After such a pivotal weekend last week in the SEC, this weekend wasn’t nearly as exciting, even though we had several impactful games. This weekend gave us three ranked matchups between SEC opponents and while they may not have been the most exciting games, they did help shape the race for the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff.
The Vanderbilt Commodores spent the week in the spotlight, and they kept it off with a win over Missouri and a game where they didn’t play their best. Ole Miss rebounded nicely from their loss to Georgia with a win on the road to pick up a big win over Oklahoma. The Texas A&M Aggies sent the biggest statement of the weekend, effectively ending LSU's season while making a case that they are the best team in the Country.
SEC Power Rankings: Texas A&M's statement win makes them the team to beat
The Kentucky Wildcats hung around for as long as they could before Tennessee simply ran away with this game. Cutter Boley continues to be a bright spot in a lost season as he threw for 330 yards and 5 touchdowns with just 1 interception. The defense was abysmal as Tennessee hit chunk play after chunk play, scoring 56 points with just over 23 minutes of possession. Next week brings a game against Auburn, which will likely be the best chance Mark Stoops has at winning a game in league play.
The Auburn Tigers tried everything they could to hand Arkansas their first win of the season, but the offense melted down in the 4th quarter. The Razorbacks turned the ball over on their final 4 drives in the 4th quarter, allowing Auburn to put the game away. Bobby Petrino has had plenty of chances to go out and prove he deserves the full-time job, but losing games like this proves Arkansas should look elsewhere.
For 3 quarters, it looked like Mississippi State would finally snap its SEC losing streak as they jumped out to a 31-14 lead. The 4th quarter was a disaster as Texas outscored the Bulldogs 24-7 to force overtime. The Bulldogs allowed Texas to score quickly in overtime, and the offense melted down with penalties, allowing Texas to win the game. This team is so much better than Jeff Lebby's group last season, but they keep finding ways to lose games late.
It looked like Shane Beamer's team was finally going to pick up a big win as they had Alabama on the ropes late. The Gamecocks then melted down at once, allowing an Alabama touchdown and 2-point conversion before LaNorris Sellers was stripped, setting Alabama up to score the game-winner. This season was always going to be a step back after losing a ton of talent to the NFL, but South Carolina has been a mess this season.
The Auburn Tigers desperately needed an in after a 0-4 start in SEC play, and on Saturday, Hugh Freeze got just what he needed, beating Arkansas. After Jackson Arnold helped put the team in a 21-10 hole, Ashton Daniels and the defense helped lead this team back to pick up a crucial win. Hugh Freeze still has an uphill battle the rest of the way, but it looks like he finally has his quarterback.
The Florida Gators spent the weekend on the bye, which allowed them to make the long-awaited move at Head Coach, firing Billy Napier. This team has shown all season long that they have a ton of talent, but the schedule hasn't allowed them to get rolling. Next weekend, the staff has a chance to make a statement as they face off against Georgia.
A season that started with so much promise has fallen apart for the LSU Tigers as Brian Kelly's team was dominated in Death Valley on Saturday Night. The Tigers as a program seem to be at a crossroads as the staff will likely see changes made this weekend in an effort to salvage anything. Brian Kelly missing the Playoffs in an All-In season for the Tigers is going to lead to some uncomfortable conversations in Baton Rouge.
The Missouri Tigers fell just short of forcing overtime on a Hail Mary that was ruled down on the 1-yard line, sealing an upsetting loss. Not only are the Tigers now on the brink of missing the College Football Playoff with 2 losses, but they may have lost their quarterback, Beau Pribula, to an injury. Given the strength of their resume, Missouri may need to win out, including knocking off Texas A&M and Oklahoma, which may be too tough a task.
For 3 quarters, it looked like Texas' season may be over as Mississippi State took a 31-14 lead into the 4th quarter. Steve Sarkisian finally got his team to come alive late as they went on a 24-7 run in the 4th quarter to force overtime, where they finished off the comeback. Texas continues to show they're a flawed team, and with 3 of their final 4 games coming against ranked opponents, it's going to be impossible for this team to stay alive in the Playoff race.
All of the early hype surrounding the Oklahoma Sooners is gone as Brent Venables' team has fallen short in another big game. The Sooners fell behind early, yet they overcame the deficit to take a lead into the 4th quarter. When it came time to win the game, the Rebels outclassed Oklahoma as the Sooners' offense couldn't get anything going in the 4th. This team has a ton of talent, but they don't have the difference makers to win big games in the SEC.
After their loss to Alabama last week, Tennessee came out and handled business against Kentucky. The offense was lights out, scoring 56 points behind a great showing from Joey Aguilar and 4 rushing touchdowns from the backs. The defense certainly needs to tighten up in the back end, as Kentucky was able to pass for 5 touchdowns, but this team is still waiting for some of its top defenders to return.
The Vanderbilt Commodores had the perfect weekend for the program, hosting College GameDay, a loaded recruiting weekend, and picking up another ranked win this time over Missouri. It wasn't pretty for the Commodores as they survived near disaster on a Hail Mary, but all they need to do is keep winning games. The next 3 games come against a shaky Texas team, Auburn, and Kentucky, and if the team can win 3 of their final 4, they'll shockingly make the College Football Playoff.
After suffering their first loss of the season last week, Lane Kiffin's team had a chance to get right back on track in a big way, facing the 13th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Unlike last week, the Rebels rose to the occasion in the 4th quarter, outscoring the Sooners 9-0 to leave Norman with an important win. There were a ton of distractions for the Rebels this week with Lane Kiffin becoming a top candidate for the Florida job, yet this team blocked out the noise to get a statement win.
After a gauntlet run, the Georgia Bulldogs got to take their win over Ole Miss into a well-deserved bye week. Next week, Georgia has a sneaky challenge as they have to face a Florida Gators team fresh off a coaching change, which makes it hard to game-plan against.
In the 4th quarter, Alabama fans were thinking here we go again as the Crimson Tide were struggling against an unranked opponent which has been the kryptonite for Kalen DeBoer. When the game hung in the balance, the Tide finally rose to the occasion as Ty Simpson led the Crimson Tide on a game-tying drive before Tim Keenan stripped LaNorris Sellers, setting up Germie Bernard to score the game-winning touchdown. Last season, we saw Alabama fall apart in this type of game, so to see them escape with a win is great news for Alabama.
The Texas A&M Aggies went into Death Valley and sent a statement to the College Football world dominating the LSU Tigers. Marcel Reed made one mistake in the redzone, but his 4-touchdown night has to launch him into the Heisman discussion. The defense put pressure on Garrett Nussmeier the entire night, racking up 7 sacks. Mike Elko's team continues to look like a National Championship front runner, which is incredible in his second season in College Station.