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27-24, Three Times: The SEC Upset Recipe Nobody Wrote Down

Cartoon Cajun cook holds a 27-24 recipe card beside three jars labeled Batch 1, 2 and 3 under a scoreboard stuck on 27-24

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In eight days, three unranked SEC teams beat top-seven SEC teams by the exact same score. They all came from behind by double digits, and every one was sealed by a takeaway in the last two minutes.

By T-Rohn, Gridiron Gumbo · Posted Oct. 21, 2026

CONFIRMED: Oklahoma 27, No. 1 Texas 24 (Oct. 10); Auburn 27, No. 1 Georgia 24 and Florida 27, No. 7 Texas 24 (Oct. 17); the comebacks, the late takeaways and the back-to-back walk-off field goals, per AP/ESPN. REPORTED: details credited to single outlets in text.

Every good Cajun cook has one recipe she never writes down. You just watch her make it until you can do it yourself.

The SEC just made the same dish three times in eight days. I wrote it down.

The recipe is 27-24.

TAKE (joke): Mawmaw wrote hers on the back of a Piggly Wiggly receipt. The SEC wrote this one on a scoreboard. Same rule for both: nobody gets to see it until somebody’s already eating.

Everybody covered the upsets one at a time. Put the three box scores side by side, though, and they look like the same game played three times.

The Recipe Card

Here’s what all three upsets had in common, checked against the AP, ESPN and the schools’ own game notes:

  • Same score. Oklahoma 27, Texas 24. Auburn 27, Georgia 24. Florida 27, Texas 24.
  • Same matchup. An unranked SEC team beat an SEC team ranked in the AP top seven, two of them No. 1.
  • Same hole. Every winner trailed by at least 10 points.
  • Same finish. Every winner’s defense took the ball away in the final two minutes.

And two of the three ended on a field goal as time expired. ESPN Research says that’s the first time in AP poll history, going back to 1936, that the No. 1 team lost on the final play in back-to-back weeks.

Three times is not a coincidence. Three times is a cookbook.

Batch One: Oklahoma 27, No. 1 Texas 24 (Oct. 10)

The Red River Rivalry, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, in front of 92,100.

Texas led 17-7 at halftime, and Oklahoma’s offense had been sputtering. ESPN reported the Sooners had 69 yards of offense in the first half, and 1 of those came on the ground.

That’s not an offense. That’s a man looking for his truck keys.

But Oklahoma scored in all three phases. Dakoda Fields fell on a blocked punt in the end zone. Peyton Bowen returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown. Lloyd Avant ran one in from 2 yards.

Texas tied it at 24 with 6:32 left. Then Courtland Guillory intercepted a pass at the Oklahoma 39 with 19 seconds to go. ESPN reported it was his first pick as a Sooner. John Mateer found Isaiah Sategna III for gains of 13 and 20, and replay let both stand.

With no time left, Tate Sandell drilled a 47-yarder, per the AP. He’d already hit one from 53 earlier in the game.

“I don’t know if I ever could have dreamed something like this,” Sandell told ESPN.

Here’s the part I like. Sandell is from Port Neches, Texas, per Oklahoma Athletics. That’s Golden Triangle country, close enough to Louisiana to smell the boudin. He transferred from UTSA and won the 2025 Lou Groza Award as the nation’s best kicker, Oklahoma’s first ever.

TAKE (joke): Norman has the trophy now. Port Neches has the bragging rights. Louisiana, as usual, has the boudin and will be taking partial credit.

A Texas boy, raised a short drive from Cajun country, beat No. 1 Texas with one swing of his leg. Ça c’est bon.

It was Oklahoma’s first win over a No. 1 team since 2007. ESPN noted that in 122 years of the rivalry, the Sooners had never beaten a No. 1 Texas team. The AP put their record against top-ranked Texas at 0-4-1.

Batch Two: Auburn 27, No. 1 Georgia 24 (Oct. 17)

Georgia moved up to No. 1 after Texas lost. It turned into what the AP called a “short one-week stay.”

The Bulldogs led 14-0 in the first quarter in Athens. ESPN Research says that before this game, unranked teams trailing the AP No. 1 by 14 or more had lost 195 straight. Under Kirby Smart, Georgia was 65-0 against unranked teams when it led by at least 14.

Then Auburn scored 24 straight points.

TAKE (joke): Athens went quiet. Then it went very quiet. Then somebody in the upper deck asked if the hedges were still under warranty.

Georgia came back to tie it at 24 with 2:58 left. With 58 seconds to go, Cody Sigler forced a fumble and Sylvester Smith-Reed recovered at the Auburn 44, per the AP and Auburn Athletics.

Then Alex McPherson hit a 34-yarder as time expired.

Auburn closed as a 19.5-point underdog at DraftKings for the Oct. 17 game (per LineGauge and GordStats). Auburn Athletics said it was the Tigers’ first win between the hedges since 2005.

McPherson gave the credit to everybody but himself. “Hudson Powell and Hudson Kaak did a great job, great snap and hold,” he said, per Auburn Athletics. “Our entire line did a great job and made my job pretty easy.”

Kicking runs in that family. McPherson’s older brother Evan kicks for the Cincinnati Bengals after starring at Florida. Their oldest brother, Logan, punted and held at Louisiana Tech, per Auburn Athletics.

So a Louisiana Tech punter’s little brother knocked off No. 1. I’m counting that one for the state of Louisiana. Nobody can stop me.

McPherson has never missed an extra point. He’s 106-for-106 for his career, per Auburn Athletics’ postgame notes.

Batch Three: Florida 27, No. 7 Texas 24 (Oct. 17)

Same Saturday. Same score. Same poor Longhorns.

TAKE (joke): Austin has live music, breakfast tacos and, as of Oct. 17, a strong opinion about the number 24.

Florida came into Austin off two straight blowout losses under first-year coach Jon Sumrall, per the AP. Quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. was making his first career start, in place of the injured Aaron Philo.

Texas led 17-3 in the second quarter after Ryan Niblett took a punt back 63 yards for a touchdown, per Texas Athletics and the AP. It was his third career punt-return score, which ties a Texas program record, per Texas Athletics. Tip of the cap to the young man.

Then Florida scored 24 unanswered points.

Yes, 24 unanswered. Again. Auburn did the exact same thing in Athens that same day. Somebody’s passing notes.

Jones threw two touchdowns, both to tight end Lacota Dippre, and didn’t turn it over. Patrick Durkin’s 28-yard field goal gave Florida its first lead, and Jadan Baugh’s fourth-quarter touchdown made it 27-17.

Texas scored to make it 27-24 with 4:21 left. Then on Texas’ final possession, Myles Graham sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble, and Kanye Clark recovered with 1:58 left, per Florida Athletics.

Florida Athletics said the Gators came in ranked 131st nationally in pass defense. Against Texas they had five sacks and held the Longhorns to 272 total yards.

The AP said it was Florida’s first road win over a top-10 team since 2012.

The Secret Ingredient: Nobody Flinched

Listen to the two coaches who won on Oct. 17, and you’ll hear the same word.

“The thing I’m most proud of is that nobody flinched,” Auburn’s Alex Golesh said, per Auburn Athletics.

Florida’s Jon Sumrall, per the AP: “When things got tough, we flinched the last couple weeks.” Then: “Our team grew today … because we fought.”

Two coaches, two stadiums, one word. If “flinch” were a spice, it’d be the one you leave out of the pot.

TAKE (joke): Like raisins in a gumbo. Technically legal. Grounds for leaving the family reunion.

Dear Longhorns: We Need to Talk About 27-24

Texas has now lost by the same score in back-to-back weeks. It went from No. 1 to No. 19 in two polls.

Sports Illustrated reported the Longhorns are the ninth team of the 25-team AP poll era (since 1989) to drop consecutive games to unranked opponents while ranked in the top 10.

Somebody in Austin needs to check whether the scoreboard is stuck. Two weeks, same numbers. That’s not a losing streak. That’s a screensaver.

TAKE (joke): Somebody unplug it, count to ten and plug it back in. That fixes the router, the TV and, we hope, the burnt orange.

To be fair to Texas, it lost both games by a field goal to teams playing out of their minds, and one of those losses came on the final snap. That’s not a collapse. That’s a bad week at the casino.

Speaking of the casino: ESPN’s David Purdum reported that a three-team moneyline parlay on Auburn, Florida and Tennessee on Oct. 17 paid about 156-1 at Hard Rock Bet. The book said it took at least two of them, the biggest for $10, which netted $1,565.

Tennessee, by the way, ruined my whole theme by beating Alabama 26-10 that same Saturday, per the AP. Close enough, Vols. You get partial credit.

Lagniappe: The Recipe Doesn’t Travel

Before y’all start painting 27-24 on the side of your truck, here’s a warning.

Oklahoma followed its 27-24 upset by losing 21-13 at home to Kentucky on Oct. 17, per the AP and Oklahoma Athletics. So the recipe works once. After that, you’re just a team that needs a new recipe.

TAKE (joke): Kentucky brought the recipe for Kentucky. Turns out it’s mostly bourbon barrels and patience.

Who’s Next to Get Served

  • Texas hosts No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday, Oct. 24, per the AP.
  • Auburn hosts No. 18 LSU on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m. CT on ABC, per Auburn Athletics.
  • Oklahoma visits my Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network, per Oklahoma Athletics.
  • Florida gets Georgia on Oct. 31, per Florida Athletics.

About my Bulldogs. LSU just beat us 31-0 in Baton Rouge, per the AP, and we fell out of the poll. If Oklahoma wants to beat us 27-24, cher, I’ll take it. At least we’d have 24.

TAKE (joke): Confession Booth: the Cowbell Counter is at “ringing it in the shower.” And LSU fans, quit grinning. Y’all kick off at Auburn at 11 a.m. CT, which in Baton Rouge is still breakfast.

Every good cook knows: you don’t argue with a recipe that works. You just hope it’s not your turn in the pot.

Laissez les bons temps rouler, y’all.

Betting content is for entertainment only. See our picks disclaimer.

Sources

Correction (Oct. 22, 2026): An earlier version cited an opening line without naming a sportsbook.

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