Sam Khan Jr.Alex Scarborough 6y

SEC Week 12 power rankings: Alabama rolls ahead of Iron Bowl clash

Here’s a look at where things stand in the SEC heading into the final week of the regular season:

1. Alabama (11-0): The Crimson Tide didn’t get caught looking ahead to the Iron Bowl and instead took care of business at home against Mercer, winning 56-0. But maybe most important, freshman Dylan Moses played well in his second game since replacing senior Shaun Dion Hamilton at inside linebacker.

2. Auburn (9-2): It looked early on as if Auburn was experiencing a hangover from that big win over Georgia the previous week. But in the second half, the Tigers pulled away, winning 42-14, and Kerryon Johnson scored his 18th touchdown of the season.

3. Georgia (10-1): The Bulldogs got back on track after a deflating loss at Auburn a week earlier by dismantling Kentucky 42-13 at home. With a spot in the SEC championship game already secured, Georgia can’t slip on the road against rival Georgia Tech to end the regular season and still hope to reach the playoff.

4. Mississippi State (8-3): It wasn’t pretty, going on the road and letting a reeling Arkansas stay in the game all four quarters, but Mississippi State pulled out the win, setting up a season finale against archrival Ole Miss. Don’t look now, but Dan Mullen could be on his way to a 10-win season.

5. LSU (8-3): There’s been no let-up in these Tigers since losing inexplicably to Troy earlier in the season. Ed Orgeron’s squad improved to 5-1 since then, after going into Tennessee and beating the Vols 30-10.

6. South Carolina (8-3): South Carolina took care of Wofford 31-10 to set up its huge regular-season finale against in-state rival Clemson. While a win would be huge, the Gamecocks have already turned in a solid season under second-year head coach Will Muschamp.

7. Texas A&M (7-4): The Aggies beat Ole Miss 31-24 in Oxford, a solid -- and rare, at least lately -- SEC win in the month of November for the squad, which had last beaten a conference opponent in that month in 2015. They'll close the season out at LSU.

8. Ole Miss (5-6): The Rebels offense started as it had in recent weeks, scoring 24 first-half points, but was shut out in the second half by Texas A&M in a loss. Now comes the Egg Bowl on a short week, but a six-win season is still within reach.

9. Kentucky (7-4): Asking the Wildcats to knock off Georgia in Athens was a tall task, so Kentucky's 42-13 loss to the Bulldogs wasn't entirely unexpected. They'll have the chance to bounce back against rival Louisville, a team they beat last season. An eight-win regular season would be quite the accomplishment for this program if they can pull it off, which they last accomplished in 2007.

10. Missouri (6-5): The Tigers made it five in a row with a 45-17 win over Vanderbilt. The team will go bowling for the first time since 2014. A seventh win is achievable if the offense can keep it rolling this week against Arkansas.

11. Vanderbilt (4-7): The Commodores are still winless in SEC play after falling to Missouri. What happened to this squad, which started 3-0 and had so much optimism early? They've only won one of their last eight and are 5-26 in SEC games under Derek Mason.

12. Tennessee (4-7): It’s been hard to pay attention to what happens on the field with all the rumors off it, but Saturday night’s 30-10 loss wasn’t pretty. A regular-season finale at home against Vanderbilt will either be one last positive note for the senior class or the ultimate sign of the rebuilding that will need to take place under the next regime.

13. Arkansas (4-7): The Razorbacks defense actually came to play for once, keeping Mississippi State to just 14 first-half points, but it wasn't enough to win, as they fell to the Bulldogs by a late score. The loss all but ensures the Hogs won't go bowling, a first since 2013. They're now 1-6 in SEC play.

14. Florida (4-6): Like Tennessee, what happens on the field at this point is almost irrelevant. But beating UAB 36-7 on Saturday was a sign of life for a locker room that hadn’t shown any in weeks. If the Gators can beat in-state rival Florida State this weekend, it would be a positive way to end a difficult season.

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