These are the last power rankings of the season. The only game left in the SEC is the championship game between LSU and Georgia next weekend.
And how about them Cats?
1. LW-1 #1 LSU 12-0 (8-0) (defeated Arkansas 41-17): The Hogs had an early 14 point lead but then LSU scored 24 straight points and never looked back. The Tigers manhandled their final SEC West opponent and their seventh ranked opponent. All they have to do is take care of business against the Bulldogs and the BCS title games will be theirs. THIS WEEK: SEC Championship Game against #13 Georgia
2. LW-2 #2 Alabama 11-1 (7-1) (defeated Auburn 42-14): Alabama solidified their spot in the BCS Championship game by demolishing Auburn in the Iron Bowl on the road last night. There is no question that the Tide is the second best team in the nation and deserves a spot in the national title game, setting up the first ever BCS Championship game that showcases two teams from the same conference.
3. LW-4 #13 Georgia 10-2 (7-1) (defeated Georgia Tech 31-17): The Georgia Bulldogs ended their season by defeating their instate rival handily. They have reeled off 10 straight wins but some of those wins were hard-fought against teams like Kentucky, Florida and Vanderbilt, while LSU has rolled over every team in their way besides Alabama. I think the SEC Championship game is going to be ugly for UGA. THIS WEEK: SEC Championship Game against #1 LSU
4. LW-3 #3 Arkansas 10-2 (6-2) (lost to LSU 41 -17): The Razorbacks were good this season; they just weren’t good enough to hang with the elite teams in the country. No matter which side of the conference this team was in, they still could not have defeated LSU or Alabama, their only two losses on the season. They will play in a very good bowl game as a consolation prize.
5. LW-5 #12 South Carolina 10-2 (6-2) (defeated Clemson 34-13): Another SEC team plays an instate out of conference rival, another win. The Gamecocks were a head-scratcher of a team all season long. They never really looked very good but they never looked really bad. They were good enough to beat Georgia and lose only two games, but they were not good enough to reclaim their spot in the SEC Title game.
6. LW-6 #24 Auburn 7-5 (4-4) (lost to Alabama 42-14): Not many people thought that Auburn could get back to a bowl game after all they lost at the start of this season season, yet here they are. The Tigers played admirably but just did not have enough fire power to compete with the big boys. Wait about a year or two and they will be right back in the thick of things as an elite team in the SEC.
7. LW-8 Mississippi State 6-6 (2-6) (defeated Ole Miss 31-3): The other Bulldogs of the SEC had a disappointing year as they expected to compete for an SEC Championship spot. Alas, they stunk. Their only two SEC wins came against Ole Miss and Kentucky. MSU will likely go to a lower level bowl game and that makes two years in a row with a post season appearance.
8. LW-9 Vanderbilt 6-6 (2-6) (defeated Wake Forest 41-7): After laying an egg against an awful Tennessee team, the Commodores trounced an ACC team in dominating fashion. Vandy is going bowling, as head coach Franklin promised, and they have the look of a team that is on the rise.
9. LW-7 Florida 6-6 (3-5) (lost to Florida State 21-7): Does Will Muschamp still have a job? How about Charlie Weis? The Gators dropped five out of their last seven games and even lost four in a row at one point. The Gators are a bad football team, there is no way around it. They were unable to beat one of the elite SEC teams this season and lost to their hated instate rivals when they played Florida State. And to make matters worse, it looks as if Urban Meyer has recovered from his “medical issues” and will be headed to Ohio State. Not a good time to be a Gator fan. Tim Tebow ain’t walkin’ through that door.
10. LW-11 Kentucky 5-7 (2-6) (defeated Tennessee 10-7): This had to be the most improbable win that I have ever seen in my lifetime. 26 years of futility were ended by a wide receiver at quarterback and an embattled head coach at the helm. The UK coaching staff put together a masterful game plan and the defense played lights out. It was a day that will always be remembered in Lexington and Matt Roark is the hero of the day. The two games from this season that will haunt me were the games against Louisville and Vanderbilt. Both games were winnable and a victory in either would have landed Kentucky in a bowl game. Still, the win against the Volunteers almost makes up for all of that. Almost.
11. LW-10 Tennessee 5-7 (1-7) (lost to Kentucky 10-7): UT had their bowl hopes dashed by the Wildcats. Did Derrick Dooley get fired on the plan ride home? Take that ya dirty snitches.
12. LW-12 Ole Miss 2-10 (0-8) (lost to Mississippi State 31-3): Houston Nutt had a rough season but at least it’s over. Ole Miss might have been the worst team to ever play in the SEC.