SEC Week 7 upsets: Ole Miss No. 1, Georgia and Texas fall

Ole Miss claimed the top spot in the latest SEC power rankings after dismantling Missouri, while Georgia, Texas and Alabama all suffered defeats that shattered the conference hierarchy entering Week 7.

The Rebels (5-1) vaulted from fourth to first following their blowout of the Tigers, a result that derailed Missouri’s early momentum and left Ole Miss as the only team with a single loss atop the weekly pecking order compiled by Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread. The margin of victory was wide enough to immediately reset the league’s standings. Ole Miss travels to Austin next week to face Texas.

Georgia dropped to second despite holding a 6-1 record. The Bulldogs absorbed a home loss to Auburn, handing Tigers head coach Alex Golesh his signature victory less than two months into his tenure. According to Goodbread, the defeat under Kirby Smart marked a stark contrast to the program’s recent dominance at Sanford Stadium. Georgia is idle this week.

Tennessee climbed to third (6-1) after securing its third consecutive home victory over Alabama. The Volunteers’ defense stifled the Crimson Tide, leaving offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb facing intense scrutiny from fans in Tuscaloosa. Alabama fell to eighth at 5-2 and hosts Texas A&M next. Tennessee plays at South Carolina.

Kentucky moved up to fourth at 6-1 under Will Stein, who currently holds the best Week 7 record among the five new head coaches in the SEC, according to the rankings. Kentucky hosts Vanderbilt.

Florida jumped from 11th to fifth despite an idle week. Head coach Jon Sumrall bluntly assessed his roster’s performance level following their most recent outing. “We still suck. We just sucked less, alright? And so we have to figure out how to suck less each week,” Sumrall said, as quoted by Goodbread.

Auburn surged six spots to sixth (4-2) on the strength of the upset in Athens. The Tigers host LSU (5-2), which slid to seventh after Lane Kiffin publicly complained about court injunctions while his team routed a Mississippi State squad missing its starting quarterback.

Texas plummeted to ninth (4-2) following its second loss of the season. Goodbread noted the Longhorns carry a $40 million roster investment that has yielded the same record as Mississippi State. Texas hosts Ole Miss.

Missouri dropped to 10th (5-2) after the loss to Ole Miss. Mississippi State sits at 11th (4-2) without injured quarterback Kamario Taylor and faces Oklahoma, which fell to 12th (3-3) after John Mo’Tears threw three interceptions. South Carolina holds at 13th (3-3) under Shane Beamer and hosts Tennessee. Texas A&M remains 14th (4-3) and travels to Alabama.

Arkansas climbed to 15th (3-4) after Ryan Silverfield secured his first SEC win. Vanderbilt anchors the 16-team list at 3-4 and plays at Kentucky.

Goodbread serves as a sports columnist for the Tuscaloosa News and co-hosts Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. He can be reached at cgoodbread@gannett.com or followed on X.com @chasegoodbread.