SEC Power Poll, Week 11: A Shakeup on the Field, But Alabama Remains No. 1

1. Alabama Crimson Tide, 122 points (6 first-place votes)
2. Georgia Bulldogs, 112 (2)
3. Texas A&M Aggies, 108 (1)
4. LSU Tigers, 104
5. Florida Gators, 92
6. South Carolina Gamecocks, 83
7. Mississippi St. Bulldogs, 68
8. Vanderbilt Commodores, 67
9. Mississippi Rebels, 51
10. Missouri Tigers, 47
11. Arkansas Razorbacks, 36
12. Tennessee Volunteers, 28
13. Auburn Tigers, 15
14. Kentucky Wildcats, 12

Long-time readers know I rarely use this space for any more than a passing comment about where I think the teams should actually be in the rankings, usually leaving that for my own power poll ballot. I will make this one observation this week: There was a football game on Alabama's home field last week. Texas A&M won said game. With no intervening events between that and our voters casting their ballots, all but two (one of them me) decided that in a power poll (i.e., which team would win on a neutral field?) to vote for Alabama ahead of Texas A&M.

Equal time come from Doug of SB Nation Atlanta:

I still have them ranked No. 1 because this is a power ranking, and I think four times out of five, maybe even nine out of ten, Bama wins that game. But they had the misfortune of facing A&M immediately after a brutally physical game down in Baton Rouge, and the Aggies were the better team for one crucial afternoon. Just goes to show that a team with arguably the most talent in the entire conference can still have an off day, and the way college football is structured, that can be enough to take you out of national-title contention.

Just gives you a taste of what goes through different voters' minds when they're trying to sort this out. There is no wrong answer, of course; that what makes them opinions and polls.

Voters?

ALABAMA

Folks lamenting the fact that the SEC now has an outside shot at its seventh national championship in a row are completely ignoring the excitement that is a league with parity at the top.--Red Cup Rebellion

On the plus side, ‘Bama is a win over Auburn away from making the Tide's first SEC Championship Game appearance since 2009!--Dawg Sports

ARKANSAS

As badly as things have gone for John L. Smith, they could have been worse: Weber State is 1-9.--Get the Picture

Makes you feel bad for Tyler Wilson and Cobi Hamilton. Almost.--Red Cup Rebellion

AUBURN

Given this outcome, Cam should give his money back.--Leftover Hot Dog

I don't know what would horrify me more if I were an Auburn fan: the thought that my team could just give up that completely in a big rivalry game that represented their last best chance to score an SEC win ... or the thought that they didn't give up, and that really was the best they could do.--SBN Atlanta

FLORIDA

To paraphrase the UL-L coach, anytime you see the seventh-ranked team in the country storm the field like they won the Super Bowl to beat a 5-4 Sun Belt team, you know they've got some issues.--Get the Picture

At first, I thought it was ludicrous that Will Muschamp broke out the orange jerseys for a game against Louisiana-Lafayette. It turns out he knew exactly what he was doing.--Dawg Sports

GEORGIA

Mark Richt goes from a certainty to be fired to back-to-back Eastern Division titles, but does anyone think the Dawgs will beat Alabama in the SEC Championship Game?--College and Magnolia

Peaking at the right time. Yeah, it was just Auburn, but this same team struggled to put Tennessee away. That seems like a long time ago.--Georgia Sports Blog

KENTUCKY

Bye, Joker. Wait, that already happened.--College and Magnolia

At this point, you have to assume the Wildcats are just trolling Tennessee into thinking they can beat them at the end of the season.--Georgia Sports Blog

LSU

Against Alabama and Mississippi State, Zach Mettenberger completed 66 percent of his passes for 571 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. So, what has Les Miles done with the real Zach Mettenberger?--College and Magnolia

Still have an outside shot at an at-large BCS bid. Not bad for a team that was staring at the Outback Bowl in early October.--SBN Atlanta

MISSISSIPPI

A crushing last-minute loss sets the stage for what could be a very interesting Egg Bowl.--Get the Picture

So wait: Ole Miss fields its first competitive team in years, they hang with Alabama for a good bit and nearly knock off Texas A&M, but their path to a bowl may have been undone because they still couldn't get over the Vanderbilt hump?--SBN Atlanta

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Mississippi State: Most overrated 7-0 team this season or most overrated 7-0 team ever?--College and Magnolia

Outscored 113-37 over their last three, and all of a sudden everyone's realized that their best win is probably Middle Tennessee State.--SBN Atlanta

MISSOURI

If the Tigers can beat Syracuse next week, they'll be bowl eligible. Quite a feat considering how difficult the adjustment to SEC life has been.--College and Magnolia

Pinkeled is the new Croomed.--Dawg Sports

SOUTH CAROLINA

Exorcised the Arkansas demon, so I guess this year's commemorative ring designs itself.--Get the Picture

Six wins in the SEC is a good habit to get in for SC.--Leftover Hot Dog

TENNESSEE

It's not just that the Vols have to beat Vanderbilt and Kentucky merely to become bowl eligible. It's that there' a legitimate question whether they can pull that off.--Get the Picture

Not only is there too much talent on this team to be this bad, it takes special coaching to make them this bad.--Georgia Sports Blog

TEXAS A&M

The Aggies would be leading the Big 12 by two games right now.--Georgia Sports Blog

Kevin Sumlin is your SEC coach of the year, hands down. If he manages to parlay that into a Cotton Bowl bid to face the Longhorns, he could be looking at a 30-year contract extension.--Dawg Sports

VANDERBILT

James Franklin has the 'Dores bowling for the second straight year, which is the first time that's ever happened at Vandy. Build that man a statue.--College and Magnolia

A few more good recruiting classes, and Vanderbilt could be a really strong football team.--Red Cup Rebellion