08. Auburn Tigers (14-8, 5-4)
The Tigers, after a rough start to conference play, rattled off four straight wins. Win number four was this week over Texas, but Auburn couldn’t extend the streak to five games, falling to Tennessee on Saturday. The Tigers only managed 69 points against the Vols, marking the first time since the loss to Purdue that they failed to score at least 70 points in a game. Keyshawn Hall’s ability to put up huge numbers should keep Auburn in most games, but with its next three games against ranked opponents, we'll see just how tough this team is.
07. Tennessee Volunteers (15-6, 5-3)
Tennessee might have finally gotten out of its funk. For the first time this season, the Vols have finally managed to win consecutive SEC games. Road victories at Alabama and Georgia appear to have been the turning point in this season, and then the Vols finished off the week by beating Auburn at home. While the offense still has a ways to go, the defense, other than the Georgia game, has finally returned to form. There’s still time for Tennessee to make a push for a conference title, but this hinges on the defense staying solid and the offense showing up.
06. Kentucky Wildcats (15-7, 6-3)
Kentucky had won its previous five games coming into this week. Though losing to Vanderbilt by 25 points was a tough way to have the winning streak broken. The Wildcats didn’t stay down for long as they bounced back to take down Arkansas in Fayetteville. The offense hasn’t been anything too impressive this season, though it’s a great sign that Otega Oweh has scored at least 20 points seven times in SEC play. The Wildcats have an extremely tough final stretch of the season, so it's going to take some impressive offensive outings from Oweh to get this team across the finish line.
05. Arkansas Razorbacks (16-6, 6-3)
Arkansas has been one of the more impressive teams since we’ve entered league play, especially on the offensive end. Through nine SEC games, the Razorbacks are 6-0 when scoring at least 80 points and 0-3 when they don’t. This week, we saw both. The Hogs put up 83 points in the win over Oklahoma but struggled to score against Kentucky, managing 77 points in the loss. The biggest reason for Arkansas’s offensive success has been star freshman Darius Acuff, averaging nearly 23 points per game against conference opponents. The Hogs should be a team to watch as we enter the postseason.