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Gridiron Gumbo

Tag: LSU Tigers

  • Sooner or Later: Oklahoma Meets Its Last SEC Stranger

    Sooner or Later: Oklahoma Meets Its Last SEC Stranger

    Oklahoma has met 14 of the SEC’s other 15 teams. Mississippi State is the last, and Saturday’s first-ever meeting comes with a Bulldogs head coach, athletic director, three assistants, an analyst and three players who all have Oklahoma ties.

    By T-Rohn, Gridiron Gumbo · Posted Oct. 24, 2026

    CONFIRMED: Oklahoma (3-3, 1-2 SEC) at Mississippi State (4-2, 2-2), 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday on SEC Network; this being the first-ever meeting and Mississippi State being the only SEC program OU has never played; the availability statuses below, including Kamario Taylor, Fluff Bothwell and Zakari Tillman not appearing on the list, per the SEC’s official game-day availability report (posted 1:00 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24; read on the SEC’s site at 1:05 p.m. CT); Mississippi State dropping out of the AP Top 25 after its 31-0 loss at LSU; the Texas series results and Texas’s Oct. 31 game against Mississippi State; the Oklahoma ties of the coaches, athletic director and players; the DraftKings numbers in the odds snapshot. REPORTED: that quarterback Kamario Taylor and running back Fluff Bothwell will be available (unnamed sources, via ESPN’s Pete Thamel, in a story last updated 10:48 a.m. CT Saturday); On3’s report from Chris Low and Pete Nakos on Friday that Taylor was expected to play; Taylor missing the LSU game and Lebby’s “day-to-day” comment (Field Level Media, via CBS Sports); Lebby’s quotes (On3 and The Commercial Dispatch); Stoops’s quotes (Clarion Ledger, via USA TODAY Network); Bates’s quote and the tempo numbers (247Sports, citing TruMedia); and Tanner Schafer’s walk-on background (USA TODAY Network), each a single-outlet item. Sources are listed at the end.

    Midway through its third SEC season, Oklahoma has one blank page left in the passport.

    TAKE (joke):Getting from Norman to Starkville is easy. Head east until the wheat turns into pine trees, keep going until your phone stops pretending it knows where you are, then ask the first man at a gas station. He’ll say it’s “just up the road,” which in Mississippi is a unit of measurement.

    “Mississippi State is the lone SEC program Oklahoma has never played in football,” OU’s official game notes say.1 Mississippi State’s notes put it the same way: Saturday’s meeting “will be the first on a football field between Mississippi State and Oklahoma.”2 Field Level Media, in a preview carried by CBS Sports, calls it the “first-ever meeting.”3

    Fourteen of 15 checked off. One left.

    TAKE (joke):OU joined the league in 2024 and is just now meeting Mississippi State. That’s like marrying into a Cajun family and not meeting Nonc Boo until the third Thanksgiving. He’s been out back frying turkeys the whole time, cher. You just never walked that far.

    Here’s the kicker. Texas, which joined the SEC the same day as OU (July 1, 2024),1 has already played Mississippi State twice: a 35-13 Longhorns win in Austin on Sept. 28, 2024, and a 45-38 overtime win in Starkville on Oct. 25, 2025.4 The Bulldogs visit Austin again next Saturday, Oct. 31, at 6:30 p.m. CT.5, 6 Next weekend, then, Texas will have faced State three seasons in a row. Oklahoma will have faced them once.

    TAKE (joke):Texas and Mississippi State are practically cousins at this point. OU and Mississippi State are two folks at the same crawfish boil who keep nodding at each other across the table but never actually got introduced.

    The Strangers Aren’t Really Strangers

    The two programs have never shared a field. But walk the Mississippi State sideline Saturday and an OU fan might feel right at home.

    TAKE (joke):Starkville on game day has exactly one traffic plan: everybody goes to the same place, slowly, and nobody gets mad until somebody takes the shortcut everybody else already took.

    The head coach. Jeff Lebby signed with Oklahoma as an offensive lineman in the 2002 class.1, 7 An injury ended his playing career, and he stayed on for four years as a student assistant.1, 2 He is a 2007 OU graduate.2 He returned in 2022 and 2023 as offensive coordinator under Brent Venables, and OU’s notes credit his 2023 offense with the No. 3 spot nationally in total offense (507.0 yards a game) and No. 4 in scoring (41.7 points a game); USA TODAY Network lists the same two ranks.1, 8 Mississippi State named him head coach on Nov. 26, 2023.2

    Lebby said Monday that Stoops “was kind enough” to keep him on scholarship as a student assistant after the injury, and that’s “what got me into (coaching).”9 Asked whether Saturday carries extra personal weight, Lebby said no. He told reporters the game “means a ton” because it’s another chance at an SEC win and a 5-2 record, The Commercial Dispatch of Columbus, Miss., reported.7

    Stoops, the coach who signed him, told the Clarion Ledger he “loved watching him here at OU” and that Lebby’s success is “not surprising to me,” as quoted by USA TODAY Network.8, 10

    The athletic director. Zac Selmon, Mississippi State’s AD, is a Norman native who worked in OU’s athletic department as senior associate AD and later deputy AD.1, 7 His family name has deep roots in Norman: his father is Dewey Selmon, a College Football Hall of Famer, and his uncles are Lucious Selmon, a unanimous All-American in 1973, and Lee Roy Selmon, who is enshrined in both the college and pro halls.1

    TAKE (joke):Hiring a Selmon to run your athletic department, then having the SEC send Oklahoma to your stadium, is like moving to Breaux Bridge, getting a Boudreaux to run your kitchen, then watching the whole Boudreaux family show up for supper. Somebody’s gonna get emotional and somebody’s gonna check the roux.

    The offensive line coach. Phil Loadholt played tackle at OU in 2007 and 2008, when the Sooners went 23-5 and took the Big 12 title both years.1 He earned first-team all-league honors as a senior and came back to Norman as an offensive analyst in 2022 and 2023.

    The tight ends coach. Jon Cooper, Mississippi State’s tight ends coach and run game coordinator, played center for OU from 2005 to 2008.1 He made second-team All-Big 12 in 2008, was part of three league title teams under Stoops and served as an OU offensive analyst in 2022.

    The quarterbacks coach. Kevin Johns arrived at OU in 2024 as an offensive analyst and was elevated to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in October 2024, per OU’s announcement on Oct. 20, 2024.11 He coached quarterbacks at Oklahoma State in 2025, and Mississippi State announced his hire on Dec. 28, 2025.12 MSU’s notes list him as the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks coach.2

    The analyst. Tanner Schafer is a quarterback analyst on Mississippi State’s staff.2 USA TODAY Network describes him as a former walk-on quarterback for the Sooners.8

    The players. OU’s notes count three former Sooners on Mississippi State’s roster, and Mississippi State’s notes mark Dolby and Ragins as Oklahoma transfers.1, 2 Wide receiver Zion Ragins, a redshirt sophomore from Macon, Ga., has started all six games and has 12 catches for 188 yards and four touchdowns.2 Safety Kendel Dolby, a sixth-year player from Springfield, Ohio, has 27 tackles and made his first start of the season at LSU.2 Offensive lineman Isaiah Dent, a redshirt sophomore from Fulton, Miss., was at OU in 2024 and 2025,1 and has appeared in five games with no starts.2

    Count them up: a head coach, an AD, three assistant coaches, an analyst and three players. That’s at least nine people with documented OU ties on one side of a game between two schools that have never met, by our count of the schools’ notes, releases and news reports.

    TAKE (joke):Nine people with Oklahoma roots on one sideline means the pregame hugs need a seating chart, a sign-up sheet and somebody’s aunt to explain how everybody is related.

    TAKE (joke):Somebody check the visitors’ locker room. If Mississippi State’s equipment staff left a “Welcome Home” sign up by accident, that’s not a mind game. That’s just Southern manners.

    Familiarity Cuts Both Ways

    Lebby sees the connection running in both directions. “There’s a ton of familiarity both ways,” he said of facing Venables.9 He also ranked Venables among the best defensive play-callers in college football over the past 12 to 15 years.

    Oklahoma associate head coach Todd Bates saw Lebby’s offense up close for two seasons. He described it Tuesday as “almost warp speed at times.”13, 14 Bates stood in for Venables at the weekly press conference.13

    The tempo numbers fit that description. Citing TruMedia, 247Sports reports that Mississippi State snaps the ball every 23.5 seconds, seventh-fastest in FBS and trailing only Auburn and Ole Miss in the SEC. Oklahoma sits at 28.7 seconds, 102nd nationally.13

    TAKE (joke):Lebby’s offense snaps the ball faster than my Mawmaw snaps a green bean. OU’s offense prefers a more relaxed schedule, like a Sunday drive down Highway 90 behind a cane truck.

    Mississippi State’s notes describe the matchup as the SEC’s fourth-best total offense against the league’s second-best total defense.2 OU’s notes show the Sooners allowing 260.7 yards a game (fifth in FBS) and holding opponents to a 25.6 percent third-down conversion rate (second in FBS).1 Mississippi State averages 454.3 yards a game (22nd in FBS).2

    The Availability Report and the Quarterback Question

    The SEC’s official game-day availability report for this game was posted at 1:00 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, and we read it on the SEC’s site at 1:05 p.m. CT.15 The game-day report replaces Friday’s list (posted 7:10 p.m. CT Oct. 23) and can list only Available, Game Time Decision or Out. The SEC’s policy says Out can cover reasons other than injury.

    • Oklahoma: Out are linebacker Taylor Heim, wide receivers Trell Harris and Elijah Thomas, running back Xavier Robinson, tight end Trynae Washington, defensive backs Eli Bowen and Jacobe Johnson, and offensive linemen Eddy Pierre-Louis and Ryan Fodje. Thomas was doubtful and Bowen was questionable on Friday’s report. Offensive linemen Michael Fasusi and Heath Ozaeta, both questionable on Friday, are not on the game-day list.
    • Mississippi State: Out are safety Isaac Smith, linebacker Jalen Smith, wide receiver Ayden Williams and defensive linemen Trevion Williams and Diesel Moye. No Bulldog is listed as a game-time decision.
    • Not listed: Quarterback Kamario Taylor, who was questionable on Friday’s report, does not appear on the game-day report. Neither do running back Fluff Bothwell (questionable earlier in the week)16 or linebacker Zakari Tillman. Under the SEC’s availability policy, as published by Sports Illustrated, a player who isn’t on the report is regarded as available.17

    Taylor’s status matters because of what he has done when on the field. Mississippi State’s notes say the sophomore from Macon, Miss., leads all SEC quarterbacks at 290.0 passing yards a game and leads the league with 17 touchdown passes, in five games played.2 ESPN says he also leads the SEC in total offense at 321.8 yards a game.18 Field Level Media reported that he missed last week’s 31-0 loss at LSU, and Lebby called his status “day-to-day” on Monday.3

    REPORTED: Sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that Taylor and Bothwell will both be available Saturday, in a story ESPN last updated at 10:48 a.m. CT.18 ESPN says Taylor took significantly more practice snaps this week. It lists Bothwell, who has 403 rushing yards, as the team’s leading rusher. On3’s Chris Low and Pete Nakos reported Friday that Taylor was expected to play.16 The SEC’s game-day report, posted at 1:00 p.m. CT, now matches those reports: neither player is on it, which under SEC policy means available.

    (Gridiron Gumbo note: no jokes here. We wish both teams a healthy afternoon.)

    The Cowbells and the Blackout

    Mississippi State’s game notes trace the cowbell’s rocky legal history. In 1974 the SEC banned artificial noisemakers, which put a cowbell out of bounds at games. The conference reached a compromise in spring 2010, and cowbells returned to Davis Wade Stadium that fall on a one-year trial with restrictions, the first time in 36 years. The notes say they have been allowed at home games since, with similar restrictions.2 Saturday is also a blackout, with the Bulldogs in black helmets, jerseys and pants.19

    TAKE (joke):The SEC spent 36 years deciding a cowbell was too loud, and then one compromise and a list of restrictions made it legal again. That’s the most Southern part of this story: nobody won the argument, they just got tired and wrote a rule.

    This is only Oklahoma’s second football trip to Mississippi; the first was a loss at Ole Miss in 2024.1 The Sooners have been solid on the road for years, though: OU’s notes say they’ve won 38 of their last 52 true road games going back to 2014.1

    TAKE (joke):Welcome to Starkville, Sooners. Bring earplugs and an open mind. The cowbell has a 36-year grudge and a lot of free time.

    TAKE (joke):Helmets, jerseys and pants all in one color, with cowbells in the stands. That’s not a uniform. That’s a weather advisory.

    The Odds Snapshot

    As of 1:06 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, DraftKings listed Oklahoma -1.5 (-112) and Mississippi State +1.5 (-108) on the spread, a game total of 49.5 (over -105, under -115), and moneylines of Oklahoma -122 and Mississippi State +102, per ESPN’s odds feed, matching VegasInsider’s DraftKings column.20 Lines can change before kickoff, and these figures are a snapshot for context, not advice. How Gridiron Gumbo handles betting content: https://gridirongumbo.com/picks-disclaimer/

    21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

    The Bottom Line

    One game doesn’t make a rivalry, and we won’t call this one that. It does start a series, at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, with a head coach who learned the business in Norman, an athletic director from a family with deep Sooner roots, and three former Sooners on the Bulldogs’ roster.

    TAKE (joke):Most rivalries start with a grudge. This one starts with a family reunion, which in the South is where most grudges come from.

    The return trip is already booked. Mississippi State’s notes say the Bulldogs’ first trip to Norman is set for 2028.2

    Oklahoma finally meets the last relative at the table, and both sides already know plenty about each other.

    TAKE (joke):Last stamp in the passport, last cousin at the table and last plate of gumbo in the pot. In Louisiana we call that a good Saturday. In Oklahoma they call it “finally.”

    Sources

    1. Oklahoma Athletics, Game 7 notes, OU at Mississippi State (records, first meeting, “lone SEC program,” Lebby, Selmon, Loadholt, Cooper bios, former OU players on MSU’s roster, second trip to Mississippi, road record, July 1, 2024 SEC entry, defensive rankings): https://soonersports.com/documents/download/2026/10/21/07_OUatMississippi_State.pdf ↩ Back to story
    2. Mississippi State Athletics, game notes vs. Oklahoma (first meeting, 2028 return game, blackout, Lebby bio, staff list incl. Johns and Schafer, roster, Ragins, Dolby and Dent, Taylor stats, offensive rankings, cowbell history): https://static.hailstate.com/custompages/pdf/fb/2026/26FB_1024_OU_Notes.pdf ↩ Back to story
    3. Field Level Media (via CBS Sports), “Oklahoma, Mississippi State face QB questions in first-ever meeting,” Oct. 21, 2026 (Lebby “day-to-day” quote; Taylor missed LSU; first-ever meeting): https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/oklahoma-mississippi-state-face-qb-questions-in-first-ever-meeting/ ↩ Back to story
    4. Mississippi State Athletics, football history vs. Texas (Sept. 28, 2024, and Oct. 25, 2025, meetings): https://hailstate.com/sports/football/opponent-history/texas/145 ↩ Back to story
    5. Texas Athletics, 2026 football schedule (Mississippi State at Texas, Oct. 31, 6:30 p.m. CT): https://texaslonghorns.com/sports/football/schedule/2026 ↩ Back to story
    6. Mississippi State Athletics, 2026 football schedule (at Texas, Oct. 31, 6:30 p.m.): https://hailstate.com/sports/football/schedule/2026 ↩ Back to story
    7. Jake McMahon, The Commercial Dispatch (Columbus, Miss.), “‘A ton of familiarity’: Lebby, MSU football have strong ties to Oklahoma,” Oct. 21, 2026: https://cdispatch.com/sports/a-ton-of-familiarity-lebby-msu-football-have-strong-ties-to-oklahoma/ ↩ Back to story
    8. Austin Curtright, USA TODAY Network, “Oklahoma hasn’t figured out offense since Jeff Lebby left. Now, they face off,” Oct. 24, 2026 (Stoops quotes via the Clarion Ledger; Schafer walk-on detail; OU’s 2023 offensive ranks; readable syndicated copy at Yahoo Sports): https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/oklahoma-hasnt-figured-offense-since-100200727.html (original: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2026/10/24/oklahoma-mississippi-state-jeff-lebby-offensive-coordinator/92363696007/) ↩ Back to story
    9. Colin Damms, On3 / Maroon and White Football, “Points of Focus: Mississippi State HC Jeff Lebby speaks on Oklahoma matchup,” Oct. 19, 2026 (Lebby quotes): https://www.on3.com/teams/mississippi-state-bulldogs/news/points-of-focus-mississippi-state-hc-jeff-lebby/ ↩ Back to story
    10. Clarion Ledger (USA TODAY Network), “How Bob Stoops knew Jeff Lebby could coach, even as an Oklahoma freshman,” Oct. 21, 2026 (Stoops quotes; carried by the Hattiesburg American): https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/sports/college/mississippi-state/2026/10/21/jeff-lebby-mississippi-state-oklahoma-bob-stoops/92281866007/ ↩ Back to story
    11. Oklahoma Athletics, “Venables Announces Offensive Coordinator Change,” Oct. 20, 2024 (Johns elevation): https://soonersports.com/news/2024/10/20/football-venables-announces-offensive-coordinator-change ↩ Back to story
    12. Mississippi State Athletics, “Mississippi State Strengthens Offensive Staff With Addition Of Kevin Johns,” Dec. 28, 2025: https://hailstate.com/news/2025/12/28/football-mississippi-state-strengthens-offensive-staff-with-addition-of-kevin-johns ↩ Back to story
    13. Tom Green, 247Sports, “What Oklahoma expects from Jeff Lebby’s Mississippi State offense…,” Oct. 2026 (Bates quote; TruMedia tempo figures): https://247sports.com/college/mississippi-state/article/what-oklahoma-expects-from-jeff-lebby-miss-state-offense-291567601/ ↩ Back to story
    14. Ryan Chapman, Sports Illustrated (OU), “Oklahoma ‘Ready’ for Showdown With Former Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby,” Oct. 2026 (Bates quote): https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/oklahoma-ready-for-showdown-with-former-offensive-coordinator-jeff-lebby-01m5gspktgfq ↩ Back to story
    15. SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report, football, “Game Day Report” posted 1:00 p.m. CT Oct. 24, 2026, read 1:05 p.m. CT Oct. 24, 2026 (Friday report posted 7:10 p.m. CT Oct. 23, 2026): https://www.secsports.com/fbreports ↩ Back to story
    16. On3 (Chris Low and Pete Nakos), “Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor expected to play against Oklahoma,” Oct. 23, 2026 (REPORTED): https://www.on3.com/news/mississippi-state-qb-kamario-taylor-expected-to-play-against-oklahoma/ ↩ Back to story
    17. Sports Illustrated, “SEC Announces Policies and Procedures for New Availability Report” (SEC policy text: players not on a report are regarded as available): https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/sec-announces-policies-and-procedures-for-new-availability-report-01j6ytq381jt ↩ Back to story
    18. ESPN (Pete Thamel; Max Olson contributed), “Sources: Mississippi State eyes return for QB Taylor, RB Bothwell,” first posted 8:25 a.m. ET (7:25 a.m. CT) Oct. 24, 2026, last updated 11:48 a.m. ET (10:48 a.m. CT) (Taylor and Bothwell, REPORTED; Taylor’s 321.8 total-offense figure; Bothwell’s 403 rushing yards): https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/50265129/sources-mississippi-state-eyes-return-taylor-bothwell ↩ Back to story
    19. Mississippi State Athletics, “State Hosts Sooners On Saturday At Davis Wade Stadium,” Oct. 23, 2026 (kickoff, SEC Network, blackout, first meeting): https://hailstate.com/news/2026/10/23/football-state-hosts-sooners-on-saturday-at-davis-wade-stadium ↩ Back to story
    20. ESPN odds feed (DraftKings), Oklahoma at Mississippi State, checked 1:06 p.m. CT Oct. 24, 2026 (cross-checked against VegasInsider’s DraftKings column): https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401856730 ↩ Back to story
    21. Gridiron Gumbo, picks and betting disclaimer: https://gridirongumbo.com/picks-disclaimer/
    22. Maura Carey, Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports), “SEC Week 8: No. 7 Ole Miss heads to No. 19 Texas…,” Oct. 23, 2026 (Mississippi State dropped out of the rankings after its loss to LSU): https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sec-week-8-no-7-003338959.html
  • Texas A&M at No. 13 Alabama: Two Teams Need a Fix Before November

    Texas A&M at No. 13 Alabama: Two Teams Need a Fix Before November

    Alabama has lost two straight. A&M has three SEC losses. Here’s what you need for Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff on ABC.

    By T-Rohn, Gridiron Gumbo · Posted Oct. 23, 2026

    CONFIRMED: kickoff, TV, records, AP ranking, stats (ESPN, pulled Oct. 22, 2026), and the official SEC game-day availability report (posted 1:00 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24). REPORTED: betting line (DraftKings, as of 1:11 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, per ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed, matched against VegasInsider’s DraftKings column).

    Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 8:09 a.m. CT: injury lists now follow the SEC’s Friday report, and the line is DraftKings as of 8:09 a.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.

    Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 11:11 a.m. CT: DraftKings line re-checked. DraftKings’ spread (Alabama -13.5) and total (49.5) are unchanged; Alabama’s side is priced -112 at DraftKings (the -108 shown at 8:09 a.m. CT DraftKings was the price on Texas A&M’s side).

    Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 1:11 p.m. CT: availability now follows the SEC’s game-day report (posted 1:00 p.m. CT). Alabama’s Zabien Brown, EJ Crowell and Racin Delgatty are out, DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. was added as out, and Texas A&M’s Anto Saka is a game-time decision. DraftKings line re-checked at 1:11 p.m. CT and unchanged.

    The short version: Alabama (5-2, 3-2 SEC) has lost two straight. Texas A&M (4-3, 1-3 SEC) has dropped three SEC games. Somebody leaves Tuscaloosa on Saturday feeling a whole lot better.

    For the Crimson Tide, a two-game skid is a crisis. In Aggieland, three SEC losses is a crisis. Both towns agree the real emergency is the drive-thru line at Saturday lunch.

    When and where to watch

    • Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET)
    • TV: ABC
    • Site: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. It’s Alabama’s homecoming game.

    A 2:30 kickoff gives fans time to tailgate, find parking, and lose that parking spot to a motor home older than the press box.

    Sources: Alabama’s official schedule, Texas A&M’s official schedule, and KBTX, which reports the SEC announced the time on Oct. 12. Homecoming per Alabama On SI.

    Records and rankings

    Texas A&MAlabama
    Overall4-35-2
    SEC1-33-2
    AP Top 25 (Oct. 18)UnrankedNo. 13
    Last gameW 41-0 vs. The CitadelL 26-10 at Tennessee

    Sources: 12thman.com, RollTide.com, NCAA.com AP poll.

    Alabama stayed at No. 6 in the AP poll after its 20-17 home loss to Georgia on Oct. 10. The 26-10 loss at Tennessee on Oct. 17 is what dropped it to No. 13 (AP poll of Oct. 11 via ESPN, NCAA.com Oct. 11, NCAA.com Oct. 18). Per Texas A&M’s official schedule, the Aggies beat Missouri State, Arizona State, Arkansas and The Citadel. They lost to Kentucky (31-21), at LSU (35-6) and at Missouri (27-6).

    The Aggie road offense has run like I-10 through Houston at 5 p.m.: big engine, lots of noise, almost no distance.

    By the numbers

    Stat (per game unless noted)Texas A&MAlabama
    Total offense (yards)356.9416.6
    Total defense (yards allowed)305.9337.9
    Points scored29.439.3
    Points allowed17.121.4
    Turnover margin (season)+5-1

    Source: ESPN team statistics for Alabama and Texas A&M, 2026 regular season through seven games. Pulled Oct. 22, 2026. We checked the scoring numbers against both schools’ game results.

    The quick read: Alabama has the better offense on paper. Texas A&M has the stingier defense and a big edge in turnovers. The Aggies’ defense gives up yards the way a grandma hands out candy: only after you’ve earned it, and only one butterscotch.

    Who’s out (official)

    CONFIRMED: These come from the SEC’s official game-day availability report, posted at 1:00 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24. The game-day report lists only Available, Game Time Decision or Out, and a player not on it is regarded as available. Out can also cover non-injury reasons. Compared with Friday’s report (posted 7:10 p.m. CT Oct. 23), Alabama DB Zabien Brown, RB EJ Crowell and OL Racin Delgatty went from doubtful to out, and DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. is newly listed out. Texas A&M DE Anto Saka went from questionable to game-time decision. A&M’s WR Mario Craver, DT DJ Hicks, LB Daymion Sanford and OL Trovon Baugh, probable Friday, are not on the game-day report, which means they are available, as is Alabama DL Fatutoa Henry.

    • Alabama, out: WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, DB Zabien Brown, LB Desmond Umeozulu, RB EJ Crowell, DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., LB Cayden Jones, DB Nick Sherman, OL Racin Delgatty, DL Jeremiah Beaman, DL Terrance Green.
    • Texas A&M, out: WR Terry Bussey, WR Kelshaun Johnson, OL Blake Ivy.
    • Texas A&M, game-time decision: DE Anto Saka.
    • Available (not on the game-day report): Texas A&M WR Mario Craver, DT DJ Hicks, LB Daymion Sanford, OL Trovon Baugh; Alabama DL Fatutoa Henry.

    3 keys to the game

    1. Protect the football, Alabama. The Tide are -1 in turnovers this season. Tennessee had four takeaways to Alabama’s two last week, per RollTide.com. Texas A&M is +5 on the year. Our take: win the turnover battle and you’re likely holding the better hand late.
    2. Can the Aggies score on the road? A&M scored 6 points at LSU and 6 at Missouri. The Aggies need points away from Kyle Field against an Alabama team averaging 39.3 per game.
    3. Who fills in on the depth chart? Both teams have receivers ruled out, and Alabama is thin in the front seven. The SEC’s game-day report (1:00 p.m. CT) lists Alabama’s Brown, Crowell and Delgatty as out, along with DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., so Alabama’s depth gets tested.

    What’s at stake in the SEC race

    Alabama already has two conference losses. Per Alabama’s official schedule, it has no game Oct. 31, then plays at LSU on Nov. 7 and at Vanderbilt on Nov. 14. A third SEC loss would make the conference race much harder, and so would falling further in the poll before those trips.

    Texas A&M is 1-3 in league play. A road win over a ranked Alabama would be its best result of the season and could get its year back on track. A loss would mean four SEC defeats before November. Like Alabama, the Aggies are off Oct. 31, per Texas A&M’s official schedule.

    In Tuscaloosa, No. 13 feels like a rebuilding year. In College Station, beating No. 13 feels like a parade route.

    The loser of this one gets an off-week of watching film. That’s like a cooking show where you have to eat your own burnt casserole.

    The line

    REPORTED: As of 1:11 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, DraftKings listed Alabama -13.5 (-112), total 49.5 (Over -115 / Under -105), moneylines Alabama -575 / Texas A&M +425 (ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed; the VegasInsider odds board showed the same DraftKings numbers when both were checked at 1:11 p.m. CT). Lines move, so check your book. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

    Bottom line: Bama needs to stop the slide, and A&M needs to prove it can travel. One of them gets a much happier bus ride home.

    A 13.5-point SEC spread is a suggestion, like a speed limit on I-20, a “short” yell practice, or “just a pinch” of cayenne.

    Picks and lines are for entertainment. Read our picks disclaimer.

  • Plugged In on the Plains: Auburn Hands Its 380-Piece Band a Microphone Just in Time for LSU

    Plugged In on the Plains: Auburn Hands Its 380-Piece Band a Microphone Just in Time for LSU

    Auburn’s marching band gets its own field-level speakers Saturday against No. 18 LSU. The volume goes up. The SEC rulebook still decides when the music stops.

    CONFIRMED: records and schedule per the official Auburn and LSU athletics schedules; the band announcement per Rhett Hobart’s public X posts; rule wording per the SEC bylaws as reported by AL.com and USA Today; Tennessee’s fine per the SEC and AP. REPORTED: kickoff time per AL.com; details credited to single outlets (AL.com, Sports Illustrated, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tennessee Athletics) in text.

    Down here we’ve got a saying: If the music’s too loud, you’re too old.

    Auburn heard that and decided LSU is about to feel ancient.

    TAKE (joke): Auburn’s plan for LSU has three parts: a bigger sound system, a 380-piece band and a long nap for everybody in purple.

    Everybody’s writing about Auburn turning up the volume. We read the fine print on how loud it’s allowed to get, and when it has to hush.

    The Announcement

    On Tuesday night, Auburn deputy athletic director and chief revenue officer Rhett Hobart posted on X: “The band is being mic’d, beginning this weekend.”

    In a follow-up post Wednesday, Hobart clarified that the band will play through “new dedicated field level band speakers.” The main “house” system, he wrote, runs on roughly a 1-2 second delay, so it’s “not ideal” for a live band.

    AL.com also quoted Hobart saying his team “did a deep dive into music the last few weeks and has a great plan going in – created in direct partnership with our band.”

    There’s a throwback, too. Auburn plans to bring back an old crowd anthem, Maino’s “All the Above,” per Sports Illustrated’s Auburn site. SI reported Saturday will be the first time the band has been put in front of a microphone.

    Smart call, cher. Run a live band through a system with a 1-2 second delay and it turns into its own echo.

    My Uncle Boudreaux has been his own echo at family reunions for 40 years, and nobody ever gave him a speaker either.

    Who’s Getting the Mic

    This isn’t a garage band getting its first amp. Per Auburn University Bands, the marching band has 380 members, the largest in school history. Almost 85% of them aren’t music majors.

    The band won the 2004 Sudler Trophy, which its own site calls the nation’s highest award for college marching bands. It played two BCS title games, in 2011 and 2014. And, per the band’s site, it won the national Metallica Marching Band Competition.

    TAKE (joke): Almost 85% of them aren’t music majors, which means somewhere on that field an engineering student is carrying a sousaphone, a full course load and the loudest one-hour elective in Alabama.

    Read that again. Auburn’s band beat the country at Metallica, and until this week nobody had plugged it in. That’s like owning a Ferrari and keeping it in first gear because you’re scared of the neighbors.

    TAKE (joke): Now they get fifth gear, and the neighbors are LSU.

    What the Rulebook Says

    Here’s the part nobody else is serving: A microphone makes the band louder. It doesn’t buy one extra second of playing time.

    The SEC’s artificial-noise rule says bands, music and noisemakers must stop when the offensive center puts a hand on the football.

    The league adopted that trigger in 2018 because the old wording, noise had to stop when the center “take[s] his place over” the ball, was hard to enforce, AL.com reported at the time. The Advocate also reported the change, and USA Today reported the bylaws still use “puts a hand on the football.”

    TAKE (joke): The SEC spent years debating where a center “takes his place.” Cher, I’ve seen shorter arguments over whose mawmaw makes the darker roux.

    So the band can rattle Jordan-Hare’s fillings between plays. The second LSU’s center touches the ball, the trumpets go quiet and it’s all on the fans.

    That’s the sneaky-smart part: Get the crowd to a boil with the band, then let the crowd keep it boiling when the music stops.

    TAKE (joke): Think crawfish boil. The band brings the seasoning, the propane and the pot. The crowd just has to remember not to turn the burner off.

    The league takes the rule seriously. The SEC’s 2016 football regulations listed fines of $5,000 for a first offense, up to $25,000 for a second and up to $50,000 for a third or later one. That was a decade ago, and we couldn’t confirm today’s amounts.

    Either way, next to the $500,000 bill Tennessee just got for its fans storming the field after beating Alabama (per AP and the SEC), a band fine is sofa-cushion money.

    Just ask my Mississippi State Bulldogs. The SEC banned cowbells from 1974 to 2010, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, before Commissioner Mike Slive let Starkville ring them again, as long as they hush before the snap.

    Thirty-six years of contraband cowbells. We were smuggling noise before smuggling noise was cool.

    The Speakers Already Had Muscle

    Jordan-Hare was no library before this. Auburn’s 2015 sound-system rebuild cost around $1 million and put 28 JBL loudspeakers in four vertical arrays behind the “AU” atop the videoboard, plus eight 18-inch subwoofers, AL.com reported. Fast and Wide reported the same 28-speaker, eight-subwoofer setup.

    The Daktronics engineer who designed it wouldn’t give AL.com a decibel number. “As far as output … it’s loud,” he said.

    TAKE (joke): An engineer who won’t give you a decibel number is like a Cajun who won’t tell you how much cayenne went in. You don’t ask. You just reach for the sweet tea.

    That same 2015 AL.com story listed “All the Above” among the songs getting heavy play at Jordan-Hare that season. Some songs, like some gumbo, taste better the second time around.

    TAKE (joke): A 2015 sound system, a 2015 anthem and a 2026 band plugged into both. Auburn isn’t rebuilding. It’s reheating.

    Auburn isn’t alone. Tennessee installed a new Neyland Stadium system this season with 15 subwoofers, where there had been none, and more than half a million watts of power, per Tennessee Athletics.

    The SEC arms race isn’t just in the weight room anymore. It’s in the speaker cabinets.

    Why Now

    The timing is no accident. Auburn (4-2, 2-2 SEC) is coming off a 27-24 win at No. 1 Georgia. Saturday is its first home game since beating Vanderbilt 21-15 in late September, per SI and Auburn’s official schedule.

    LSU (5-2, 2-2) hasn’t won a road game this season. Both losses came away from home, at Kentucky in overtime and at Ole Miss, and both were one-score games, according to SI and LSU’s official schedule.

    Lane Kiffin saw this coming. At SEC Media Days in July, the LSU coach called Jordan-Hare “a really hard place to play” and “a magical stadium that magical things happen in,” per the ASAP Sports transcript.

    He’s not wrong. LSU is 2-3 in its last five trips to the Plains, and six of the last eight meetings were decided by five points or fewer, AL.com reported.

    By AL.com’s count, LSU leads the overall series 33-24-1 and Auburn leads 13-9 at home. Other record books, like College Football Digest, count it differently because the NCAA vacated three LSU wins.

    TAKE (joke): Death Valley is famous for being loud at night. Getting outshouted on the Plains at 11 a.m. would be like a Baton Rouge crawfish boil getting outseasoned by a dentist’s office breakroom.

    Mais, when a man calls your house magical in July, the polite thing to do is turn the music up for him in October.

    The Fine Print, in Gumbo Terms

    Here’s how I’d explain it at the boucherie: Auburn got a bigger pot, not a longer cooking time. The band can make the place louder between snaps, but it stops when the center’s hand hits the ball, same as every SEC band.

    If LSU’s quarterback can’t hear himself think on third down, it won’t be the tubas. It’ll be the crowd they just whipped into a frenzy.

    TAKE (joke): The tubas light the roux, the fans stir it, and the center’s hand on the ball is the only lid in the kitchen.

    Up Next

    No. 18 LSU at Auburn, Saturday, Oct. 24, at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is 11 a.m. Central, AL.com reported when the SEC set the Oct. 24 times. SI reported a win would likely put Auburn in the AP Top 25 before its Halloween trip to Ole Miss.

    TAKE (joke): An 11 a.m. kickoff? Cher, at 11 a.m. a Cajun is still choosing between boudin, cracklins and the boudin he forgot he already ate.

    Laissez les bons temps rouler, y’all. And LSU, bring earplugs. Just take them out when your center touches the ball. That’s when it’s all crowd.

    Sources

    • AL.com, “Lane Kiffin called Jordan-Hare Stadium magical, and Auburn just made it more intimidating,” Oct. 21, 2026: https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2026/10/lane-kiffin-called-jordan-hare-stadium-magical-and-auburn-just-made-it-more-intimidating.html
    • Sports Illustrated Auburn (Griffin Barfield), “Auburn Football Adding This Home Advantage Ahead of No. 18 LSU,” Oct. 21, 2026: https://www.si.com/college/auburn/football/auburn-football-adding-this-home-advantage-ahead-of-no-18-lsu-marching-band
    • Rhett Hobart (@RhettHobart) on X, Oct. 20, 2026 (9:03 p.m. Central): https://x.com/RhettHobart/status/2112726450617147745 and follow-up, Oct. 21, 2026: https://x.com/RhettHobart/status/2112892258831814851
    • Auburn University Bands, Auburn University Marching Band home and general information pages: https://band.auburn.edu/aumb/index.php and https://band.auburn.edu/aumb/general-info.php
    • AL.com, “More cowbell? SEC amends rule pertaining to artificial noise,” June 2018: https://www.al.com/sports/2018/06/more_cowbell_sec_amends_rule_p.html
    • SEC Commissioner’s Regulations, Football, 2016 (noise-violation fines): http://assets.espn.go.com/SEC/media/2016/Football.pdf
    • Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Kirby Smart not caught up on Mississippi State cowbells: ‘Noise is noise,’” Nov. 2025: https://www.ajc.com/sports/2025/11/kirby-smart-not-caught-up-on-mississippi-state-cowbells-noise-is-noise/
    • AL.com (Matt Wake), “The music of the Iron Bowl: What to expect in Jordan-Hare,” Nov. 25, 2015: https://www.al.com/entertainment/2015/11/the_music_of_the_iron_bowl_wha.html
    • Tennessee Athletics, “New Sound System Highlights Neyland Stadium Preserved by Pilot Fan Experience Enhancements,” Aug. 28, 2026: https://utsports.com/news/2026/8/28/football-new-sound-system-highlights-neyland-stadium-preserved-by-pilot-fan-experience-enhancements
    • Associated Press, “SEC fines Tennessee $500,000 for allowing fans to storm the field after beating Alabama,” Oct. 2026: https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-fined-500000-storm-field-72b768f566bda5e45e3c6bd69f6d0d8b
    • SEC, “Tennessee fined for violation of access to competition area policy,” Oct. 18, 2026: https://www.secsports.com/news/2026/10/tennessee-fined-for-violation-of-access-to-competition-area-policy-101826
    • Auburn Athletics, 2026 football schedule: https://auburntigers.com/sports/football/schedule
    • LSU Athletics, 2026 football schedule: https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/schedule
    • AL.com, “Kickoff times set for Texas A&M-Alabama, LSU-Auburn, other Oct. 24 SEC games,” Oct. 2026: https://www.al.com/sports/2026/10/kickoff-times-set-for-texas-am-alabama-lsu-auburn-other-oct-24-sec-games.html
    • USA Today, “Why do Mississippi State fans ring cowbells? Explaining SEC tradition,” Sept. 27, 2025 (current SEC rule wording): https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2025/09/27/mississippi-state-bulldogs-football-cowbells-tradition/86319308007/
    • Gridiron Gumbo, “Half a Million Dollars of Joy: Tennessee’s Field-Storm Bill Lands in Tuscaloosa’s Mailbox,” Oct. 20, 2026: https://gridirongumbo.com/tennessee-500k-field-storm-fine-alabama/
    • ASAP Sports, SEC Football Media Days transcript, Lane Kiffin, July 23, 2026: https://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=220739
    • College Football Digest, Auburn vs. LSU series history: https://collegefootballdigest.com/rivalries/auburn-vs-lsu
    • The Advocate, SEC spring meetings notebook, June 2018: https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/lsu/article_9c06f9d6-65f6-11e8-a6f4-031473a8f97f.html
    • Fast and Wide, “Dante in control at Jordan-Hare Stadium”: https://www.fast-and-wide.com/faw-news/fast-news/8636-jordan-hare-stadium
  • The Reunion Nobody Scheduled a Family Dinner For: Oklahoma Comes to Starkville for the First Time Ever

    The Reunion Nobody Scheduled a Family Dinner For: Oklahoma Comes to Starkville for the First Time Ever

    Week 8 preview — Oklahoma at Mississippi State, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2:30 p.m. CT, Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville (SEC Network). Picks lock at kickoff. | By T-Rohn

    Saturday Injury Update (Oct. 24)

    Updated Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, 1:11 p.m. CT. CONFIRMED by the SEC’s official game-day availability report, posted 1:00 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24. The game-day report lists only Available, Game Time Decision or Out, and the SEC says a player not on the report is regarded as available. Out can also cover non-injury reasons.

    • Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor is not on the game-day report, which means he is available. He was questionable on Friday’s report (posted 7:10 p.m. CT Oct. 23).
    • RB Fluff Bothwell and LB Zakari Tillman are also not on the report, which means they are available.
    • Mississippi State, out: S Isaac Smith, LB Jalen Smith, WR Ayden Williams, DL Trevion Williams and DL Diesel Moye. No Bulldog is listed as a game-time decision.
    • Oklahoma, out: LB Taylor Heim, WR Trell Harris, WR Elijah Thomas, RB Xavier Robinson, TE Trynae Washington, DB Eli Bowen, DB Jacobe Johnson, OL Eddy Pierre-Louis and OL Ryan Fodje. Thomas (doubtful) and Bowen (questionable) moved to out from Friday’s report. OL Michael Fasusi and OL Heath Ozaeta, questionable Friday, are not on the game-day report, which means they are available.

    REPORTED: ESPN (Pete Thamel, citing sources, story updated 10:48 a.m. CT Saturday) reported that Taylor and Bothwell will both be available, and On3 reported Friday that Taylor was expected to play. The official game-day report now matches.

    REPORTED line: as of 1:11 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, DraftKings listed Oklahoma -1.5 (-112), total 49.5 (Over -105 / Under -115), moneylines Oklahoma -122 / Mississippi State +102 (ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed and the VegasInsider DraftKings column, both checked at 1:11 p.m. CT; DraftKings had Oklahoma -1.5 and a 48.5 total at 11:11 a.m. CT and Oklahoma -2.5 (-105) and a 47.5 total at 8:11 a.m. CT). Our pick is unchanged below. Lines move, so check your book. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Picks disclaimer.

    First, Last Week’s Receipts

    We grade our own picks around here like we grade a rookie cook’s first roux — honest, in public, and with love. Last week we picked LSU 33, Mississippi State 17, and the Under 56.5 (DraftKings, Friday night, Oct. 16, per the Week 7 preview). The actual final was LSU 31, Mississippi State 0.

    So the winner pick was right and the under was right — 31 total points sneaks under the number like a teenager sneaking past Mama’s porch light — but Lord have mercy, that score prediction was deader than a crawfish at a boil. State did not score. Not a touchdown, not a field goal, not a sympathy point for showing up pretty. Zero. We went 1–0 straight up and 1–0 on the total in this one, and the record book will tell you exactly how ugly that win looked. That’s how this page works.

    Correction (Oct. 22, 2026, 8:39 p.m. CT): an earlier version of this post said last week’s pick was LSU 34, Mississippi State 24, under 58.5. Under 58.5 was the Monday (Oct. 12) number in the Week 7 preview, and 34-24 was T-Rohn’s own Monday call in the game-day post. The last pick the Gumbo published before kickoff, and the one graded on the pick tracker, was LSU 33-17 and the Under 56.5. The total went under both numbers (31 points), so the result is unchanged.

    Correction (Oct. 22, 2026, 8:42 p.m. CT): an earlier version of this post said our season record starts 1–0 straight up and 1–0 on over/unders. That was this game’s result only, not the season record; see the pick tracker for the full record.

    Wednesday Night Update (Oct. 21)

    The first SEC availability report of the week lists Kamario Taylor as questionable (On3) — the exact same word he carried into LSU week. Back then, as the Clarion Ledger reported, he was questionable on the first two reports, slid to doubtful the night before the game, and was ruled out about 90 minutes before kickoff. Running back Fluff Bothwell, who missed the LSU game, is also listed as questionable. (He came off the report Friday and is available; see the Saturday update at the top.)

    Lebby is deferring to the report, and the report is deferring to the end of the week. “The injury report will continue to speak to that,” he told the Clarion Ledger on Monday. Translation: nobody outside that training room knows. We’ve since checked Thursday’s 7:10 PM CT availability report, and Taylor is still listed questionable, but the mood in Starkville has changed. On3 reported Thursday evening there’s “more optimism than a week ago” and that he’s doing more in practice, and Brent Venables joked on his Monday show that Taylor’s going to play. Our pick held at that point. Friday’s 7:10 PM CT report kept Taylor at questionable, and Saturday’s final report (about 1:00 PM CT) is the last word; picks can be updated until kickoff.

    Meanwhile, down the road: the team that shut State out may be getting healthier. LSU tight end Trey’Dez Green and edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen were not listed on Wednesday’s report, per LouisianaSports.net. Not our game, but misery does love a scoreboard.

    The pick: Oklahoma 25-22 (moved from 23-20 on Sat., Oct. 24). Pass on the spread and the total: DraftKings OU -2.5 / 47.5, seen at the 4:02 AM CT Sat run (pick first made Oct. 21 at OU -4.5 (DraftKings and Bovada), total 44.5 (DraftKings)). Update Oct 21: we first posted Oklahoma 24-17, under 46.5 (DraftKings’ opening total). Revisit after Thursday’s availability report on Kamario Taylor.

    Update (Sat, Oct. 24, 5:57 a.m. CT): Moved the score to Oklahoma 25-22 to match the 47.5 market total (DraftKings OU -2.5 / 47.5, seen at the 4:02 AM CT Sat run); still a pass on the side and total. Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor is still questionable; the final SEC report is due around 1 PM CT. The notes dated Oct. 22 and Oct. 23 on this page reflect the earlier 23-20 score.

    Update (Thu, Oct. 22, evening): Lines refreshed with the sportsbook named for each. Thursday’s SEC availability report still lists Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor as questionable, so the pick stood at 23-20 (superseded: now Oklahoma 25-22, see the Oct. 24 update), pass on the spread and total. Pick made Oct. 21 at OU -4.5 (DraftKings and Bovada), total 44.5 (DraftKings); DraftKings now OU -3 / 46.5 as of 8:03 PM CT Oct. 22. Picks can be updated until kickoff.

    The Setup

    Now comes a game that has literally never happened.

    Mississippi State (4–2, 2–2 SEC) hosts Oklahoma (3–3, 1–2 SEC) on Saturday afternoon in Starkville, and these two schools have never played each other in football. Not once. Not in a bowl, not in 1927, not back when the forward pass was considered witchcraft. The Sooners have never set foot in Davis Wade Stadium, which means Saturday is their first-ever hearing test — and cher, the cowbells do not care that Oklahoma has tradition. The cowbells have never met a tradition they wouldn’t clang directly in the ear of.

    And then there’s the family business. State head coach Jeff Lebby played at Oklahoma, started his coaching career there, and ran the Sooners’ offense as coordinator in 2022 and 2023 before Starkville hired him. Saturday is the first time he faces Brent Venables and his old employer as a head coach. This ain’t a revenge game so much as a family reunion where both sides brought a defense and nobody brought potato salad.

    Both teams walk in limping off a loss. Both teams are playing for bowl position and October relevance now, not playoff fairy tales. Loser of this one is in a world of hurt. Winner gets to breathe.

    Oklahoma’s Case — Give the Devil His Due

    Call it straight: the oddsmakers have Oklahoma favored on the road (opened around OU -1.5 to -2.5; DraftKings went to OU -5.5 Thursday afternoon and sat at OU -3 as of 8:03 PM CT Oct. 22 (DraftKings Saturday: OU -1.5 / 48.5 as of 11:11 a.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026; it was OU -2.5 / 47.5 as of 8:11 a.m. CT), via VegasInsider), with a low total that opened at 46.5, dipped to 44.5 Thursday afternoon and is back to 46.5 at DraftKings — and the desert ain’t in the business of charity.

    The Sooners own the single best win between these two teams: they beat then-No. 1 Texas 27–24 in Dallas on Oct. 10. When quarterback John Mateer is right, this offense can play with anybody in America.

    Problem is, Mateer was not right last Saturday. Kentucky beat Oklahoma 21–13 in Norman, and Mateer threw three second-half interceptions, two of them in the last two minutes. Oklahoma turned it over four times, Kentucky zero, and that was the whole ballgame boiled down to one sentence. The Sooners actually outgained Kentucky 346 yards to 230 and still lost, which is like cooking a whole pot of gumbo, tasting it, declaring it perfect — and then dropping the pot on the kitchen floor.

    Their offensive line has been shuffled all season and is thin again this week, and it tends to show up late in games like a relative who arrives after the dishes are done. But Venables’ defense is real: it held Kentucky to 230 total yards. If Oklahoma just stops handing the other team the football like it’s passing out church bulletins, they’re dangerous.

    State’s Case — And the Elephant in the Infirmary

    Now the home side of the pot, and we are not going to sugarcoat it, because sugarcoated is for beignets, not football previews.

    State’s shutout loss at LSU had a cause, and the cause was standing on the sideline in a boot. Star quarterback Kamario Taylor, who On3 reports has been dealing with turf toe from the Missouri game (State has not said what the injury is, per the Clarion Ledger), missed the LSU game and watched it with a boot on his right foot (Clarion Ledger). Running back Fluff Bothwell missed it too, but he is now off the report and available (Sports Illustrated). Lebby on Monday: “He didn’t wake up yesterday morning and was healed. It’s going to be day-to-day. He’s got a lot of work to do.” By Thursday night the tune had softened. He’s still questionable on the official report (Friday, 7:10 PM CT), but On3 reports “more optimism than a week ago” and more work in practice. So this week’s question isn’t whether he’s in a boot. It’s whether he’s in uniform, and how many steps he’s lost if he is.

    Without him, sophomore Billy Puckett, a former walk-on making his first career start, moved State between the 20s and then watched drive after drive die. Puckett finished 16-of-26 for 121 yards with an interception, and State got shut out for the first time since a 41-0 loss at Alabama in 2020. The effort was honest. The finishing was not there.

    Two things State does have going for it:

    • The ground game showed up even in a shutout. State out-rushed LSU, and Bothwell, its leading rusher, came off the injury report Friday and is available (Sports Illustrated).
    • Home. Davis Wade, afternoon kick, a stadium full of cowbells, and an Oklahoma team that has never heard that sound in person. Plenty of better teams have walked into Starkville ranked, rested, and reasoning — and walked out holding their ears and their L.

    State’s defense still has losses. Safety Isaac Smith, who left the LSU game with an injury, is out, along with linebacker Jalen Smith and linemen Trevion Williams and Diesel Moye, per the official SEC report (Friday, 7:10 PM CT) and On3. Linebacker Zakari Tillman, who missed the LSU game, is off the report and available. Oklahoma has its own list: running back Xavier Robinson is out and receiver Elijah Thomas is doubtful, along with six other Sooners who are out (Sooners Wire), including two offensive linemen.

    The Matchup That Decides It

    This game is a contest between two offenses currently trying to hurt themselves less than the other one.

    • If Taylor plays and can actually move, State’s offense is a different animal and the pick below gets shaky fast.
    • If Puckett starts again, State has to win ugly: run the ball like they did in Baton Rouge, shorten the game, let the cowbells do the pass rush, and pray Mateer keeps donating footballs.
    • Mateer, for his part, faces a simple test: protect the football. He knows exactly which quarterback he was last week.

    The low total — 46.5 at the open, and 46.5 at DraftKings as of 8:03 PM CT Thursday after a dip to 44.5 that afternoon, and 47.5 at DraftKings as of 8:11 a.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, then 48.5 as of 11:11 a.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 — tells you the folks in the desert expect a fistfight in a phone booth, not a track meet. For once, the desert and I agree completely.

    The Straight Prediction

    Here at Gridiron Gumbo we don’t cook the books, even for our own team — especially not the week after our own team got shut out.

    Mississippi State at full strength might well win this game at home. Whether State gets to full strength is the whole question, cher. Taylor was questionable through Friday (reported turf toe) and is not on the 1:00 p.m. CT game-day report, which means he is available; leading rusher Fluff Bothwell is off the report and available, and the defense is without safety Isaac Smith. The optimism is real, but so is the fine print: a quarterback with a reported turf toe who sat out last week doesn’t get his burst back just because the bells are ringing. Against a Venables defense that just held Kentucky to 230 yards, a limited Taylor makes this a coin flip with a lean, and no Taylor makes it Baton Rouge with better scenery.

    Oklahoma is flawed, turnover-drunk, and eminently beatable. But the Sooners have the healthier quarterback, the better defense on paper, and a win over the No. 1 team in the country in their back pocket.

    Prediction: Oklahoma 25, Mississippi State 22 (moved from 23-20 on Sat., Oct. 24) — Oklahoma wins, but we pass on the spread (pick made Oct. 21 at OU -4.5 (DraftKings and Bovada), total 44.5 (DraftKings); DraftKings now OU -3 / 46.5 as of 8:03 PM CT Oct. 22, which lands right on our 3-point projection; DraftKings had moved to -5.5 Thursday afternoon) and on the total, dropping our earlier slight lean to the Under 44.5. Oklahoma’s elite defense against a better State offense, plus that home crowd, makes this about a field goal, and Taylor’s questionable status is the whole edge. And if Taylor plays and looks like himself, State is live, and I’ll happily eat this pick in public next week. Crow is a Cajun delicacy when you season it right. But picks are made on evidence, and right now the evidence says “questionable, trending up,” not “cleared.” Lines as of Fri Oct 23, 8:23 AM CT (VegasInsider): DraftKings OU -3, total 46.5; FanDuel OU -3.5, total 46.5. That’s right on our 3-point number, so we still pass on both. Picks can be updated until kickoff. Update, Sat., Oct. 24, 5:57 a.m. CT: we moved the score from 23-20 to 25-22 to match the 47.5 market total (DraftKings OU -2.5 / 47.5, seen at the 4:02 AM CT Sat run), still a pass on both. Taylor is still questionable, and Saturday’s final SEC report (around 1 PM CT) is the last word.

    Lagniappe

    Win or lose, State’s season doesn’t end Saturday — but its story changes. Win, and the Bulldogs are 5–2 with a bowl trip in sight. Lose, and it’s three losses and a whole lot of soul-searching in Starkville. Either way you’ll get it told straight right here, same as that 31–0 we didn’t dress up and won’t run from.

    Hail State — and good luck to everybody in uniform today.

    — T-Rohn

    Sources: Clarion Ledger (Taylor status, Lebby quotes, LSU-week report history); On3 (Oct. 21 Mississippi State availability report); LouisianaSports.net (LSU report); Lines: DraftKings, FanDuel, Bovada and BetMGM via sportsanalysis.info, checked Thu Oct 22, 4:10 PM CT; current DraftKings line via VegasInsider, checked Thu Oct 22, 8:03 PM CT. Saturday injury and line update: official SEC availability report (secsports.com/fbreports, posted 7:10 PM CT Fri Oct. 23); Sports Illustrated (Bothwell); On3 (Mississippi State report); Sooners Wire (Oklahoma report); On3, ESPN and Clarion Ledger (Taylor); ESPN and VegasInsider DraftKings odds, both checked 8:11 a.m. CT and again 11:11 a.m. CT Sat Oct. 24. Picks disclaimer.

    Update (Oct. 22, 2026, 8:12 p.m. CT): DraftKings now OU -3 / 46.5 as of 8:03 PM CT Oct. 22 (VegasInsider). The score then was 23-20 (superseded Oct. 24: now Oklahoma 25-22); we pass on the spread, which lands on our 3-point projection, and on the total, dropping the slight Under 44.5 lean (pick made Oct. 21 at OU -4.5 (DraftKings and Bovada), total 44.5 (DraftKings)). Correction (Oct. 22, 2026): an earlier version listed DraftKings at OU -5.5 / 44.5 (as of 4:10 PM CT); those lines are now updated. Updated (Oct. 22, 2026, 8:32 p.m. CT): named the sportsbook and time for every line; the pick is unchanged. Updated (Oct. 22, 2026, 8:39 p.m. CT): the Oklahoma–Mississippi State pick line now names the book for each number: the Oct. 21 spread (OU -4.5) was at DraftKings and Bovada, and the 44.5 total was at DraftKings. The pick is unchanged. Picks disclaimer.

    Update (Fri, Oct. 23, 8:24 a.m. CT): Kamario Taylor remains questionable, with reports of growing optimism. Lines as of 8:23 AM CT Oct. 23 (VegasInsider): DraftKings OU -3 / 46.5, FanDuel OU -3.5 / 46.5, BetMGM OU -3.5 / 46.5. Pick unchanged at the time (score 23-20, superseded Oct. 24: now Oklahoma 25-22), pass on the spread and total. Clarified: State’s 31-0 loss at LSU was the first time it had been shut out since 2020.

    Update (Sat, Oct. 24, 5:57 a.m. CT): Oklahoma 25-22, moved from 23-20 to match the 47.5 market total (DraftKings OU -2.5 / 47.5, seen at the 4:02 AM CT Sat run); still a pass on the spread and total. Kamario Taylor is still questionable; final SEC report due around 1 PM CT. Picks disclaimer.

    Update (Sat, Oct. 24, 8:11 a.m. CT): injury text refreshed to the SEC’s Friday 7:10 p.m. CT report: Bothwell and Tillman are off the report and available, Isaac Smith is out, Oklahoma’s Xavier Robinson is out and Elijah Thomas is doubtful, and Taylor remains questionable. DraftKings OU -2.5 / 47.5 as of 8:11 a.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, then OU -1.5 / 48.5 as of 11:11 a.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. The pick and score are unchanged (Oklahoma 25-22, pass on the spread and total). Picks disclaimer.

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

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

    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.

  • Half a Million Dollars of Joy: Tennessee’s Field-Storm Bill Lands in Tuscaloosa’s Mailbox

    Half a Million Dollars of Joy: Tennessee’s Field-Storm Bill Lands in Tuscaloosa’s Mailbox

    Neyland Stadium emptied onto the turf after Tennessee’s 26-10 win over Alabama, and the SEC sent a $500,000 bill. It’s the Vols’ third home win in a row over the Tide that came with a fine attached, and Alabama’s 11th road loss in a row to end with the home crowd on the field.

    By T-Rohn, Gridiron Gumbo · Posted Oct. 20, 2026

    CONFIRMED: result, fine and records per SEC/AP/ESPN. REPORTED: details credited to single outlets in text.

    Down here in South Louisiana, when something good happens we throw a party, and somebody’s cousin usually ends up paying for the ice. In Knoxville, the ice cost $500,000, and the check is made out to the University of Alabama.

    Experts confirm it is the first party in recorded history where the guest of honor got the gift bag and the hangover.

    On Sunday, Oct. 18, the Southeastern Conference fined Tennessee $500,000 after fans rushed the field at Neyland Stadium following the then-No. 14 Volunteers’ 26-10 win over then-No. 6 Alabama on Oct. 17. The conference’s announcement said Tennessee broke its access-to-competition-area policy, and as RG.org reported, league rules send the money to the visiting school. So Alabama lost the game, had to get off a field filling up with orange, and then got a check in the mail. Cher, that’s not a consolation prize. That’s a settlement.

    Somewhere in Birmingham, we like to imagine an SEC office intern needed a bigger envelope.

    Everybody else is going to write about the game. We’re writing about the receipt.

    Our accounting department, which is my cousin Thibodeaux and a calculator from a gas station, has been briefed.

    The Price Is Flat Now, Like a Day-Old Beignet

    There was a time the SEC charged on a sliding scale, like a crawfish boil that sells by the pound. The ladder the league set up in 2023 started at $100,000 for a school’s first offense, climbed to $250,000 for the second and topped out at $500,000 from the third one on, with the visiting school collecting. Knox News and On3 both laid out that schedule when Tennessee was fined in 2024.

    Now it’s market price, like the lobster on a seafood menu, except the market never moves and the lobster is a goalpost.

    That’s gone. At its spring meetings in May 2025, the SEC scrapped the ladder and moved to a flat $500,000 fine for every field or court storming in any league-sponsored sport, per the Associated Press and CBS Sports. The league can waive the fine if the visiting team and officials get off the field before fans come on. Tennessee’s Oct. 18 fine was issued under that rule. So Tennessee’s rap sheet didn’t drive the number. Every field storm now costs the same, whether you’re a repeat customer or it’s your first time at the bar.

    Finally, an all-you-can-storm buffet. Same price for the regulars as for the first-timers who don’t know where the plates are.

    And Tennessee is a repeat customer. Each of the Vols’ last three home wins over Alabama has ended with a fine, RG.org noted. The 2022 storm cost Tennessee $100,000, and back then the money went to the SEC’s postgraduate scholarship fund instead of Alabama, according to Knox News. The 2024 storm cost another $100,000. Because the 2023 rules wiped the slate clean, it was scored as a first offense, and that check did go to Alabama. Add it up: three Third Saturday in October parties cost $700,000, and $600,000 of it lands in Tuscaloosa. That’s real money. That’s a lot of boudin.

    At this point Tuscaloosa should list Knoxville on its financial statements under “recurring revenue, seasonal.”

    The Two-Minute Drill Nobody Ran

    Here’s the part that makes this a story and not just a line on a ledger. Tennessee actually tried to do it the legal way.

    The SEC does leave a school a couple of outs, per RG.org. A school can skip the fine entirely by filing a plan with the league ahead of time that keeps fans in the stands until the visiting team and the officials are gone, and by telling its fans about that plan before the game. Commissioner Greg Sankey also has room to knock the bill down to $100,000 when the home school can show it worked hard to hold the crowd back, only a handful of people reached the field, and the visitors were barely touched.

    In other words, the SEC will forgive the stampede if you file the stampede paperwork in triplicate beforehand. Nothing says spontaneous joy like a pre-approved procedures memo.

    RG.org reported that Tennessee put security along the sideline late in the game, and the video board ran a message from athletics director Danny White asking the crowd for two minutes so the Tide could clear the field. Two minutes. That’s shorter than a commercial break, shorter than the line at Café Du Monde, shorter than it takes my Uncle Nonc to find his reading glasses.

    The crowd didn’t wait. Folks were on the grass the second the clock ran out.

    Danny White asked for two minutes. Neyland gave him roughly zero point four seconds, which, to be fair, is about how long any of us have ever waited for anything in our lives.

    I’m not going to judge them too hard. I’ve seen grown men in Baton Rouge cry over a 3-yard run. But that video is about to become the most expensive public service announcement in SEC history.

    We assume somebody, somewhere, is considering adding a laugh track to the video for next time, just so it gets some kind of response.

    Alabama, the SEC’s Favorite Party Host

    Here’s a stat that’ll make Tide fans pour something strong: Alabama has now lost 11 road games in a row that ended with the home crowd on the field, a streak that started at Auburn in 2013, according to an Associated Press report cited by RG.org.

    Eleven straight. At this point Alabama doesn’t lose road games so much as host traveling block parties with the field as the dance floor.

    For more than a decade, beating Alabama on the road has meant the whole stadium meets at the 50-yard line. It’s the biggest compliment in college football, and a bruising one. Alabama has lobbied the league for stiffer penalties on field storming, RG.org reported. You can see why. When you’re the program everybody wants to beat, every loss comes with a stampede.

    Of course, half a million dollars a pop starts to look like a fee schedule. If it keeps up, somebody in Tuscaloosa might start budgeting for it.

    TAKE (joke):Rumor has it the Tuscaloosa finance office has a whiteboard titled “Field Storm Futures” and nobody will say who wrote it. (We made that rumor up. That’s the joke.)

    What Actually Happened on the Field

    Credit where it’s due, because those fans had plenty to celebrate. Tennessee never trailed. Kicker Cooper Ranvier went 4-for-4 on field goals in the first half, running back DeSean Bishop ran for 159 yards on 32 carries with two second-half touchdowns, and the Vols forced four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles), according to Tennessee’s official game notes. Alabama was held scoreless in the second half and went 2-of-13 on third down, per the same notes.

    Four first-half field goals: the most a Knoxville crowd has ever cheered for something that wasn’t a touchdown, a fried bologna sandwich, or the sun coming out in the second quarter.

    Ranvier was named co-SEC Special Teams Player of the Week, sharing it with Auburn’s Alex McPherson, according to the conference’s Oct. 19 announcement and Tennessee’s game notes. When your kicker puts four on the board before halftime, that’s how it shakes out.

    CBS Sports’ Austin Nivison, who moved Tennessee from 11th to fifth in his SEC Power Rankings, called it “a physically dominant win over Alabama on both sides of the ball.” He also wrote that the way the Vols’ offensive line “leaned on the Crimson Tide in the second half was shocking.”

    RG.org reported it was Tennessee’s first win over an AP Top 25 opponent since 2024. Tennessee’s game notes confirm it was the Vols’ third straight home win over Alabama, their first such run since 1996-98-2000, and their largest margin in the series since a 35-18 win in 1998.

    The Fallout in the Polls

    The Vols (6-1, 3-1 SEC) moved up three places to No. 11 in Sunday’s AP Top 25 and sit at No. 11 in the coaches poll as well. Alabama (5-2, 3-2) has dropped two in a row and slid to No. 13 in both polls, per RG.org. Tennessee’s game notes confirm the Vols’ No. 11/11 ranking, and ESPN’s standings confirm both teams’ records.

    The broader SEC weekend was pure chaos, the kind of Saturday that makes a Cajun reach for the hot sauce. Unranked Auburn beat No. 1 Georgia 27-24, Florida beat No. 7 Texas 27-24, and LSU shut out Mississippi State 31-0. So Tennessee’s party wasn’t even the only one. It was just the only one the SEC sent a bill for… at least going by the reports we found.

    We picture the SEC office spending Saturday night refreshing scores like a man refreshing his flight status in a thunderstorm.

    Up Next

    The Vols visit South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern (2:30 p.m. Central) on ESPN, per Tennessee and South Carolina athletics. Alabama hosts Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa, presumably with the $500,000 safely deposited and every bit of it earmarked for “emotional damages.”

    Columbia ticket holders, please note: the clock still says zero for a reason, and the reason is $500,000.

    So here’s T-Rohn’s free advice for Knoxville, and it costs less than half a million: next time Danny White asks for two minutes, try counting “one Mississippi, two Mississippi” all the way to 120. Or just accept the bill. Some parties are worth paying for. Ask anybody who’s ever been to Mardi Gras and then looked at their bank statement on Ash Wednesday.

    Laissez les bons temps rouler, y’all. Just don’t roll them onto the field until the clock’s run out for two more minutes.

    Related: Alabama and LSU report strong October earnings, thanks to bold new strategy of losing (the SEC Storm Fine Tracker, including Kentucky’s $500,000 fine after beating LSU)

    Sources

    Editor’s note (Oct. 23): This story was updated to credit RG.org for reporting on the fine.

  • Bowl Gumbo, Second Stir: Ole Miss Jumps in the Playoff Pot, Texas Falls Out, and Where Every SEC Team Is Headed

    Bowl Gumbo, Second Stir: Ole Miss Jumps in the Playoff Pot, Texas Falls Out, and Where Every SEC Team Is Headed

    Gridiron Gumbo original projections — Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, after the Oct. 17 games (Week 7). Second stir of the pot; last week’s Early Bowl Gumbo is here. Disclosure: your humble cook still bleeds maroon and rings a cowbell (Mississippi State). State got graded like everybody else, and after Saturday in Baton Rouge, that is not a favor.

    Last week we had four SEC teams in the Playoff Pot. Then the No. 1 team in the country lost at home to an unranked Auburn, Tennessee sat on Alabama for four quarters, and Florida walked into Austin and walked out with a win. The AP’s top team has now lost in back-to-back weeks to unranked opponents, which NCAA.com says has happened only five times ever. (CONFIRMED) So we dumped the whole pot out on the newspaper and started over.

    How we cooked it

    These are our picks, not a copy or an average of anybody else’s bowl projections. Ingredients, all pulled Oct. 20:

    • Records and results through the Oct. 17 games (ESPN standings, cross-checked against the CollegeFootballData.com game log).
    • Ratings: ESPN FPI (updated Oct. 20) and SP+ (via CollegeFootballData.com). Both measure points above an average team.
    • The Gumbo Model: we average each SEC team’s FPI and SP+ rating, give the home team 2.5 points, turn every remaining game into a win probability and simulate the rest of the season 20,000 times. Projected records below are those simulated wins rounded, not a game-by-game “favorite always wins” list (that would have LSU going 10-2, which happens in only 14% of our sims).
    • The AP poll (Oct. 18). The CFP committee’s first rankings don’t come out until Tuesday, Nov. 3, so the AP poll and the ratings stand in for now. (CONFIRMED)

    The rules of the pot (re-checked this week):

    • CFP: Still 12 teams for 2026-27. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions get in, plus the highest-ranked champion from the other conferences, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams. The top four ranked teams get first-round byes. (CONFIRMED)
    • SEC ladder: The Citrus Bowl takes the best SEC team left after the Playoff. Next is the “pool of six” (ReliaQuest, Gator, Music City, Texas, Las Vegas, Liberty), which the SEC slots with the schools and bowls while avoiding repeat trips. Birmingham and Gasparilla pick after that. Bowl tie-ins were carried over from 2025 for this one season, and 2026 is the SEC’s turn in Las Vegas in its rotation with the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. (CONFIRMED)
    Cartoon critters fighting over a gold trophy in a giant gumbo pot under the words Playoff Pot

    The Playoff Pot (CFP summary)

    • Georgia — SEC champion, top-four seed with a first-round bye. We have Georgia beating Tennessee in Atlanta.
    • Tennessee — at-large after losing the SEC title game. Projected 9-3 in the regular season.
    • Ole Miss — at-large. Projected 9-3. New this week.
    • Alabama — at-large, the last SEC team in. Projected 9-3, and the bubble is right under its feet.
    • First team out: Texas. FPI and SP+ still rate the Longhorns as a top-eight team, but they’re 1-2 in the league. Saturday’s Ole Miss at Texas game is basically a trade: the winner probably takes the spot.

    TAKE: Four SEC teams is our call, same number as last week, with two new names. The SEC has nine teams in the AP Top 25, but the highest is Georgia at No. 5, behind Miami, BYU, Ohio State and Notre Dame. That’s a lot of competition for seven at-large spots, so a fifth SEC team would need chaos somewhere else.

    Who Moved

    • ▲ Ole Miss: Citrus → CFP at-large. Beat Missouri 31-3 and jumped to No. 7 in the AP poll. 63% of our sims end with 9 or more wins.
    • ▼ Texas: CFP at-large → Texas Bowl. Lost to Oklahoma, then 27-24 at home to Florida. Two league losses in a nine-game SEC schedule leaves no room for error.
    • ▲ Tennessee: last team in → SEC title game plus a safe at-large spot. Beat Alabama 26-10 and has the league’s second-best path to Atlanta in our sims (34%).
    • ▼ Alabama: 10-2 with a home playoff game → 9-3 and the last SEC team in. Lost back-to-back games, and our model makes the Tide an underdog at LSU on Nov. 7.
    • ▲ LSU: Gator → Citrus. Shut out Mississippi State 31-0. SP+ rates LSU No. 6 in the country, and our model makes the Tigers favorites in all five remaining games.
    • ▲ Auburn: Birmingham → Liberty. Won 27-24 at No. 1 Georgia and now projects to 7-5.
    • ▲ Florida: Liberty → ReliaQuest. The 27-24 win at Texas gives the Gators wins over Ole Miss, Texas and Auburn.
    • ▼ Oklahoma: Texas Bowl → Birmingham. Lost 21-13 at home to Kentucky and is 3-3, with six wins a 62% proposition in our sims.

    The Pot, Team by Team

    Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC; AP No. 5)

    Projection: 10-2, SEC champion, top-four CFP seed (bye). ■ STEADY on the destination, down from last week’s 12-0/11-1 on the record.
    The data: Lost 27-24 at home to Auburn. Still the SEC’s highest-rated team in both systems (FPI No. 3, SP+ No. 2). Our sims put Georgia in Atlanta 85% of the time, and it wins out 41% of the time. The toughest remaining game is Nov. 7 at Ole Miss (Georgia 67% in our model). FPI gives them a 78.1% playoff chance.
    TAKE: Kirby Smart’s sideline face Saturday could’ve curdled a pot of milk from across the stadium. Calm down, Athens. Y’all lost one game, not the deed to the house.

    Tennessee (6-1, 3-1; AP No. 11)

    Projection: 9-3, loses the SEC title game to Georgia, CFP at-large. ▲ UP from last week’s last-team-in.
    The data: Beat Alabama 26-10. The only loss is 20-17 to Texas. FPI No. 12, SP+ No. 13. Remaining games, with Tennessee’s chance in our model: at South Carolina (63%), Kentucky (76%), at Texas A&M (60%), LSU (43%, its only game as an underdog) and at Vanderbilt (86%). 79% of our sims end with nine or more wins.
    TAKE: Knoxville’s already printing “SEC Champs” shirts in that traffic-cone orange that makes Mawmaw’s eyes water. Josh Heupel, unplug the printer, cher. Atlanta’s still a month off.

    Ole Miss (5-1, 3-1; AP No. 7)

    Projection: 9-3, CFP at-large. ▲ UP from the Citrus Bowl.
    The data: Beat Missouri 31-3. The only loss is 52-28 at Florida. FPI No. 11, SP+ No. 14, FPI playoff odds 43.6%. The back half is no picnic: at Texas (31%), Auburn (75%), Georgia (33%), at Oklahoma (61%), Wofford and the Egg Bowl vs. Mississippi State (81%). Our projected losses are the Texas and Georgia games. Win either one and this goes from bubble to comfortable.
    TAKE: Grove folks are already pricing December hotel rooms in their Sunday seersucker. Pete Golding, keep ’em off the balcony until the committee actually says something.

    Alabama (5-2, 3-2; AP No. 13)

    Projection: 9-3, CFP at-large (last SEC team in). ▼ DOWN from 10-2 and a home playoff game.
    The data: Lost 20-17 to Georgia and 26-10 at Tennessee. Wins include 45-17 at Kentucky and 56-23 at Mississippi State. The ratings still love the Tide (FPI No. 6, 49.5% playoff odds; SP+ No. 12). Remaining: Texas A&M (81%), at LSU (39%), at Vanderbilt (91%), Chattanooga and Auburn (82%). A loss in Baton Rouge puts them at 9-3, with the committee doing the math.
    TAKE: Tuscaloosa’s call-in shows are running hotter than a crawfish pot with the lid clamped down. Kalen DeBoer’s gonna need a bigger net for all them complaints.

    LSU (5-2, 2-2; AP No. 18)

    Projection: 8-4, Citrus Bowl. ▲ UP from the Gator Bowl.
    The data: Beat Mississippi State 31-0. The losses are 32-24 at Ole Miss and 35-34 at Kentucky. SP+ No. 6 (second in the SEC only to Georgia) and FPI No. 8. Our model makes LSU the favorite in every remaining game (at Auburn 74%, Alabama 61%, Texas 58%, at Tennessee 57%, at Arkansas 92%), but stacking up that many 60-40 games still averages out to about 8.4 wins. Two SEC losses already make the Playoff a long shot (FPI: 28.5%). The highest-rated team left after the Playoff is the obvious Citrus pick.
    TAKE: Ten days ago Death Valley wanted Lane Kiffin’s head on a boudin platter. Now the same callers are booking Orlando condos. Fair-weather fans on the bayou? Never heard of ’em, cher.

    Kentucky (6-1, 4-1; AP No. 12)

    Projection: 8-4, Gator Bowl. ■ STEADY: still a pool-of-six team, but the bowl changes from ReliaQuest to Gator.
    The data: Tied for first, with five straight wins capped by 21-13 at Oklahoma. The only loss was 45-17 to Alabama. But the ratings aren’t buying it: FPI No. 26 and SP+ No. 45, the lowest of the top seven teams in the standings. Remaining: Vanderbilt (81%), at Tennessee (24%), Florida (53%), at Missouri (36%) and Louisville (50%). FPI gives them 39.4% playoff odds. Our blend is more skeptical because SP+ rates them so much lower.
    TAKE: Lexington’s tied for first in the SEC in late October, so every bourbon shop in town is down to the bottom shelf. Will Stein, the raccoon’s still on the bricks, but somebody just turned on the porch light.

    Texas (4-2, 1-2; AP No. 19)

    Projection: 8-4, Texas Bowl. ▼ DOWN from a CFP at-large.
    The data: Lost 27-24 to Oklahoma and 27-24 at home to Florida, after September wins over Ohio State (24-23) and at Tennessee (20-17). FPI No. 7 (41.0% playoff odds) and SP+ No. 8, so the talent is real. Our model favors Texas in five of six remaining games: Ole Miss (69%), Mississippi State (88%), at Missouri (69%), at LSU (42%), Arkansas (96%) and at Texas A&M (72%). Still, only 47% of our sims reach nine wins. Along with LSU, they’re the best-rated team we have outside the Playoff. Beat Ole Miss Saturday and the two programs likely swap spots.
    TAKE: Steve Sarkisian says everything in Austin is getting evaluated. Mawmaw says start with the seasoning, cher. That budget buys a lot of cayenne.

    Florida (5-2, 3-2; AP No. 20)

    Projection: 8-4, ReliaQuest Bowl. ▲ UP from 7-5 and the Liberty Bowl.
    The data: Won 27-24 at Texas. That gives the Gators three résumé wins (Ole Miss 52-28, at Auburn 44-39, at Texas) to go with losses at Missouri (45-17) and vs. South Carolina (38-19). FPI No. 19, SP+ No. 38. Remaining: at Georgia (14%), Oklahoma (58%), at Kentucky (47%), Vanderbilt (84%) and at Florida State (62%).
    TAKE: Gator Nation went from “fire somebody” to “book the bowl trip” in two Saturdays. That’s the fastest mood swing in Florida since the Publix deli ran out of sub rolls. Jon Sumrall’s roux is finally browning.

    Missouri (5-2, 2-2; AP No. 22)

    Projection: 7-5, Music City Bowl. ▼ DOWN a win (8-4 → 7-5), same bowl.
    The data: Lost 31-3 at Ole Miss. Still 4-0 at home. FPI No. 27, SP+ No. 20. Remaining: at Arkansas (77%), Texas (31%), at Georgia (12%), Kentucky (64%) and Oklahoma (61%). Nashville stays an easy drive.
    TAKE: The Show-Me State finally has a demand for Eli Drinkwitz: show us a touchdown from the 2-yard line. Bring a covered dish to Nashville anyway, y’all.

    Mississippi State (4-2, 2-2; receiving votes) (the cook’s team, graded fair)

    Projection: 7-5, Las Vegas Bowl. ■ STEADY on record and bowl, even though the computers now like State less.
    The data: Lost 31-0 at LSU and fell out of the AP Top 25 (was No. 16). FPI dropped to No. 38, the lowest of any SEC team we project to a bowl; SP+ has them No. 47. The early wins still count: at South Carolina 41-34, Missouri 31-24, at Minnesota 38-13. The path to 7-5: Tennessee Tech and Vanderbilt (77%) at home, plus one of two home coin flips, Oklahoma (48%) and Auburn (49%). FPI gives them a 92.2% shot at bowl eligibility.
    TAKE: Starkville’s cowbells went so quiet in Baton Rouge you could hear a crawfish sneeze. Jeff Lebby, when you’re inside the 40, Mawmaw says take the three points and say thank you. (Disclosure: the cook rang his into a pillow all weekend.)

    Auburn (4-2, 2-2; receiving votes)

    Projection: 7-5, Liberty Bowl. ▲ UP from 6-6 and the Birmingham Bowl.
    The data: Won 27-24 at No. 1 Georgia with a field goal as time expired. Losses are 44-39 to Florida and 24-14 at Tennessee. FPI No. 21 (96.2% for six wins), SP+ No. 40. The back half is brutal: LSU (26%), at Ole Miss (25%), Arkansas (83%), at Mississippi State (51%), Samford and at Alabama (18%).
    TAKE: Auburn folks rolled Toomer’s so hard after Athens that Lee County is rationing toilet paper like it’s hurricane season. Alex Golesh won’t buy his own supper till Easter.

    Oklahoma (3-3, 1-2)

    Projection: 6-6, Birmingham Bowl. ▼ DOWN from 7-5 and the Texas Bowl.
    The data: Lost 21-13 at home to Kentucky. The other losses are at Michigan (17-10) and at Georgia (41-13), and the big win is 27-24 over Texas. FPI No. 22, SP+ No. 34. FPI puts six wins at 65.0%, and we have it at 62%. Remaining: at Mississippi State (52%), South Carolina (59%), at Florida (42%), Ole Miss (39%), Texas A&M (57%) and at Missouri (39%).
    TAKE: Last week Sooner Nation was planning a parade. Now Brent Venables’ parade route runs straight to Birmingham, and the band’s down to one kazoo.

    South Carolina (3-3, 1-3)

    Projection: 6-6, Gasparilla Bowl. ■ STEADY.
    The data: Had a week off. The SEC losses are 41-34 to Mississippi State, 49-18 at Alabama and 35-34 to Kentucky, and the win is 38-19 at Florida. FPI No. 29, SP+ No. 32. FPI puts bowl eligibility at 56.9%, and we have it at 62%. Remaining: Tennessee (37%), at Oklahoma (41%), Texas A&M (55%), at Arkansas (72%), Georgia (17%) and at Clemson (62%).
    TAKE: Columbia’s bowl hopes are a 6-6 coin flip, and somehow Gamecock fans already know which ref is gonna blow it. Shane Beamer, keep the visor on and the antacids close.

    Texas A&M (4-3, 1-3)

    Projection: 6-6, bowl TBD (SEC backup slot). ■ STEADY.
    The data: Beat The Citadel 41-0. The SEC losses are to Kentucky (31-21), at LSU (35-6) and at Missouri (27-6). FPI rates them better than their record (No. 20, 61.1% for six wins), and SP+ has them No. 33. They need two wins from at Alabama (19%), at South Carolina (45%), Tennessee (40%), at Oklahoma (43%) and Texas (28%), and they’re the underdog in all five. If all 14 teams get to six wins, the SEC’s tie-ins run out of seats, so A&M lands in a leftover bowl.
    TAKE: College Station’s got the budget of a Houston oil company and the October of a church-league softball team. Mike Elko’s kitchen still smells like burnt roux.

    Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4)

    Projection: 4-8, no bowl. ■ STEADY.
    The data: Four straight losses, the latest 31-21 at home to Arkansas. FPI No. 66 (2.8% bowl odds), SP+ No. 71. They’d need three wins from at Kentucky, at Mississippi State, Alabama, at Florida and Tennessee, and our model doesn’t favor them in any of the five.
    TAKE: Vandy fans ran the bowl math, double-checked it, showed their work, and quietly bought basketball tickets. Clark Lea, at least the library’s open late.

    Arkansas (3-4, 1-3)

    Projection: 4-8, no bowl. ■ STEADY on the destination, up a win from last week’s 3-9.
    The data: Won 31-21 at Vanderbilt for their first SEC win of the year. FPI No. 58 (4.4% bowl odds), SP+ No. 82. They’re the underdog in all five remaining games: Missouri, at Auburn, South Carolina, at Texas and LSU.
    TAKE: Ryan Silverfield got his first SEC win and Fayetteville called the Hogs so loud the cows in Missouri stopped giving milk. In the Ozarks, cher, 4-8 counts as a rebuilding plan with a tailgate.

    The Tally

    4 CFP teams (Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama), plus Citrus (LSU), plus the pool of six (Florida–ReliaQuest, Kentucky–Gator, Texas–Texas Bowl, Missouri–Music City, Mississippi State–Las Vegas, Auburn–Liberty), plus Birmingham (Oklahoma) and Gasparilla (South Carolina), plus Texas A&M in a backup slot. That’s 14 bowl-eligible teams, the same as last week. Vanderbilt and Arkansas stay home.

    Where the computers argue with us: FPI gives Texas (41.0%) and Kentucky (39.4%) playoff odds right next to Ole Miss (43.6%) and Tennessee (44.7%). We went with Ole Miss because of its schedule and SP+. If Texas wins Saturday, we’ll eat the crow, cher. It goes great with rice.

    Games that move the pot this week (Oct. 24): Ole Miss at Texas (a playoff spot is basically on the line), Tennessee at South Carolina, LSU at Auburn, Oklahoma at Mississippi State (a 52-48 coin flip in our model), and Texas A&M at Alabama.

    More from the pot: our Week 7 recap and why Georgia still deserves the SEC crown.

    Sources (data)

    Gridiron Gumbo: SEC football, seasoned in Southwest Louisiana. Projections are our own TAKE built on the data above. Records and ratings are CONFIRMED as of Oct. 20, 2026.

  • Gumbo’s Picks: SEC Week 8 (Sat. Oct. 24)

    Gumbo’s Picks: SEC Week 8 (Sat. Oct. 24)

    Updated Sat Oct 24, 2026, 6:16 a.m. CT: Agreed by The Gambler and JR Handicapper (Rohn approved via Chief of Staff, Sat Oct 24, 6:11 a.m. CT); posted here Sat Oct 24, 6:16 a.m. CT. Tennessee/South Carolina: our straight-up pick is now South Carolina 26-25 (was Tennessee 28-25); still no play on the spread or the total. Everything else in this post is unchanged by this note.

    Updated Sat Oct 24, 2026, 5:52 a.m. CT: Agreed by The Gambler and JR Handicapper Fri Oct 23 evening; posted here Sat Oct 24, 5:52 a.m. CT. Oklahoma/Mississippi State score moved to Oklahoma 25-22 (still a pass on the side and total); Ole Miss/Texas is now a pass on both the side and the total (Texas 29-25 unchanged); LSU/Auburn stays LSU 29-21, lean Under 51.5 (DraftKings); Texas A&M/Alabama stays Alabama 32-19, pass. Details in each game below. Older updates follow.

    Updated Oct 22, 2026 (Thu.), 8:39 p.m. CT: DraftKings lines refreshed for every game (as of 8:12 p.m. CT Oct. 22); Oklahoma/Mississippi State is now a pass on both the spread and the total, Vanderbilt/Kentucky stays No Play, and Ole Miss/Texas is back to a slight lean Over 53.5 (DraftKings, 8:12 p.m. CT Oct. 22). Earlier (Oct 21): both of our Plays got knocked down to NO PLAY after new SP+ ratings came in, and Texas A&M/Alabama became a Pass. Details below.

    Ça c’est bon, y’all. T-Rohn done stirred the pot, tasted the roux, and here’s what’s simmerin’ for SEC Week 8, Saturday Oct. 24. Six SEC games, four teams on bye (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri), and the weather looks dry and mild everywhere, so no weather adjustments. We posted two Plays, three Leans and one Pass; as of the Oct. 21 update, both Plays are downgraded to No Play and the A&M/Alabama lean is now a Pass, so as of the Oct. 24 update we’re at one Lean (LSU/Auburn) and three Passes (Ole Miss/Texas, Texas A&M/Alabama, Oklahoma/Mississippi State). Every fan base gets the same spoon here.

    The Plays (Downgraded: No Play)

    Tennessee @ South Carolina (2:30 p.m. CT): Over 50.5 — DOWNGRADED / NO PLAY (line as of Oct 20: 50.5 at DraftKings and FanDuel, 50-51 across books)
    Both offenses grade out above average, Carolina plays fast (about 74 snaps a game), and the Gamecock defense has been giving up points this year. Our number lands near 53. Fair warning, cher: Tennessee’s games have gone Under 6 of 7, so this one’s got a little cayenne in it.
    Update Oct 21: The roux thinned out. Fresh SP+ numbers rate Tennessee’s defense better, and our raw model total dropped from 59.4 to 55.8. That’s 5.05 points over the market’s 50.75 (best number 50.5 at DraftKings), but we only trust our model for 25% of the number and the market for 75%, so our projected total is 52.0 and the edge is down to 1.25 points. That’s a small tier-2 lean now, not a Play.
    Line update (Oct. 22): DraftKings has the total at 50.5 (South Carolina -2.5) as of 8:12 p.m. CT Oct. 22, via VegasInsider. Pick unchanged. Picks disclaimer.
    Updated Sat Oct 24, 6:16 a.m. CT: switched our straight-up pick to South Carolina 26-25 (was Tennessee 28-25). The model and the market (South Carolina -2.5, DraftKings, 4:02 AM CT Sat run) both favor South Carolina. Still no play on the spread or the total.

    Vanderbilt @ Kentucky (6:30 p.m. CT): Over 51.25 — DOWNGRADED / NO PLAY (line as of Oct 20: 51.5 at DraftKings, 50.5-51 at most other books; consensus around 51.25)
    Both defenses rate below average, and both teams have gone Over in 5 of 7. Our number sits about 52 (number updated 11:22 AM CT Oct. 24). Shop for the 51 if you can find it.
    Update Oct 21: Kentucky’s defense got a better grade in the new SP+, and the total ticked up to 51.5 at both books we track, DraftKings and Bovada (as of 4:02 a.m. CT Oct. 21). Our edge shrank to 1.5 points. Call it a tier-3 lean, not a Play.
    Line update (Oct. 22): DraftKings has the total at 52.5 (Kentucky -10.5) as of 8:12 p.m. CT Oct. 22, via VegasInsider.
    Update Oct. 22 (8:12 p.m. CT): Kentucky 31-21. Pass on the side and No Play on the total at DraftKings UK -10.5 / 52.5 (8:12 PM CT Oct. 22). Picks disclaimer.

    The Leans

    Ole Miss @ Texas (6:30 p.m. CT): UPDATED Oct 24: PASS on the side and the total (was: lean Over 53.) (line as of Oct 20, 4:20 a.m. CT: 53.5 at DraftKings, 52.5 at Bovada; the 53 we posted was the midpoint of those two books, not a single book line. Shop for the 52.5.) The Rebel offense is one of the best in the country, and Texas EDGE Colin Simmons is OUT, per Thursday’s SEC availability report (via On3/Inside Texas). We like it, but not enough to call it a Play.
    Update Oct 21: Lean Over 53.5, tier 1. The total climbed to 53.5 at both DraftKings and Bovada (as of 4:02 a.m. CT Oct. 21), and Ole Miss’s defense graded out better in the new SP+, so our edge is down to a thin 0.8 points. Still on the Over, just with a lighter hand on the pepper.
    Update Oct 22: No Play at DraftKings 54.5 (as of 1:07 p.m. CT Oct. 22, via VegasInsider). Pick was made at 53.5; the thin lean Over returns at 53.5 or lower.
    Line update (Oct. 22): DraftKings has the total at 53.5 (Texas -3.5) as of 8:12 p.m. CT Oct. 22, via VegasInsider.
    Update Oct. 22 (8:12 p.m. CT): Texas 29-25. Pass on the side; slight lean Over 53.5 (DraftKings, 8:12 PM CT Oct. 22). Thin edge, and it’s No Play again if the total climbs back to 54.5. Picks disclaimer.
    Update (agreed Fri Oct 23 evening; posted Sat Oct 24, 5:52 a.m. CT): After the SEC’s Friday availability report (posted 7:10 PM CT), Texas is without RB Hollywood Smothers, WR Kaliq Lockett, OL Jaydon Chatman and edge rushers Colin Simmons and Richard Wesley; Ole Miss C Brycen Sanders is probable (OL Jackson Christian is newly questionable for Texas). Keeping Texas 29-25, now passing on both the side (-3, DraftKings) and the total (53.5, DraftKings), lines per VegasInsider 7:29 PM CT Fri Oct 23.
    Line update (Sat. Oct. 24, 11:11 a.m. CT): DraftKings has Texas -3 (-115), total 54.5 (Over -105 / Under -115), moneylines Texas -155 / Ole Miss +130, per ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed (VegasInsider’s DraftKings column matched), pulled 11:11 a.m. CT. Pick unchanged. Picks disclaimer.

    LSU @ Auburn (11 a.m. CT): lean Under 50.5 — UPDATED Oct 24: lean Under 51.5 (DraftKings). (line as of Oct 20, 4:20 a.m. CT: 50.5 at DraftKings and Bovada) The ratings line up with the spread almost exactly, and the totals model sits about a point low. Auburn’s coming off a huge win over Georgia, and the game after one of those can come out a little flat. Small lean only. Injury note (Oct 20, 7:15 PM CT): LSU WR Jackson Harris, who left the Mississippi State game with an ankle injury and was later seen in a walking boot, said Tuesday, "we'll be all good for this week." He expects to play; that is CONFIRMED as his on-record quote, not an official status (SEC availability report comes Wednesday). Sources: Tiger Rag, 247Sports.
    Update Oct 21: Lean Under 51.25, tier 2. The total went up to 51.25 (51.5 at DraftKings), which hands us a better number on the Under. Auburn also dismissed All-SEC LB Xavier Atkins Monday night (AP), and we docked the Tigers a half-point for it. Edge is 1.05 points.
    Line update (Oct. 22): DraftKings has the total at 51.5 (LSU -7) as of 8:12 p.m. CT Oct. 22, via VegasInsider. Pick unchanged. Picks disclaimer.
    Update (agreed Fri Oct 23 evening; posted Sat Oct 24, 5:52 a.m. CT): After the SEC’s Friday availability report (7:10 PM CT Fri Oct 23), Auburn DL Saint Farrior is out. Keeping LSU 29-21, lean Under 51.5 (DraftKings, LSU -7, VegasInsider 7:29 PM CT Fri Oct 23).
    Line update (Sat. Oct. 24, 11:11 a.m. CT): DraftKings has LSU -7 (-115), total 52.5 (Over -105 / Under -115), moneylines LSU -285 / Auburn +230, per ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed (VegasInsider’s DraftKings column matched the total and moneylines and showed LSU -7 at -118), pulled 11:11 a.m. CT; kickoff was 11 a.m. CT. Pick and lean unchanged as posted above. Picks disclaimer.

    Texas A&M @ Alabama (2:30 p.m. CT): lean Over 50.5 — UPDATED / PASS (line as of Oct 20, 4:20 a.m. CT: 50.5 at DraftKings and Bovada) Our side number is right on the market, and the total comes out about a point high. Mild lean, nothin’ spicier.
    Update Oct 21: Now a PASS. Alabama’s SP+ rating fell after the loss at Tennessee, and our total edge is gone (0.4 points). Nothin’ left in the pot here.
    Line update (Oct. 22): DraftKings has the total at 50.5 (Alabama -13.5) as of 8:12 p.m. CT Oct. 22, via VegasInsider. Pick unchanged. Picks disclaimer.
    Update (posted Sat Oct 24, 5:52 a.m. CT): After the SEC’s Friday availability report (7:10 PM CT Fri Oct 23), Alabama’s Zabien Brown, EJ Crowell and Racin Delgatty are doubtful; A&M’s Mario Craver, DJ Hicks, Daymion Sanford and Trovon Baugh are probable. Keeping Alabama 32-19, pass at -13.5 / 50.5 (FanDuel and DraftKings, VegasInsider 7:29 PM CT Fri Oct 23).
    Line update (Sat. Oct. 24, 11:11 a.m. CT): DraftKings has Alabama -13.5 (-112), total 49.5 (Over -115 / Under -105), moneylines Alabama -575 / Texas A&M +425, per ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed (VegasInsider’s DraftKings column matched), pulled 11:11 a.m. CT. Pick unchanged. Picks disclaimer.

    The Pass

    Oklahoma @ Mississippi State (2:30 p.m. CT): PASS, pending QB status (lean MSU +4) — UPDATED Oct 24: Oklahoma 25-22, pass spread/total (line as of Oct 20, 4:20 a.m. CT: MSU +4 at DraftKings and Bovada) This whole game depends on Bulldog QB Kamario Taylor, REPORTED day-to-day with turf toe. The line went from MSU +2 (midpoint of the DraftKings and Bovada openers) to +4 (DraftKings and Bovada, 4:21 a.m. CT Oct. 20), so the market’s pricing him out, but our ratings see a near coin flip. No Play until the official availability report. Disclosure: T-Rohn leans Mississippi State here, so take that lean with a grain of Tony’s.
    Update Oct 21: Our call is Oklahoma 23-20. We pass on the spread (OU -4.5 at DraftKings and Bovada, total 44.5 at DraftKings, as of 4:02 a.m. CT Oct. 21) and on the total, with a slight lean to the Under 44.5. OU’s elite defense against a better State offense, plus home field, makes this about a field goal, and Taylor’s questionable status (Wednesday report) is the whole edge. We re-decide after Thursday’s availability report.
    Update Oct. 22 (8:12 p.m. CT): Still Oklahoma 23-20. We pass on the spread at DraftKings OU -3, which lands right on our 3-point projection, and we pass on the total, dropping the slight Under 44.5 lean. Pick made Oct. 21 at OU -4.5 (DraftKings and Bovada), total 44.5 (DraftKings); DraftKings now OU -3 / 46.5 as of 8:03 PM CT Oct. 22 (via VegasInsider; DraftKings had moved to -5.5 Thursday afternoon). Picks disclaimer.
    Update (Sat. Oct. 24, 5:52 a.m. CT): Moved the score to Oklahoma 25-22 to match the 47.5 market total (DraftKings OU -2.5 / 47.5, seen at the 4:02 AM CT Sat run); still a pass on the side and total. Injury update (official SEC availability report, posted 1:00 p.m. CT Sat Oct. 24; added here Sat Oct. 24, 1:39 p.m. CT): Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor is available. Oklahoma DB Eli Bowen and WR Elijah Thomas are out; OL Heath Ozaeta and OL Michael Fasusi are available. Our pick and score are unchanged.
    Line update (Sat. Oct. 24, 11:11 a.m. CT): DraftKings has Oklahoma -1.5 (-112), total 48.5 (Over -108 / Under -112), moneylines Oklahoma -122 / Mississippi State +102, per ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed (VegasInsider’s DraftKings column matched), pulled 11:11 a.m. CT. Pick and score unchanged. Picks disclaimer.

    Update Oct 21: T-Rohn’s full preview made the call at Oklahoma 23-20, pass spread/total (our score moved to Oklahoma 25-22 on Sat Oct. 24, see the Oklahoma update above; Under 44.5 lean at DraftKings dropped Oct. 22; pick made Oct. 21 at OU -4.5 (DraftKings and Bovada), total 44.5 (DraftKings); DraftKings now OU -3 / 46.5 as of 8:03 PM CT Oct. 22) → https://gridirongumbo.com/oklahoma-at-mississippi-state-preview-2026/.

    Honest note from the kitchen: five of our six totals leans point Over, and our totals numbers have run a little high this year. Treat these as small edges, not locks.

    For entertainment only, not betting advice. Injury info is REPORTED unless marked official. These picks may be updated until each game’s kickoff.

    Correction (Oct. 22, 2026): Texas EDGE Colin Simmons’ status changed from doubtful (Wed.) to out (Thu.). Updated (Oct. 22, 2026): Ole Miss–Texas total moved to 54.5 at DraftKings (1:07 p.m. CT, via VegasInsider); pick changed to No Play. Updated (Oct. 22, 2026): DraftKings lines refreshed for every game as of 8:12 p.m. CT (via VegasInsider); Oklahoma-Mississippi State now a pass on both the spread and the total (Under 44.5 lean dropped; pick made Oct. 21 at OU -4.5 (DraftKings and Bovada), total 44.5 (DraftKings); DraftKings now OU -3 / 46.5 as of 8:03 PM CT Oct. 22). Updated (Oct. 22, 2026, 8:32 p.m. CT): The Gambler and JR re-decided two picks. Vanderbilt–Kentucky: Kentucky 31-21, pass on the side and No Play on the total at DraftKings UK -10.5 / 52.5 (8:12 PM CT Oct. 22). Ole Miss–Texas: Texas 29-25, pass on the side, slight lean Over 53.5 (DraftKings, 8:12 PM CT Oct. 22), replacing the No Play above. We also named the sportsbook and time for every line in this post. Picks disclaimer. Updated (Oct. 22, 2026, 8:39 p.m. CT): the Oklahoma–Mississippi State pick line now names the book for each number: the Oct. 21 spread (OU -4.5) was at DraftKings and Bovada, and the 44.5 total was at DraftKings. The pick is unchanged. Updated (Sat. Oct. 24, 2026, 5:52 a.m. CT): agreed by The Gambler and JR Handicapper Fri Oct. 23 evening, posted 5:52 a.m. CT Sat. Oklahoma–Mississippi State score moved to Oklahoma 25-22, still a pass on the side and total (DraftKings OU -2.5 / 47.5, 4:02 AM CT Sat run); Ole Miss–Texas total call changed from slight lean Over 53.5 to Pass, with the side still a pass (DraftKings -3 / 53.5, VegasInsider 7:29 PM CT Fri Oct. 23), Texas 29-25 unchanged; LSU–Auburn total corrected to 51.5 (DraftKings, VegasInsider 7:29 PM CT Fri Oct. 23), lean Under and LSU 29-21 unchanged; Alabama–Texas A&M availability note added, Alabama 32-19 and pass unchanged. Updated (Sat. Oct. 24, 2026, 11:11 a.m. CT): DraftKings lines refreshed for Oklahoma–Mississippi State, Ole Miss–Texas, LSU–Auburn and Texas A&M–Alabama (market numbers only, per ESPN’s DraftKings odds feed, cross-checked with VegasInsider); no pick, lean or score changed. Picks disclaimer.

  • Auburn Dismisses Star Linebacker Xavier Atkins, Multiple Outlets Report

    Auburn Dismisses Star Linebacker Xavier Atkins, Multiple Outlets Report

    UPDATE (Oct. 20, 2026, 8:47 AM CT) — CONFIRMED: Xavier Atkins says he will enter the transfer portal. In a post on X early Tuesday, Oct. 20, he wrote: "I have nothing but respect [for] Auburn University and will continue to support my teammates this season," adding that his focus is on his health, his family and finishing the semester, and that he will be entering the portal "at the appropriate time," per ESPN (Pete Thamel) and Pete Thamel on X. He did not address the dismissal itself. He is no longer listed on Auburn's online roster, per Auburn Wire (USA Today). Pete Nakos of On3 reported the portal plan first. Auburn still has not put out a statement.

    The first-team All-SEC linebacker, who sat out Saturday’s upset of No. 1 Georgia, is no longer with the program. LSU, his former school, visits the Plains on Saturday.

    By T-Rohn, Gridiron Gumbo · Posted Oct. 19, 2026, late night CT

    The news, straight up

    CONFIRMED: Auburn has dismissed linebacker Xavier Atkins from the football program, according to several outlets that reported it independently late Monday night, Oct. 19. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported it first, at about 10:36 p.m. CT, citing sources. On3’s AuburnSports (Justin Hokanson), 247Sports’ Auburn247 (Jason Caldwell) and AL.com (Peter Rauterkus) each confirmed it through their own sources within minutes, and WSFA’s Davis Baker said he could confirm the reports.

    Not yet official: At press time we had not found a statement from Auburn or from Atkins. Head coach Alex Golesh has kept the reasons in-house.

    How we got here

    CONFIRMED: Golesh announced on Oct. 12 that Atkins would not play against Georgia. “We’ll keep it in house,” Golesh said. “He won’t be available for us this week for the game.” Atkins did not travel for Auburn’s 27-24 win in Athens on Saturday.

    CONFIRMED: At his Monday press conference, hours before the reports, Golesh said, “We’re still working through it. I don’t have an update right now.”

    REPORTED (On3, Oct. 12): Sources told AuburnSports that Atkins’ discipline this season was mostly about showing up late to, or skipping, required meetings, and at times about how he practiced. Auburn has not commented on that.

    What Auburn loses

    CONFIRMED: Atkins was a first-team All-SEC pick in 2025 and earned All-American honors from several publications. He led the SEC with 17 tackles for loss last season, with 84 tackles and nine sacks. This season he had 37 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in five games.

    CONFIRMED: Auburn’s defense held up without him at Georgia. Bryce Deas started in his place and made eight tackles, and Elijah Melendez had nine tackles, a sack and an interception. Georgia ran for just 113 yards.

    What’s next

    CONFIRMED: Auburn (4-2, 2-2 SEC) hosts LSU on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m. CT on ABC. Atkins transferred to Auburn from LSU, so the Tigers from Baton Rouge will see a familiar name missing from the other sideline.

    The Gumbo Take

    (TAKE, not news.) This is a tough one, and there’s nothing funny about a young man’s career taking a hard turn. Golesh made a call about his locker room, and his defense just proved at Georgia it can cook without its best ingredient. We wish Atkins the best wherever he goes from here. We’ll update this story if Auburn or Atkins comments.

    Labels: CONFIRMED = verified by two or more reliable sources or official records. REPORTED = from one reliable outlet. TAKE = T-Rohn’s opinion.

    Sources

  • Long Live the Dented King: Why Georgia Still Deserves the 2026 SEC Crown

    Long Live the Dented King: Why Georgia Still Deserves the 2026 SEC Crown

    Two No. 1s have been dunked in the roux in two weeks, Kentucky is tied for first, and Mama has opinions. T-Rohn crowns the team with the best résumé in the pot, scratch marks and all.

    By T-Rohn | Gridiron Gumbo | Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, after Week 7

    First, a Confession From the Maroon Pew

    Before I hand out a crown, y’all deserve to know where my bias sleeps at night: I’m a Mississippi State man. I lean maroon. I own a cowbell that has been rung so hard it now only plays one note, and that note is “anguish.” CONFIRMED (by my neighbors).

    So you know I’m not crowning my own team. State is 4-2, 2-2 in the SEC, and just got shut out 31-0 in Baton Rouge after five trips inside the LSU 40 ended in five failed fourth downs. CONFIRMED. Five! That’s not an offense, cher, that’s a man knocking on a door, getting told nobody’s home, knocking again, and then leaving a casserole on the porch with no note. I love my Dawgs. My Dawgs are not getting a crown. My Dawgs are getting a hug and a field goal unit.

    Now let’s cook.

    The State of the Pot: A Throne Made of Folding Chairs

    Here’s the situation after Week 7, and every word of it is CONFIRMED by ESPN’s standings and the AP poll:

    • Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) and Kentucky (6-1, 4-1) are tied for first.
    • Tennessee (6-1, 3-1) and Ole Miss (5-1, 3-1) are one loss back with a game in hand.
    • Florida, Alabama (both 5-2, 3-2) lurk behind them, with LSU, Auburn, Missouri and State at 2-2.
    • The AP’s No. 1 team has lost in back-to-back weeks for the first time since October 1990, per Sportradar. Texas fell to Oklahoma, then Georgia fell to Auburn 27-24 on a field goal as time expired.
    • The SEC still has nine teams in the AP Top 25, and the highest one is Georgia, way down at No. 5.

    The SEC throne right now is less “throne” and more one of those plastic folding chairs at a church fish fry. Everybody sits in it for a minute. Everybody gets up with a red mark on the back of their legs. And there’s always one uncle who leans back too far and goes straight into the coleslaw.

    I called Mama for guidance. Mama is four-foot-ten, ninety-one pounds, and has been stirring the same gumbo since the Carter administration. I told her the SEC had no king.

    She sipped her coffee and said, “Bébé, the SEC never has a king. It has a man holding the spoon until somebody hits him with the pot.”

    Then she hung up, because Wheel of Fortune was on.

    The Pick: Georgia, and Yes, I Saw Saturday Too

    TAKE: The Georgia Bulldogs deserve the 2026 SEC crown.

    I know. Georgia was a 19.5-point favorite at home against an unranked Auburn team and lost. (That’s DraftKings’ closing line at the 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff on Oct. 17, per VegasInsider. Picks disclaimer.) Georgia had 53 straight wins over unranked teams, and No. 1 teams had won 93 straight home games against unranked foes going back to 2007, per the AP. CONFIRMED. Saturday, both streaks went into the trash bag with the crawfish heads.

    But “deserve” is about the whole meal, not the one time you dropped the potato salad on the driveway. Here’s the résumé, all CONFIRMED:

    • Won at Alabama, 20-17 (Oct. 10). Nobody else in the league has a road win in Tuscaloosa this year.
    • Beat Oklahoma 41-13. That’s the same Oklahoma that beat then-No. 1 Texas a week later.
    • Won at Arkansas 45-17 and beat Vanderbilt 38-14.
    • Four SEC wins, tied for the most in the league.
    • Points: 301 scored, 111 allowed in seven games. Do the math and that’s an average margin of about 27 points a game, which in gumbo terms is a roux so dark it has its own zip code.
    • Even in the loss, Georgia outgained Auburn 440-366, and Gunner Stockton threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns.

    What sank them was self-inflicted: three turnovers and, in Kirby Smart’s own words, “some really, really untimely, undisciplined, uncharacteristic penalties” (via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). CONFIRMED. That’s fixable. You can’t coach “slow,” but you can absolutely coach “please stop handing the ball to the other team like it’s a plate of boudin at a wake.”

    Why not Tennessee, my own Power Pot No. 1? Because “who’s playing best this week” and “who deserves the crown” are two different questions, the same way “who’s the best dancer at the wedding” and “who should be married” are two different questions. Tennessee is the hottest team. Georgia is still the best résumé in the room. That’s exactly what the Power Pot said Sunday night, too.

    The Road Ahead (It’s a Gauntlet With Spanish Moss on It)

    Georgia’s bye comes this week, and then CONFIRMED by ESPN’s schedule:

    • Oct. 31: Florida. The Gators just went into Austin and won as a 13.5-point dog behind a quarterback making his first career start. Spooky date, spooky opponent.
    • Nov. 7: at Ole Miss. The Rebels are 25-1 at home since 2023, per the AP. This is the de facto SEC semifinal, and I’ll need a defibrillator and a second bowl.
    • Nov. 14: Missouri.
    • Nov. 21: at South Carolina.

    That’s the hardest remaining path of any contender. TAKE: Good. A crown you earn through Florida, Oxford and Columbia is a crown nobody can argue about at Thanksgiving. Lose one of those and Georgia can kiss the throne goodbye. Win them all, and the conversation ends.

    The Crown Ceremony

    I held the official Gridiron Gumbo Crown Ceremony in my backyard on Sunday night. It went exactly as planned, if the plan was a disaster.

    The crown is a crawfish-boil pot lid with a cayenne-red bow tied on it. The scepter is a boudin link, which I’m told is not regulation. The throne is the same folding chair from earlier, now with a Georgia towel on it, and it is still wobbly, because this is the SEC and every chair in this league has one short leg.

    I called Georgia’s name. I lifted the lid. Steam came off it like a hot tub in a cold snap.

    And then Mama walked out of the kitchen, took the lid, put it right back on the pot, and said, “That’s my lid. Get your own crown. Also, they lost at home.”

    So the crown is now provisional. Georgia gets to look at the lid. Georgia may touch the lid on Nov. 7 if it wins in Oxford. Georgia may wear the lid only after the SEC Championship, and must return it clean.

    The Contenders: Folks With a Spoon in the Pot

    Tennessee (6-1, 3-1). CONFIRMED: The Vols handed Alabama a 26-10 beating in which Bama had 201 total yards, went 2 of 13 on third down and turned it over four times. DeSean Bishop ran 32 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns, and Tennessee closed it with a 9:32 fourth-quarter drive, the longest of the Josh Heupel era. Their only loss was 20-17 to Texas. TAKE: Tennessee runs the ball like a freight train, then a second freight train, and then, just when you think you’re safe, a third freight train shows up driven by Mama, who doesn’t have a license and doesn’t need one. Kicking four first-half field goals and still winning by 16 is the football version of going to a crawfish boil, eating only the corn, and still having to unbutton your pants. Catch: Tennessee doesn’t play Georgia, so tiebreakers could get messier than a seafood platter in a convertible. They go to South Carolina this week (South Carolina -2.5 at DraftKings, total 50.5, as of 8:12 p.m. CT Thursday, Oct. 22, via VegasInsider; lines move. Picks disclaimer), then get Kentucky Nov. 7.

    Ole Miss (5-1, 3-1). CONFIRMED: The Rebels held Missouri, a team with a back coming off two straight 200-yard games, to 39 rushing yards on 26 carries in a 31-3 win. Trinidad Chambliss accounted for four touchdowns, and Kewan Lacy (122) and Makhi Frazier (101) both cleared 100. The lone loss was 52-28 at Florida. TAKE: Ole Miss is playing the best football in October, and it controls the biggest game left on the board. The bad news is the schedule: at Texas Saturday, Auburn, Georgia, at Oklahoma, then my State boys in the Egg Bowl. That’s not a schedule, that’s an obstacle course designed by somebody who hates you personally. REPORTED: It may get a little easier Saturday. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons, the national sacks leader with 10.5, has a high-ankle sprain and is expected to miss the Ole Miss game. Orangebloods reported a three-to-four-week timeline (single outlet). Texas has not announced a diagnosis. Wishing Colin a quick and full mend. Update (Oct. 22): CONFIRMED: Simmons is listed OUT for the Ole Miss game on Thursday’s SEC availability report (via On3).

    Kentucky (6-1, 4-1). CONFIRMED: Tied for first, five straight wins, including 35-34 over South Carolina and 35-34 over LSU, then a 21-13 win at Oklahoma with 230 total yards and four interceptions, capped by a 41-yard pick-six with 1:17 left. TAKE: Kentucky wins like a raccoon gets into your garbage. You don’t know how. You locked it. You put a brick on it. You put a second brick on it. And in the morning the raccoon is sitting on the bricks eating your leftover jambalaya, and he’s tied for first in the SEC. I respect it. But the lone loss was a 45-17 home beating from Alabama, and Tennessee, Florida and Missouri are still on the menu. Kentucky is a contender with one foot on a banana peel.

    The Pretenders: Folks Who Brought an Empty Pot

    Texas (4-2, 1-2). CONFIRMED: No. 1 two weeks ago. Now 1-2 in the league after losses to Oklahoma and Florida, with 272 total yards and 2 of 10 on third down against the Gators. TAKE: Texas has the budget of a mid-size oil company and an offense that keeps running out of gas. It’s like buying a bass boat with a $40,000 motor, three fish finders and a built-in cooler, and then paddling it with a ping-pong paddle. And now the best pass rusher in America is out (per Thursday’s SEC availability report, via On3) the week Ole Miss shows up. It’s math: two league losses and Ole Miss in town means the crown is gone.

    Alabama (5-2, 3-2). CONFIRMED: First back-to-back regular-season losses since 2007. TAKE: The Tide has gone out so far that people in Tuscaloosa are walking out on the sand looking for shells. Then they found a parking spot out there. Then a guy opened a snowball stand where the tide used to be. The defense deserves better, and Bama still has wins over Kentucky and South Carolina, but “we beat the team tied for first in September” is not a coronation speech. Texas A&M visits Saturday.

    Missouri (5-2, 2-2). CONFIRMED: Unbeaten at home, but had first-and-goal at the Ole Miss 2, ran backward twice, threw incomplete and missed a 23-yard field goal. TAKE: You could have rolled a sack of Zatarain’s into the end zone from the 2. Mama has. In her driveway. On a Tuesday. For fun. Three of Mizzou’s last four are at home, so they’ll spoil somebody’s party, but they’re the uncle who shows up at the reunion with a cooler full of ice and no drinks.

    Honorable Mentions in the Chaos Stew: Florida (5-2, 3-2) owns wins over Ole Miss, Texas and Auburn and could absolutely ruin Georgia’s crown fitting on Oct. 31. TAKE: They’re too far back to win it, and just dangerous enough to decide it. LSU (5-2) just pitched its first shutout of an SEC opponent since 2007 (CONFIRMED), and I’ll say it through gritted maroon teeth: Death Valley was a buzzsaw Saturday. Auburn (4-2) is the most dangerous unranked team in America and can tell its grandchildren about Athens.

    Fine Print, Rumors and the Pot Still Boiling

    • CONFIRMED: Standings, scores, stats and schedules come from ESPN, AP recaps and our Week 7 recap.
    • REPORTED: Colin Simmons’ high-ankle sprain (ESPN, On3, Orangebloods); the three-to-four-week timeline (Orangebloods only). Texas’ official SEC availability report drops Wednesday night, around 7 p.m. CT. Update (Oct. 22): CONFIRMED: Thursday’s SEC availability report lists Simmons OUT for Ole Miss (via On3).
    • RUMOR: Mama claims she can predict the SEC champion by which way the bay leaf floats. Last year it floated toward the stove and the stove caught fire. Unverified.
    • TAKE: Everything with the words “cher,” “Mama” or “freight train” in it.

    The Last Bite

    So here’s my answer. Georgia deserves the 2026 SEC crown because it has the best road win in the league, the fattest point margin, a share of first place, and the hardest path left to prove it. Tennessee is the hottest team, Ole Miss controls the biggest game, and Kentucky has a raccoon sitting on its bricks. Georgia is the one holding the spoon.

    But the lid stays in Mama’s kitchen until Nov. 7.

    As Mama put it when I asked her who she thinks wins the SEC: “Baby, the crown don’t go to the best team. It goes to the last one still standing when the gumbo’s gone.” Then she pointed at my bowl. “And you’re not standing. Sit down and eat.”

    Gridiron Gumbo: SEC football, seasoned in Southwest Louisiana. Laissez les bons temps rouler, and kick the field goal from the 6, Starkville.

    Correction (Oct. 22, 2026): An earlier version quoted Kirby Smart as calling the penalties “untimely, uncharacteristic and undisciplined”; his exact words, per the AJC, are now quoted above. Updated (Oct. 22, 2026): Georgia’s 19.5-point line now names its sportsbook (DraftKings’ close). The Tennessee-South Carolina line, previously ESPN’s Sunday number (South Carolina -1.5), now shows DraftKings’ current line. Texas EDGE Colin Simmons is now listed OUT on Thursday’s SEC availability report.

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