The SEC power rankings for Week 10 reveal a stark contrast between Oklahoma's deepening crisis and South Carolina's midseason resurgence. The Sooners suffered a lifeless 42-25 home loss to the Gamecocks, prompting head coach Brent Venables to fire offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle on Monday. Oklahoma now faces a daunting schedule to reach bowl eligibility, while Venables' long-term future grows uncertain.
Meanwhile, South Carolina has emerged as perhaps the conference's hottest team. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers has thrived in Kendal Briles' offense, throwing for 790 yards, rushing for 212 yards, and totaling 13 touchdowns over the last three games — all victories. The Gamecocks climb to No. 7 in the rankings, ahead of several two-loss teams.
Top of the rankings
Georgia remains No. 1 after a 27-8 win over rival Florida, though a challenging stretch against Ole Miss, Missouri, and South Carolina looms. Kentucky holds at No. 2 heading into a critical November road trip to Tennessee. LSU stays at No. 3 and hosts Alabama in a pivotal Death Valley matchup. Texas (No. 4) earned a stress-free win over Mississippi State but deals with defensive back injuries before facing Missouri. Alabama (No. 5) arrives in Baton Rouge with two losses and no margin for error in the College Football Playoff race.
Notable movements
Ole Miss (No. 6) rebounded with a 30-point win over Auburn behind quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Tennessee (No. 8) controls its playoff destiny with key home games against Kentucky and LSU. Missouri (No. 9) boasts the SEC's top passing offense led by transfer Austin Simmons and receivers Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode. Florida (No. 10) struggles at quarterback after both Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. threw two interceptions each in a loss to Georgia.
At the bottom, Texas A&M (No. 11) rose on others' misfortunes but faces a brutal closing stretch. Auburn (No. 12) has lost two straight by a combined 51 points since upsetting Georgia. Oklahoma drops to No. 13, Mississippi State (No. 14) has scored just 18 points in three games without Kamario Taylor, Arkansas (No. 15) committed four turnovers against Missouri, and Vanderbilt (No. 16) visits a downtrodden Mississippi State team with freshman quarterback Jared Curtis.
