After sitting out Week 0, the SEC football season is finally underway as every team is in action in a jam packed Week 1 slate. Conference play hasn't started to this point, meaning there haven't been many big games yet, but the opening weekend allowed new coaches, quarterbacks, and rosters to get acclimated in their new teams.
The biggest story in the sport this weekend was Lane Kiffin's LSU debut after months of living in the headlines. After Saturday, the SEC is 15-0, and Ole Miss will have a chance to deliver a perfect weekend to start the season as the league tries to snap it's 3 year National Championship drought.
Lane Kiffin's LSU debut shakes up the SEC as the Tigers make a statement
16. Arkansas Razorbacks
It wasn't the prettiest debut for the Arkansas Razorbacks as they only secured a 31-14 win over North Alabama. KJ Jackson had an up-and-down debut with 3 passing touchdowns, but he turned the ball over twice. The good news for Ryan Silverfield is that the defense shut down North Alabama's rushing attack, which will be important in SEC play.
15. Vanderbilt Commodores
Lightning in the area ended the Vanderbilt game early as the Commodores won 28-9 over Austin Peay. Blaze Berlowitz and Jared Curtis both showed room for improvement, but averaging 4.9 yards per carry on the ground sealed the deal. If the Commodores are going to continue the magic we've seen in recent seasons, the quarterback play is going to need to improve greatly to compliment the rushing attack.
14. Auburn Tigers
The biggest reason to believe in Auburn in the first season under Alex Golesh was the fact that he brought his QB, Byrum Brown, with him. In the season opener, Brown was awful, throwing 3 interceptions and taking 5 sacks. The rare positive for Auburn is that they came away with a win thanks to the defense, which came up big with the game winning stop on Baylor's 2-point conversion attempt.
13. Kentucky Wildcats
The Will Stein era kicked off in Lexington in a matchup against Youngstown State, allowing the Wildcats to start strong. Kenny Minchey delivered on the hype, passing for 301 yards and 4 touchdowns, as true freshman WR Kenny Darby made an instant impact, leading the room in yards. The competition is only going to get tougher with back-to-back matchups against top-15 teams, but it'll show everyone where this team is early in the Stein era.
12. Mississippi State Bulldogs
If there's a reason to be excited for Mississippi State this season, it was on full display with a 62-13 win over UL-Monroe. Kamario Taylor showed the potential that makes everyone excited with 354 yards passing, 59 rushing yards, and 5 total touchdowns. Next week's game against Minnesota will be a great test of where this team stands, but it's hard not to be excited about Taylor.
11. Missouri Tigers
Ahmad Hardy wasn't available on Thursday night, but it didn't matter with Missouri facing off against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Austin Simmons was nearly perfect, completing 17 of 19 attempts for 252 yards and 4 touchdowns, while the offense rushed for 205 yards and 3 touchdowns. The defense did allow 14 points in the second half, but it was a great tune up game before facing Kansas next week.
10. South Carolina Gamecocks
Even with some of South Carolina's most important players sidelined, the Gamecocks rolled to victory to start the 2026 season. LaNorris Sellers played a clean and efficient game while getting familiar with a ton of fresh faces around him. The top priority for South Carolina is getting healthy, as there's just one tune-up game against Towson left before they start facing Power 4 competition.
9. Florida Gators
Jon Sumrall started his Florida Gators tenure off with a 66-21 victory over FAU in a dominant showing by the Gators. Jadan Baugh looked like Techmo Bowl Bo Jackson, rushing for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Aaron Philo threw for 3 touchdowns. The defense does have a few things to clean up, but everyone saw the potential of the offense in this game.
Read Also: Predicting the AP Top 25: Oregon survives, Lane Kiffin arrives, and Michigan wins in controversy
8. Tennessee Volunteers
Looking for a bounce-back season, Josh Heupel got to open the season against Furman with a freshman quarterback. Faizon Brandon exceeded even the wildest expectations with 3 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns. Jim Knowles' defense kept Furman out of the end zone until the reserves came in allowing just 9 points for the game.
7. Alabama Crimson Tide
Coming off a trip to the Playoff, Keelon Russell took over at quarterback for the Crimson Tide and flashed the ability that made him the starter. The Crimson Tide showed an improved run game while the veteran-heavy defense played a solid game. The biggest issue is that Alabama was very sloppy, with a ton of pre-snap penalties, fumbled handoffs, and a coverage bust that will need to be cleaned up before SEC play.
6. Texas A&M Aggies
Mike Elko and Texas A&M made easy work out of Missouri State, cruising to a 50-0 win to start the season. The Aggies' defense was stellar, pitching a shutout while working so many new pieces into the unit. The rushing attack was explosive, picking up 5 yards per carry, while Marcel Reed played a clean game, which will always be a great recipe for the Aggies.
5. Oklahoma Sooners
After making the College Football Playoff last season, Oklahoma opened the year in dominant fashion with a blowout win over UTEP. John Mateer was lights out, while Isaiah Sategna III stole the show with both a punt-return touchdown and a receiving score, helping the Sooners put up 51 points. The defense also delivered another impressive performance, although three missed UTEP field goals helped Oklahoma preserve the shutout.
4. Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss won't get to officially kick off the Pete Golding era until Sunday in the lone top 25 clash of the week, when the Rebels face Louisville. The Rebels' ranking will be updated following their game.
3. LSU Tigers
Lane Kiffin sent a statement in his LSU debut with an absolute beatdown of Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers. In the first half alone, LSU rushed for more yards and scored more points than they did in any game last season. Retaining Blake Baker proved to be key as the Tigers' defense shut down Clemson, forcing a QB change before halftime.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
Most SEC teams struggle against Georgia, so everyone knew that Tennessee State was in for a long day on Saturday. The backups were in early as Nate Frazier ran for 3 touchdowns while Gunner Stockton threw for 3 scores. Few teams have the talent to even push Georgia, and Kirby Smart's team looks like they took offense to the lack of attention this preseason.
1. Texas Longhorns
Steve Sarkisian was able to ease into the season as Texas cruised to a 59-7 win over Texas State before their showdown with Ohio State. The new weapons made an instant impact, with Cam Coleman, Raleek Brown, and Hollywood Smothers combining for 5 touchdowns. The real test comes next week, but it was good for Texas to gain experience in Will Muschamp's defense before playing the big game.
Add us as a preferred source on Google