The ballot follows. You can be quite sure who is first and who is last, but what about the middle 12 spots?
1. Florida
Arkansas really is an entirely different team at home. That said, Florida is still out-scoring SEC teams by 0.363 points per possession. The difference between UF and second-place UK? 0.259. And between UK and 13th-place USC? 0.211.
2. Kentucky
A ho-hum week of beating up on the two worst teams in the conference.
3. Ole Miss
Ole Miss is now out of chances for impressive victories. You’d think they’ve a good enough resume to make the NCAAs, but they’re 1-4 against the top 50 teams in KenPom, and 1-1 against teams ranked in single or double-digits. I suppose we should credit them for being 16-0 against teams ranked 100th or worse?
4. Missouri
Finally returning their players and returning to form with an excellent win over Ole Miss on Saturday.
5. Alabama
I didn’t see a second of Alabama’s 49-37 loss to Auburn this week, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
6. Arkansas
It’s one thing to have an identity and stick with it, but killing the Gators in Fayetteville before crapping the bed in Nashville was really inspired work by Mike Anderson and company.
7. Georgia
Easily the most improved team from the beginning of the conference season until now. Good chance to show just how improved with the next three games: home to ‘Bama, at Ole Miss, at Arkansas.
8. Texas A&M
Great home win over Missouri mid-week, but loss in Athens means the Aggies were surprisingly swept by Georgia this season.
9. Tennessee
Loss to Georgia mid-week ended whatever faint NCAA hopes the Volunteers may have.
10. Vanderbilt
Coming off three straight conference losses by four points or less (with amazingly similar scores: 58-57, 58-54, 57-56), snapped out of it by hammering Arkansas at home by 18.
11. LSU
In ten SEC games, only two have been settled by over five points (with OT games being counted as settled by less than five). Split those eight games at a perfect 4-4.
12. Auburn
Credit to Barbee that his teams have improved each year on the Plains. Unfortunately for him and Tiger fans, still not as good as Lebo’s last group. But they beat Alabama, so who cares, right?
13. South Carolina
Their defense has improved as their offense has regressed in an almost perfect point-by-point fashion. At least there’s some improvement?
14. Mississippi State
In some ways I should rank them ahead of USC because the Gamecocks lost in Starkville, but to do so would ignore just how awful State has been this year.
