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Texas
Arch threw 3 picks and still won, and the defense matched him pick for pick.
Safety Jelani McDonald had a career-high 3 INTs, the first SEC player with 3 in a game since Arkansas' Hudson Clark in 2020, plus 11 tackles. Manning went 19 of 35 for 174 yards. Texas is 13-0 when he runs for a TD. Manning: "Years from now I'm going to tell everyone about the game-winning drive. Not the three picks." Sarkisian on the final play: "It was by design. They were coming after us." Texas postgame notes, Inside Texas (Manning), Inside Texas (Sarkisian)
Why it matters: Texas is 8-2 with Arkansas and Texas A&M left. Texas has won a game with under 200 passing yards and 3 INTs only three times in 30 years, per 247Sports' David Eckert. The defense is CFP-caliber, but that formula won't hold up against a playoff team. Horns247 on X
LSU
Kiffin's postgame was all "what if."
He pointed to missed field goals and "two red zone interceptions, no points there," and said "Davhon (Keys) had him" on the winning TD. He also said the plan was to "lean on our defense" once Leavitt had thrown 3 picks. Separately, per Glen West: "I know it's disappointing, but we still got a ways to go...I'd be pissed too." SI/LSU (transcript), Glen West on X
Why it matters: LSU (6-4, 3-4) outgained Texas 366-273 and lost anyway, its second straight loss on a late play (Kiffin cited "the last play in Kentucky"). Playing not to lose with a 21-10 lead in the third quarter is the kind of call LSU fans won't forgive. The Volunteer Sideline (AP/ESPN scoreboard)
Texas A&M
Elko apologized, called the offense "Pathetic" and dared fans to blame him, not Marcel Reed.
"It is a completely nonfunctional offense, and that's on me. It is my fault. ... Come after me." Reed threw for 71 yards and was benched on the final drive. Brady Hart threw an INT on his third attempt. A&M had 179 yards and has been held under 10 points in four of seven SEC games. Elko also cited the wind. On3 (Elko transcript), USA Today, Dallas Morning News
Why it matters: A&M (4-6, 1-6) was the No. 10 seed in last year's CFP and now needs to beat Oklahoma and Texas just to reach a bowl. It hasn't finished 4-8 since 2008, per On3. On3 Aggie Yell
Mississippi State
Lebby asked directly about his job after a sixth straight loss.
"I feel pressure of wanting to change the outcome." And: "Not good enough. Not good enough. That's the bottom line." He's 11-24 (3-21 SEC) with a buyout of about $7.65 million if he's fired after the regular season. MSU used three QBs against Auburn after AJ Swann got hurt, and one fan held up an apparent "fire Jeff Lebby" message on camera, per On3. Clarion Ledger, Clarion Ledger (buyout), On3
Why it matters: MSU started 4-0 and ranked. Kamario Taylor's return in 2027 is the strongest argument for keeping Lebby. Tennessee Tech and the Egg Bowl won't change the record, so this is now a money-and-Taylor decision, not a football one.
Kentucky
Will Stein: "I'm pissed."
"We let a team come in here and physically beat us in all three phases." Florida ran for 211 yards on 48 carries to UK's 61 on 27. Kentucky had 156 yards after its opening drive. The holding call in the end zone that gave Florida a safety was disputed by ESPN's rules analyst, per KSR. On3/KSR
Why it matters: UK (7-3, 5-3) went from controlling its CFP path to playing for pride at Missouri and against Louisville. Stein's message, "Not sulking, not blaming, not splintering," is about keeping a 7-3 team from becoming 7-5.
South Carolina
Dylan Stewart's chair kick had a costly prequel.
USA Today reports he threw Arkansas TE Matt Adcock to the turf right after a 3rd-and-2 stop with 10:17 left. The penalty extended the drive into a field goal, and the chair kick came later. It's his second outburst this season after the Alabama game, which led to a one-game suspension. USA Today, On3 video
Why it matters: Stewart is No. 5 in PFN's 2027 mock-draft ADP (5.9), and Georgia comes to Columbia next. Whether the school or the SEC acts "remains to be seen," per USA Today. Beamer has to act before Georgia, or the earlier suspension meant nothing. PFN on X
Arkansas
The 34-6 rout was the Hogs' first SEC home win in more than a year.
It's their first since beating Tennessee on Nov. 5, 2024, which was also their last win over a ranked team, per the AP. Joker Johnson had 2 INTs (one a 63-yard pick-six) and a forced fumble. South Carolina went 1 for 5 in the red zone. The Volunteer Sideline (AP)
Why it matters: Arkansas (4-6) visits Texas next. Ryan Silverfield just made his best case for the job, against a team that came in with a four-game winning streak.
Alabama
The tiebreaker math now comes down to four decimal places.
If Bama, Texas and Tennessee all finish 7-2, Alabama currently wins on conference opponents' winning percentage, by 0.0062%. Alabama loses a two-way tie to either team: to Tennessee on head-to-head and to Texas on common opponents (4-0 vs 3-1). Bama247 (Mike Rodak), Mike Rodak on X
Why it matters: Bama's résumé also lost value on Saturday. Nick Kelly noted that all three of its ranked wins lost. Nick Kelly on X
Oklahoma and Ole Miss
It's finally game day, and OU's president is still angry.
Ole Miss landed in Oklahoma City at 6 p.m. Saturday, per Chase Parham. OU president Joseph Harroz Jr. said of Friday's fight with the league: "We left nothing on the table," per OU Daily. Boz (Brian Bosworth) joined fans at a Saturday tailgate that went on anyway. Chase Parham on X, OU Daily on X, OU Daily (tailgate)
Why it matters: See Game week. OU (5-4) gets bowl eligible with a win, and Ole Miss (6-3) needs it to stay on the CFP fringe.
Deep dive: The SEC's soft middle just collapsed, and that helps Alabama more than anyone
The facts
After Saturday: Georgia 7-1 in the SEC, Alabama 6-2, Texas 5-2, Tennessee 5-2, Kentucky 5-3, Ole Miss 4-3 (plays today). Georgia goes to South Carolina next Saturday with a chance to clinch the outright title, per the AP. Alabama has Chattanooga and then Auburn, Texas has Arkansas and Texas A&M, and Tennessee has LSU and Vanderbilt. The Volunteer Sideline (AP), Bama247. Before Saturday, Kalshi had Georgia at 94% to make Atlanta, Alabama 53%, and Tennessee and Texas at 33% each, all figures from before Saturday's games. SI (Kalshi). Yahoo's Ross Dellenger has Georgia No. 2, Alabama No. 8 and Texas No. 9 in his Top 10. Tennessee isn't in it. Yahoo Sports
Analysis
Kentucky's loss took the most dangerous wild card out of the tiebreaker pool. Before Saturday, a UK finish at 7-2 could scramble the three-way scenarios. Now the race is Alabama, Texas and Tennessee, and the strange result holds: Bama wants both rivals to win out, because it wins the three-way tie and loses either two-way tie. If Texas or Tennessee slips, the other one likely goes to Atlanta, and Alabama becomes the CFP at-large team with the best résumé. The catch is that Bama's résumé just got weaker. Kentucky, South Carolina and LSU all lost, and the committee will see three fading ranked wins on Tuesday. Texas is the opposite case: ugly win, strong résumé. Ian Boyd called Texas "almost a lock" for the CFP, and I agree. The real loser on Saturday was Tennessee. It won comfortably at A&M and gained nothing, because the three-way tiebreaker favors Alabama and LSU is coming to Knoxville with nothing left to lose. Inside Texas (Ian Boyd)
Title race and playoff picture
| Team | SEC record |
|---|
| Georgia | 7-1 |
| Alabama | 6-2 |
| Texas | 5-2 |
| Tennessee | 5-2 |
| Kentucky | 5-3 |
| Ole Miss | 4-3 |
| Florida | 4-4 |
| Auburn | 4-4 |
| South Carolina | 4-4 |
| Oklahoma | 3-3 |
| Missouri | 3-4 |
| LSU | 3-4 |
| Arkansas | 2-5 |
| Mississippi State | 2-6 |
| Texas A&M | 1-6 |
| Vanderbilt | 1-6 |
SEC standings (conference): Georgia 7-1 · Alabama 6-2 · Texas 5-2 · Tennessee 5-2 · Kentucky 5-3 · Ole Miss 4-3 · Florida, Auburn and South Carolina 4-4 · Oklahoma 3-3 · Missouri and LSU 3-4 · Arkansas 2-5 · Mississippi State 2-6 · Texas A&M and Vanderbilt 1-6. Ole Miss and Oklahoma play today. The Volunteer Sideline (AP/ESPN)
What changed: Georgia can clinch the outright title at South Carolina next Saturday, per the AP. Kentucky's CFP path is gone, per KSR, and LSU is "virtually" eliminated, per the AP. Texas moves toward a lock. South Carolina (No. 17) and Missouri (No. 22) should fall out of or down the CFP Top 25. On3/KSR
CFP rankings released Nov. 10, SEC teams: 1 Georgia · 3 Alabama · 6 Texas · 8 Tennessee · 11 Kentucky · 17 South Carolina · 19 Ole Miss · 21 LSU · 22 Missouri. CBS Sports
Markets vs models: Kalshi's SEC title-game market before Saturday: Georgia 94%, Alabama 53%, Tennessee 33%, Texas 33%. SI (Kalshi). CBS's pre-Saturday simulations: Georgia 94%, Alabama 52%, Texas 22%, Tennessee 22%, Kentucky 6%, Ole Miss 2%. CBS Sports. Those Kalshi and CBS figures are from before Saturday's games.
Media Top 10: Yahoo's Dellenger ranks Georgia 2, Alabama 8 and Texas 9, behind Utah, UCLA, Indiana, Notre Dame, Miami and Wake Forest. Yahoo Sports
Read: The SEC has three near-locks (Georgia, Alabama and Texas) and Tennessee as the likely fourth if it beats LSU. Ole Miss needs to win today and get chaos to stay relevant.
Next: The AP poll comes out today, and the third CFP rankings are on Tuesday night (Nov. 17).