Week 8 SEC Football Coach Rankings: Where's Mississippi State's Jeff Lebby?

Who are this year's SEC Coach of the Year contenders? And who's missing the mark? We rank every coach through the first eight weeks.

Oct 12, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby on the field during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Jeff Lebby is making progress in his first season at Mississippi State. However, you can't tell from the standings since the Bulldogs are 1-6 and winless in SEC play.

Still, the Week 3 Toledo debacle aside, MSU has remained competitive against a brutal schedule that's included trips to Arizona State, Texas, and Georgia as well as last week's visit from Texas A&M.

Plus, Lebby is a key reason why true freshman QB Michael Van Buren Jr. has played so well since Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending injury.

Lebby is buiding a culture and laying the groundwork for the future. But how has he done through eight weeks compared to the other 15 SEC head coaches?

Ranking Every SEC Coach Through 8 Weeks

16. Hugh Freeze, Auburn [2-5]

Freeze's only wins in Year 2 are over Alabama A&M and New Mexico.

15. Brent Venables, Oklahoma [4-3]

Venables has lost all momentum in Year 3, needing to fire OC Seth Littrell after the team scored 12 points in back-to-back losses.

14. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State [1-6]

Lebby wasn't supposed to explode out of the gate in Year 1, but he also wasn't supposed to get routed by Toledo in Starkville.

13. Mark Stoops, Kentucky [3-4]

This has a chance to be Stoops' worst season since his 2013 debut in Lexington.

12. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss [5-2]

Kiffin has been unable to maintain the momentum built against a tissue-soft non-conference schedule.

11. Billy Napier, Florida [4-3]

Considering how dire the situation in Week , Napier has done a solid job of stabilizing the Gators.

10. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama [5-2]

Bama has two losses before the end of October for the first time since 2007.

9. Sam Pittman, Arkansas [4-3]

Pittman could be coaching for his future over these next five games.

8. Shane Beamer, South Carolina [4-3]

Gamecocks' only losses are to Ole Miss, LSU, Alabama, the latter two by just five combined points.

7. Steve Sarkisian, Texas [6-1]

Wins over Michigan and Oklahoma don't look so special today, and Saturday's home loss to Georgia exposed weaknesses up front.

6. Kirby Smart, Georgia [6-1]

While this hasn't been Smart's opus, beating top-ranked Texas showed his Dawgs still have plenty of bite.

5. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri [6-1]

Mizzou's mark doesn't reveal close calls with BC and Auburn or a 31-point loss to Texas A&M.

4. Josh Heupel, Tennessee [6-1]

The offense is struggling, but the Vols are finding ways to win, including a rare one over Bama last week.

3. Mike Elko, Texas A&M [6-1]

Aggies have won six straight since falling to ND in the opener, but this week's visit from LSU will be their toughest test yet.

2. Brian Kelly, LSU [6-1]

Kelly is doing one of his best coaching jobs, leading the Tigers into playoff contention the year after losing Heisman QB Jayden Daniels.

1. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt [5-2]

Commodores are ranked for the first time since 2013, shocking the world when they beat No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 5.

SCENES AT VANDY AS NO. 1 GOES DOWN!

VANDERBILT SHOCKS THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL WORLD WITH ITS FIRST WIN OVER BAMA IN 40 YEARS! pic.twitter.com/Rzumabs75E

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 5, 2024

SEC Football: Mississippi State Freshman Leads League in October TD Passes

Week 8 SEC Football Rewind: Mississippi State a Cover Machine