11. Oklahoma Sooners (15-14, 5-11)
Double-digit wins over Auburn and LSU might not have saved Oklahoma’s season, but it does make the Sooners' record look more like what was expected when the season started. I might still have concerns about Porter Moser as a power conference coach, especially once conference play starts, but one thing is for sure: his teams definitely have no quit in them. The Sooners have two NCAA Tournament-bound teams on the docket to finish out the regular season. A postseason bid might not be in the cards for OU, but that doesn’t mean the Sooners can’t still have an impact on how the Tournament shakes out.
10. Texas A&M Aggies (19-10, 9-7)
A&M fans would give anything for the Aggies to return to their pre-February form. During February, A&M went 2-6 with its only wins coming against Ole Miss and Oklahoma. The final two games of the month didn’t inspire much hope for the remainder of the schedule, getting thumped by 15 at Arkansas, then falling to Texas by 6 a few days later. The biggest concern coming into the season was how well Buckyball and this less-than-ideal roster, talent-wise, would hold up against the gauntlet of SEC play. Early returns were incredible, but since then, the Aggies have fallen off just about as much as any other team in the conference.
09. Georgia Bulldogs (20-9, 8-8)
We’re finally starting to see remnants of the Georgia team that ran roughshod over its non-conference opponents. While the offense hasn’t been quite that good, the Bulldogs have built some momentum over the past couple of weeks. Georgia nearly completed a 20-point comeback at Vanderbilt before letting the game slip away in the final minutes, but the Bulldogs didn’t pass up an opportunity to beat up on South Carolina, taking down the Gamecocks by 19. This version of Georgia has the ability to take down some of the better teams in the conference. If opponents aren’t prepared, the Bulldogs could throw a major wrench into how the SEC looks on March 15th.
08. Vanderbilt Commodores (22-7, 9-7)
It feels like a lifetime ago that Vanderbilt sat atop these power rankings for five consecutive weeks. Since then, the Commodores haven’t been bad, but the uptick in opponent quality has started to call the early-season success into question. Vanderbilt is 1-3 over its last four games, and its only win was earlier in the week against Georgia. The double-digit loss to Kentucky to end the week isn’t how Mark Byington would have liked to start three straight road games to end the season, but if his team can play like they were early in SEC play, Vanderbilt could easily rattle off a few wins to finish the season on a high note.
07. Texas Longhorns (18-11, 9-7)
Trying to get a read on this Texas team has been a challenge most of the season. The Longhorns didn’t wow anyone in the non-con slate, and a rocky start to conference play left NCAA Tournament hopes in doubt. Since then, Texas has won six of its last eight games - though the competition wasn’t elite by any means. Double-digit losses to Georgia to end last week and Florida to begin this week did little to improve the Longhorns’ chances of staying off the bubble. However, Texas did bounce back to pick up a huge road win, beating A&M on the road by six to end the two-game skid.