David Climer

dclimer@tennessean.com

Another week, another defining game in the SEC West.

Auburn, coming off a narrow win over South Carolina at home, plays at Ole Miss. The winner remains solidly in contention for the Western Division title. The loser is pretty much eliminated.

Or is it?

Incredibly, it is possible that no team in the SEC West will finish the regular season with less than two losses. Undefeated Mississippi State must play at Alabama and Ole Miss. Once-beaten Auburn and Ole Miss still have potential road blocks on their schedules. Alabama has games against LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn.

For now, here is my ranking of the 14 SEC teams from top to bottom:

1. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs survived a trap game at Kentucky thanks in large part to running back Josh Robinson, who carried 23 times for a career-best 198 yards and two touchdowns. State needs to regain its defensive edge in the next two weeks before the Nov. 15 game at Alabama.

2. Alabama: Amari Cooper has flown under the Heisman Trophy radar for much too long. Against Tennessee, Cooper showed why he is among the nation's elite players. His 80-yard touchdown catch and run off a well-designed play set the tone for the game. All told, Cooper had nine catches for a school-record 224 yards.

3. Georgia: Star running back Todd Gurley has been practicing with the Bulldogs for the last two weeks but the school is still awaiting word from the NCAA on his reinstatement. After an open date, the Dawgs begin a three-game stretch that could seal the SEC East. After Florida, the Dawgs play Kentucky and Auburn.

4. Ole Miss: Bo Wallace's gunslinger mentality finally caught up to him. On the decisive play of the Ole Miss-LSU game, the Rebels quarterback threw deep when his coach had told him to throw a short pass to the perimeter. The pass was intercepted and Ole Miss lost. The next step in a brutal five-game SEC stretch is at home against Auburn.

5. Auburn: With his play against South Carolina, Nick Marshall reminded us why he was preseason All-SEC quarterback. Marshall ran for three touchdowns and passed for another in a tough victory over South Carolina. Marshall threw only two incompletions in 14 pass attempt. The Tigers' shaky pass coverage was exposed by South Carolina.

6. LSU: Never bet against Les Miles in the fourth quarter. His Tigers pulled off the 24th fourth-quarter comeback on Miles' watch in the upset of Ole Miss. Moving forward, LSU needs to stop squandering scoring chances. The Tigers managed only three first-half points against the Rebels despite a solid offensive performance that included three drives to the 12-yard line or deeper.

7. Missouri: The Tigers continue to search for an identity on offense. Maty Mauk played better in the win over Vanderbilt but the overall sloppiness remains a cause for concern. Defensively, though, Mizzou is good enough to be in every game the rest of the way.

8. South Carolina: As a big underdog at Auburn, Steve Spurrier reverted to his wide-open, gambling coaching style and almost pulled off the upset. He dialed up 50 passes. He went for it repeatedly on fourth down. But the Gamecocks scored only twice in five trips inside the Auburn 20-yard line.

9. Texas A&M: Kevin Sumlin spent the open date trying to repair the damage of three straight losses, including the disheartening 59-0 blowout at Alabama. A home game against Louisiana Monroe should get the Aggies back on track.

10. Kentucky: With the focus on Dak Prescott, Mississippi State's Heisman Trophy candidate, Wildcats quarterback Patrick Towles had an exceptional game. He accounted for 460 of Kentucky's 504 total yards. But the defense gave up 349 yards on the ground, the second straight game of 300-plus rushing yards.

11. Florida: If Will Muschamp is going to state any kind of compelling case that he should remain as Gators coach, he must beat old rival Georgia. In order to do that, Florida must put together a complete offensive game that has been missing all season. The Gators need to keep Georgia's offense off the field.

12. Arkansas: It should tell you all you need to know about the Hogs' 45-17 win over UAB that 350-pound offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola threw a touchdown pass – to the center, no less. The trick play was part of a 35-0 first-half blitz. Things figure to be considerably tougher on Saturday when the Hogs play at Mississippi State.

13, Tennessee: Senior quarterback Justin Worley's availability for the South Carolina game is unclear, which could mean more action for sophomore Josh Dobbs, whose expected redshirt season was burned after seven games. Dobbs helped the Vols compile 383 yards of total offense against Alabama, the SEC's top-ranked defense.

14. Vanderbilt: With Johnny McCrary playing well in his first career start, the Commodores had a legitimate shot at knocking off Missouri. They trailed by a field goal with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter and had the Tigers facing second-and-20, but a facemask penalty changed momentum.