The SEC is an absolute gauntlet this season; from top to bottom, there isn't an "easy" team. They all can beat any other team on any given night. Even the predicted last-place finisher in the SEC, South Carolina, beat a ranked Clemson the other night. The SEC will be a bloodbath this year, and as a conference, they will end up eating their own.
How do they rank going into the final week before conference play? It's muddy in the middle, but here's how the pre-conference SEC power rankings shake out:
1. Auburn
AP: 2
NET: 1
KenPom: 1
This year, there are no clear "best team in the nation" teams. A few will claim that title at various times; Auburn is one of them. They have only lost one game to a top-10 Duke team but have beaten two top-5 teams. They also beat Ohio State by 38 points in a dominant fashion earlier this week.
2. Tennessee
AP: 1
NET: 2
KenPom: 2
The Volunteers are the AP number one team in the nation because they still haven't lost. Fans of other teams will argue that they haven't played anybody, and while their resume doesn't stack up to teams like Kentucky or Auburn, they have still beaten a ranked Baylor and a team on the cusp of being ranked like Illinois. They are not as battle-tested as many of the other SEC teams, and it may haunt them to start the season, but as of now, they haven't lost.
3. Kentucky
AP: 4
NET: 9
KenPom: 12
The Wildcats, as compared to Tennessee, are very battle-tested and have played and beaten some of the best teams in the nation. By the time they get into conference play, they will have played against the 3rd, 6th, 29th, 37th, and 61st teams in the KenPom rankings. They have already beaten three of those teams: the 3rd, 6th, and 61st. They have yet to play Ohio State, the 37th, and they lost to Clemson, who is 29th. They start the SEC against Florida, who is 7th.