Here's where the SEC stands through five weeks of play:

1. Alabama (5-0): What more can you say about the No. 1-ranked team in college football? The defense is dominant, Jalen Hurts is sharp and the Tide are outscoring the SEC 125-3 in two games.

2. Georgia (5-0): Is the gap between Alabama and the second-best team in the conference closing? The Tide are humming right along, but Georgia is quietly building an impressive resume after going into Tennessee and walloping the Vols, 41-0.

3. Auburn (4-1): If you were looking for a reason to believe in Gus Malzahn's offense and weren't quite sold by what happened at Missouri, then the hurting Kerryon Johnson & Co. put on Mississippi State should have been more than enough reason to buy in. Since coming back from injury, Johnson has eight touchdowns in two games.

4. Texas A&M (4-1): Don't look now, but the Aggies are 2-0 in SEC play. They clawed their way to a 24-17 home win over South Carolina and are in good position, all things considered, heading into a Week 6 clash with Alabama.

5. Florida (3-1): Finally, a convincing win. After barely getting by Tennessee and Kentucky, the Gators took it to Vanderbilt, rushing for an impressive five touchdowns on the ground.

6. Mississippi State (3-2): As it turns out, that lopsided win over LSU was fool's gold. Nick Fitzgerald is a playmaker running the football, but right now State is far too one-dimensional.

7. Kentucky (4-1): Another closer-than-it-should-have been game for the Wildcats (they were actually outgained in yards, 312-288), but Kentucky ultimately prevailed 24-20 over Eastern Michigan. This team is a few key plays against Florida away from being undefeated.

8. Vanderbilt (3-2): The Commodores showed more fight this week in their loss to Florida than they did a week ago against Alabama, but still came up short. Things don't get easier in Week 6, as Georgia awaits.

9. Arkansas (2-2): The Razorbacks took advantage of a get-well game against New Mexico State, rolling to a 42-24 win. Now an important stretch of four consecutive conference games begins with a trip to South Carolina in Week 6.

10. LSU (3-2): Time to panic. Not only did the Tigers lose at home to Sun Belt foe Troy, they got dominated, trailing 24-7 in the fourth quarter before ultimately losing 24-21, breaking a 49-game home nonconference winning streak. They haven't looked good in three weeks and don't really have a signature win to hang their hat on. Tons of questions loom for Ed Orgeron's team heading into a crucial clash with Florida.

11. Tennessee (3-2): The wolves are circling coach Butch Jones as he struggles to come up with answers on either side of the football after the most lopsided loss at home in decades.

12. South Carolina (3-2): The Gamecocks led a double-digit second-half lead slip away on the road in a loss to Texas A&M. They have to find a way to generate more offense and protect quarterback Jake Bentley better.

13. Ole Miss (2-2): The Rebs weren't supposed to roll into Tuscaloosa and topple the Tide, but they weren't supposed to give up 66 points either.

14. Missouri (1-3): Good news for the Tigers -- they had a week off. They needed it after three consecutive losses by large margins. The Tigers have a road trip to Kentucky upcoming and it will be interesting to see if the time off does Missouri any good.