Vance Meek, UK Wildcats Wire Mon, October 26, 2026 at 1:49 PM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Will Stein has Kentucky football at 7-1 after beating Vanderbilt 34-17 . The win moved the Wildcats into first place in the SEC, and inside the top ten in this week's US LBM Coaches Poll . So, where does that put them in our updated SEC power rankings?
It was another wild week of games around the country, and in the SEC. Kentucky did what they were supposed to do, beating a Commodores team that has struggled in conference play. The rest of the league was unpredictable, which has become the norm this year.
The Texas Longhorns got a massive win over Ole Miss, bouncing back after two straight losses. South Carolina also got an upset victory, taking down the 11th ranked Tennessee Volunteers .
More upsets means more movement in this week's power rankings. Here's a look at how they stack up after week eight, and were Kentucky comes in.
Vanderbilt started the game strong, but their talent deficit began to show, and turnovers gave Kentucky momentum. The Commodores have lost five straight games, and have four tough games remaining.
The Razorbacks were on a bye this week. They'll face Missouri next week.
The Aggies have fallen to 4-4 after losing to Alabama. However, they played the Tide closely for most of the game, but Marcel Reed still struggled with turnovers, and threw two more interceptions.
After a 4-0 start, Mississippi State had dropped three in a row. Life without Kamario Taylor has not gone well, and their defense gave up nearly 300 yards and 2 touchdowns to John Mateer.
John Mateer avoided making the mistakes that have marred their losses on Saturday. The Sooners defense was terrific once again as well, and remains the strength of the team.
The uneven season for the Tigers continued on Saturday. They have gone back and forth between wins and losses for several weeks, and struggled to get any offense going against LSU.
It took all 60 minutes, but South Carolina's defense made a big play, to set up the game-winning kick. The offense didn't find their footing, but the defense was fantastic.
The Gators were on a bye this week. They have a huge game against Georgia coming up next weekend.
The Tigers were one a bye this week. They'll face Arkansas in week nine, looking to bounce back after losing their last game.
Defensively, Tennessee is very good, and they run the ball well. However, quarterback play hinders them in general. George MacIntyre wasn't able to make plays when it was needed the most.
Arch Manning and the Longhorns are hard to figure out this season. They have wins over Ohio State, Tennessee, and Ole Miss, but were coming off of two straight losses before taking down the Rebels.
Three Trinidad Chambiss lost the turnover battle to Arch Manning, and the Rebels lost the game. Their matchup with Georgia in two weeks could now knock them out of the playoffs.
It wasn't as easy as they would have liked, but Alabama came away with the win over the Aggies. When Keelon Russell plays well, he's as good as any team in the country, and the Tide can beat anyone.
The Tigers are getting healthier, and the offense is heating up. The defense is still elite as well, and if Sam Leavitt plays well, they are capable of a deep postseason run.
Kenny Minchey continues to play clean and efficient football, and make plays in big moments. Kentucky has to avoid slow starts with a tough final four games left to play this season.
The Bulldogs were on a bye this week. They still have been one of the country's best teams, and a national championship favorite.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Where Kentucky falls in SEC power rankings after Vanderbilt win
Source: Sports
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