, beating all three — or any of them — doesn’t seem likely.

9. LSU (5-2, 2-2)

Last week’s ranking: 6

Last week’s game: Lost to Vanderbilt, 31-24

This week’s game: vs. Texas A&M, 6:45 p.m., ABC

We know by now that you can no longer take wins over Vanderbilt for granted, but losing to the Commodores for the first time in 35 years still has to sting for a team that was ranked in the Top 5 not so long ago. The game honestly was not as close as the final score, as Vandy took a knee inside the 5-yard line to run out the clock. Brian Kelly’s hot seat is very real, but at least LSU continues to get preferential treatment from the conference and its TV partners by getting all their SEC home games at night. It seems unlikely that the Tigers will be able to move the ball consistently against Texas A&M this weekend when they haven’t been able to do so very often this year, but at least TV will get its cherished drunken and boisterous, purple-and-gold-clad fans for the broadcast.

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

Last week’s ranking: 5

Last week’s game: Lost to Alabama, 37-21

This week’s game: at Kentucky, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network

Volunteers fans saw the version of Joey Aguilar with which those in the Sun Belt Conference who watched him at Appalachian State were more than familiar on Saturday night — a very exciting player who quite often makes poor decisions with the football. Aguilar telegraphed a 99-yard Pick 6 on the final play of the second quarter, turning what could have been a 16-14 halftime score into a 23-7 runaway. He also was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Tennessee ran the ball with authority much of the night, but got too far behind to utilize the best part of its offense for long. The Vols now need to win out to reach the College Football Playoff for the second straight year, but do have a potential “get well” game at Kentucky on Saturday night.

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

Last week’s ranking: 7

Last week’s game: Beat Auburn, 23-17 in 2 OT

This week’s game: at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

Since his team won the game, Eli Drinkwitz celebrating a field goal that his kicker missed on the final play of regulation will now go down as only an amusing footnote. That aside, the Tigers showed for the second straight week that they are not the juggernaut we thought we saw during their apparently soft first five games. The running game never got going, and Beau Pribula had some ball security issues. Missouri’s defense definitely took the fight to Auburn’s inept offense, but Vanderbilt and Diego Pavia will be a much tougher test on Saturday. This is probably a playoff elimination game for the Tigers.

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

Last week’s ranking: 10

Last week’s game: Beat LSU, 31-24

This week’s game: vs. Missouri, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

The Commodores bounced back in a big way from their loss at Alabama two weeks ago, and once again find themselves in Fat City after erasing more than three decades of futility against LSU. Diego Pavia’s statistics aren’t gaudy, but he should be considered a Heisman Trophy candidate with the way he has helped lift the entire Vanderbilt program into the college football spotlight. That exposure gets even brighter this weekend, with College GameDay in Nashville and arguably the game of the week set to take place vs. fellow one-loss team Missouri. If the Commodores win this one, there will be no denying they’re championship contenders.

5. Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1)

Last week’s ranking: 9

Last week’s game: Beat South Carolina, 26-7

This week’s game: vs. Ole Miss, 11 a.m., ABC

John Mateer looked better against South Carolina than he did against Texas, but still doesn’t seem quite recovered from the thumb injury that threatened to derail his and the Sooners’ season. That said, this Oklahoma defense — which totaled six sacks and a safety vs. the Gamecocks — might be so good that the offense simply just has to avoid killer mistakes to keep Brent Venables’ team in every game. The Sooners will play three legit offenses — Ole Miss, Tennessee and Alabama, the latter two on the road — in their next three games, so we’ll find out pretty quick how good they are.

4. Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1)

Last week’s ranking: 3

Last week’s game: Lost to Georgia, 43-35

This week’s game: at Oklahoma, 11 a.m., ABC

Lane Kiffin and company couldn’t finish the job on the road against the Bulldogs, blowing a two-score lead and getting outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss has not beaten a Top 10 opponent on the road during Kiffin’s six-year tenure, meaning we are still left to wonder if there is some sort of ceiling on the program’s potential. The Rebels stay on the road against the league’s best defense this week, but Oklahoma is the last ranked — or possibly even good — team they will play during the regular season. A win in Norman could set Ole Miss up nicely for a playoff spot.

3. Georgia (6-1, 4-1)

Last week’s ranking: 4

Last week’s game: Beat Ole Miss, 43-35

This week’s game: Open date

The Bulldogs do what the Bulldogs do, falling behind in nearly every game only to roar back in the second half. Only against Alabama (what else is new?) has Kirby Smart’s team failed to do so. Georgia is winning differently than it used to, however, no longer smothering opposing offenses and squeezing out just enough points to win. When a banged-up offensive line can protect Gunner Stockton, the Bulldogs are a threat to score at any moment from any spot in the field. They get an open date this week leading into their annual matchup with Florida, which just fired its coach.

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

Last week’s ranking: 2

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

This week’s game: at South Carolina, 2:30 p.m., ABC

The Florida State loss continues to look bad for the Crimson Tide, but Kalen DeBoer’s team has played so well since that opening week debacle that it’s not going to matter. This Alabama team is taking a very similar path to the one in 1975, which lost its opener 20-7 to a Missouri team that would go on to finish 6-5, then reeled off 11 straight wins — most of them comfortable — and beating Penn State in the Sugar Bowl to finish No. 3 in the national rankings. That team from 50 years ago didn’t have the benefit of a 12-team playoff, so it was shut out of the national championship race despite just one loss. This year’s team, led by possible Heisman front-runner Ty Simpson and an opportunistic defense, seems unlikely to stumble the way the 2024 group did. At least a playoff spot seems a near-certainty at this point.

1. Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0)

Last week’s ranking: 1

Last week’s game: Beat Arkansas, 45-42

This week’s game: at LSU, 6:30 p.m., ABC

The Aggies have shown this season that they can win both shootouts — 41-40 vs. Notre Dame, 45-42 vs. Arkansas — and defensive slogs — 16-10 vs. Auburn, 31-9 vs. Mississippi State. A&M has withstood the loss of star running back Le’Veon Moss, thanks to the emergence of a pair of sophomores — quarterback Marcel Reed and running back Reuben Owens — and the best pair of receivers in the SEC. Mike Elko’s defense wasn’t particularly good vs. Arkansas, but did enough to get the Aggies to 7-0 for the first time in 31 years. There are three tough road games in the final five — at LSU, at Missouri and at Texas, so nothing is yet assured for Texas A&M. But being unbeaten and having already banked four conference wins, the Aggies have a larger margin for error than any team in the league.