Things are not going well for the South Carolina Gamecocks or head coach Shane Beamer. In back-to-back weeks, the Gamecocks dropped games against Mississippi State and Alabama to drop to 0-2 inside the SEC.
Elsewhere in the conference, Florida took down Ole Miss, Texas got past Tennessee to remain undefeated in conference play and Georgia beat down Oklahoma.
After Week 4 in the SEC, let's take a look at the latest conference power rankings.
Cream of the crop
1. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0): Georgia has been dominating just about everyone this season, and the offense has outscored its opponents 86-30 in consecutive weeks. With the exception of the Bulldogs' road trip to Alabama in two weeks and the game against Florida on Oct. 31. It's hard to see many games the Bulldogs will have problems with this season.
2. Texas Longhorns (4-0): If Tennessee hadn't had too many penalties that thwarted the Vols' drive at the end of the game, Texas might already be sitting with two losses. Instead, Texas got a big victory on the road. Arch Manning looked solid, throwing for 201 yards. But he did have an interception. The Longhorns are heavily favored in next week's Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0): Alabama scored touchdowns on each of its four offensive possessions against South Carolina, beating the Gamecocks 49-18 in a dominant victory. Next, the Crimson Tide will get their biggest test yet, going on the road to take on Mississippi State and a high-powered offense led by Kamario Taylor.
Making moves towards the top
4. Mississippi State (4-0): While I could have put the Bulldogs in the tier above. But there is a slight possibility that their last two opponents in Missouri and South Carolina are just not very good. Kamario Taylor has vaulted himself into the Heisman conversation, having thrown for 1,192 yards with 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Starkville will be rocking this week, as the Bulldogs welcome Alabama to town in what should be a great game.
5. Florida Gators (4-0): It appears as though Florida hiring Jon Sumrall might be one of the biggest wins of last year's coaching carousel. While the Gators still have to play the likes of Texas on the road and Georgia in Atlanta, the Gators look great early. Aaron Philo runs buster Faulkner's offense with ease, and Florida's ground game led by Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark is legit. Let's see how the Gators do on the road against Missouri, who they haven't beaten in Columbia since 2019.
6. Ole Miss Rebels (3-1): Ole Miss may have been dealing with the emotional hangover of beating LSU and Lane Kiffin last week, and couldn't recover in time against Florida. But the Rebels were also without star running back Kewan Lacy, who makes Ole Miss' ground game one of the best in the country when he's healthy. The Rebels aren't out of anything just yet, and Lacy can recover during a bye this week. Ole Miss gets Vanderbilt next week.
7. LSU Tigers (3-1): LSU rebounded nicely with a 35-6 victory over Texas A&M. Although Sam Leavitt appears to be dealing with some sort of lower-leg injury, he still threw for 312 yards with two touchdowns and 1 interception. The Tigers get a home game vs. McNeese before continuing on with SEC play.
8. Tennessee Vols (3-1): Faizon Brandon had a scary moment against Texas, leaving the game with a shoulder injury. He returned after a series, and threw for 145 yards with a touchdown. Had the Vols not been flagged for holding and a false start penalty on the last drive after recovering their onside kick, that game could have ended differently.
Middle of the pack
9. Texas A&M (2-2): It's hard to believe that a lot of players that led the Aggies to the CFP last season are now 2-2. Quarterback Marcel Reed has thrown three interceptions in the last two weeks. If Reed's struggles continue, there could be a quarterback change in College Station. Regardless, if TAMU keeps playing like this, it could be a long season, as it still has to play Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.
10. Missouri Tigers (3-1): Missouri hung tough for three quarters against Mississippi State, but the defense let Kamario Taylor take over in the fourth quarter. The Tigers have a great track record against the Gators at home, and could bounce back by pulling off a huge upset over the newly-Top-10 ranked Gators.
11. Auburn Tigers (3-1): Auburn lost last week to Florida, but Alex Golesh got his first victory in the SEC with a 21-15 win over Vanderbilt. But a tough task lies ahead for Auburn next week, going on the road to face Tennessee.
12. Kentucky Wildcats (3-1): The Wildcats nearly had a disaster one week removed from upsetting Texas A&M. Taking on South Alabama at home, the Wildcats led by just three at halftime. Kentucky ended up winning 45-21, but it was a scare for Big Blue Nation. Kentucky will go on the road to face a struggling South Carolina this week.
Bottom Feeders
13. South Carolina Gamecocks (2-2): I hate to pile on, Gamecock fans but you should not be surprised as to where this team is. South Carolina has one of its most talented rosters under Shane Beamer, and has played uninspired football in the last two weeks. The Gamecocks need a huge rebound against Kentucky this week for Beamer to turn things around.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-1): Vanderbilt trailed 21-9 entering the fourth quarter against Auburn, and managed just two field goals in the fourth. The Commodores have a scary task this week, taking on the Georgia Bulldogs on the road.
15. Oklahoma Sooners (2-2): It's astonishing to see how far Oklahoma has fallen this season, one year removed from making the CFP. The Sooners looked lifeless against Georgia, losing 41-13. Quarterback John Mateer had three turnovers in three first-half possessions, and Brent Venables is apparently mulling a quarterback change. Things might get ugly in Norman with a bad loss to Texas this week.
16. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-2): Arkansas' lone wins have come against non-conference North Alabama and Tulsa. We'll see if Ryan Silverfield's team can bounce back against a down Texas A&M team this week.
The knives are out for Shane Beamer after two bad losses. Can he respond?
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