What, you ask? After double-checking to shore up a hazy college memory, chaos theory states that within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, interconnection, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals and self-organization.

If that doesn’t describe the current insanity revolving around Kiffin, we aren’t sure what to tell you. Because Kiffin – the chaos master himself throughout pretty much his entire employed adult life – is creating yet another seemingly self-immolating pattern.

In case you lost track trying to keep score, Kiffin is the most sought-after person on Saban’s green earth at the moment. Entire athletic departments and fanbases at Ole Miss, Florida and LSU are simultaneously hyperventilating at their perceived chances of landing the 50-year-old hot yogi/social media influencer who also dabbles in college football coaching.

The problem, we fear, that will result in the combined effect of all this hysteria – either drummed up by the nimble fingers of uber-agent Jimmy Sexton or a more organic groundswell of pent-up glee – is that this will end badly for all but 1 of the involved parties.

Why, again you ask?

Again, chaos theory. Why else would the Family Kiffin be jet-setting on scouting visits to Baton Rouge and Gainesville while the glow of getting to 10-1 by beating the Gators was still fresh?

This has happened before, and over and over again. We saw the result of Kiffin-a-palooza first in Knoxville way back in 2009 – when the recently-deposed Oakland Raiders coach took Tennessee by storm by way of taking wild verbal swipes at Urban Meyer and South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery. Predictably, the whirlwind that Kiffin kicked up only resulted in a 7-6 record that spectacularly backfired when he bolted Tennessee for USC after just a single season… leaving chaos in his wake.

The same trend happened in Los Angeles, as Kiffin went 8-5 and 10-2 in his first 2 seasons at the helm of the Trojans but then mustered only a 7-6 mark in 2012 after being the preseason No. 1 and was then fired on the tarmac in the middle of the night by USC athletic director Pat Haden just 5 games into the 2013 season.

Chaos, redux.

Kiffin became the most prominent enrollee in the Nick Saban Reclamation Project, getting hired to coordinate Alabama’s offense out of the 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust era it had lived in starting in 2014. And while Kiffin and Saban got along about as often as the Tide lost games, it didn’t take the Alabama boss long to show Kiffin the door in 2017 after he got the FAU head coaching job – and was too busy recruiting future Owls to work on the Crimson Tide’s offensive game plan for the national championship game.

Now that’s chaos at its finest, somehow figuring out a way to screw up a shot at coaching for a second-straight national title ring simply by not properly working out your 2-week notice.

Mercifully, Kiffin’s tenure at FAU came and went without a ton of hullabaloo – which probably led to Ole Miss figuring that Kiffin had matured enough for another shot in the SEC. Not quite… as his dalliance with Auburn in 2022 might have self-destructed the Rebels down the stretch to the tune of 4 losses in their final 5 games.

Which all leads up to 2025 – and peak Kiffin Chaos Theory unfolding in real time. First, Florida shows Billy Napier the door. Next, LSU bids Brian Kelly an abrupt goodbye. And finally, Kiffin’s Rebels are 10-1 with a very real shot at earning a first-round College Football Playoff bye.

That 3-pronged nexus of unlikelihood is swirling around the Mouth of the South himself like an F-5 tornado, all the while the impresario of it all is busily tweeting out daily affirmations and gleefully giving softball “interviews” to Pat McAfee this week while the SEC explodes around him.

This is a pattern, y’all. It doesn’t take multiple upper-level psychology level classes to determine that Kiffin wants this to happen – needs this to happen – to somehow feel appreciated and loved. Once? Maybe. Even twice in a career? OK, perhaps. But over and over and over again?

This will end badly in Baton Rouge and Oxford when Kiffin takes the Florida job. Or it will end badly in Gainesville and Oxford when Kiffin takes the LSU job. Or it will end badly in Baton Rouge and Gainesville when Kiffin stays at Ole Miss.

No matter what happens in the ensuing days and weeks, the only predictable outcome is that Kiffin will make 1 fanbase gleefully happy while simultaneously setting match to gasoline in 2 other football-mad locales.

Voila. Chaos theory.

Who says you can’t learn about deep topics while enjoying college football, right?  

The post Chaos Theory is in full effect again with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin appeared first on Saturday Down South.

For this week, the bottom half of the rankings stayed the same, but we had some major shuffling towards the top of our power rankings. Texas A&M remained unbeaten in dramatic fashion. Georgia continues to own Texas. LSU and Arkansas played an entertaining slopfest.

We only have 2 weekends remaining in the regular season, but the good news is that there’s still everything left to play for. No tickets have been punched to the SEC Championship Game just yet.

So, where do all 16 SEC teams stack up entering Week 13? Let’s take a look at our updated power rankings, shall we?

16. Arkansas (2-8 overall, 0-6 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: 23-22 L at LSU
• This week: at Texas

Another week, another incredible collapse by the Arkansas Razorbacks. This team just cannot win close out games when it has a lead going into the 4th quarter. It’s almost impressive how bad the Hogs are when they have a lead in the final frame. This school needs some fresh blood. Bobby Petrino isn’t going to get the full-time job. A total overhaul is needed.

15. Auburn (4-6, 1-6)

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Mercer

Auburn had the week off and should take care of business against Mercer this coming weekend. The Tigers should feel like they have a good chance of winning the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium. That could end up deciding whether the Tigers go bowling this postseason or not. Expect Auburn to have plenty of motivation for that matchup, as if a major rivalry game wasn’t enough motivation.

14. South Carolina (3-7, 1-7)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 31-30 L at No. 3 Texas A&M
• This week: vs. Coastal Carolina

The Gamecocks took an incredible lead in the first half at No. 3 Texas A&M. Then… well, then South Carolina fell apart. Everything that went right in the first half went wrong in the second. How are Gamecock fans feeling about coach Shane Beamer? Social media wasn’t kind during the second half, but we’ll see what happens as South Carolina plays out the final 2 weeks of the regular season.

13. Florida (3-7, 2-5)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 34-24 L at No. 7 Ole Miss
• This week: vs. Tennessee

This has been the story all too often for Florida over the past few years — the Gators manage to compete against elite teams but can’t finish the job. Of course, that makes it all the more exciting when Florida does pull off an incredible upset, which it has on occasion in recent seasons. But the new head coach, whoever it ends up being, will be tasked with making sure the Gators are an elite team, not just a squad that can compete with the nation’s best.

12. Mississippi State (5-6, 1-6)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 49-27 L at Mizzou
• This week: OFF

The Mississippi State run defense is a problem. Like, a big problem. The Bulldogs just allowed Mizzou RB Ahmad Hardy to run for 300 yards in a lopsided loss in Columbia on Saturday. They get a week off, sure, but who awaits them in the Egg Bowl? Oh, just former Mizzou RB Kewan Lacy, who is now running wild for Ole Miss. This could get ugly.

11. Kentucky (5-5, 2-5)

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: 42-10 W over Tennessee Tech
• This week: at Vanderbilt

Kentucky now has a 3-game winning streak. This was a dominant win over an FCS opponent, but not just any FCS opponent. Tennessee Tech entered with a perfect 10-0 record. Kentucky didn’t even sweat in this win. The Wildcats absolutely have not given up on Mark Stoops. Now the Cats just need a win either at Vanderbilt this weekend or at Louisville during Rivalry Week to clinch bowl eligibility. Don’t count Kentucky out!

10. LSU (6-4, 3-4)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: 23-22 W vs. Arkansas
• This week: vs. Western Kentucky

Needing to come from behind to beat Arkansas isn’t anything to write home about. Everyone has done it this year. This wasn’t a good sign for LSU. But the Tigers did at least clinch bowl eligibility (for whatever that’s worth). Sorry if I sound down, but the only thing worth paying attention to regarding LSU is the hunt for a new head coach.

9. Mizzou (7-3, 3-3)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: 49-27 W vs. Mississippi State
• This week: at Oklahoma

As a Mizzou graduate (have I ever mentioned that fact?), it’s frustrating that it took until the Tigers suffered their third loss of the season to start feeding Ahmad Hardy again. Yeah, I think you, dear reader, could’ve rushed for 100+ yards against Mississippi State. But Hardy ran for 3x that amount, becoming only the second Tiger ever to rush for 300+ yards in a game (Devin West being the other). Feed the guy the ball!

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8. Tennessee (7-3, 3-3)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: 42-9 W vs. New Mexico State
• This week: at Florida

It’s not crazy to think that, if a 3-loss team is going to make the Playoff (without winning its conference championship game like 10-3 Clemson did last year), Tennessee could be that team. The Vols lost to Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma. If the season ended today, those 3 teams would be in the Playoff. Tennessee hasn’t beaten anyone of note, but that would change if the Vols took down Vanderbilt in Week 14. I’m not sitting here and saying that Tennessee making the Playoff is likely, but if chaos were to happen, the Vols could put themselves in a good position by winning out.

7. Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2)

• Previous ranking: 6
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Kentucky

Everything I just said about Tennessee also applies to Vanderbilt. The Commodores are in an even better position, as a win over rival Tennessee in the final week of the regular season would be impressive. The problem? Vanderbilt absolutely cannot overlook this Kentucky team. The Wildcats have figured some things out and are now much more dangerous than they were in the first half of the season.

6. Texas (7-3, 4-2)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 35-10 L at No. 5 Georgia
• This week: vs. Arkansas

The Texas Longhorns got spanked by Georgia, which has become a concerning trend under Steve Sarkisian. He just can’t beat Kirby Smart. The Longhorns would have a very slim chance at the Playoff with 3 losses if they manage to beat Texas A&M during Rivalry Week, but that’s obviously easier said than done. At this point, the running game and offensive line don’t give the Longhorns a chance to win big games.

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5. Alabama (8-2, 6-1)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: 23-21 L vs. No. 11 Oklahoma
• This week: vs. Eastern Illinois

You can only flirt with disaster for so long before disaster flirts back. Alabama hasn’t been playing its best football lately, but has been finding ways to win regardless. Even though the Alabama offense dominated the Oklahoma offense in terms of yards, the Sooners forced the Tide into several crushing mistakes. The mistakes finally caught up with Kalen DeBoer and company.

4. Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 23-21 W at No. 4 Alabama
• This week: vs. Mizzou

Maybe Oklahoma should’ve just lost the first 2 games of the season like Notre Dame did. Seriously, the way the Sooners have played the last 2 outings (at Tennessee and at Alabama) with their backs against the wall has been nothing short of incredible. Now, only a pair of Tigers stand between the Sooners and the Playoff. As much as I’d love my Mizzou squad to pull off the upset in Norman, I just don’t see it happening (especially if R Mason Thomas is back from injury).

3. Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 34-24 W vs. Florida
• This week: OFF

I know many (myself included) were expecting the Rebels to win this game by even more. But I think this was a statement made by Lane Kiffin and company. This is the exact kind of game Ole Miss has lost in recent years. This weekend, the Rebels won. And won by multiple scores. That matters. This Ole Miss team is different. If I were a betting man (and I am), I’m now of the belief that Kiffin is staying put in Oxford.

2. Georgia (9-1, 7-1)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 35-10 W vs. No. 10 Texas
• This week: vs. Charlotte

The Georgia Bulldogs are now officially in the clubhouse in the race to the SEC title game. At 7-1, they’re in a good position to punch a ticket to Atlanta. Alabama holds the head-to-head over the Dawgs, but Georgia has the head-to-head advantage over Ole Miss. There are plenty of strength-of-record scenarios that this race could come down to. However, now it’s just about finishing off a push to the Playoff for Kirby Smart and company.

1. Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: 31-30 W vs. South Carolina
• This week: vs. Samford

Wow. Just wow. How can you play as bad as the Aggies did in the first half and still win? Well, by playing as well as Texas A&M played in the second half, of course. We can talk about style points and struggle wins all we want, but the goal is to go 1-0 every week, and Texas A&M accomplished that in Week 12. This team is a win away (at Texas in Week 14) from its first-ever SEC Championship Game.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 12 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

On Friday, Cohen put out a statement to reporters stressing that future scheduling decisions would be based on “what is best for the success of our football program.” The future of the series with Notre Dame has been a hot-button topic for months. Cohen said Friday that USC wants to play nonconference opponents at home “as early as possible every year.”

This year, the Trojans played Notre Dame in South Bend on Oct. 18. Last year, the two teams met in Los Angeles on Nov. 30.

Notre Dame, which has won 7 of the last 8 games in the series, has played USC on or after Oct. 12 every year since 1926, when the first meeting between the 2 schools took place.

“USC is the only team in the Big Ten to play a nonconference road game after Week 4 in either of the past 2 seasons. USC is also the only team to play a nonconference game after Week 4 in both seasons,” Cohen said in her statement. “Intentionally making our road to the CFP significantly more difficult than our Big Ten peers does not align with our goal to win championships.”

Cohen mentioned that USC is the only FBS program to have never played an FCS opponent. She said USC wants to play “meaningful” games and will continue to schedule at least one power conference opponent outside of Big Ten play.

“If that opponent is a rival with whom we share a long and storied tradition, all the better,” Cohen said.

USC chased a payday and left the Pac-12 after the 2023 season, triggering the eventual implosion of the league. Since joining the Big Ten, USC has frequently made a fuss about its scheduling quirks — from kickoff times to opponents.

Head coach Lincoln Riley has repeatedly cast doubt on the future of the series with Notre Dame while the Irish have stressed their desire to continue playing the game.

Cohen said in her statement that decisions on future scheduling will include input from Riley, university leadership, and “feedback from stakeholders across the Trojan Family.”

In August, after an offer to extend the series with Notre Dame, Cohen told the Los Angeles Times that the series was an “important” one to USC and to USC fans.

With the 2025 meeting between the 2 schools the last in the scheduling agreement, USC leadership had been reluctant to give Notre Dame what it sought — a long-term deal. USC first offered to extend the series through 2026, which Notre Dame balked at.

“Our ultimate goal … is to compete for and win Big Ten and College Football Playoff championships,” Cohen said Friday. “Playing 9 games annually in the toughest conference in college football to qualify for a playoff for which future selection criteria remain uncertain, we have a limited number of strategic levers to pull in pursuit of that goal.

“Nonconference scheduling is among the most important of these levers. … For the well-being of our student-athletes, and to schedule equitably with our Big Ten rivals, we want to play our nonconference opponents in the Coliseum as early as possible every year.”

The post USC AD hints at future of Notre Dame series with schedule comments appeared first on Saturday Down South.

There’s still a bit more time left on the NFL schedule, as we prepare for Week 11 (out of 18) to resume on Sunday. But fret not, DFS fans. There’s still plenty of money to be made before all is said and done!

Every week, our DFS experts — Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer — share their 3 favorite college football picks and their top 2 NFL plays from the Underdog app. Keep reading below to see who the guys like this week. But first…

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Week 12 CFB Picks

Here are our favorite college football picks on the Saturday slate:

Andrew Olson

DJ Lagway, Florida QB: Lower than 220.5 pass yards

A week after getting benched during a blowout loss at Kentucky, Lagway faces No. 7 Ole Miss in Oxford. In 6 games away from home, all Florida losses, Lagway is averaging 168.4 passing yards. The Ole Miss defense allows 156.6 passing yards on average at home.

Carson Beck, Miami QB: Higher than 21.5 completions

For all his faults, Carson Beck has high completion percentage of 72.7. Beck’s Miami Hurricanes are facing NC State in Week 12. The Wolfpack have one of the ACC’s worst passing defenses, in which opponents are throwing 37 times per game on average.

John Mateer, Oklahoma QB: Lower than 209.5 pass yards

We’re a month into Mateer’s return from injury, and the passing numbers haven’t been great. Post-injury, he logged his most attempts (31) and yards (223) at home against Ole Miss. Thanks to Oklahoma‘s quirky schedule, Mateer’s first 2 SEC road games have come during the last 3 outings. At South Carolina and at Tennessee, he posted 309 yards passing on 55 attempts. Alabama’s passing defense has been strong at home, allowing 162.2 yards per game.

Adam Spencer

Rueben Owens, Texas A&M RB: Higher than 64.5 rush yards

Texas A&M ran for over 200 yards in the second half against Mizzou last weekend. Owens himself totaled 102 yards on the ground. South Carolina isn’t nearly the defensive force that Mizzou is, so I like Owens to have 65+ yards this Saturday at home.

Fernando Mendoza, Indiana QB: Higher than 241.5 pass yards

I like the Hoosiers to easily dispatch Wisconsin at home. However, even if it turns into a blowout, Mendoza should be allowed to pad his numbers a bit for his Heisman Trophy résumé. He’s in a race with Ohio State QB Julian Sayin and others at the moment, so every yard helps.

Behren Morton, Texas Tech QB: Higher than 251.5 pass yards

Texas Tech should be able to handle UCF at home pretty easily. I expect a lot of running from the Red Raiders in the second half, but look for Morton to have a huge first half. He could reach 252 pass yards before the intermission in this one.

Week 11 NFL Picks

Here are our top NFL Sunday plays:

Andrew Olson

James Cook, Buffalo Bills RB: Higher than 79.5 rush yards

Cook only ran the ball 14 times for 53 yards in Buffalo’s surprising upset loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Bills might want to get back to feeding Cook the ball starting Sunday. There are rushing yards to be had against the Tampa Bay defense. Cook notably hasn’t gone under 80 yards rushing in back-to-back weeks all season.

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: Higher than 18.55 fantasy points

Chase has been on quite the hot streak as of late, going for 90 receiving yards or better in his last 5 games. Chase’s biggest game of the year came against Pittsburgh in Week 7, when he recorded 16 catches for 161 yards and 1 touchdown, worth 38.1 fantasy points. Chase gets to face the Steelers secondary again Sunday.

Adam Spencer

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills QB: Higher than 220.5 pass yards

I’ll piggyback off of Andrew’s James Cook pick. I think this could be a massive day for the Buffalo offense. The Bills need a statement win in a big way after a loss to the Dolphins last week. Give me Allen to connect on a few big plays and put up 221+ yards through the air.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks WR: Higher than 10.5 targets

I like the addition the Seahawks made at the trade deadline, grabbing Rashid Shaheed from the Saints. But JSN is still the top dog in this receiving room. I like him to draw 11+ targets from Sam Darnold in a huge NFC West battle on Sunday.

Reminder to sign up for Underdog by clicking here (or any of the other links on this page) to earn your $100 bonus. Underdog is one of our favorite apps like PrizePicks. Get started today with Underdog promo code SDS:

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The post DFS Picks of the Week: Our top Underdog plays for college and NFL, Nov. 15-16 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Alabama native grew up a huge fan of the 7-time Pro Bowler. Williams shared with the media on Tuesday the feedback Jones gave him before the win against the Tigers.

“Just talking a couple basic things,” Williams said. “Just to help out in routes and when the ball is in the air, nothing too serious.”

Williams finished with 3 receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown. Overall this season, Williams has recorded 36 receptions for 528 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Williams explained what aspects of the now-retired Jones’s game that he aims to emulate.

“Definitely his physicality and his mentality on each individual play,” Williams said. “He plays like its his last play every play. You could just definitely tell, like, he loves football and just continuing to have the attitude of gratitude day-in and day-out, and you just see it. Your film, you can’t wipe that away, so when you turn on his tape, you can’t miss it.”

Next up for Williams and No. 4 Alabama is a massive home game vs. No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET/ABC).

The post Ryan Williams reveals best piece of advice he’s gotten from Alabama legend Julio Jones appeared first on Saturday Down South.

If you’re seeking alternative YouTube TV options for Tuesday night’s Playoff rankings, don’t. It’s not worth it. There are times when it could be worth it, but the Week 12 Playoff Poll won’t be one of them.

Maybe that’s a discouraging thing to say to you, reader of this Playoff prediction column. I don’t care. My objective is to give you the truth.

Last week, I gave you the truth by predicting that Texas and Oklahoma would round out the top 12, and that it would differ from the AP Poll. We had all 12 teams accurately predicted, just not in the perfect order with teams ranked No. 6-9. That’s fine.

This week, we’ll give you the exact top 12 so that you don’t have to watch the rankings show:

12. BYU

After a demoralizing loss to Texas Tech, I tend to think that BYU won’t fall off the face of the earth. Two-loss Vanderbilt and 1-loss Georgia Tech are teams worth watching in this spot, but BYU losing on the road to a top-10 team for its first defeat of the year will provide a bit of grace. The Cougars have that all-important Utah win in the Holy War that should be a buffer of sorts. BYU will likely be tasked with winning the final 3 regular season games, one of which includes a trip to Cincinnati, in order to get into the top 10 before a potential Texas Tech rematch in the Big 12 Championship.

11. Oklahoma

The idle Sooners won’t get a drastic shakeup. They still have 2 wins against teams ranked in the current AP Top 25 and 2 losses against teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll. That’s a combination for minimal variance. Beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa to hand the Tide their first conference loss of the season would change that conversation. For now, though, OU will stay locked in just outside the top 10.

10. Texas

Last week’s ranking of Texas over Oklahoma confirmed that the selection committee values head-to-head when it’s convenient. It’s convenient with Texas, who beat Oklahoma convincingly on a neutral site and has that Vandy win. Both of those victories are better than Oklahoma’s, and I’d argue they’re better than any win that Notre Dame has on its résumé. But with the selection committee putting the Irish as the top 2-loss team based on the response after those “quality losses” to start the season, it’s safe to say that’s not changing.

9. Notre Dame

Eight consecutive wins has given Notre Dame the benefit of the doubt in the eyes of the selection committee. Whether that’s justified isn’t up to me. If it were, I would point out that the Power Conference foes that Notre Dame beat are a combined 7-21 in conference play. Again, I’m not in charge of pointing that out, nor am I in charge of pointing out that Notre Dame’s 2 wins away from South Bend came against teams that are a combined 3-16 overall. If I were in charge of that, I wouldn’t have the Irish as the top-ranked 2-loss team.

8. Oregon

Winning at Iowa is no small feat, especially with how nasty those conditions were. That was a hard-fought win against a 6-win team who has, oddly enough, turned into the best thing on Oregon’s résumé. As it stands, though, the Ducks now lack a win against a team that’s in the current AP Top 25. The irony is that beating a ranked Iowa team knocked the Hawkeyes team out of the Top 25. Oregon is still set up well to get an at-large bid, but that first ranking suggested the selection committee isn’t necessarily sold on the body of work because of how that Penn State win aged.

7. Texas Tech

You could argue that blowing out BYU should have Texas Tech even higher than No. 7. Simply taking the Cougars’ spot might not seem significant, but there’s something else worth monitoring with Tech and BYU. If both teams are going into the Big 12 title game with 1 loss and it’s a grudge match, that sets up a likely scenario in which both teams are in. That’s based on last year’s SMU precedent. Even if the Red Raiders are still outside of the top 5-6, that’s a nice silver lining that didn’t feel as likely before the first ranking.

6. Ole Miss

If you’re upset that I’ve got Ole Miss here instead of Texas Tech, remember this. Whatever gap that existed a week ago has narrowed by virtue of Ole Miss facing The Citadel and Tech blowing out a Top 25 team for the second time. And while “quality losses” are a bit overrated, I do wonder if the selection committee will value Ole Miss losing on the road to top-5 Georgia after blowing a 9-point 4th quarter lead is less of a knock than losing to unranked Arizona State, albeit without Behren Morton. It won’t be surprising if Ole Miss gets leapfrogged, but for now, it’s 1 spot ahead of the surging Red Raiders.

5. Georgia

Georgia being sandwiched between Alabama and Ole Miss makes sense considering that’s where you’ll find the Dawgs’ lone loss and best win. Beating Mississippi State like a drum won’t necessarily help the résumé in a significant way, but it will push back on the trend of playing in nail-biters in SEC play. The good news for Georgia is that it likely still has a loss to give. The bad news is that it has a pair of legitimate contenders (Texas and Georgia Tech) still on the schedule, which means nothing is guaranteed.

4. Alabama

Alabama and Louisville are the only teams with 3 wins vs. AP Top 25 squads, which is why the Tide have overcome that horrific loss to Florida State. As we outlined with Notre Dame, winning 8 in a row packs some punch. There’s a level of consistency that the selection committee valued by putting the Tide as the top-ranked 1-loss team. That’ll still be the case after making sure LSU didn’t feed off interim coach energy in Tuscaloosa.

3. Texas A&M

The selection committee told us last week that Texas A&M‘s win at Notre Dame wasn’t quite as good as Indiana’s win at Oregon. That’s fine for the Aggies. They’re still in ideal position at No. 3 after drubbing Mizzou to knock the Tigers out of the AP Top 25. Sure, Mizzou had a true freshman quarterback in his first career start. A&M also racked up 220 second-half rushing yards against a top-15 run defense on the road. The Aggies are 4-0 in true road games and worthy of being in the conversation for the No. 2 spot, but it’s hard to envision the selection committee reversing course after last week’s initial ranking.

2. Indiana

As IU was facing its first defeat of the season against Penn State with an interim coach, you already saw some of those 2024 narratives resurface. Poke holes in the depth of the résumé, if you will, but that win at Oregon got even better with the Ducks winning at Iowa. Indiana likely won’t be moved off that No. 2 line unless it falters before the Big Ten Championship, though if A&M beats Texas in Austin to get to 12-0, those conversations will be had. Until then, the Hoosiers aren’t going anywhere.

1. Ohio State

Let’s not diminish what Ohio State has done. That Texas win has come all the way back around, and while beating Washington and Illinois on the road in convincing fashion won’t necessarily count as wins vs. the current Top 25, that still added some depth to the résumé. Texas remains the only team to keep it within 17 points against Ohio State, which is why the Buckeyes aren’t in jeopardy of losing that top spot if they win out.

The post Predicting the top 12 of the second Playoff Poll of 2025 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The energy was very high in the Lone Star state in anticipation for this high-octane Big 12 showdown between the top 2 teams in the conference, and Pat McAfee was feeding off that energy from the crowd all morning long.

In classic Pat McAfee fashion, the GameDay host capped off the show by delivering one of the most electric picks of the year for the Texas Tech-BYU game that fired up the crowd inside Jones AT&T Stadium right before kickoff.

“If you step foot in this town one time, you say to yourself, ‘this is a football God’s dream’, and this is God’s country,” McAfee said. “This is the Texas Tech Red Raiders’ time, and I’m rolling with the Texas Tech Red Raiders,” McAfee said, standing up on his chair and ringing a massive cowbell next to Red Raiders’ legend Patrick Mahomes.

This perfectly illustrates McAfee’s elite ability to play into the crowd, and also shows why he’s become such a fan favorite since joining the GameDay crew back in 2022.

The post Pat McAfee gives electric pick for BYU-Texas Tech game to close out College GameDay appeared first on Saturday Down South.

With each clutch throw that Simpson makes in his first season as Alabama‘s QB1, surely there are NFL folks taking note. He checks a ton of boxes. The physical measureables are there at 6-2, 208 pounds, he’s the son of a head coach (and it shows), he’s been the driving force of an offense that lacks an elite ground game, he became the first SEC quarterback to ever beat 4 consecutive AP Top 25 foes without any extra rest and he’s shown he can make every throw on the field, though the intermediate passing game (10-19 yards) is where he’s been at his best with a 130.4 NFL quarterback rating.

(Literally as I was writing this, I went to PFF to look up those advanced stats and saw that Simpson was on the home page going No. 1 overall in Trevor Sikkema’s post-trade deadline mock draft.)

Simpson has been even better than the most optimistic preseason projection, which is why he’s among the current Heisman Trophy favorites heading into the second weekend of November. For some, the notion of an Alabama quarterback being “must watch” doesn’t make sense considering that Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe all finished in the top 6 of the Heisman (Hurts finished No. 2 after he transferred to Oklahoma in 2019).

But Simpson is indeed must watch for a variety of reasons. His emerging greatness needs to be appreciated by those who love watching a modern passing attack like the one Ryan Grubb and Kalen DeBoer are running at Alabama. Simpson should also be appreciated by college football purists who love watching a guy stay at the same school and wait behind multiple quarterbacks while enduring a head coaching change.

A question lingers, though. It’s the one I can’t help but wonder about.

Is Simpson going to be the exception to the new unwritten rule about avoiding 1-year starters in the first round in the NFL Draft?

And if not, would coming back to school with an inevitably large price tag make sense?

We’re not here today to make that decision for Simpson. He’s proven that he doesn’t need any help at making decisions in high-pressure situations. In fact, that very element could be the thing that allows him to overcome the “1-year starter” knock that’ll loom with those NFL Draft discussions.

Just in case you haven’t been following this trend, take a look at the first-round quarterbacks selected in the last decade who were only 1-year starters in college:

• Mitch Trubisky, 2017
• Kyler Murray, 2019
• Dwayne Haskins, 2019
• Trey Lance, 2021
• Mac Jones, 2021
• Anthony Richardson, 2023

That’s not exactly an inviting group. Murray is the only one of that group who got a second contract with the team who drafted him, and most recently, there’s speculation that Murray was given a soft benching in favor of Jacoby Brissett.

None of those 6 guys attempted 600 passes at the college level. Simpson likely won’t hit 600 college pass attempts unless he returns for Year 5 — he’d need to average 36 passes for the rest of the season if it included 16 games — which would be his last year of eligibility. And sure, while there were guys in that group like Trubisky, Murray and Jones who waited until Year 4 of college to become starters, this is about meaningful reps.

But what’s unique about Simpson as a first-year starter is that he’s already gotten a ton of meaningful reps in high-leverage situations.

• Leading by 1-7 points: 54-for-81 (66.7%), 679 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 157.5 QB rating
• Tied: 41-for-54 (75.9%), 478 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, 177.1 QB rating
• Trailing by 1-7 points: 16-for-23 (69.6%), 222 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 193.7 QB rating
• Total: 111-for-158 (70.2%), 1,379 yards (8.7 yards/attempt), 13 TDs, 1 INT

That’s 158 pass attempts when the scoring margin is 7 points or less. Just for a little perspective, Richardson had 184 such passing attempts in his lone full season as QB1, and Jones had 189 such passing attempts during that entire 13-game season he had as Alabama’s QB1. For all we know, Simpson will have both of those numbers surpassed by game’s end on Saturday against LSU, and he’ll finish with a number closer to the late Haskins, who had 323 such attempts as QB1 in 2018.

Whatever draft discussion exists with Simpson should factor something like that into the equation. Let’s also remember that Simpson could end up starting in 16-17 games this season. That’s closer to 1.5 seasons. Shoot, Simpson could wind up facing 8-9 AP Top 25 finishers if Alabama makes a run to the College Football Playoff National Championship. That’d be as many as Lance (0), Trubisky (4) and Haskins (4) combined. Of course, one could argue Josh Allen faced 2 AP Top 25 finishers in his entire college career and life turned out just fine for him.

It’ll be in the eye of the beholder with Simpson. He’ll undoubtedly receive some sort of draft feedback in December or January. Perhaps the 1-year starter element and his 86 drop-backs under pressure (No. 10 in SEC) will create at least some slight skepticism from the next level that’ll have some wondering if a nice payday to return to Alabama makes more sense. Of course, if Simpson does that, he’d have to consider the college-level trend that’s taken shape in the NIL era.

Being a decorated returning QB hasn’t exactly gone well in this era of college football

It wasn’t long ago that Simpson saw what that was like with Milroe. Granted, that included a significant scheme/coaching change. Simpson, in theory, wouldn’t have to worry about that. Then again, neither did Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik or Drew Allar, all of whom were draft-eligible quarterbacks who returned to school and have since hurt their respective NFL Draft stocks with disappointing 2025 seasons. Go ask 2024 Carson Beck or 2024 Quinn Ewers about that, too.

Any world in which Simpson returns would include an overwhelming amount of hype/NIL opportunities/preseason accolades. Managing that — even for a coach’s son who seemingly says and does all the right things — could still prove to be a challenge.

It’s the other side of the coin that needs to be remembered when anyone suggests that Simpson returning to school and getting $4 million is the “safe” decision. There’s risk in that, too, especially for someone who doesn’t have the luxury that a post-2024 Beck had with another year of eligibility.

To Simpson’s credit, he’s done a masterful job of assessing risk and making plays in meaningful moments. It’s not just that he has the 20-1 TD-INT ratio. PFF has him for turnover-worthy plays on just 2.2% of his drop-backs, which ranks No. 2 in the SEC and No. 13 among Power Conference quarterbacks (min. 150 drop-backs). You could say the degree of difficulty lessens with a receiver room as talented as Alabama’s, but watch him and you’ll realize that he’s not just benefitting from favorable passing-game surroundings; he’s making that offense go.

Add it all up and these are a fascinating couple of months ahead for Simpson. Who knows what it entails both with college and NFL Draft accolades? Lord knows someone who has 8 career college starts is hardly a finished product. Simpson would be the first person to tell you that. His self-criticism has felt like a chip off the old Nick Saban block, but amid his emergence is a prevailing thought.

He’s absolutely earned the right to have all eyes on him.

The post As we appreciate Ty Simpson’s emerging greatness, a deeper NFL Draft question lingers appeared first on Saturday Down South.

That’s what it looks like in Tuscaloosa right now, with Alabama reeling off 7 straight wins, 4 of them over ranked teams, and that’s what it looks like to the college football world outside T-Town. It’s been a remarkable 2-month transformation from that terrible afternoon in Tallahassee. The tide has turned in 2025 because the Tide have turned serious doubt into a newfound belief that glory can be achieved without Nick Saban being on the sideline.

There is a feeling that’s building around this team as its 2nd bye fades and the LSU game draws closer. Even when Alabama played down to its competition a few weeks ago in that escape act at South Carolina, it woke up in time with a flurry of magic reserved only for those special teams that know they can go far.

Bama wants to go to Atlanta. It also wants to go back to the Playoff after a 1-year hiatus. If the regular season ended right now, the 4th-ranked team in the country would absolutely be Playoff-bound. But it doesn’t. There’s still a month’s worth of land mines left on that path to the Playoff and that includes hurting rivals who want to ruin what Kalen DeBoer has built in Year 2. 

Can Alabama survive its arduous stretch run? Sure it can, but it’ll need to check these 5 boxes to punch that Playoff ticket: 

1. Beware of reeling rivals with interim head coaches

When you have as much at stake as Alabama will over the next month, you can’t afford to leave anything to chance. It doesn’t matter who’s on the other sideline. But when there are old, bitter rivals on that other sideline, rivals who are down and hurting with recently fired head coaches, that’s a big reason to be at attention and on point. It can’t be any other way for the Tide when they host LSU this Saturday night and play at Auburn on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Yes, the 2 tradition-rich programs with the Tigers nickname are a combined 3-8 in the SEC, which is why they are now being led by interim head coaches in early November. So, what is there to worry about for Bama? Well, everything, because of that old adage that a wounded animal, Tigers in this case, is the most dangerous animal. The players on both of those rosters are feeling badly right now, pondering their futures, with some certainly ready to hit the transfer portal for the 2026 season.

But you know what else they are? They’re super motivated and maybe a little (or a lot) angry, and they want to show their interim coaches that what led to those firings isn’t acceptable. For LSU, it’s Frank Wilson. For Auburn, it’s DJ Durkin. Those players, at least for now, are their players, and they’ll want very badly to attach something special to an otherwise forgettable fall. That something special would be knocking off Alabama and at least putting a dent in their hated rival’s Playoff plans.

Wilson and Durkin also have a golden opportunity right now to prove themselves again as head coaches. Wilson has only been a head coach at UTSA and McNeese State, going a combined 26-40. Durkin went 10-15 in 2 seasons at Maryland, and he actually has done this interim routine before and in the SEC, coaching Florida to a win in the Birmingham Bowl at the end of the 2014 season after Will Muschamp stepped down. Those Gators rallied around Durkin and these Auburn players can surely do the same on Nov. 29 against Alabama.

Both interim coaches will be gunning for the Tide this month. So will their players. Their seasons have already been lost, so what more is there to lose? For Alabama, there is everything to lose. That’s a really dangerous combination. It’s something Kalen DeBoer and his players are going to have to navigate if they want to make it back to Atlanta and the College Football Playoff.

2. Beware of a rested team that just won in Knoxville

Bama’s other remaining SEC opponent besides LSU and Auburn will be a ranked, high-octane Oklahoma team that will arrive in T-Town on Nov. 15 fresh off a bye and a season-saving victory at Tennessee the week before. If the 2 downtrodden but dangerous Tigers teams at LSU and Auburn weren’t enough to worry about, the Sooners will provide plenty of more concern in Week 12.

Unlike LSU and Auburn, Oklahoma is still very much in Playoff contention itself. The Sooners were 12th in the first CFP rankings that were released on Tuesday night, and when they visit Alabama they’ll be really rested and really sky-high after that primetime victory at Neyland Stadium that saved them from that dreaded 3rd loss. Oklahoma just prevailed in a hostile environment, so it won’t be intimidated in the slightest in another hostile environment 2 weeks later. 

Bama will have its hands full with John Mateer healthy again and back at the helm of an offense that can put up points with the best of them. The Sooners know that if they can duplicate what they did in Knoxville and win in Tuscaloosa, they’ll suddenly be in prime position to earn a Playoff berth. They have Mizzou and LSU at home to end the regular season, which will be hard but doable. They’ll be favored in both games. 

They won’t be favored against Alabama, but they ruined the Tide’s Playoff hopes last November in Norman and they’d just love to beat Kalen DeBoer again. Of course, this has proven to be a different Bama team in 2025, new starting quarterback and all, but there are a lot of players on this team who were there last year and remember the embarrassment of that loss. This Tide team will need to cross another threshold a week from Saturday by ruining Oklahoma’s Playoff hopes this time. 

3. Don’t assume the job’s done just by getting to Atlanta

This is where it gets tricky, or it would get tricky if the Tide take care of business this month and earn a spot in the SEC Championship Game. There were rumblings last year when Championship Weekend arrived with the first 12-team Playoff format on deck. What if a prospective Playoff team lost in its conference title game? Should that loss count against them or should it be largely ignored, because it’s an extra game tacked onto the regular season that’s earned by great play over the course of 3 months?

If Alabama loses a game in November and still sneaks into the SEC title game through a tiebreaker, then it’s probably asking for trouble if it then loses in Atlanta. But let’s assume Bama runs the table and finishes 11-1. If a 1-loss Tide team loses the SEC title game after winning 11 in a row, then things could still get dicey on Selection Sunday. That’s why Kalen DeBoer’s team must check this box, too — just go ahead and win in Atlanta, raise that SEC trophy and guarantee that you’re going to the Playoff.

An 11-1 Tide team can’t get to the SEC title game and assume they’re already Playoff-bound just because they’ve reeled off 11 straight wins and went 8-0 in conference play. Yes, you can point to Texas last year and say there would be wiggle room for Bama even with a loss in Atlanta, because the 2024 Longhorns lost the SEC title game in overtime to Georgia yet still got into the Playoff as a 2-loss team and made it all the way to the semifinals.

That’s all comforting but that was last year. Too many other things can happen on Championship Weekend, and maybe the loser in Atlanta doesn’t get in this time around. That’s why Alabama has to do what Alabama has usually done in recent years when it gets to the SEC title game — win. Then it can enjoy that first-round Playoff bye as a reward without sweating it out on Selection Sunday.

4. Feed Jam Miller more because he matters that much

Winning 11 in a row, then winning an SEC title and being a Playoff team is almost impossible to pull off without much of a running game. Yet here Alabama is, sitting at 7-1 and on the verge of doing just that with its leading rusher barely cracking the 300-yard mark. Yes, Jam Miller missed the first 3 games of the season but he’s only averaging 3.8 yards per carry this year and he’s only scored 2 touchdowns.

It’s been a grind for Miller, to say the least, but he’s shown flashes this year, running for 136 yards against Vanderbilt and 85 the following week against Mizzou. Miller’s still got it in him, and that’s why he needs to keep getting chances to put it on display again down the stretch and, just maybe, in the Playoff. 

The 12 carries against Tennessee and the 10 carries against South Carolina aren’t enough. Miller got 22 carries in the Vanderbilt game and 20 in the Mizzou game, and everybody saw what the results were. At some point in the next month, you would think anyway, the Tide are going to need something substantial from Miller to get where they want to go.

5. The defense can’t rest — it’s come too far

While a lot of the focus and praise for the Tide’s turnaround has centered on Heisman contender Ty Simpson, first-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and the emergence of Germie Bernard, quietly the Bama defense has stood tall over the past 2 months. Since getting shredded for 31 points and 230 yards rushing in the loss at Florida State, Kane Wommack’s unit has calmed down and settled in nicely.

Sure, Bama’s D has bent a little, but it hasn’t broken. The Tide haven’t allowed more than 24 points in a game since, which means Simpson and the offense haven’t been asked to outscore anyone during this 7-game winning streak. 

There have been huge plays at just the right moments, like Zabien Brown’s 99-yard pick-6 against Tennessee, DaShawn Jones’ pick-6 against South Carolina and Deontae Lawson’s strip late in that same game. Those season-turning plays combined with the overall consistency has gotten Bama to the precipice of the Playoff. That same formula needs to continue for another month.

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There wasn’t a great deal of drama, at least judging from social media and even the reaction of ESPN’s own Greg McElroy. The only cause for frustration was the ESPN app’s video feed going out in the middle of the rankings show.

As far as the top 3, it was expected to be made up of Ohio State, Indiana, and Texas A&M. In fact, the Buckeyes were No. 1, followed by the Hoosiers and the Aggies.

So why were the Aggies placed No. 3 in the initial rankings?

“We felt like Ohio State and Indiana were close, when you look at the statistical data. We felt Ohio State was a little bit better on the offensive line and defensively,” Rhoades said, according to TexAgs. “When we included A&M as part of the discussion, we felt like the separator there was the defense.”

Looking ahead to Texas A&M’s schedule, it has Mizzou, South Carolina, Samford, and Texas coming up. While it’s No. 3 in the rankings, the prime objective now is to run the table and make as strong a case for itself as it can while doing so.

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Naturally, most of the commotion about the uniform came from Tennessee fans, who believe it’s the “best black uniform in the game.” However, folks on Rocky Top aren’t the only ones swooning over the look. Many non-Volunteer supporters revealed they loved the garb.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Former ESPN analyst David Pollack, a Georgia alum, also spoke glowingly about Tennessee’s uniform. He pointed out that the whole primetime window — Ole Miss in Gray camouflage, Nebraska in black tops and pants with a white helmet and Tennessee’s “Dark Mode” — featured tremendous alternate combinations.

Tennessee is looking for a second consecutive win over Oklahoma on Saturday night.

The post Tennessee’s ‘Dark Mode’ uniforms earn rave reviews from college football fans appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The only time it didn’t come this year was against Alabama, though that’s debatable because Georgia had a true freshman receiver drop what would’ve been a go-ahead touchdown pass that would’ve erased a 14-point deficit. That doesn’t make that loss any easier to stomach, but it’s a reminder that when this team needs to dial up that all-important play, it’s somehow always there.

On Saturday in Jacksonville, you could see it coming from a mile away. Once a banged-up Georgia defense shut down a 4th-down attempt by Florida, erasing that 3-point deficit became inevitable. Never mind the fact that the Dawgs had barely possessed the ball in the second half. Up until Chauncey Bowens got a carry at the Florida 36-yard line, UGA had just 9 carries for 1 yard in the second half.

And right on time, Georgia did a Georgia thing. The UGA offensive line cleared a bath for Bowens to cut back, and he delivered a 36-yard dagger right through the hearts of Florida fans.

Sure, Georgia needed another favorable ruling on a controversial deep pass to an inexplicably wide-open J. Michael Sturdivant to hold on and avoid a go-ahead touchdown drive for Florida, but would you expect anything less?

This is Georgia. That is, the team who hasn’t led at the break in 5 of 6 SEC games, yet has won 5 of 6 SEC games. Make that 3 4th-quarter comebacks for the Dawgs.

No big deal. Even Gunner Stockton’s game-sealing run — wherein he took a knee before scoring the walk-in touchdown that would’ve cashed Georgia -7.5 tickets — was no big deal.

Call it poise, call it casual, call it whatever — Georgia is winning the way SEC games have to be won now

It didn’t matter that this was a Florida team who was in its first game with an interim coach (Billy Gonzales) who had a first-time play-caller in Ryan O’Hara. The Gators showed up like a team with nothing to lose. It was easy to forget that the Gators hadn’t beaten a ranked Power Conference foe away from home since the 2020 Cocktail Party. And it was also easy to forget that Georgia hadn’t lost to an unranked team since the 2019 South Carolina debacle.

Shoot, it’s been easy to forget that this season. We all saw the Auburn game. Georgia basically arrived to Jordan-Hare Stadium once officials made the polarizing call that Jackson Arnold didn’t cross the plane in a 10-0 game. This team is still feeding off that energy.

Would it be nice if Georgia could put its foot on the gas and play a 60-minute game against a non-Kentucky SEC team? Sure. You know what’s a nice thing to have in your back pocket come Playoff time? A coach with multiple rings and a team that won’t panic down a score or 2 in the second half.

Florida’s aforementioned chance to make it a 2-score game came on that 4th-down run in a 20-17 game. A conversion there and Florida is either looking at a 23-17 lead or a 27-17 lead with just under 8 minutes to play. Georgia got that key stuff from Raylen Wilson and true freshman Elijah Griffin, but at this point, the question is worth asking — are we sure Georgia wouldn’t have found a way even if it didn’t get that 4th-down stop?

That’s where we’re at.

Imperfect, Georgia is not. It feels different than an imperfect Georgia team that won last year’s SEC Championship Game. Time will tell how that race will shake out. UGA lost control of its destiny when it lost to Alabama and ended the nation’s longest home win streak.

But much like Ohio State last year, Georgia can do the thing that plucky Playoff underdogs fear. The Dawgs can be the ridiculously talented team who makes the field without having played its best football yet.

All the ingredients are there, even if it’s not the prevailing takeaway from a 4-point win against a 3-win Florida squad. Times have changed. So has Georgia. It has morphed into a team who can trust its quarterback in late-game situations, and know that its defense won’t break. What more do you want in this era of college football?

On Halloween weekend, Georgia once again did its best Michael Myers imitation. It’s becoming one of the scariest sights in America to see Georgia in the second half. Perhaps another Alabama will come along and stand up to the haunting villain that the Dawgs have become among SEC fans.

But I wouldn’t set my watch to that.

The post Is Georgia playing with fire? Maybe, but this elite resiliency is impossible to ignore appeared first on Saturday Down South.

This week we take a look at the Tennessee/Oklahoma game. These 2 teams first played in the 1939 Orange Bowl, a 17-0 Tennessee victory. But over the last 86 years there is a very limited history between the Vols and Sooners, with a total of only 5 previous meetings. In 2015, future Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield led Oklahoma to a furious comeback and a 31-24 double OT win over Tennessee. That game is still on the short list for sustained noise at Neyland Stadium. It was 4 hours of absolute bedlam.

Fast-forwarding to the present day, Saturday evening has the potential to also be unhinged. Tennessee gets its first and only home night game of the season at Neyland, and it’ll break out the black “Dark Mode” jerseys. Throw in a very long day of tailgating and just to be safe, and security better be on the lookout for golf balls and mustard bottles.

The stakes are pretty high. Following Tennessee’s blowout win at Kentucky and Oklahoma’s home loss to Ole Miss, both the Vols and Sooners sit at 6-2. The winner of this game still has Playoff hopes. The loser of this game is all but eliminated from Playoff consideration.

Last weekend, Tennessee’s offense got its swerve back following a disappointing performance at Alabama. The Vols gained 504 yards, QB Joey Aguilar threw for 396 of those, and 3 UT pass catchers (Chris Brazzell, Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley) each collected over 100 receiving yards themselves. UT decided to take a knee in the UK red zone in the final 2 minutes, otherwise they probably crack the 60-point mark. The Vols’ offense is more than capable of keeping it in every game the rest of the way.

Tennessee’s defense? Well, that’s a concern. Yes, Edrees Farooq had a pick-6, and a Jadon Perlotte fumble recovery deep in UK territory led to another Vols TD, but giving up 34 points to one of the worst offenses in the SEC is troubling. Tennessee’s defensive backfield is still ravaged by injuries, and it shows. The Vols hope to have leading tackler Arion Carter back for Oklahoma after the junior LB wasn’t able to go against Kentucky.

Oklahoma’s strength lies in its defense, but that group looked shaky against Ole Miss. The Sooners’ defense is allowing less than 10 points per game, but gave up 34 against the Rebels. The 413 yards OU surrendered was more than double its season average. Was that game an aberration? Well, we will know more this weekend as one of the best defenses in the country matches wits with one of the best offenses in the FBS.

But what about Oklahoma’s offense? Can they keep pace with Tennessee’s? QB John Mateer had surgery on this hand a month ago, and has yet to return to form. Against Ole Miss, he completed 17 of his 31 passes for 223 yards, missing open receivers multiple times. Making matters worse, this is an Oklahoma team that does not run the football well. The Sooners are averaging only 130.1 rushing yards per game, placing them in a tie for 99th in the FBS. This is all music to the ears of Tennessee’s defense.

The Vols are a very tough team to beat at Neyland Stadium. Since late November 2021, Tennessee is 23-2 in Knoxville, and those 2 losses were to SEC and national powerhouse Georgia. They might struggle (much of the time) on the road, but Josh Heupel’s group feeds off the home crowd energy.

Speaking of Heupel, much like last season’s win in Norman, a victory on Saturday night would mean everything to him. Heupel was OU’s star QB in 2000, the last time the Sooners won the national title. His firing in 2014 after serving as an Oklahoma assistant coach for a decade has been well-documented, and left some scars.

Team momentum, personal motivation, game location… don’t overthink this result.

Fearless Prediction: Tennessee 31, Oklahoma 20

The post Fearless Prediction: Tennessee vs. Oklahoma appeared first on Saturday Down South.

More than any other section of the country, we southerners still live off the land. We hunt and fish for food, not just sport. We have miles and miles of fertile farmland where we grow cotton we do not wear and raise tobacco we do not smoke. We grow timber and mold furniture we do not use. It’s not the most forgiving place economically, but it’s the economy we know.

Change comes slowly, often with bitter, violent resistance. Sometimes that resistance makes no sense and has no moral defense.

But the South is also beautiful, brimming with hard-working people who fill houses of worship on Sundays and live with compassion and decency Monday through Friday. Southerners are rarely hesitant to share a meal or help a neighbor in need.

Despite compulsive and constant upheaval, change and the slow fight for it has also resulted in triumph.

The South has delivered a city, Atlanta, with more new wealth (mostly Black) than any other city in the country. The South is the birthplace of some of the country’s greatest art and much of the country’s best music.

The South is also home to the best football.

This isn’t up for debate, no matter what the heathens from the B1G say thanks to their 2-consecutive national championships, which I am told somehow makes them experts on winning, even though the SEC has won more than half the college football titles since 2005.

No matter how slow we talk down South, we all agree — across racial, political, religious, and class lines — that the best football happens in the SEC. We’ve had that belief since Paul Finebaum played in our living rooms while we were infants, and if you disagree well, you are welcome to explain to us how Michigan, Ohio State, Miami, Clemson, or Oregon would fare over the rigors of an 8-game SEC schedule.

We might feel a little twinge of cringe when someone calls the Finebaum show or tweets at the SDS Pod and argues that it’s tougher to win a SEC Championship than a national championship, but what we don’t say, at least out loud, is that there’s a part of us that agrees with that caller.

We’re a little whack-a-doodle down here in the SEC, and we know it.

And the one change we’ll always make quickly is football coach.

Despite Tim Brando’s protestations, Florida’s fanbase was hardly toxic in wanting their administration to dismiss Billy Napier, who was finally fired earlier this month after going 22-23 in just over 3 seasons at Florida, the worst mark for a Gators coach since World War II.

LSU?

Well, outsiders might view their fanbase as crazy for dismissing a coach who went 34-14 and coached the program’s third Heisman winner just 2 seasons ago. But when you know it isn’t working, you just know, okay?

Alabama?

The fans were about to fire Kalen DeBoer again last weekend, at least on Finebaum on Monday. Then Deontae Lawson made the play of the season for the Crimson Tide and Alabama left Columbia, South Carolina, with a 29-22 win. DeBoer is back to being the frontrunner for SEC Coach of the Year.

Kentucky?

Basketball season starts November 3.

Texas?

Steve Sarkisian’s offense isn’t working, Arch Manning is in concussion protocol, and a season that began at No. 1 feels on the brink. Naturally, Sarkisian may be seeking a parachute to the NFL.

Auburn?

Hugh Freeze staved off the executioner with a narrow win over Arkansas.

But in a world where Vanderbilt is a power and College GameDay was in Nashville for a Vandy-Mizzou game in October, is any coach not named Kirby Smart, Lane Kiffin, Clark Lea, or Eli Drinkwitz truly safe?

The season of perpetual discontent in the conference of constant coaching turnover has produced the closest “List” race since we started the Greatest List in College Football way back in the year of Burrow, 2019.

With 3 quarterbacks on this week’s list (the most since Week 1), it’s increasingly possible that a player at the most important position in sports will top the list for the 4th time.

It’s also possible that a defender joins Georgia’s Nakobe Dean (2021) as “List” Champion, or that Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson has a short-lived reign as the only running back to conquer the rankings.

What’s clear is nothing is decided, and we’re about to play November football. Talk about turmoil!

Last week’s “List” is here.

As always, we start with Honorable Mentions, limited to 2 per program.

Honorable Mention: Alabama:  Deontae Lawson, LB; Kadyn Proctor, OT. Auburn: Xavier Atkins, LB; Alex McPherson, K. Arkansas: Mike Washington, RB. Florida: Jadan Baugh, RB; Myles Graham, LB. Georgia: Drew Bobo, C; Ellis Robinson IV, DB. Kentucky: Alex Afari Jr., LB. LSU: Mansoor Delane, CB; AJ Haulcy, S. Mississippi State: Brenen Thompson, WR; Brylan Lanier, DB. Missouri: Chris McClellan, DT; Keagan Trost, OT. Oklahoma: Kip Lewis, LB; R Mason Thomas, DE. Ole Miss: Kewan Lacy, RB; Diego Pounds, OT. South Carolina: Dylan Stewart, Edge; Vicari Swain, PR/DB. Tennessee: Joey Aguilar, QB; Lance Heard, OT. Texas: Colin Simmons, Edge; Michael Taaffe, S. Texas A&M: Mario Craver, WR; Marcel Reed, QB. Vanderbilt: Langston Patterson, LB; Eli Stowers, TE.

10. CJ Allen, LB (Georgia)

Kirby Smart’s best player is Allen, who ranks 8th in the SEC in tackles with 56, has 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and the SEC’s best tackle rate (94%) of players who have played over 200 snaps this season. This isn’t Georgia’s best defense in the Smart era — far from it — but Allen has provided leadership and stability to the group as Gunner Stockton continues to improve. A deserved spot on “The List” as the Dawgs head to the Cocktail Party.

9. CJ Heard, S (Vanderbilt)

Heard made the play of the season for Vanderbilt, forcing and recovering this fumble with Mizzou driving in a tie game late in the fourth quarter on Saturday.

The Commodores scored on the next possession and held on to win, 17-10. On the year, Heard has 43 tackles, a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery. A freshman All-American at FAU, Heard is now making good on his promise at Vanderbilt, leading what is quietly one of the nation’s best secondaries with big plays and excellent coverage (Heard has allowed just 2 explosive pass plays in coverage this season).

8. Chris Brazzell II, WR (Tennessee)

Welcome back to “The List”, Chris Brazzell II. The Volunteers wide receiver went nuts against Kentucky, posting 138 yards receiving and a touchdown in Tennessee’s 56-34 rivalry game win.

Brazzell II leads the SEC in receiving yards (740) and touchdowns (8) while ranking 5th in receptions (43). His explosiveness is a huge reason the Volunteers lead the SEC in total offense and success rate offensively.

7. Ahmad Hardy, RB (Missouri)

The SEC’s leading rusher ran for 97 yards against Vanderbilt, leaving open the question of why Eli Drinkwitz didn’t feed the big fellow more in Missouri’s 17-10 loss on Saturday afternoon. Hardy has 937 yards rushing this season — good for second nationally — but he’s eclipsed 100 yards just once in SEC play and failed to score a touchdown for the second time in 3 games. With freshman quarterback Matt Zollers now the starter in CoMo, it may get worse before it gets better for the Tigers’ star.

6. Trey Zuhn III, OT (Texas A&M)

Zuhn III continues to have a stellar season protecting Marcel Reed’s blind side. Zuhn III graded out at 87.2 as a pass blocker in Texas A&M’s Brian Kelly tenure-ending rout of LSU, surrendering 0 pressures against what had been one of the nation’s best defenses entering the evening. On the season, Zuhn III has allowed just 4 pressures, second-fewest among SEC linemen (Missouri’s Keagan Trost). That’s been vital for the unbeaten Aggies, who rank 21st nationally in total offense and 20th in success rate.

5. Diego Pavia, QB (Vanderbilt)

It wasn’t Pavia’s best day on Saturday against Missouri, but when the Commodores needed a drive to keep their College Football Playoff dreams alive, Pavia answered the bell, capping a 12-play game-winning touchdown drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to keep Vanderbilt in the top 10 and win the biggest game played at FirstBank Stadium this century. Pavia is the only player in the SEC who leads his team in both passing yards and rushing yards and he’s accounted for 20 touchdowns this season.

4. Trinidad Chambliss, QB (Ole Miss)

One of the stories of the year in college football, Chambliss, who transferred from tiny Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, was sensational in the Rebels’ thrilling 34-26 win at Oklahoma last weekend. Chambliss threw for 315 yards and a touchdown and ran for 53 more yards, helping the Rebels carve up one of the nation’s best defenses to the tune of 431 total yards at nearly 5 yards per play (a season high against Oklahoma in 2025).

Chambliss has now thrown for 250 yards or more in all 6 games he’s started this season. That’s the longest streak in the SEC this year.

3. Anthony Hill Jr., LB (Texas)

Hill earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time in his career, collecting 4 tackles for loss, 4 pressures, and 2.5 sacks in Texas’s rally at Mississippi State. Hill’s best came in the fourth quarter. With Texas trailing 38-28 and needing a stop, Hill came up with a sack to force a quick 3-and-out with 9 minutes remaining in the game. Then, with the game tied and 2 minutes to play, Hill generated a pressure to force an incompletion on first down and caused a fumble on a sack on third down, all but assuring the game would go to overtime. Texas won the game — which it trailed by 17 points on 2 occasions — in the added session.

2. Ty Simpson, QB (Alabama)

Simpson wasn’t great at South Carolina, losing another fumble and averaging under 6 yards per attempt for the first time since Alabama’s season-opening loss at FSU. But even on an “off night” against relentless South Carolina pressure, Simpson tossed 2 touchdown passes and orchestrated a 14-play, 79-yard drive in the fourth quarter that helped Alabama tie the game at 22. Great players find a way to win, and Simpson is a great player.

1. Cashius Howell, Edge (Texas A&M)

The best player on the last undefeated team in the SEC, Howell was productive against LSU, registering 2 more sacks and another pair of pressures and hurries to add to his SEC highs of 34 pressures and 23 hurries this season.

Howell’s 10 sacks rank second nationally for a defense that leads the nation in quarterback pressures, hurries, and sacks.

The post Ranking the top 10 players in the SEC after Week 9 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

1. Auburn won.
2. Auburn won on the road.
3. Auburn won an SEC game.

Beyond that, well, now we are devolving a smidge toward what could be charitably call “rearranging deck chairs on the HMS Freeze.” Because if anyone in orange and blue is undeniably happy after Auburn’s 33-24 victory over the bedraggled Razorbacks… we don’t quite know what to tell you.

The twin axioms of “any SEC win is a good win” and “winning on the road in the SEC” certainly apply in the affirmative with the Tigers, alas, as the 4-game losing streak dissipated into the slate gray sky above a half-empty Reynolds Razorback Stadium. But while Joe Public might catch the score scrolling across the screen over a half-eaten basket of hot wings and think to himself “ok, yeah Auburn won…” for precisely 7/10ths of a second, actually witnessing said clash between 2 conference bottom-feeders made this learned critic wonder just how much time is left on Hugh Freeze’s clock.

Because while Arkansas was as bad as advertised Saturday, Auburn’s own Mediocrity Department stayed busy keeping up with the Hogs for almost the entire 60 minutes. Fortunately for Big Toilet Paper, Auburn’s defense made the trip to Fayetteville – coming up with 3 huge 4th-quarter turnovers to turn the proverbial tide toward the visitors for good.

The entire week has been rather interesting for Freeze and Auburn, even before Saturday’s pillow fight with the Pigs. First, Freeze basically found himself pleading for a statement of support from Auburn athletic director John Cohen on Monday after being asked if one has been offered at this point (hint: it had not…).

Then in the middle of the week, news broke that the SEC suspended official Ken Williamson for his colossal botching of the Auburn-Georgia game – giving the dual effect of a sense of justification for Freeze, Cohen and Co. going bananas on Williamson during the game as well as fueling the fanbase’s general conspiracy theory that the entire vertically-striped world is against them.

Saturday was more of the same roller-coaster of emotions, including an eruption of grumbling by the faithful after Auburn attempted a pass on a run-heavy drive late in the first half against Arkansas that was gobbling up 7.5 yards per tote – a decision that backfired spectacularly via an 89-yard interception return for a score to make it 21-10 Arkansas at intermission.

Oof.

That interception was enough for Freeze to hand quarterback Jackson Arnold a clipboard and turn to Ashton Daniels for the duration – deviating slightly from the alleged plan that was to have Arnold and Daniels split reps against Arkansas and a decision that could turn permanent due to Arnold’s continued struggles in 2025.

Fortunately for the moving firm that we still think will hastily pack up Casa De Freeze at some point this season, Auburn’s special teams and defense likely kept their services from being needed this weekend. Alex McPherson drilled all 4 of his second-half field goal attempts, and the Tigers defense got a huge pick-6 of its own – a 49-yard Rayshawn Pleasant miracle – as part of said 3-turnover 4th quarter in which Auburn scored 17 unanswered points to clinch the W.

“That group of young men and that group of coaches, as disappointing and as hurtful as those 4 tight losses are, I think there are people who maybe would have shut it down,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said to reporters after the game.

Freeze said he kissed Pleasant after the Pick-6, and if he was being truthful he should be doling out smooches to the entire Auburn defense as well as to coordinator DJ Durkin on the flight home to the Plains. And while he is distributing the love, Freeze should send a bouquet to interim Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino as well. After all, it takes 2 to tango – and Petrino’s Hogs were certainly complicit in their late self-destruction.

So yeah… Auburn won a football game – its first in 42 days since South Alabama succumbed 31-15 on Sept. 13. And yeah… Auburn won on the road – for the first time in 57 days since going to Waco and taking down Baylor 38-24. And yeah… Auburn won an SEC game – for the first time all season as well as in the 336 days since edging Texas A&M 43-41 in double-OT last season.

Beyond that, well… there are a few times even a win/road win/SEC win can genuinely feel as close to a loss as it can possibly get. And Saturday was certainly one of them.

The post Auburn won an SEC road game… which is just about all the good news the Tigers could muster against Arkansas appeared first on Saturday Down South.

And we’re already past the halfway point of the college football season. Every game from here on out will feel even more intense as teams fight for Playoff position.

Every week, our DFS experts — Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer — share their 3 favorite college football picks and their 2 favorite NFL plays over on the Underdog app. Their picks are included below. But first…

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Our Week 9 CFB Picks

Here’s who we like this Saturday in the college football world:

Andrew Olson

John Mateer, Oklahoma QB: Higher than 238.5 pass yards

The Ole Miss passing defense is coming off a game where it got shredded for 289 passing yards by Georgia’s Gunner Stockton. When it comes to Mateer, it’s all about the number of passing attempts. Considering how potent the Rebel offense is, this could be a game Oklahoma asks Mateer to sling it so the Sooners keep up.

Arch Manning, Texas QB: Lower than 218.5 pass yards

Mississippi State’s pass defense has been up and down this year, but there haven’t been many “ups” for Arch Manning, especially on the road. Away from home, Manning is averaging just 182.8 passing yards per game on 6.5 yards per attempt. There’s plenty of room here for Manning to improve upon last week’s rough outing at Kentucky and still come in lower than the number.

Marcel Reed, Texas A&M QB: Lower than 219.5 pass yards

The Aggies shouldn’t be asking Reed to throw too much on Saturday at LSU, one of the toughest road environments in all of college football. LSU’s last 3 opponents have run the ball 45 times each against the Tigers for a combined 598 yards. LSU has been stingier defending the pass.

Adam Spencer

Fernando Mendoza, Indiana QB: Higher than 265.5 pass yards

The Hoosiers host the resurgent UCLA Bruins at noon ET on Saturday. I expect the Bruins to be a little sleepy after making the cross-country road trip. Mendoza and the Hoosiers get off to a hot start and the star QB makes another Heisman statement.

Taylen Green, Arkansas QB: Higher than 304.5 pass+rush yards

Green is an absolutely electric player. He has outperformed this number significantly in 4 of his last 5 games, with the lone exception being against Notre Dame. Auburn is no Notre Dame. Bobby Petrino’s offense will put up points on the Tigers and Green will have a big day with both his arm and legs.

Sawyer Robertson, Baylor QB: Higher than 311.5 pass yards

Robertson has thrown for 318, 345 and 393 yards in his last 3 outings. On the road against a good Cincinnati team, I think he’ll continue to sling it early and often. He’s a volume passer and Baylor might be behind on the scoreboard in the second half. That bodes well for another 312+ yard performance.

Our Week 8 NFL Picks

And here are the picks we like from the Sunday slate:

Andrew Olson

Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons RB: Higher than 19.5 yards longest rush

Robinson should feast on Sunday. This Miami Dolphins defense has struggled to contain running backs all season. If Atlanta feeds Bijan like it should, he has the speed to break off a long run.

Cam Skattebo, New York Giants RB: Higher than 57.5 rush yards

It was just over 2 weeks ago that Skattebo gashed the Philadelphia defense for 98 rushing yards on 19 carries, scoring 3 times. Have the Eagles really figured out how to stop Skattebo this fast? It seems doubtful considering Philadelphia is in the bottom half of the league in run defense.

Adam Spencer

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills QB: Higher than 225.5 pass yards

The Bills now have the Patriots breathing down their necks in the AFC East race. They no longer have any leeway for lackluster showings. Playing a tough Carolina squad this week, I think the Bills will set the tone early through the air, leading to a big day from Josh Allen.

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals WR: Higher than 88.5 receiving yards

Chase got 16 receptions on 23 targets for 161 yards and a touchdown last Thursday against the Steelers in an absolutely electric performance. It doesn’t matter who is throwing Chase the ball (in this case, veteran Joe Flacco), the guy is going to put up numbers. I like him to have 89+ yards against the Jets this Sunday.

Remember to sign up for Underdog by clicking here now. Underdog is one of the top apps like PrizePicks on the DFS market today. Use Underdog promo code SDS when you sign up to receive $100 in bonus credits ahead of this weekend’s slate of games.

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The post DFS Picks of the Week: Our top Underdog plays for college and NFL, Oct. 25-26 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Game of the Week: Texas A&M (-2.5) at LSU

The stakes: At this point on the calendar, any given edition of A&M vs. LSU stands to set the course for the rest of both teams’ seasons. Winner enters November on the Playoff track, as ever; the loser, with their back against the wall. But this particular edition also looms as a potential turning point for both head coaches’ tenures.

For Brian Kelly, there’s no getting around the possibility that Saturday night could turn out to be a point of no return. If that seems a little dramatic for the coach of a team that was ranked No. 4 in the country less than a month ago — not to mention a coach with a $53 million buyout — well, yeah. Have you been paying attention to the college football hot seat lately? These are dramatic times in the profession. And dramatic mood swings have emerged as a recurring theme of Kelly’s tenure.

Consider how differently LSU’s big September wins over Clemson and Florida look now, with Clemson nursing a losing record in ACC play and Florida looking for a new head coach, than they did at the time. It was immediately after the Florida game, a 20-10 decision in which LSU’s offense managed a single touchdown, that Kelly went off on a reporter who dared to lead off the post-game presser following a win with a question about the offense’s struggles. That question has aged a lot better than the tirade it inspired. Not only have the Tigers lost 2 of their past 3 conference games in the meantime at the hands of Ole Miss and (ugh) Vanderbilt; with A&M on tap and a road trip to Alabama on deck, they’re in serious danger of reprising last year’s 3-game losing streak against A&M, Bama and Florida at the same stage of the season. There was open speculation about Kelly’s job security then, too, exacerbated by the fact that in the midst of that skid he lost a commitment from the No. 1 recruit in the country. For a few weeks there, it really felt like the walls were closing in.

A year later, what has changed? LSU pulled out of the skid to win its last 3 in 2024, and opened this season 4-0. Yet here they are again, season on the line as they stare down the barrel of another rapid descent from the top 10 to irrelevance. How many times can this scenario play itself out before a bunch of disgruntled boosters decide that obscene buyout is worth it? There’s only one way for Kelly to avoid finding out: Win on Saturday night.

For Mike Elko, the pressure runs in the opposite direction. Texas A&M is 7-0 for the first time in 30 years, 4-0 in SEC play for the first time since joining the conference, and boasts its best AP ranking (No. 3) at this point in the season or later since 1975. The Aggies passed their first big road test, a come-from-behind, 41-40 win at Notre Dame in Week 3, and haven’t trailed after the first quarter in any other game. If they’re not thinking big already, a primetime win in Baton Rouge would certainly grant them permission.

At the same time, it would also serve as a reminder not to take anything for granted. Last year’s win over LSU, a 38-23 final in College Station punctuated by a 31-point second half, seemed to crack open the possibilities. A&M climbed into the top 10 following the win with visions of a Playoff run and a potential SEC championship in its eye. Instead, the Aggies got blown out of their next game at South Carolina and limped to a 1-4 finish, going out unranked and undistinguished in all-too-familiar fashion for A&M fans who endured similar November fadeouts under Kevin Sumlin and Jimbo Fisher.

All indications so far are that this team is better equipped to seize its opportunity in Elko’s second season than the ’24 team, despite the benefit of an exceedingly friendly conference slate to date. (A&M’s first 4 victims, Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida and Arkansas, are a combined 2-12 in SEC play.) The Aggies are more balanced, significantly more explosive, and, with the emergence of redshirt sophomore QB Marcel Reed, more settled behind center. In a chaotic season across the conference and the country, why not A&M? The pieces are in place, finally, for a serious push. Just how serious, we’re all about to find out together.

When Texas A&M has the ball: Can LSU put the game on Marcel Reed’s arm?

Reed was the unlikely star of last year’s win over LSU, coming off the bench midway through the 3rd quarter to replace a struggling Conner Weigman. The turnaround was instantaneous: In just a few minutes’ worth of action, Reed accounted for 132 total yards, 3 touchdowns (all rushing), and A&M’s longest completion of the night (54 yards). It’s been his job since, and he’s rewarded his coach’s confidence by consistently hitting his marks as both a runner and a passer.

Don’t be fooled by Reed’s reputation as a dual-threat. He is a productive runner, as LSU found out the hard way last year. But he’s improved as a passer, as well, coming in ranked among the SEC leaders for the season in yards per attempt (8.8), touchdowns (15) and passer rating (156.0). The Aggies made a significant investment in upgrading the talent level at wide receiver, bringing in big-ticket transfers Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and KC Concepcion (NC State) via the portal; they currently rank 1-2 in the SEC in receiving yards vs. FBS opponents.

The question mark is how Reed will react under less-than-ideal circumstances. He has operated in mostly balmy conditions so far, benefiting from a veteran o-line, steady ground game, and comfortable leads on the scoreboard. To his credit, on the one occasion Reed has faced adversity, at Notre Dame, he led a pair of 4th-quarter scoring drives to pull off the upset. The backfield will be shorthanded on Saturday night due to a lingering ankle injury to starting running back Le’Veon Moss. There’s no shortage of candidates to keep the chains moving on the ground, but if Reed is good enough to make a habit out of rallying the team from behind on the road, LSU would love to make him prove it.

When LSU has the ball: Can the Tigers protect Garrett Nussmeier?

It was difficult to separate Nussmeier’s struggles in last week’s 31-24 loss at Vanderbilt from the Tigers’ glaring issues up front. The starting left tackle, Tyree Adams, left the game due to injury in the first quarter, in the midst of an eventual touchdown drive; from that point on, LSU only reached the end zone once more over the final 3 quarters, as the result of what can only be described as a fluke play that resulted in a 62-yard touchdown.

Credit to Zavion Thomas for keeping the spark alive, however briefly, but Nussmeier spent most of his afternoon in Nashville running for his life with not much else to show for it. He was under duress on 13 of his 30 drop-backs, per Pro Football Focus, which chalked up the majority of those pressures to Adams’ backup of the left side, DJ Chester, and the regular starter on the right, Weston Davis. But then, he didn’t fare much better when kept clean, averaging a meager 4.5 yards per attempt on an average depth of target of 3.5 yards. He missed on his only attempt of 20+ air yards, settling for a heavy diet of screens that accomplished little. Vandy dominated time of possession in the second half, sending the Tigers home on a pair of meek 4th-quarter punts following back-to-back 3-and-outs to close the game.

Adams has already been ruled out against Texas A&M, and coaches have seen enough from Chester. Instead, they’ll turn to a true freshman, Carius Curne, who will make his 2nd career start and first on the blindside. The guy he’ll be facing on the other side of the line of scrimmage? SEC sack leader and aspiring first-rounder Cashius Howell.

Put it this way, this is a very bad night to have a rushing attack that ranks next-to-last in the SEC.

X-factor: LSU’s run defense

The other significant injury news for the Tigers concerns the resident tackle machine, junior LB Whit Weeks, who is doubtful to play for the second week in a row as he nurses an ankle injury. In his absence, Vanderbilt piled up 239 yards rushing on 5.3 per carry and amassed a 13-minute advantage in time of possession.

Notably, the Commodores’ leading rusher in that game was Heisman hopeful QB Diego Pavia, who ran for 91 yards (excluding sacks) and a pair of touchdowns. Corralling athletic quarterbacks has been a persistent problem for Kelly’s teams over the years, including last year’s loss at A&M after Reed replaced the lethargic Weigman. The Tigers seemed clearly unprepared for his mobility in that game. This time around, they have no excuse, especially with a healthy Harold Perkins Jr. back in the fold.

The verdict …

How much stock do you put in the unholy aura of Saturday night in Tiger Stadium? Death Valley has earned the handle over the years as one of the most hostile venues in America for a visiting team after sundown, but it is not typically the only thing LSU has going for it in a big game. The Tigers are limping into a must-win date with an underachieving quarterback, an unsettled o-line, a suddenly flagging defense missing its best player, and a sinking feeling about the direction of both the season and the program. This is a prove-it date for Texas A&M, too, whose track record with an opportunity to take the next step is not very inspiring. But the Aggies have been steady by comparison, and resilient in the one situation where they’ve had to be in South Bend. Maybe that says more about the friendly conference slate to date than it does about their prospects going forward. Or, maybe, they’re as good as advertised.

Prediction: • Texas A&M 27 | LSU 22

Ole Miss at Oklahoma (-5.5)

The next step in Ole Miss’ ascent from upstart to contender: Winning a big game in hostile territory. The Rebels are 1-6 under Lane Kiffin in true road games vs. ranked opponents, the lone win coming in a 2023 trip to then-No. 24 Tulane. They seemed well on their way to checking that box last week, sprinting to a 35-26 lead at Georgia through 3 quarters; instead, they abruptly turned into pumpkins in the 4th, giving up 17 unanswered points as the Bulldogs tightened their grip like an older sibling reminding his feisty kid brother exactly where he stands. Even with a reasonably competitive loss on Saturday, Ole Miss should still have a gilded path to the Playoff if it takes care of its business against by far the league’s friendliest November lineup (South Carolina, The Citadel and Florida at home, Mississippi State on the road). Still, it would be reassuring to head off the one potential argument that could wreck that assumption before it has a chance to take root.

Oklahoma (6-1) has the opposite problem, schedule-wise: Saturday’s date is the first of 5 straight against currently ranked teams, including back-to-back trips to Tennessee and Alabama on deck. If the Sooners stand any chance of surviving and advancing against that gauntlet, it will be by virtue of the defense, a fully operational Brent Venables unit that leads the SEC in nearly every relevant category except takeaways. Given the current state of affairs at Texas and South Carolina (see below), it’s safe to say Ole Miss’ offense is the best the Sooners have faced, probably by a wide margin. As much as they would love to see John Mateer rekindle some of the spark that had him briefly atop the Heisman odds in September, his 3 interceptions in a wipeout Week 7 loss to the Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry are fresher in mind. His first priority on Saturday: Don’t make things any harder for the D than they already are.

Prediction: Oklahoma 24 | • Ole Miss 20

Missouri at Vanderbilt (-2.5)

Vanderbilt’s offense is not going to set any records for tempo, but what the Commodores lack in urgency they more than make up for in efficiency. The deeper you dive statistically, the better they look. Per efficiency guru Brian Fremeau, the ‘Dores rank No. 1 nationally in points per drive, averaging 4.1 points in non-garbage-time possessions vs. FBS opponents; they also come in 2nd in available yards and possession efficiency, and 5th in yards per play, at 7.5 yards a pop. Per advanced stats site gameonpaper.com, Vandy is among the nation’s best in success rate (2nd) and EPA per play (4th), among a slew of other metrics. It’s converting on 3rd down (54.1%) and scoring touchdowns in the red zone (80.7%) at a steadier clip than any other offense in the SEC.

Anyway, there’s not going to be a test on the vagaries of calculating EPA. If you tuned in to last week’s landmark, 31-24 win over LSU — featuring 4 extended touchdown drives that collectively drained more than 25 minutes off the clock — you don’t need a glossary to get the gist. Diego Pavia is on the cusp of breaking through as a legitimate Heisman candidate, and with a repeat performance against another ranked visitor we can officially welcome Vanderbilt to the November CFP picture.

For its part, Missouri’s Playoff hopes are still very much alive, too, and its offense is still faring almost as well on paper as Vandy’s. But not nearly as well as it was a couple of weeks ago, before a couple of deflating outings against Alabama and Auburn. The Tigers were competitive in a losing effort against Bama, and survived (barely) its first road test of the season last week in double overtime. In the process, though, they’ve struggled to sustain their September success on the ground. The Crimson Tide didn’t exactly stuff the run in Week 7, but did dominate possession, forcing Mizzou into comeback mode for essentially the entire second half. Auburn did stuff the run, limiting workhorse Ahmad Hardy to a season-low 58 yards on just 2.4 per carry. QB Beau Pribula dropped back 47 times, a red flag for a decidedly run-first offense, and threw two interceptions for the second week in a row.

It says something about something that the Tigers managed to escape with all their goals intact. Unfortunately, in this case exactly what it says probably has more to do with Auburn’s eagerness to shoot itself in the foot. If Mizzou wants to look forward to playing meaningful football after the weather turns, it starts with keeping Hardy on track to 1,000 yards rushing and Pribula in his comfort zone.

Prediction: • Vanderbilt 28 | Missouri 23

Alabama (-12.5) at South Carolina

Nothing is going right for South Carolina’s offense right now: The Gamecocks can’t run the ball, can’t protect LaNorris Sellers, can’t convert on 3rd down, and have accrued more negative yardage on sacks than any other FBS team. It’s hard to watch. But the most disappointing piece of the puzzle remains the ongoing inability to get super freak wideout Nyck Harbor involved on a regular basis. After 2 1/2 seasons of waiting patiently for his enormous potential to come to fruition, Carolina fans are glancing nervously at their watches.

It’s not that Harbor has been forgotten; it might actually be less frustrating if he had. Instead, the Gamecocks’ attempts to feed him have produced a couple of highlight-worthy plays (most notably a 64-yard bomb from Sellers in the opener against Virginia Tech) and not much else on anything like a consistent basis. Since the opener, he has just one reception on a throw of 20+ air yards and one touchdown, a playground-style, 4th-and-goal reception that accounted for South Carolina’s only points in last week’s 26-7 loss at Oklahoma. Altogether, Harbor was targeted 6 times against the Sooners, hauling in 4of them … for a grand total of 22 yards.

Again, there are more pressing issues, beginning up front with a thoroughly overmatched offensive line. (Not an especially young one, either.) Sellers’ failure to launch is impossible to separate from the fact that he’s running for his life on literally half of his dropbacks, per PFF, which has ripple effects throughout the offense. At some point, the only way to keep the receivers involved is to toss them a bunch of quick stuff out of desperation. Still, the Gamecocks opened the season with their highest expectations in more than a decade based largely on the idea that a couple of über talents like Sellers and Harbor making the leap would be enough to make up for the lack of playmakers around them. With one or both likely on their way out at year’s end, the time for making good is running out fast.

Prediction: • Alabama 31 | South Carolina 13

Texas (-7.5) at Mississippi State

Texas fans scanning the schedule before the season probably didn’t think twice about this game. At this point, though, if it’s not setting off alarms it should be. The Longhorns have have not traveled well, to put it mildly, losing their first 2 road trips at Ohio State and Florida and barely escaping with their season intact last week in an overtime slog at Kentucky. Arch Manning has looked so lost/broken/secretly injured that Steve Sarkisian fielded questions last week about whether he’d considered sending the preseason Heisman favorite to the bench. The shorthanded, shambolic o-line has arguably been worse. All 4 Texas touchdowns in Columbus and Gainesville came with the ‘Horns already trailing by 2 scores; their only touchdown in Lexington was set up by a punt return inside the UK 10-yard line.
 
Meanwhile, Mississippi State is past ready to put its 2-year, 15-game SEC losing streak to bed. The Bulldogs established some dark-horse cred in a Week 2 upset over Arizona State, which also reinforced Starkville’s reputation as a kind of Bermuda Triangle. In conference play, they’ve already threatened to snap the streak against Tennessee, in an eventual overtime loss in Week 5, and Florida, where the offense was within range of a game-winning field goal in Week 8 when QB Blake Shapen threw a game-ending pick instead. Eventually they’re gonna beat somebody, probably sooner rather than later. The Longhorns, who haven’t faced the cowbells since the first leg of a home-and-home in 1991, should not dismiss the possibility that it could be them.

Prediction: Texas 24 | • Miss. State 19

Tennessee (-7.5) at Kentucky

Tennessee’s pass rush is arguably the strength of the team, but it was a no-show against Alabama, rarely laying a hand on Ty Simpson and failing to record a sack for the first time this year. (The Vols’ 26 sacks going into the game were tied for the FBS lead.) Kentucky’s struggling o-line presents an opportunity to resume destruction. The Wildcats’ starting tackles, Group of 5 transfers Shiyazh Pete (New Mexico State) and Alex Wollschlaeger (Bowling Green), have plainly struggled against SEC edge rushers, allowing a combined 36 QB pressures and 5 sacks on the season, per PFF. Pete, in particular, was repeatedly posterized in Week 8 by Texas’ Collin Simmons, whose 3 sacks went a long way toward keeping the score within reach on an anemic night for the UT offense.

Of course, Simmons is going to be posterizing much higher-compensated tackles than Pete for many years to come. Tennessee doesn’t boast an individual star with his surplus of juice. But between Joshua Josephs, Caleb Herring, Dominic Bailey and Tyre West, there is more than enough to go around as the Vols extend their winning streak over Kentucky to 5.

Prediction: • Tennessee 29 | Kentucky 16

Auburn at Arkansas (-2.5)

Stylistically, these teams could hardly be more different: In one corner, arguably the league’s worst offense; in the other, unquestionably the league’s worst defense. One side built for slugfests, the other for shootouts. In SEC play, the average combined point total for both teams in Auburn games is a meager 34.3 ppg, lowest in the conference. In Arkansas games, it’s 76.0 ppg, easily the highest.

In terms of the trajectories of their respective seasons, though, they’re on nearly identical tracks. Between them, the Tigers and Razorbacks are a combined 0-7 in conference play, with all 7 losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents. (Note that there’s only 1 shared opponent in the mix, Texas A&M.) More important, all 7 have been competitive decisions that were easy to imagine going the other way.

Arkansas’ 3 SEC losses have been decided by a combined 12 points, with an excruciating, 1-point loss at Memphis thrown in for good measure. Auburn’s 4 SEC losses have been decided by 29 points, or roughly a touchdown per game, but have usually felt even closer — the Tigers led in the second half against Oklahoma, Georgia and Missouri, only falling to the Sooners in the final 5 minutes and to Mizzou in double overtime. The combination of untimely turnovers, blown opportunities, and dubious reffing that has brought them to this point could inspire hours of aggrieved podcasting, and has.

The big difference, of course, is that Arkansas has already fired Sam Pittman, emotionally punting on the rest of the season. All the Razorbacks have at stake is Bobby Petrino‘s bid for the full-time job and QB Taylen Green‘s draft stock. Auburn, on the other hand, remains very much in the throes of speculation over the fate of Hugh Freeze, who midway through Year 3 is a dismal 5-15 in SEC play and 1-12 vs. ranked opponents. The silver lining is a manageable schedule over the coming weeks that presents an opportunity for the Tigers to build some momentum heading into the Iron Bowl. Freeze would love to get one last shot at saving his bacon against the Crimson Tide in Jordan-Hare Stadium, where Auburn always gives Bama all it can handle. If he’s going to make it that far, though, he’s got to start stacking some Ws, starting in Fayetteville.

Prediction: • Auburn 31 | Arkansas 26

Scoreboard

Week 8 record: 6-2 straight-up | 2-6 vs. spread
Season record: 68-13 straight-up | 31-45 vs. spread

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That’s 6 weeks. And that’s a really long time to wait without facing a team with a number next to its name. During that interminable time, Alabama has done a little something about its own ranking, methodically inching up the AP Poll to No. 4 after that Week 1 loss at Florida State left it at No. 21.

But wait just a minute. South Carolina is surely sulking right now, in every way, as the Gamecocks sit at 3-4 to go with a disaster of a 1-4 SEC record. There’s no denying their reality near the bottom of the conference. There’s also no denying that South Carolina was itself ranked early this season, even if that feels like a lifetime ago.

These same Gamecocks were ranked 10th once upon a time in 2025. They were No. 11 when Vanderbilt came to Columbia in Week 3 and put a 31-7 beating on the Gamecocks that included an injury to star quarterback LaNorris Sellers on a helmet-to-helmet hit. South Carolina has never been the same since that dark night at Williams-Brice, losing 4 out of 5 after a 2-0 start.

Can the Gamecocks get that early season mojo back? That’s highly doubtful. But they can certainly summon up the strength for 4 hours, on national TV and in front of their home fans, to at least scare the heck out of an Alabama team that’s probably feeling a tad invincible right now after 4 ranked SEC wins in 4 weeks.

All the human nature ingredients are there for a big letdown on Saturday, which the Tide simply can’t afford to let happen after all they’ve built, and here are 5 things they must do to avoid that massive pitfall: 

1. Stay humble and remember last year’s narrow escape at home

A litter over 12 months ago, South Carolina traveled to Tuscaloosa and nearly left with a victory. There wasn’t any letdown that day, so you can’t blame it on that, because Alabama had just returned home after that stunning loss at Vanderbilt. If anything, the Tide should’ve been sky-high motivated to show how much of a fluke the Vandy loss was, but instead they almost lost again, needing to dig out of a 4th-quarter deficit before holding on for dear life.

That gritty Gamecocks team was quarterbacked by a freshman phenom named LaNorris Sellers, and so is this year’s team. Even though South Carolina has fallen off the wagon this fall, if Sellers can nearly beat Bama on the road as a freshman, he can surely give the Tide more fits at home as a sophomore. You just know Sellers has been thinking about that missed opportunity constantly and relishes a 2nd shot.

And Kalen DeBoer was there, too. He was in Year 1 and leading a shell-shocked team coming off the harrowing Vanderbilt experience, and so it would be a good idea for him to remind his players about what nearly happened that day. Yes, DeBoer has his team rolling right now, but Bama’s 1 loss this season did come on the road against a seemingly inferior foe. 

South Carolina outgained Alabama last season, almost won despite turning it over 4 times and was likely a failed 2-point conversion away from sending the game to overtime. Shane Beamer is desperate for a win right now and so is his sinking program, and so there’s no other choice for Alabama then to remain humble, hungry and keenly aware of the tricky situation that awaits in Columbia.

2. Stay humble and remember South Carolina was once ranked

Look, there’s a reason that Alabama is a healthy favorite on Saturday but not an overwhelming favorite. The midweek spread sat at just 11.5 points, and for a team that’s ranked 4th in the country, coming off 4 straight SEC wins over ranked teams and facing a team that’s just 1-4 in the SEC, that’s really not a lot. There are multiple reasons for that and, sure, 1 of them is that South Carolina is at home.

But the Gamecocks aren’t getting more points because those who shape the spread don’t have short memories. They realize that South Carolins was actually in the top 10 for goodness sakes early in the season before it all went wrong. Largely the same young men will be putting on Gamecock helmets on Saturday, and you just get the sense that Shane Beamer’s beleaguered bunch has 1 more stand left in them.

That stand could very well arrive Saturday, whether it’s for a half, 3 quarters or just maybe a full 60 minutes. LaNorris Sellers has to be sick over how his sophomore season has gone after such a breakout in 2024. South Carolina even fired its offensive line coach a few weeks ago amid the free-fall. Frustration is rampant right now, and Saturday’s ABC stage against arguably the most high-profile program in America is the perfect opportunity to let it all out.

South Carolina never would’ve been ranked 10th in the first place if there wasn’t talent below the surface. It’s there, somewhere. Alabama needs to show up for the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff with this knowledge, place a 2nd order of that humble pie and make believe it’s playing that ranked South Carolina team from early September.

3. Understand that this game is South Carolina’s Super Bowl

The Gamecocks’ season is on the precipice of total destruction. If South Carolina doesn’t come up large on Saturday in front of its loyal fan base, brutal road challenges against Ole Miss and Texas A&M are what follows. Good luck with all that, Gamecocks, who could very well be 3-7 by mid-November.

Williams-Brice Stadium can be a really hard place to win on the right day, and South Carolina knows what’s at stake in a few days. The Gamecocks can either make their season or see it really spiral out of control. Expectations were through the roof in 2025 after that 6-game win streak to end the regular season last year, getting to 9 wins and having LaNorris Sellers back with a year of experience under his belt.

Sure, Clemson comes to Columbia to end the season, and that’s always big. But if things don’t go right on Saturday and the losses really start piling up, then how much will the Clemson game really matter if South Carolina is, say, 4-7? A victory over Alabama at home would be a season resuscitator and a season maker. This is the Gamecocks’ Super Bowl, and Kalen DeBoer’s surging team can’t feel above the fray on Saturday. 

The Tide have to be ready and willing to get dirty in this one. These are the spots where your team captains earn their stripes. It’s just as important, maybe more so, that Ty Simpson leads like a 2025 season captain than plays like a Heisman candidate. Alabama must match South Carolina’s desperation.

4. Don’t let LaNorris Sellers give Williams-Brice a whiff of belief

The first quarter will tell the tale. Sellers was so special as a redshirt freshman last season, right down to that thrilling 20-yard touchdown run late in the 4th quarter to stun Clemson on the road. He really was 1 of the stories of the 2024 season, but the promise of a follow-up in 2025 has fizzled. 

Sellers rushed for 674 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. This year, more than halfway through the regular season, Sellers has somehow rushed for just 108 yards on 84 carries, which calculates to 1.3 yards per carry. No wonder South Carolina is struggling to score points with embattled coordinator Mike Shula. The head of the snake has been shut down, and if Kane Wommack’s defense can keep that snake from getting loose, especially early, then the doubts creep in again and that home crowd will get restless again.

You know the way upsets by home teams are usually cooked up. The seeds for something special are planted early, the crowd senses it and starts believing, and then it’s survival time for the road favorite. It’s all about that 1st quarter for Bama’s defense, and it’s all about continuing Sellers’ miserable 2025 narrative.

5. Keep feeding Germie Bernard, keep winning games

Yes, Ryan Williams is still the most explosive weapon Alabama has, and, sure, Jam Miller is probably its most invaluable weapon, because basically the entire running game revolves around him being available. So, where does that leave Bernard? He just might be the most crucial weapon to Bama’s success.

Through Williams’ inconsistencies and Miller’s injuries, Bernard has been a rock for the Tide in 2025. He leads Bama in receiving in late October, not Williams, with 33 catches for 472 yards and 5 touchdowns. And what about last week’s win over Tennessee, when Bernard even led Bama in rushing with 49 yards on 4 carries. Where would the Tide be in 2025 without the senior from Las Vegas?

They wouldn’t be on a 6-game win streak and ranked 4th in the country, that’s for sure. His success has meant the Tide’s success, and to get out of Williams-Brice with its win streak still intact, it would be wise to stick with that winning formula. Keep Bernard heavily involved and keep stacking victories.

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Both the Tigers and Commodores boast one loss coming into this game and thus have plenty at stake when it comes to their SEC and College Football Playoff hopes.

Similarly, both are coming off one-score victories, with Mizzou needing two overtimes to take down Auburn on the road last week while Vanderbilt kept LSU at arm’s length on its way to a 31-24 home win over the Bayou Bengals.

Now, this date between two of the SEC’s usual bottom-feeders has become a marquee matchup, and an opening betting line for the game was announced Sunday.

Circa Sports gives the hosting Commodores a narrow 3-point edge over the Tigers. Vanderbilt has not beaten Missouri since 2019.

Attention Missouri residents! Sports betting will be legal in your state very soon. Here’s how you can get started with a FanDuel Missouri promo on launch day!

The loser of this game figures to be all but eliminated from the SEC Championship and College Football Playoff hunts, while the victor will position itself well to make a run at both titles when it hits the stretch run of November.

The Tigers and Commodores will kick off at 3:30 p.m. EST, with the game being broadcast by ESPN.

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We didn’t have a single SEC team on bye, and we didn’t have any nonconference matchups. That’s the type of stacked slate that we usually only get a couple times a year, and with 10 SEC teams in the AP Top 25, Saturday was monumental as we pass the midway point of the season.

Shoot, we had Vanderbilt hosting a top-10 team as a favorite. If that didn’t illustrate how massive this Saturday was, I’m not sure what could.

These were the biggest takeaways from Week 8 in the SEC:

Is Georgia “the most resilient team in college football?” It’s hard to quantify that nationally, but it’s tough to argue

For the 4th time in 5 SEC games, Georgia fell behind by multiple scores. That’s just not a sentence you say about teams who are 4-1 in SEC play. This time, UGA trailed by 2 scores in the 4th quarter against an Ole Miss team who had won 4 1-score games. Didn’t matter. It didn’t even matter that Ole Miss didn’t even punt until the 4th quarter. UGA just found a way. Once again.

That prompted Kirk Herbstreit to call Georgia “the most resilient team in college football.” One could point out that Georgia was a dropped touchdown pass vs. Alabama from making it a 5-0 mark in SEC play, though you could say a shanked field goal from Tennessee went UGA’s way. Whatever the case, Georgia hasn’t flinched. Gunner Stockton is at the center of that. He played through an oblique injury and missed significant practice time, yet you wouldn’t have known it from what the first-year starter delivered in a shootout with Trinidad Chambliss.

Is Georgia flawed? Absolutely. The defensive struggles to start games is baffling. Even coming out of the break, Ole Miss hit a big 75-yard catch and score in which Georgia’s defensive backfield just took horrible angles. That’s not even mentioning the lack of a pass rush for the vast majority of SEC play so far.

But in a year in which top-10 teams are dropping like flies and there appear to be a lack of invincible teams, is Georgia’s flaw something that could be overcome on that stage? Time will tell. For now, though, a path to the 8th SEC Championship Game berth in the last 9 seasons is wide open.

It’s not just Diego Pavia’s world; it’s Vandy’s world and we’re just living in it

We’re running out of words to praise what Pavia and Vandy are doing. Yes, that was active tense because after beating a top-10 LSU team as a home favorite, we need to have active conversations about what the Dores are capable of in 2025. After all, Pavia converts seemingly every meaningful 3rd or 4th down. And if he doesn’t, he drops one in a bucket or he miraculously escapes a sack to at least give his team a chance. He hit the Heisman Trophy pose after a touchdown on Saturday, and it’s fair to wonder what more he has to do to move into those conversations.

Let’s also not discount how difficult Vandy made life on Garrett Nussmeier, who made plays, but many of them felt like they were highlight-reel throws. That unit needs to get more praise for how improved it is with Steve Gregory as Clark Lea’s defensive coordinator. Even Ty Simpson had some tough moments against that group with the pressure it dialed up.

So let’s acknowledge that at 6-1 for the first time since 1950, Vandy has legitimate Playoff life with 5 games to play. This is what the Dores are looking at:

• vs. Mizzou
• at Texas
• vs. Auburn
• vs. Kentucky
• at Tennessee

Yes, the road trips to Texas and Tennessee stand out. But is it crazy to think that Vandy can earn a split in those games? It shouldn’t be.

LSU’s Playoff hopes aren’t dashed, but they might as well be

You could see it all over Nussmeier’s face in the closing seconds. He knew what type of opportunity LSU left in Nashville. And yes, while Vandy absolutely outplayed LSU, there were opportunities on the board when the defense finally got a couple of stops late. But loss No. 2 might as well have come with a “no need apply” letter from the selection committee.

Without Whit Weeks, the defense picked the worst time to have its worst game of the year. Instead of showing up desperate knowing what was at stake in a top-25 matchup, LSU lacked discipline and failed to get off the field far too often. Nussmeier didn’t even have one of those horrendous, costly mistakes and it still didn’t matter. The Tigers couldn’t get that breakthrough score-and-stop sequence to flip the momentum, which feels like a microcosm of this season.

We’ve yet to see LSU score more than 24 points vs. FBS competition this year, and it’s tough to see that changing with how banged up LSU looked on the offensive line. Nussmeier might be over that oblique injury, but you just expect him to limp down the field after every big-time throw he makes. It’s a rough watch.

And now, LSU will go into a pair of matchups vs. Texas A&M and at Alabama, both of whom are capable of ending its Playoff hopes for good. It’s not hyperbole to suggest that Saturday was the most devastating loss of the Brian Kelly era.

Alabama just did something that had never been done in SEC history

That is, win 4 consecutive games vs. AP Top 25 teams without any bye weeks or extra rest. Insane. Here’s perhaps the even more impressive thought. The 4 teams that Alabama beat are 23-1 in non-Alabama games this year, and the loss was Tennessee losing to Georgia in overtime. Yeah, that résumé will give Alabama a whole lot of grace with the selection committee, not that it looks like a team in need of it.

Kalen DeBoer is 19-3 vs. AP Top 25 foes and in home games as a Power Conference head coach, he’s 25-0. Sooner or later, his skeptics will turn into believers. Until then, they can watch a clear path to Atlanta that’s opened up for the Tide without a loss in conference play. Also key is that Oklahoma is the lone remaining SEC opponent who has just 1 conference loss. Alabama will have the head-to-head with Mizzou, Georgia and Vandy if it should come down to that.

Considering where DeBoer and the Tide were after Week 1, that’s hard to fathom.

Billy Napier’s job is __________.

“Uh, TBD?”

After Matt Hayes reported for USA Today that Napier could be fired regardless of the result on Saturday, Florida got a down-to-the-wire game that needed a Machai Boireau big-man interception to close out a Mississippi State team who hadn’t won an SEC game in 2 years. Make of that what you will. If that gave Napier another game to keep his job, that’s a strange basis for a long-term decision. After all, his 3rd-and-1 decision to pass could’ve easily been the difference in that game. It wasn’t.

Napier certainly celebrated like someone who looked like he earned another game in his role, as he should. What’s he supposed to say as his team pulls out an emotional victory?

“Hey, I know I’m cooked. How much is my buyout again?”

That’s not how this works. I can hardly imagine that a 2-point home win vs. Mississippi State changed minds behind closed doors. The hay might be in the barn with someone who has an 0-14 mark vs. AP Top 25 teams away from home. Improving to 3-4 beat the alternative, though. Time will tell if it truly matters.

Hugh Freeze’s job is __________.

“Over.”

That’s my belief after his 3rd consecutive 0-4 start to SEC play. Another game slipped away from Freeze. Imagine that. Fittingly, the game ended in double overtime with his hand-picked quarterback throwing to his own lineman to avoid a sack. It was that kind of night for Jackson Arnold, though at least he finally threw an interception. Unfortunately for Auburn, untimely sacks taken, missed kicks and a failed stand late were at the root of yet another heartbreaker.

It felt like the type of loss that you just can’t suffer in Year 3. Not after the way that Auburn imploded late in SEC play. It’s a team that can’t get out of its own way and simply doesn’t know how to win games. At some point, that’s an indictment on the head coach. Freeze knows it. If that was his last game, he’ll look back on a 2-12 mark in games decided by 10 points or less with just 1 win vs. an AP Top 25 team.

All signs point to Auburn beginning its 3rd coaching search of the 2020s. It’s just a matter of when that’ll be.

Your last remaining SEC unbeaten is … Texas A&M? You bet.

For the second consecutive year, A&M has set itself up with an ideal path to Atlanta. Unlike last year when A&M lost the season opener, though, it’ll take a 7-0 record into the last Saturday of October. The Aggies didn’t play disciplined defensive football, but as we’ve seen for the majority of the year, the offensive line set the tone and Marcel Reed was excellent. Reed wasn’t sacked and the Aggies had 217 rushing yards without Le’Veon Moss, who suffered a significant injury (again) last week. Rueben Owens and the emerging EJ Smith looked the part. A&M just continues to find a way to close games with a multi-faceted attack.

Mike Elko wasn’t pleased with that defensive performance, nor should he be. You know what he should be pleased with, though? A&M is 7-0 for the first time since 1994, and his squad is 4-0 in SEC play for the second consecutive season. In other words, this squad has the makings to do more than avoid 8-4 jokes.

A&M will be a top-3 team heading into Baton Rouge. That’s all any Aggie fan could’ve hoped for 2 months ago.

It’s maddening how casual Texas is

I’ll say it. Texas deserved to lose that football game at Kentucky, and it had been a game against any non-Kentucky SEC team, it would’ve suffered loss No. 3. Yes, that takes into account the defense and special teams that bailed them out. Even the Longhorns’ defense, which stood tall in overtime with that huge goal-line stand, let Cutter Boley bounce back in several key spots.

But above all else, it was maddening to watch this Texas offense operate. A week after a potential breakthrough win vs. Oklahoma, Arch Manning looked like the guy who took the field vs. Ohio State, the offensive line couldn’t get any push and it lacked urgency in key moments. DeAndre Moore got out of bounds when he shouldn’t have, which led to Kentucky having enough time to tie the game on a field goal at the end of regulation. And even after that goal-line stand in overtime, Texas had a holding penalty in overtime to make the kick more difficult.

Yes, Texas is in survive-and-advance mode right now as a 2-loss team. But even Steve Sarkisian has to be beside himself trying to figure out this team. The offense is still stuck in the mud heading into late-October. Sooner or later, this offense needs to find a pulse against SEC competition.

Tory Blaylock fueled a much-needed Oklahoma bounce-back win

With John Mateer still working his way back after the thumb surgery, you knew that Brent Venables wanted to feed his tailback in a matchup like that against a vulnerable South Carolina run defense Saturday. You heard the Oklahoma coach turn a question about the mysterious lack of touches for decorated transfer Jaydn Ott into a reason why he loves Blaylock. The true freshman rewarded his coach with a career-high 101 rushing yards on 19 carries while Xavier Robinson had 11 carries for 58 yards.

That was a welcome sight after the Sooners had struggled to find any sort of backfield identity outside of Mateer. On Saturday, he carried the rock 19 times, which 4 more than the most carries by an OU running back this season. Perhaps of equal importance, the Sooners rolled while Mateer only had 7 rushing attempts. The hope was that he wouldn’t be subjected to unnecessary hits as he continues to work his way back from injury. While Mateer wasn’t perfect throwing the ball — he could’ve been picked off multiple times — he still made enough plays with the elusive Isaiah Sategna to keep the Sooners out of a deficit on the road.

The remaining schedule is nothing but ranked foes, but watching a bell-cow back of sorts emerge felt like an important step for the OU offense.

The post The biggest SEC takeaways from Week 8 of 2025 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Alabama offense has been employing the big man in some very unique ways in goal-to-go situations, both splitting him out wide on screen passes and handing the ball off to him in the backfield as the biggest running back in the history of college football.

Proctor can do it all, and if there’s one guy who can appreciate the big man getting the ball, it’s former North Carolina and Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, who joined ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday morning to crown the star tackle for the Tide as the Travis Hunter of the 2026 NFL Draft.

“We’ve renamed him the Travis Hunter of this year’s draft,” Saturday said. “He can do it all. Play quarterback, catch passes, Wildcat, you name it. He is a man amongst boys. Not only is he an athlete, but he’s an intelligent athlete because he’s an offensive lineman. I love this kid.”

SEC Network analyst Jordan Rogers also loves what he’s seen from Proctor, and he wants to see the 6-foot-7, 366-pound juggernaut lined up outside against a corner 1-on-1.

“Let’s get this guy in the red zone split out wide, 1-on-1 with a corner, Darnell Washington-style,” Rogers said. “Let’s get this man more touches. The guy is an athlete. He’s a unicorn.”

Unicorn is about the only suitable word available to describe Proctor, and with the Tide feeding him the ball near the goal line, it’s only a matter of time before he finds the end zone.

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During his Monday press conference, DeBoer praised Alabama’s fans for their passion and urged them to ratchet it up to the highest level for the primetime showdown.

“Looking forward to a great game. We need our fans loud, extremely loud. We need an environment that’s the best in the country here this weekend,” DeBoer said. “Again, we’re playing for a lot each week. We appreciate the support we get. Our players feel an energy and feed off of it.”

Alabama is coming off a fifth straight victory after beating then-No. 14 Missouri 27-24 on the road. Tennessee defeated visiting Arkansas 34-31 last Saturday.

Alabama leads the all-time Third Saturday in October series 59-40-7 vs. Tennessee. Tennessee beat Alabama 24-17 last season. However, Tennessee hasn’t won at Alabama since a 51-43 victory on Oct. 25, 2003.

No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama is slated for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The SEC clash will be televised on ABC.

The post Kalen DeBoer challenges Alabama fans to be loud for Saturday’s showdown with Tennessee appeared first on Saturday Down South.

PrizePicks, one of the largest daily fantasy sports companies in the United State, today unveiled their new first-of-its-kind social feature “The Feed,” which will allow users to see and interact with picks their peers are making in real time.

The new social feature will allow users to create PrizePicks profiles and easily follow friends, peers, and other daily fantasy sports (DFS) players on the PrizePicks app. The feature will allow users to easily play the same lineup as their favorite DFS customers and share their own lineups with the PrizePicks community.

We’re advancing the daily fantasy sports world forward into its next phase, blending how fans socialize online with how they root for their favorite players on gameday,” Dylan Cooper, PrizePicks SVP of Product, said. “These social features create an interactive experience that allows players to build lineups, ride with their favorite celebrities and flex their knowledge with their friends, all within the PrizePicks app.”

Focusing on PrizePicks Community

PrizePicks also recently debuted new player profile features that allows users to create their own unique usernames and see their lifetime DFS stats on the PrizePicks app. “The Feed” will allow other users to search for and follow profiles of users throughout the PrizePicks community.

Additionally, players can now easily copy a lineup and tail their friends, celebrities, or anyone with a profile on the app. Submitted lineups will appear on their feed in real time and users will be able to play identical lineups at the push of a single button. Lineups can also be shared with other users directly or through their own social media feeds

PrizePicks users will have the ability to switch their profiles from public to private if they no longer want their lineups to be featured on the main feed.

Allwyn Acquires Majority Stake

The debut of “The Feed” comes several weeks after Allwyn, a lottery-led gaming entertainment company, announced it was set to acquire a majority stake of PrizePicks. Allwyn will acquire a 62.3% stake of PrizePicks for an expected initial price of $1.6 billion, according to a PrizePicks release. Based on the $1.6 billion price tag for the majority stake in the company, PrizePicks has an implied upfront enterprise value of $2.5 billion.

The implied valuation could rise to $4.15 billion over the next three years if PrizePicks meets certain performance metrics.

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Walter Clayton Jr. was the star of stars for Florida when the Gators captured their 3rd national championship with a thrilling victory over Houston. The date was April 7, and the place was San Antonio, and that’s what Florida Victorious’ focus is on now. Florida fans will now have a chance to own a piece of that special court in San Antonio where a championship was brought home to Gainesville.

After UF won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007, it took 18 years for a 3rd championship to be won by the Gators, and it took a lot of unbelievable shot-making by Clayton and his teammates.

What Florida Victorious is doing is truly one of a kind,” UF junior forward Thomas Haugh said. “They’re giving Gator fans the opportunity to own a real piece of our championship court — a piece of history — while directly supporting the student-athletes who made those memories possible. It’s an incredible way to celebrate our success and invest in the future of Florida basketball.

According to Florida Victorious, “every board, every painted line (and) every inch of the historic court is being preserved” for Gators fans. The offer is the first time a national championship court has been offered to its fan base. According to the NIL partner, every dollar that’s raised through the raffle entries and through sales will go to supporting Florida Victorious and Florida athletes.

This isn’t just wood and paint — it’s the very floor where the Gators made history, where the Gators cut down the nets, and where a new chapter of Florida basketball pride was written,” Florida Victorious CEO Erick Reasoner said. “Thanks to an incredible gift and the support from Gator Athletics and Gator boosters, we have the privilege to share that moment with Gator Nation in a tangible way — and every piece sold will directly support our student-athletes.

Florida Victorious has partnered in this special offer to UF fans with Artsman and Goldin, which will feature it in their Elite Auction spotlight in December.

For more information, Gators fans can go here to learn all about this special championship offer.

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In homage to the legendary Nick Saban, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer clearly isn’t feeding into any rat poison. Especially not after falling to then-unranked Florida State in the season opener.

During his Monday press conference, DeBoer showed the utmost respect to undefeated Missouri going into the matchup.

“They’re 5-0,” DeBoer said. “They’re a ranked team.”

Missouri is 1 of 4 undefeated SEC teams remaining, including Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. The Tigers are coming off a bye week after a 42-6 victory vs. UMass on Sept. 27.

Alabama will have to key in on running back Ahmad Hardy, who is the spearhead of why Missouri is ranked third nationally in rushing yards (292.0). The Crimson Tide’s defense could be up to the task, since they’re 21st nationally in points per game (16.0).

Alabama has found its footing since the embarrassing loss to the Seminoles, winning its last 2 games against ranked opponents (Georgia and Vanderbilt). Alabama at Missouri is slated for 12 p.m. ET on Saturday (ABC).

The post Kalen DeBoer rejects label of ‘trap game’ for Alabama at Mizzou appeared first on Saturday Down South.

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It’s very important to stress that, as of early October when you’re reading this, sports betting is not currently available in Missouri. Legislation will go into effect in early December to legalize online sports betting, but for now all there is to be done for prospective bettors in the state is download the DraftKings App, get your strategy ready and wait it out until December.

Keep scrolling for a further look at what the DraftKings Missouri Promo Code could entail once it hits the shelves in the Show-Me State.

Breaking Down the DraftKings Missouri Promo Code

As mentioned above, Missouri residents cannot currently download the DraftKings Missouri Sportsbook app and bet on games. The Show-Me State is bordered by several states with legal sports betting, however, so some prospective bettors in Missouri may have some history with online betting. Here are a few things to know from those states where sports betting is currently live.

Let’s get out in front of this to start: There is no promo code you technically have to enter to claim DraftKings’ eventual offer in Missouri, or in any state outside of Missouri today. Just use any of the links on this page and the offer will be automatically downloaded to your account once it’s been created. Nifty, huh?

The current DraftKings offer for those in legal betting states is Bet $5, get $200 in Bonus Bets, if that bet wins. It’s about as straightforward as it sounds: Just sign up, bet at least $5 and claim $200 in bonus bets if that bet wins. The best course of action to take is that of a low-risk, low-reward wager with your initial $5 bet, which has a higher likelihood of hitting than a 7-leg parlay would.

Why Choose DraftKings Sportsbook?

So, why DraftKings?

This is the all-important question, isn’t it? After all, there are dozens of options out there currently, so it can be a bit daunting when you’re first starting out. DraftKings is a good option because it’s popular (which means it’s held accountable to common-sense updates and has a reason to adhere to feedback), it has a great design and runs plenty of in-app promos.

Here’s an example of some that are currently available as of October 2025. It’s unlikely that these exact same promos will be available when sports betting comes around in Missouri, but it’ll look something like this.

• Ghost Leg: Turn any Thursday SGP (Same Game Parlay) into an NFL Sunday Ghost Leg Token, which offers users a safety net on any SGP on Sunday.
• King of the End Zone: Win a share of $2 million if your player scores the longest touchdown of DraftKings’ Game of the Week.

Download the DraftKings Sportsbook App Before Missouri’s Online Betting Launch

Sports betting is not yet live in Missouri, but prospective users can get ready for December’s launch by downloading the app today. Just a few more months, Missouri sports bettors.

The post DraftKings Missouri Promo Code: Download App Now to Make NFL Bets Later appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Among the storylines that will be feeding into the pivotal mid-season tilt is the injury status of star Sooners quarterback John Mateer, who has been dealing with a hand injury he suffered against Auburn.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian sat down on Monday to discuss the uncertainty surrounding Mateer and how his team is preparing for the game, with his status still up in the air.

“We’ll plan for Mateer. We have to,” Sarkisian said. “He’s a dynamic player. He’s the heartbeat of that offense. Everything goes through him.

“Coach Arbuckle has a great scheme that we’ve got to prepare for. He’s a fantastic coach. They tax you a lot of different ways with varying tempos, formations, trick plays, quarterback runs, shot plays. So we’ve got to prepare for the offense as much as we need to prepare for the quarterback, whichever one it’s going to be. It’s more about the offense in our world.”

It’s clear that Sark and his staff aren’t leaving anything up to chance when it comes to the Sooners’ dynamic offense, and they really can’t afford to either.

Given the current shape of things, the Longhorns more than likely can’t afford to lose another game if they want to make the College Football Playoff at season’s end.

Whether or not Mateer ends up starting this weekend will go a long way in deciding who comes out on top in the iconic Cotton Bowl, though, and that means Texas has to be prepared for all scenarios.

If Mateer doesn’t play, Oklahoma will start Michael Hawkins Jr. under center. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.

The post Steve Sarkisian discusses Texas’s preparation for Oklahoma amid John Mateer uncertainty appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Arch Manning and the 3-1 Longhorns will come to Gainesville for their SEC opener, while Napier’s Gators will try to break that ugly 3-game losing streak that followed their season-opening win. And they’ll try to do it with their own quarterback, DJ Lagway, leading the way.

It was a long month of September for the sophomore signal-caller who was supposed to have a breakout season in 2025. Instead, there’s been no breakthrough, Florida has plummeted out of the rankings, and now Lagway will oppose Manning on Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN. It’ll be yet another big challenge for Lagway, who has thrown for just 690 yards in 4 games with just 5 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions.

Lagway’s season QBR is really low, sitting at just 46.9, but Napier believes there’s some hope for his quarterback and his team. Napier told reporters that Wednesday’s practice was Lagway’s best since he started practicing, and that alone should give Gators fans some hope.

Napier also shared some hopeful words with reporters regarding Lagway.

“I think that he improves with each full speed rep that he gets,” said Billy Napier about his quarterback’s confidence. “We obviously had an open date last week, so that presented an opportunity for him to get more work. Obviously, we know about, he’s had a very challenging offseason in terms of time missed, and I think that we’re trying to get him caught up, right? It’s all about feedback for me at quarterback, right? Every time I take a snap, or play a play, or process, or the ball comes off my hand, I’m self-correcting, right? I’m improving my process in terms of how I communicate, how I process, my decision-making and just what I can get away with, my anticipation, my accuracy.”

Napier talked about the challenges he’s faced with Lagway.

“The challenge for us is trying to get him ramped up,” Napier said. “I think this is the sixth week of real practice, so he’s working his tail off, and I think that with each rep that he takes, I think he’s getting more and more comfortable.”

All eyes will be on Lagway on Saturday as he tries to outduel Manning on national TV and will Florida out of its losing ways.

The post Billy Napier speaks on DJ Lagway’s confidence, getting better ahead of Texas matchup appeared first on Saturday Down South.

You know what else was revealed? Kalen DeBoer owns Kirby Smart. Also: Ole Miss doesn’t have a QB controversy; it has The Answer. Running backs deserve Heisman love, and the business side of college football is as brutal as transparent officiating is beautiful.

Those are just some of the 10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after Week 5 in and around the SEC.

10. Kirby has a new Kryptonite … and his name is Kalen DeBoer

Until Saturday, only 2 college football coaches had defeated Kirby Smart 2 or more times in a row: Nick Saban and Coach O. Both won national championships during those streaks, by the way.

Kalen DeBoer joined the list Saturday night in Athens, defying the odds and logic, as Alabama stuffed Georgia 24-21.

The Tide exposed Georgia’s limited passing game and unleashed its own lethal passing game.

Georgia will lament how it could control the line — 6.9 yards per rush — yet falter in the red zone (0-for-3). In a 1-score game, o-fers lead to oh-nos!

Bottom line? I’m sorry, Paaaawwwlll! I take it all back. I wrote off Alabama and had Dabo replacing DeBoer.

All of that still might happen, by the way — unless DeBoer gets to play Georgia every game.

Roll Tide.

9. In Trinidad They Trust

Has a QB gone from the bench to SEC Offensive Player of the Year in the same season?

Only asking because, oh, my, Trinidad Chambliss showed he’s not only the best QB Ole Miss has, he might be the most dangerous quarterback in the entire SEC.

Chambliss capped his 3rd consecutive 300-yard passing game with a 4th-and-complete-trust completion to seal a narrative-changing 24-19 victory over No. 4 LSU. Chambliss threw 1 TD pass and added 71 yards rushing. He’s already topped 1,000 yards passing. Not bad for a D-II transfer.

It’s more than the numbers, though. It’s the way he impacts defenses. He literally is a game-plan changer.

If he keeps going, he might be a season-changer. He’s certainly changed Ole Miss’ national championship odds — as well as your opinion on Lane Kiffin‘s ability to win a big game.

8. Forget the offense, it’s time to worry about Brian Kelly

First things first: There’s zero shame in losing a road game against an undefeated top-15 SEC team.

However …

When does Brian Kelly actually win one of these games?

In 2023, Kelly’s LSU Tigers lost at No. 20 Ole Miss and at No. 8 Alabama — the only Top 20 SEC teams they faced on the road.

In 2024, Kelly’s Tigers lost at No. 14 Texas A&M — the only ranked SEC team they faced on the road.

In 2025, Kelly’s Tigers just lost at No. 13 Ole Miss.

More damning, Kelly’s Tigers were ranked inside the top 15 in each of those games. He’s not bringing SoCon players to an SEC fight. In some cases, he’s the alleged heavyweight.

LSU still has road games at Vanderbilt and Alabama this season, both of which could be in the top 15 at kickoff. How confident are Tigers fans that he’ll break through and win 1, much less both?

Now that’s a fair question — even at the beginning of a press conference, ahem — given the title-or-bust circumstances surrounding his arrival in 2022.

Now, about that offense … woof. Preseason, I Sharpied in Garrett Nussmeier as a Heisman finalist and lock to add to LSU’s list of 3,000-yard passers — and maybe become the first Tiger to top 4,000 yards twice.

That’s not happening. Nussmeier hasn’t topped 275 yards yet this season and was held to 197 against Ole Miss. He also tossed another interception, adding to his maddening total. Yes, leading rusher Caden Durham was out, but even my youngest child is old enough to remember when LSU was RBU. Besides, wasn’t Ole Miss without its starting quarterback? And, to further the point, LSU entered the game ranked 15th in the SEC in rushing even with Durham.

Different schools, but it feels like we’re beginning to enter Dan Mullen territory. Maybe 10 wins really is Kelly’s ceiling. If it is, he’ll eventually have an office in another football building.

He wasn’t hired to win 10 games at LSU. He was hired to win the next national championship.

7. Tennessee fans, I don’t know how you do it …

In Week 1, I crowned Tennessee while reminding myself, don’t overreact to Tennessee.

But the Vols are so much fun to watch, and their offense is dangerous enough to take out almost anybody.

Then comes a road trip to upset-capable Mississippi State, which, no matter how many times Josh Heupel reminded his players that this team was, indeed, capable of ruining the Vols season, all the Vols likely heard was: “Mississippi State has lost 12 consecutive SEC games and topped 30 points in only 1 of those.”

That’s exactly how you find yourself staring at a 7-point deficit late in the 4th quarter, needing 75 yards — and a spectacular/fortunate 4th-down conversion — just to keep your Playoff hopes alive.

Credit the Vols. Joey Aguilar didn’t play a clean game, but he was on point when it mattered most.

Great teams win these kinds of games. Merely good teams lose a lot of these 1-possession games.

The Vols are somewhere between good and great. My advice: Keep the outlook (and glass) half-full. Comes in handy.

6. Arkansas has a bye. Time to say, bye-bye …

The only positive thing you can say about Arkansas’ performance Saturday vs. visiting Notre Dame is this: At least the Hogs didn’t lose yet another 1-score game.

Giving up 42 points in the first half — 28 in the final 8 minutes, including 14 in the final 40 seconds — tells you everything you need to know about the state of this program.

I hate saying players have quit on Sam Pittman because I can’t pretend to know their mental state, but it’s pretty obvious they’ve turned the page. A quick glance at the stands in the 3rd quarter tells you fans have, as well.

It’s time for Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek to do the same.

Forget worrying about technicalities in a an already-modest buyout saving you a few dollars.

The bye week is here.

Firing a defensive coordinator isn’t salvaging or fixing anything.

Thank Pittman, pay him, promote Bobby Petrino and move on.

5. Diego Pavia won’t win the Heisman, but he’s college football’s MVP

The Heisman Trophy is awarded to “the most outstanding player” in the country. Says so in the bylaws. Scan the list of Heisman winners, and it’s pretty obvious that “most outstanding” doesn’t always equate to most valuable.

Vanderbilt QB/Hype Man Diego Pavia isn’t the most outstanding player in college football — though he’s far better than you think.

Valuable? No question.

Think about what Pavia walked into, 2 years ago.

Fast-forward to how far Pavia has carried Vanderbilt fotball since.

Vanderbilt won 7 games last season — highlighted by the historic Alabama takedown.

Saturday, the No. 18-ranked ‘Dores improved to 5-0 with a thorough beating of Utah State. This is just the 2nd time Vandy has been 5-0 since WWII — and first time since the 2008 season. (The program record is 9-0, set in 1904, so, stay tuned ….)

Pavia, who tied a program record with 5 TD passes Saturday, now has 12 wins in 1 1/2 seasons — with more to come.

Vandy won 12 games — combined — from 2019-2023.

Again, perspective: He has completely changed the way you think about Vanderbilt football — or the fact that you even think about Vanderbilt football.

Next week, Pavia will try to become the first starting QB to beat Alabama 2 times since Nick Saban arrived in 2007. (Of course, those other QBs had to go through Saban, but we’re not about to rain on King Pavia’s parade. Cue: SEC Shorts.)

4. 4 takeaways from SEC schedule reveal

On Monday morning, Chris Low revealed the SEC’s 3 permanent opponents for the next 4 seasons. A couple of days later, the SEC confirmed Low’s reporting with an hour-long special on ESPN. By then, of course, Finebaum produced 2 shows, and SEC fans had overreacted to everything worth overreacting to.

I get one shot to overreact: Right here, every Sunday morning with you fine folks before we all head out for some much-needed saving.

My 4 biggest takeaways:

1. The SEC nailed it with Texas’ 3 permanent, err, “annual opponents.” It’s the most authentic, logical grouping in the league.

2. LSU got who? No Alabama? No Florida? Take your pick, but either the LSU vs Alabama or Florida vs. LSU rivalry has to be restored as an “annual” game, not an extra, occasional thrown into the rotation. I thought this was the biggest miss. It’s a puzzle, I get it. Remove one team, impact all of the others. It’s not as simple as just swapping LSU for Kentucky, but that’s what AI is for. Figure it out because this both matchups are among the best, high-stakes rivalries in the SEC.

3. Poor Auburn. No matter what happens, the Tigers can’t escape Alabama or Georgia. They’re still the only SEC team that has to play both every year. Obviously, the iconic Iron Bowl has to stay — even if/when the SEC expands to 32 teams and officially becomes the NFL (National Feeder League). And you can’t exactly get rid of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, either. And now Vandy’s good, too? In football? Poor Auburn.

4. Georgia ain’t losing to its 3 annual partners, a’ight? It’s cyclical, Paaawwwlll! The Gators are a great head coach from reclaiming the East, err, um, getting back to Atlanta!

Given the current circumstances on those respective campuses, I’ll take Georgia going 12-0 vs. Florida, Auburn and South Carolina against whatever record you prefer — even your first choice: 1-11.

3. A non-QB Heisman ballot, just for Coach Drink …

Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz wasn’t wrong when he chided the media’s fasciation with giving quarterbacks more love than running backs, in general, but particularly when discussing the Heisman Trophy. A quick look at the Heisman odds proves his point: There isn’t a running back to be found — and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith generally is the only non-QB in the top 10.

Overreactions readers might remember that I had Smith on my Week 1 Heisman ballot — and noted I liked his chances to win the award primarily because there isn’t a Joe Burrow-type QB this season.

“Sure, quarterbacks still lead the way in the 2025 race, but there’s no player in America capable of separating from his peers — or opponents — quite like Smith.”

In honor of Drinkwitz, here’s my all-non-QB Heisman ballot.

1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State: He’s the best player in America and might win it anyway.

2. Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri: Credit Drinkwitz for setting up an RB-friendly system that all but guarantees Mizzou a 1,000-yard rusher — usually with guys AP voters on either side of the country have never heard of. Hardy is the latest. Undersized and overlooked in every way imaginable, all the Louisiana-Monroe transfer has done thus far is run to the top of the SEC leaderboard in rushing yards. He had 130 yards (and 3 TDs) Saturday, giving him 730 yards through 5 games.

Here’s a fun fact: In the past 4 seasons, Mizzou has produced 2 1,600 yard rushers (Tyler Badie, 1,604 in 2021; Cody Schroeder, 1,627 in 2023). Hardy is on pace to become the 3rd Tiger to crack 1,600 yards — in 5 years.

Here’s some perspective on how ridiculous that is … courtesy of SDS’ trusty, exclusive database of every 1,000-yard rusher in SEC history:

Alabama has only produced 3 1,600-yard rushers in program history — and nobody since Derrick Henry set the SEC record with 2,219 yards in 2015.

Auburn has only produced 3 1,600-yard rushers (yes, Bo Jackson did it) — and nobody since Tre Mason (1,816 yards in 2013).

Georgia Heisman winner Herschel Walker is the only Dawg to top 1,600 yards — and he did it 3 times! In 1981, Walker set the SEC’s magic number of 1,891 yards — a single-season record that stood for more than 30 years until Henry broke it.

LSU’s most recent 1,600-yard rusher is Leonard Fournette (1,953 in 2015). Fournette and Charles Alexander are the only Tigers to top 1,600 yards in a season.

Arkansas’ Darren McFadden is the only Hog to top 1,600 yards, and he did it twice. (He should have won the 2007 Heisman, and he belongs on this list of the biggest Heisman snubs of all-time.)

Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt haven’t produced a single 1,600-yard rusher — ever. Kentucky has produced 1 (Moe Williams). South Carolina has 2 — both by George Rogers before joining the SEC. Texas A&M has 3, but 2 were before joining the SEC.

Oklahoma (7) and Texas (6) have produced the most 1,600-yard rushers, but none of those rushers dealt with SEC defenses.

So, in sum, Mizzou has produced 2 1,600-yard rushers in the past 4 seasons and has a chance to do something in a 5-year span that most SEC teams have never done.

That’s worth your attention.

3. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame: The Irish have fully recovered from the 0-2 start and are back in the Playoff hunt — thanks largely to Love, who added 4 more touchdowns (2 rushing, 2 receiving) in the 56-13 blowout at Arkansas. The Reggie Bush comps are legit: Love has now accounted for 8 TDs and is the dynamic playmaker in Notre Dame’s offense, capable of turning any touch into a Heisman moment.

2. He’s a man! He’s 40! He’s … outta here

Mike Gundy won a lot of football games in his 21 seasons at Oklahoma State. He won 170 to be exact. That’s not only the most in school history, it’s more than the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 Cowboys coaches won combined.

So why is it, almost 20 years later, every time we hear his name, we shout: “I’m a man! I’m 40!”

Gundy, of course, was in the news Tuesday because Oklahoma State unceremoniously fired him. In fairness, OK State had not been even OK for a few years. OSU lost 11 of its final 12 games under Gundy dating to last season.

Still …

It was a heck of a ride, Cowboy. Here’s hoping that this wasn’t his last rodeo.

1. SEC … follow the ACC’s lead — now

So, apparently, the ACC has been showing its replay review process all season. Who knew? I’m too busy watching SEC football to absorb anything other than ACC highlights.

Friday night’s primetime Virginia-FSU game was a revelation to me — and judging by the response on Twitter — most of the country. (Oh, Virginia was, too, and as we fully embrace the Portal-Parity Era of college football, I’m trying to prepare myself for Virginia vs. Indiana in a Playoff game.)

Back to the review process: It was fascinating, watching the ACC replay center scour video replays from numerous angles and discuss the findings with the lead official on the field. Viewers saw the same angles, heard every word of the conversation. Including the head of the replay review center finishing every review by asking the lead official: “Are in we all in agreement?”

Ultimate transparency. Zero conspiracy.

I mean, imagine the scenario in which Playoff-hopeful FSU got the benefit of an overrule without us hearing how and why a call was reversed? That’s how every other league does it — under the veil of secrecy. That’s how conspiracies start.

The SEC likes to lead the way, but they’re chasing badly in this instance.

The ACC showed everybody — from the SEC to the NFL — the value in transparency. With all the problems the SEC dealt with this past week, including the Auburn AD admonishing the SEC and its officiating during the Oklahoma game, the time is now.

Fix it.

The post 10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after Week 5 in the SEC appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The team just announced a long-term extension for head coach Mike White that will keep him in Athens through the 2031 season.

White, who was hired in 2022 to replace Tom Crean, has quickly turned around a Georgia basketball program that had been among the worst in the SEC for nearly a decade.

His prowess as a recruiter and ability to add key additions via the transfer portal have turned the Dawgs from SEC bottom feeders to one of the fastest rising programs in the nation. The 2024-25 season was the best in recent memory for Georgia, as White led them to a 20-13 record and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since way back in 2015.

It’s clear that White has the Dawgs on an upward trajectory, and the power brokers inside the UGA Athletics Department have enough faith in what he is building to keep him around for the foreseeable future.

Georgia basketball will open the 2025-26 season with Bellarmine on Nov. 3.

The post Georgia basketball announces contract extension for Mike White appeared first on Saturday Down South.

According to the Yahoo Sports report, the NCAA committee has not decided what the exact length of a single fall transfer portal window will be, and it also hasn’t decided what the timing of the fall window will be on the calendar. The report said a decision on all of the details of that single fall transfer portal window will come within the next month.

The Division I Football Oversight Committee had voted earlier this month to approve a 10-day portal, but that particular period of time was not approved on Wednesday. The reported elimination of the spring portal window will help consolidate the movement of players from 1 program to another to 1 period of time instead of 2 and would also eliminate the distraction of the spring portal window when teams are busy with spring football practice.

“In response to student-athlete feedback, football oversight committees will consider modifications to the proposed single January window, including the length of the window and corresponding dates,” the NCAA said in a statement.

The 1 big question that would remain going forward is when that single portal window would be, with the previous proposal being for Jan. 2-11.

The post NCAA decides to eliminate spring football transfer portal window, per report appeared first on Saturday Down South.

On Wednesday morning, Tennessee announced updates to the Vols’ gameday experience. Tweaks to the process, including an earlier stadium entry time — gates will open 2-and-a-half hours before kickoff — are being implemented for this Saturday’s game versus UAB.

This change, and numerous others, come after congestion entering Neyland Stadium plagued Tennessee’s home games against both East Tennessee State (Sept. 6) and Georgia (Sept. 13).

I could see it, and I heard feedback from our fans. I could tell that frustration was real,” White told Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel. “People told me how long they had waited (to enter Neyland Stadium). I started apologizing to people. I told them we’d fix it, and we will.

The Vols’ initial changes were designed to increase security for the football venue. According to Tennessee’s press release, their extended security perimeter on the south end of the stadium will remain in place. However, “it will be adjusted at the bottom of Peyton Manning Pass.”

White deserves kudos for acting to rectify this situation in short order. He’ll see if the changes are effective when the Volunteers host the Blazers at 12:45 p.m. E.T. on Saturday (SEC Network).

Athletic Director Danny White has announced football gameday updates for fans entering Neyland Stadium.

Details here → https://t.co/eL7y3Vjeco pic.twitter.com/iLJu3F4h3b

— Tennessee Athletics (@Vol_Sports) September 17, 2025

The post Tennessee announces gameday updates after delays at Georgia game appeared first on Saturday Down South.

For me, Week 3 was a miserable week replete with bad beats. Georgia -3.5 misses because they don’t kick the PAT on a game-winning touchdown in overtime. Oregon -27.5 misses because the Ducks’ fourth-string defense gives up a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 31-0 game. Wisconsin just gives up on the road. At least we didn’t back Penn State against the spread. Ouch.

The only win last week was the upset spot.

Let’s try to do a little better in this window.

Here’s how to bet the early market for Week 4’s games.

• Last week: 1-5
• 2025 season: 13-16
• 2024 season: 84-69-1

Week 4 schedule, odds

At SDS, we’ve got you covered all season with live, up-to-date college football odds. You can find point spreads, game totals, and money line odds for every Week 4 game below.

Tulsa at Oklahoma State

The gap between Tulsa and Oklahoma State, according to Bill Connelly’s SP+, is about a touchdown. That’s on a neutral field. Boone Pickens is a difficult place to visit when it’s rocking, but there’s absolutely nothing for the Cowboy fanbase to feel good about right now, so a Friday night game against a 1-2 visitor won’t exactly make for an electric environment.

There may even be empty seats.

In fact, there may be a lot of empty seats.

This will be Oklahoma State’s first game back on the field since getting its teeth brutally kicked in for all to see by Oregon 2 weeks ago. Dan Lanning, a master motivator, took a small shred of a comment from OSU head coach Mike Gundy and turned it into a manifesto of disrespect for his team to feed off of. The Pokes were down 41-3 at the half and wound up enduring the worst loss the program has suffered in over a century. Oregon ran for 312 yards. In the opener a week prior, UT Martin ran for 3.8 a carry, adjusted for sacks. Oregon had more yards of offense against the Cowboys than the Cowboys have in their first 2 games combined.

With a backup quarterback and a coach who probably should have been shown the door a while ago, there’s very little to get excited about in Stillwater.

Tulsa doesn’t appear to be very good, either. Navy turned the football over on its first 3 possessions of the game against the Golden Hurricanes last week and had a lead going into the halftime break. The Tulsa offense ranks 95th in the country in EPA per play, according to Game on Paper. The defense ranks 80th. (Oklahoma State is outside the top 100 in both categories.) A week prior, Tulsa lost on the road 21-14 to New Mexico State.

I like the Golden Hurricanes against this number in a spot where an in-state school has an opportunity to earn some respect early in coach Tre Lamb’s tenure. Things slipped away from Tulsa in the second half against Navy, but they were competitive (and mistake-riddled) in the first half. I think Oklahoma State might be done already.

Bet Tulsa +13.5 (-115 via ESPN Bet)

Maryland at Wisconsin

Maryland is a touchdown underdog on the road. SP+ says Maryland is the better team by almost 2.1 points. According to Game on Paper, Maryland ranks 37th in net EPA per play while Wisconsin ranks 64th. One could argue that Wisconsin has played stiffer competition, but I’m not ready to give Wisconsin credit for going on the road and getting ripped to shreds by Alabama simply because it played the game.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson had nearly as many touchdown passes as he had incompletions. Ryan Williams made the Badger secondary look like toddlers fumbling over themselves in a peewee game. Wisconsin was down 35-7 going into the fourth quarter and Alabama took its foot off the neck. At the end of the game, Wisconsin waved a white flag and quit.

It doesn’t sound like starting quarterback Billy Edwards will be back for this game, so Danny O’Neil figures to run the show once again. He had 2 ugly interceptions against Alabama, giving him a pick in every game thus far. The ground game also disappeared against the Tide, which was discouraging.

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington is coming off his best game of his young career, throwing for 261 yards and accounting for 2 total touchdowns in a 44-17 win over Towson. Washington had a 94.8 QBR in the game, the second-highest from a Big Ten quarterback in Week 3.

Washington has at least 250 yards passing in his first 3 games for the Terps, and his completion percentage topped 70% for the first time in Week 3.

Maryland held its first 2 FBS opponents under 4 yards per play. It is giving up just 2.9 yards per carry so far. It has 8 takeaways. According to Game on Paper, only 5 defenses have a lower EPA per play faced than the Terps’ defense. Wisconsin had significant trouble trying to block Alabama’s front, and now it gets to face a defense that has at least 3 sacks in every game so far.

I think the seat is warm under Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, and a noon ET crowd will be angsty. I like Washington, who has made some pretty solid throws for a freshman and has had a ton of wide-open receivers through his first 3 games. Alabama had a ton of open receivers, too.

Bet Maryland +8.5 (-110 via Fanatics)

Arkansas at Memphis

Memphis has had a really good offensive start to the season. Arkansas has had a really bad defensive start to the season. Get ready for some more points.

The game against Ole Miss saw the point total creep under 60 prior to kickoff, and that felt like a major overreaction to the quarterback change in the Rebels’ backfield. And that proved to be the case, as we got 59 combined points in just one half. Arkansas sits 63rd nationally in EPA per play faced after surrendering 475 yards and 8 explosive pass plays to the Rebels. The Hogs actually outgained the Rebs on a per-play basis, but lost the game. That’s the fourth time that has happened since just the start of the 2024 season.

After creating multiple takeaways in each of their first 2 games, Arkansas got nothing off of Ole Miss in Week 3.

Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis has had a decent start in his first season with the program, completing 73.3% of his throws for 608 yards while adding 190 rushing yards in 3 games. Tailback Sutton Smith has been great out of the backfield as well.

The Tigers could be spicy here at home against a visiting SEC school. They’ve effectively neutralized the last 2 run games they’ve seen — 89 yards, 50 carries — and have only allowed 3 touchdowns in 3 games. Obviously, slowing down a Taylen Green-Bobby Petrino offense is an entirely different animal, but if the Tigers can get a couple of stops, they might be able to win the possession game and hang close.

Bet Memphis team total over 27.5 points (-114 via FanDuel)

Kent State at No. 7 Florida State

The Seminoles have been 56 points better than expectations through their first 2 games. They beat the Week 1 number by 27.5 points, then beat an astronomically high 45.5-point spread by almost 30 points (lol) in Week 2. The offense looks legit. The defense is stuffing the ground game. And now Florida State is another massive favorite against a truly awful Kent State team.

The Golden Flashes ended a 21-game losing streak in Week 1 with a 4-point win over FCS Merrimack. They followed that result up by losing to Texas Tech by 48 points. Then they lost to Buffalo at home last week. The offense, which was nonexistent a year ago, is still MIA. That unit ranks 126th in EPA per play, according to Game on Paper.

Opponents are averaging 72 plays a game against this Kent State defense to begin the season and no FBS team has given up more scrimmage plays of at least 20 yards. This could be a huge-possession game where Florida State will get to pick the score. Coming off a bye week, I’m looking for FSU to try and regain the groove it had before the break.

Bet Florida State -44.5 (-115 via ESPN Bet)

No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma

In terms of the vibes at kickoff, this will be the best atmosphere we see anywhere across the country on Saturday. (What we’ll see in Lincoln, Nebraska, might be close.) Unfortunately, I think there’s the potential for this to be a lopsided result.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables knows Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold. He knows the strengths. He knows the weaknesses. He knows the buttons to press. Auburn has just 7 completions of at least 15 yards in 3 games so far this season. Arnold’s completion percentage has been 25.3 percentage points worse when blitzed versus when not. We know Auburn has the receivers to make plays, but does it have the quarterback to take advantage of a defense down the field? That question is still largely unanswered.

Auburn has been able to run over its first 3 opponents, and Arnold has been fabulous in this part of the game. The Tigers had 307 rushing yards against Baylor, 224 at 6.6 a pop against Ball State, and then 195 at 5 a carry against South Alabama. None of those defenses compares in the slightest to OU’s.

The Sooners are second nationally in EPA per play faced, according to Game on Paper. They rank fifth nationally in rushing success rate allowed. If Auburn can’t run the ball and Oklahoma is able to create opportunities to rush the passer, we’ll see turnovers. But even then, I don’t think Oklahoma has to “earn” those opportunities against Arnold. Venables might say, “OK, the game is on your arm, prove you can beat us.” The Sooners did not give up an explosive pass play in the opener. They’ve allowed 5 all season.

On the other side, the combination of Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer should be able to take advantage of an Auburn defense that has been bad in space to start the season. Mateer gets the ball out quickly and Arbuckle does well to get his playmakers in space. Mateer is averaging 8 yards per pass attempt this season on throws behind the line of scrimmage. Auburn currently grades out 106th in team tackling, per PFF. And 7 backend players have been tagged for allowing at least 20 yards after the catch on receptions where they were the primary defender, per PFF.

There are a lot of arrows that point in Oklahoma’s favor in this matchup. The Tigers might be able to stop the run, but the Sooners have a pretty strong 3-0 record despite not really figuring out the ground game yet.

Bet Oklahoma -6.5 (-110 via bet365)

South Carolina at No. 23 Mizzou

It might get a lot worse for South Carolina before it gets better. The Gamecocks could be without their starting quarterback when they go on the road to face a white-hot Mizzou team, and that that means another blowout could be in the cards.

After LaNorris Sellers was knocked out of the Vanderbilt game, South Carolina ran 41 offensive plays and didn’t score a point. They gained 184 total yards at 4.5 per play. The Gamecocks had 5 second-half possessions; they turned it over on downs on the first 2, and they committed turnovers on the last 3. Vanderbilt wasn’t particularly good on offense — 5.1 yards per play, 4.2 sack-adjusted yards per run — and the ‘Dores still put 31 on the board thanks to 4 total takeaways.

This offense was not working even when Sellers was healthy, but if he’s unavailable for the Week 4 matchup, South Carolina loses that running element that still made its quarterback dangerous.

On Sunday, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said he was “optimistic” about Sellers heading into the week. The line from most shops says the opposite. If Sellers is dealing with a concussion, this “will he, won’t he” game will drag right up to kickoff.

If Sellers is unavailable, South Carolina might get rolled. No one in the SEC has looked more impressive through the first 3 weeks of the season than Mizzou. Ahmad Hardy will be the best back South Carolina has faced thus far. Beau Pribula will be the best passer South Carolina has faced thus far — by a laughable margin, too. The Gamecocks had to replace 5 draft picks from their defense this season, and the early returns have been underwhelming; they rank 59th in EPA per play faced despite playing a Virginia Tech team that just fired its coach and an FCS squad.

However, if Sellers is available, things change. South Carolina can’t afford another loss this early in the season. The College Football Playoff will all but assuredly be out of reach if they have multiple defeats on the record before October arrives. From Oct. 11 through Nov. 15, South Carolina plays 5 straight games against teams that currently sit in the AP top 15, and 3 of those games are on the road. This becomes a desperation spot.

I lean Mizzou, but the uncertainty of Sellers’ situation has me hesitant to get involved. Let’s see what the first availability report of the week (on Wednesday) says and see how the market reacts to that.

Lean Mizzou -12.5 (-115 via FanDuel)

Upset Spot of the Week: No. 21 Michigan at Nebraska

Do you believe?

Do you really believe?

If you say no, Deion Sanders isn’t going to appear out of thin air and scold you. You’d certainly be justified in saying no. Since the start of the 2017 season, Nebraska is 0-25 against ranked opponents. Rutgers is the only other power conference team without a win over a ranked team during that same span. What’s more? Nebraska is just 9-16 against the spread in those games against ranked teams.

Futility is pretty much ingrained into the corn at this point. Is this team different? That’s the question that gets answered in Week 4 because the Huskers are coming off consecutive thumpings of outmanned opponents and welcoming a Michigan team to Memorial Stadium that is ranked off the strength of its name only.

According to FPI, Michigan’s strength of record ranks 53rd nationally. (Nebraska is 18th.) Michigan had a ho-hum 17-point win over New Mexico in its opener and then managed only 13 points on the road against Oklahoma in Week 2. Seven of those came from a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter. Sure, the Wolverines obliterated Central Michigan last weekend, but Pitt put 45 points on that same defense so I’m not sure how much can be gained from the result.

Bryce Underwood struggled in his first road start, completing 9 of his 24 pass attempts for 142 yards. He had 3 rushing attempts and lost a yard. Nebraska will look at what Oklahoma did and try to force Underwood to stay in the pocket and beat it with his arm. In what will be a hostile road environment, that’s a tough task.

Is Nebraska’s offense legit? Because it was a sputtering mess in the Week 1 win over Cincinnati and a flamethrower in the 2 weeks since. The last 2 opponents were Akron and Houston Christian, whose athletes don’t compare in any way, shape, or form to Michigan’s. Still, quarterback Dylan Raiola has found a rhythm, completing 39 of his last 52 passes (75%) for 586 yards and 6 touchdowns. He hasn’t thrown a pick. He hasn’t taken a sack. And he has a 28.8% explosive play rate.

Picking the Huskers to beat the Wolverines goes against every trend, but I do think there’s something to the concept of belief. Nebraska won a tight game in Week 1 against Cincy, and the last 2 results should have the confidence sky-high in Lincoln. Nebraska is due for one of these.

Bet Nebraska money line (+115 via BetMGM)

The post Betting Stuff: How to bet the opening lines for Week 4 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Let’s dive in.

(Editor’s note: All odds are via BetMGM. Point spreads used for this piece were taken earlier in the week and might not necessarily reflect current odds.)

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Week 3 college football picks

Here’s how the crew picked 10 of the biggest games in Week 3. If you want to bet alongside the guys, check out our guide on the best sports betting apps to score a sign-up bonus at your shop of choice.

2025 season records:

• Andy Olson: 13-10-2
• Derek Peterson: 11-12-2 
• Ethan Stone: 10-13-2
• Spenser Davis: 9-14-2
• Adam Spencer: 7-16-2

No. 12 Clemson (-3.5) at Georgia Tech 

Spenser Davis: Here’s a fun fact: In the Brent Key era, Georgia Tech is 7-8 straight up as an underdog (and 10-5 against the spread). Winning (and covering) in these types of games is something the Yellow Jackets do quite often. And yet, I’m going with Clemson. Before the season started, Clemson was favored by almost double digits in this game at some shops. Clemson’s disappointing performance vs. LSU and slow start vs. Troy are certainly noteworthy, but I think this line has moved too far. PICK: Clemson 

Andy Olson: I did not fill out a preseason top 25 this year, but I don’t think I would have ranked Clemson as high as others. I wasn’t super high on Clemson to begin the year and I’m feeling Haynes King and the Yellow Jackets at home in a big game. I wouldn’t be surprised by an outright upset, but the points certainly make this decision easier. PICK: Georgia Tech 

Derek Peterson: Georgia Tech is 2-0 to begin the season despite being minus-4 in the turnover department and missing its starting quarterback for a game. I think this is a tricky spot for Clemson regardless of what is going on with Haynes King. The Tiger offense just doesn’t look right — 126th nationally in EPA per play — and you don’t typically fix problems in your first road game of the season. You typically expose new ones. PICK: Georgia Tech 

Adam Spencer: I’m very worried about how much everyone has been on Georgia Tech in this spot. When the public is overwhelmingly on one side, it usually makes sense to play the other. If Haynes King isn’t 100% healthy for this game, it’s going to be tough for Georgia Tech to win. I’ll (reluctantly) take Clemson in this one. PICK: Clemson 

Ethan Stone: Clemson’s offense has looked clunky to start the season. No run game and inconsistent play from Klubnik worry me even before you throw in Bobby Dodd magic for what will be Clemson’s first road test of the season. I like GT to win outright. PICK: Georgia Tech 

Wisconsin at No. 19 Alabama (-20.5) 

SD: Alabama has underwhelmed a lot under Kalen DeBoer, but all of the most disappointing performances have come away from home. In Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide have been pretty much unbeatable over the last couple of years. I think we’ll see another big-time effort from Alabama and I don’t think Wisconsin has the juice to keep up on either side of the ball. PICK: Alabama 

AO: I’m currently in the camp that Alabama pulled an “LSU” of years past and just laid an egg in the opener. Alabama has key advantages, plus the home crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium. I’ll take the tide to roll to a lopsided win over the Badgers. PICK: Alabama 

DP: Wisconsin got the ground game going in Week 2 and its defense has played as well as any in the country through the opening 2 games of the season. I have zero interest in laying 3 touchdowns given the state of this Alabama team. Blowing out an awful ULM team does nothing for me. This was a team I backed to win the SEC just a few weeks ago, so I obviously still think there’s talent here, but I want to see the mindset change. PICK: Wisconsin 

AS: I think it’s important here to ask why Florida State did what it did against Alabama. Thomas Castellanos was magnificent. Well, Wisconsin’s top QB, Billy Edwards Jr., is likely out for this matchup. Give me the Tide to (just barely) cover this massive spread. PICK: Alabama 

ES: You can’t convince me that the amount of effort we saw against Florida State is enough to beat any competent team by 3 scores. PICK: Wisconsin 

No. 6 Georgia (-3.5) at No. 15 Tennessee 

SD: Georgia has created virtually zero explosive plays so far this season against lesser competition than it will face against the Vols. That would be easier to excuse if we weren’t coming off of a dreadful offensive season for the Bulldogs in 2024. I’ll take the points. PICK: Tennessee 

AO: There’s a part of me that feels like the “old Georgia” (2021-23) will decide to show up on Saturday. But from what I’ve watched of these two teams so far, I can’t shake that 2025 Tennessee looks like it has a real chance to beat 2025 Georgia straight up. UT as a home underdog is too good to turn down, even if “old Georgia” shows up and makes fools of Vol backers. PICK: Tennessee 

DP: Tennessee is the home side, but Tennessee is down both of its starting cornerbacks and hasn’t played up to its potential on defense. I’m anxious to see how Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar looks against a real defense. PICK: Georgia 

AS: Tennessee’s corners being out worries me, but I haven’t seen anything from Gunner Stockton to show that he’s the guy to take advantage of that fact. I’m more inclined to play the under in this matchup, but since this article is all about picking spreads, give me the points with Tennessee. PICK: Tennessee 

ES: I think this will be the most competitive Georgia/Tennessee matchup of the Josh Heupel era. This is Gunner Stockton’s first start in a true road environment and truth be told, I’m not worried about the Vols secondary at all with Ty Redmond and Colton Hood playing the way they are – though that unit cannot afford any more injuries. I think Neyland will get to Stockton and the Bulldogs’ offense in a low-scoring affair. PICK: Tennessee 

Pitt (-7) at West Virginia 

SD: West Virginia lost to Ohio last week and it wasn’t even that big of a surprise — the Mountaineers were only favored by 3.5 at most shops. Starting running back Jaheim White is also out for the year after suffering an injury on Saturday against the Bobcats. Still, I’m reluctant to lay a touchdown in a rivalry game that’s as heated as this one when neither team is anything special. PICK: West Virginia 

AO: Throw out the records for the Backyard Brawl. I’m not sure about West Virginia pulling off the upset, but I think Rich Rodriguez will have the Mountaineers playing beyond their abilities for the bitter rivalry. PICK: West Virginia 

DP: The line for this game opened under 2 points and has ballooned. The obvious play here is to back West Virginia in a rivalry spot. Neither team has played anyone, right? The problem is one of the “nobodies” the Mountaineers played beat them, and did so with a script that is plenty repeatable for Pitt. Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro had 87 rushing yards, which helped offset 3 interceptions. West Virginia got virtually nothing from its ground game. Eli Holstein can run, and Pitt has stopped the run wonderfully through its first 2 games. PICK: Pitt

AS: One of these teams just lost to Ohio. Not Ohio State. Ohio. One of these teams didn’t just lose to Ohio. That’s the extent of my analysis here for the Backyard Brawl. I’ll go with the Panthers. PICK: Pitt 

ES: Neither of these teams has played a Power 4 opponent, but West Virginia still has a loss on its resume after falling 17-10 at Ohio last week. The Bobcats are no slouch, but West Virginia looked bad in that one – especially in the run game. Pitt, on the other hand, has allowed less than 80 yards rushing through 2 games and has the far superior QB in Eli Holstein. I like the Panthers to take control of this one on offense. PICK: Pitt 

No. 18 South Florida at No. 5 Miami (-17) 

SD: My instinct is to fade South Florida coming off of a couple of big, high-profile wins. But it’s also a lookahead spot for Miami with a Florida matchup looming in Week 4. My guess is Miami is up by 21 points late and the cover comes down to whether or not USF can find the backdoor. PICK: South Florida 

AO: Mario Cristobal should send his old Bama buddy Billy Napier something nice for making his job easy this week. There’s no way USF is sneaking up on Miami after going into The Swamp and pulling off the upset. I think the Canes will show everybody how it’s done and cover. PICK: Miami 

DP: This is the point where I’d like to fade South Florida, but I just can’t at 17 points. Miami wins and the Bulls get a backdoor cover. PICK: South Florida 

AS: I agree fully with Derek. Heck, if this spread was Miami –16.5, I might take the Hurricanes. I just can’t get there with –17, though. PICK: South Florida 

ES: South Florida has earned enough respect from me to pick +17. PICK: South Florida 

Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss (-8) 

SD: I think Arkansas might be a bit overlooked this year. Taylen Green and Bobby Petrino is a lethal combination. At some point this year, the Razorbacks are going to win outright as a big underdog in SEC play. That might not be this week, but I do think the Hogs will cover. PICK: Arkansas

AO: If Arkansas were at home, I’d probably go for a Razorback cover. In Oxford, though, I think Pete Golding’s defense does some things to slow down Bobby Petrino’s offense, led by Taylen Green. I also expect Ole Miss to come in hungry, as the Rebels probably didn’t leave Lexington feeling all that satisfied. PICK: Ole Miss 

DP: I think Austin Simmons is talented, it just doesn’t appear he’s ready. Against an Arkansas team that, offensively, is playing as well as any in the country to open the season, turnovers are going to be a major theme of this game. PICK: Arkansas   

AS: Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin apologized for not covering an 8.5-point spread at Kentucky last week. At home in Oxford, he doesn’t have to apologize to bettors this week. Take the over in this one and also play the Rebels to cover. PICK: Ole Miss 

ES: I don’t trust Sam Pittman to win this one, but I think Taylen Green and the Razorbacks offense has enough juice to keep up with Kewan Lacy and Co. Throw in a few Austin Simmons turnovers and I think this will be competitive late. PICK: Arkansas 

Florida at No. 3 LSU (-8.5) 

SD: This is the perfect spot to hold your nose and do something uncomfortable. Everyone is ready to push Florida off the deep end while Brian Kelly is still getting praise for beating Clemson in Week 1. Meanwhile, UF responded very well to losses last season, Clemson struggled mightily against Troy in Week 2, and LSU might be down another starting offensive lineman this week. I’m buying low on the Gators and selling high on LSU. PICK: Florida 

AO: Expect the unexpected gets overused in sports, but it’s absolutely the case for Florida and LSU. We’ve seen some weird things in these games over the years. UF’s last QB to win in Death Valley was Austin Appleby. Tim Tebow is the last Gator QB to win at night in Death Valley. Treon Harris, Kyle Trask and Graham Mertz, though, all played well in Death Valley night games since Tebow lied about his concussion recovery to give it a go in 2009. I think DJ Lagway and the Gators play better on Saturday than they did against USF. Probably not enough to win outright, but I like UF to cover. PICK: Florida 

DP: LSU wins by 10 at home with the crowd at its back. If LSU hadn’t been sleepwalking last week, maybe I’d buy into Florida in a bounceback spot, but I think Brian Kelly will have been on his team’s butt this week to kick it back into gear. PICK: LSU

AS: LSU’s offensive line took a step back this past week against Louisiana Tech. But this is a team that beat Clemson by a touchdown on the road. At home, the Tigers should be at least 10 points better than a reeling Florida squad. Something is broken with the Gators. Garrett Nussmeier and company have another strong showing and start SEC play with a double-digit home victory. PICK: LSU 

ES: I think LSU is a little overrated (think top 10 instead of top 3), but I’m just disgusted with that performance from Florida against USF. I think the Bulls are good for a G5 team, but Byrum Brown and Alex Golesh simply managed the game better than DJ Lagway, whose stock fell considerably after Saturday night. I have supreme confidence in Garrett Nuss and a really good Tigers defense, though. I don’t think they’ll cover by much, but give me the Tigers by 10-14. PICK: LSU 

No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame (-7) 

SD: Texas A&M’s run defense numbers are appalling. The Aggies have faced UTSA and Utah State, yet are ranked 111th nationally in EPA per rush allowed, according to Game on Paper. Explosive plays have been a big issue. Marcel Reed is also banged up, although he is expected to play. I mostly liked what I saw from CJ Carr in Week 1 and I think he’ll play well at home against an Aggies team that I think is much worse than the Miami squad he faced a couple of weeks ago. PICK: Notre Dame 

AO: I’m not crazy about laying the whole 7 here, but I feel more confident in Notre Dame winning after seeing the Irish at Miami. I wouldn’t be surprised by an A&M cover, but I think it’s ever so slightly more likely Notre Dame wins by more than 7. PICK: Notre Dame 

DP: Notre Dame won this matchup in College Station last season by completely neutralizing the Texas A&M pass game. A&M’s defense held it in the game for a prolonged stretch. I don’t think this Aggie defense is quite as good, and Notre Dame has had extra time to prepare. Marcus Freeman is 6-1 ATS with a rest advantage, and I think Notre Dame will have a better plan this time around to get its playmakers the ball. All that being said, I think this A&M offense is better than it was a year ago. I would have loved to get a shorter number to back the Irish at, so I’ll go against the grain. PICK: Texas A&M

AS: I have my concerns about Notre Dame. I have my concerns about the Irish offense, namely regarding the usage of Jeremiyah Love (or lack thereof) down in Miami. But I also have my concerns about the Aggies at this point in the season. I’ll take Notre Dame to cover, just barely. PICK: Notre Dame 

ES: Marcel Reed has not performed well on the road, and he’s yet to face a team like Notre Dame on the road, too. The Fighting Irish have also had an off-week and could use a turnaround after falling just short at Miami. I think the Irish win this one by a few scores. PICK: Notre Dame 

Vanderbilt at No. 11 South Carolina (-5.5) 

SD: I feel this is going to be a popular upset pick this week — and I agree. I think South Carolina’s offense is on track to be much, much worse than most believed it would be before the season began. Maybe Vicari Swain saves South Carolina yet again with another miraculous punt return touchdown, but I’d bet Clark Lea is smart enough not to punt it to him. Diego Pavia has quietly been awesome so far this season — I’m excited to see if he can translate that to an SEC road game. PICK: Vanderbilt 

AO: I know matchups always vary, but it’s impossible to ignore what these two teams did to Virginia Tech in the first two weeks. I have to ride with Vanderbilt and the points. Williams-Brice Stadium at night is as rowdy as it gets, but I think Diego Pavia will feed off that energy. Pavia and the Dores are too hot to deny right now. PICK: Vanderbilt 

DP: Vandy has done a lot of chirping this week, which will always worry me. You want to have a chip on the shoulder, but managing that so it doesn’t turn to overconfidence is difficult. Still, I’m really put off by the start South Carolina’s offense has had. While Vandy has been a machine through its first 2 games, South Carolina has done next to nothing inspiring on the offensive side of the ball. The defense and special teams (28 points) have almost matched the offensive output (34 points). That’s just not sustainable in any way, shape, or form, and it could very well lead to a collapse this weekend. I like the ‘Dores outright. PICK: Vanderbilt

AS: I don’t understand this line. At the very least, these are 2 evenly matched teams, so you give the home team 2-3 points for home-field advantage. The fact that the lifeless Gamecocks offense is favored by 5.5 points over a team with a pulse is suspect to me. This seems like a situation where preseason expectations are still guiding bettors rather than the results on the field through 2 weeks. It’s rare that we get a game in Week 3 with such similar résumés from both sides. Both the Commodores and Gamecocks have hosted an FCS squad and both have faced Virginia Tech away from home. The Commodores have fared much better in those games. PICK: Vanderbilt 

ES: Apart from his first drive of the season, LaNorris Sellers has been a little underwhelming. Sorry Gamecock fans! I think he and the Gamecocks will pick it up at the end of the season as South Carolina always seems to do, but right now Diego Pavia is just playing better football. The Commodores’ offense, as a result, is legit. Man, this feels weird. PICK: Vanderbilt 

Duke (-1) at Tulane 

SD: Setting the scene here — Duke lured Darian Mensah away from Tulane this offseason with a reported multi-million dollar NIL package. I imagine Jon Sumrall and the Green Wave have some feelings about that. It’s not often a prized transfer QB has to go on the road to face his former school and teammates and coaches the very next season. And yet, I like Duke. Tulane has had a heck of a time trying to replace Mensah and the early returns on Jake Retzlaff in that role have been less than reassuring. Tulane’s defense got pushed around by South Alabama last week, too. PICK: Duke 

AO: We don’t talk about Tulane as a particularly tough place to play, but I can’t pick Duke on the road after seeing that Illinois game at home. Darian Mensah is obviously motivated to ball out in his return, but the Green Wave defense will be giving something extra, too. PICK: Tulane 

DP: Duke lost by 26 points at home to Illinois but it didn’t get outplayed by 26 points. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Blue Devils outgained Illinois on a yards-per-play basis 7.0 to 5.7. They were pretty good on third down, generated 10 tackles for loss, only had 2 of their own plays stuffed for a loss, and trailed by just a single point at the break. They lost by 26 because they turned the ball over 5 times, leading to 21 Illini points. Duke beat Duke. And that leads me to believe they’ll be itching to get back on the field. Add the Mensah element of it all — which Spenser laid out above — and I like the Blue Devils in a bounceback spot. PICK: Duke

AS: This is a weird game, as Duke heads to New Orleans to face the Green Wave. Darian Mensah is obviously very familiar with this stadium and the Tulane squad, and I was very impressed with the Duke front 7 against a Playoff-caliber Illinois team last week. Give me Duke to win and cover. PICK: Duke 

ES: I think Tulane mops the floor with Duke against former Green Wave QB Darian Mensah. PICK: Tulane 

The post Friday Forecast: SDS staff picks against the spread for Week 3 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

However, AP voter Haley Sawyer of the SoCal News Group had a mystifying ballot that somehow had Florida moving up 2 spots while still keeping South Florida unranked.

Sawyer has received public wrath both from South Florida fans and college football fans in general over the last day or so. Given an opportunity to explain her ballot, Sawyer declined.

“I don’t want to go too much into my process or logic…” Sawyer said in a video. “But I will say I appreciate everyone’s interaction on social media and all of your feedback.

“There’s ton of people who vote on the AP Poll. It’s not a perfect system, but at the end of the day, no matter who you pick, it does even out because there’s so many people who vote … It’s really fun for discussion but it doesn’t probably matter in the end.”

Ultimately, Sawyer’s ballot was an extreme outlier so it didn’t result in significant changes to this week’s AP Poll.

Florida will have ample opportunities to get back into the rankings based on merit in the coming weeks, starting with a road contest at No. 3 LSU on Saturday. South Florida also has an opportunity to move up in the AP Top 25 — and perhaps land a spot on Sawyer’s ballot — against Miami on Saturday.

The post AP Poll voter addresses scrutiny after moving Florida up on ballot despite USF loss appeared first on Saturday Down South.

For the Florida Gators, it was the latest in a series of mystifying September setbacks spoiling another summer filled with grandiose promises of Billy Napier returning Florida to the program’s past glory.

This was supposed to be the year.

Year 4.

Napier’s players. Napier’s culture. Elite discipline. No more entitlement.

A team that said, “Spot the Ball,” and then prided itself on execution and discipline.

A team with a “championship mentality.”

One of Napier’s mentors, Nick Saban, once said you “have a championship culture when the discipline comes first and the entitlement is gone.”

All summer, Napier said making progress towards a championship mentality was one of the things he had become most proud of during his time at Florida.

“We don’t have those (entitlement or discipline) issues, in my opinion, we don’t have distractions,” Napier said last month. “I think that these guys appreciate everyone’s role within the organization, how they treat people,” he continued. “Nobody feels entitled with what they have.”

You wouldn’t have known it watching the Gators on Saturday night.

Florida played without discipline, committing 11 penalties for 103 yards, including 2 backbreaking penalties on South Florida’s game-winning drive, both of which helped the Bulls escape from the shadow of their own goalposts. The second of those penalties, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on defensive linemen Brendan Bett for spitting on a South Florida player, was inexcusable on any field, let alone in a program whose foundation is supposed to be culture and discipline.

When asked about the lack of accountability and discipline, Napier was blunt.

“The procedure penalties, obviously, we can live with the technical penalties. The ones that keep you up at night are the ones that are player decision-making. There has to be responsibility there. The (players) are under my leadership. We have to eliminate those. I think that players make mistakes. It’s part of the game. But ultimately it is coaching,” Napier said.

It’s a sober and honest answer from a man and coach of high character and integrity.

But it’s not good enough to own the problem. Napier is compensated handsomely to fix it. He knows it.

“There’s no excuse. The football has to be better,” Napier said.

But can Napier fix it?

There were too many questions and issues on the football field on Saturday night to believe he can fix it.

Florida’s celebrated quarterback, DJ Lagway, continues to look like a player who didn’t throw in spring practice, was on a pitch count throughout the summer, and didn’t play 11 on 11 until the final week of camp. He was out of sync on intermediate throws, and when he did throw down field, missed badly for an incompletion (first half, to a wide-open J. Michael Sturdivant) or interception (overthrown ball downfield intercepted by a diving James Chenault). A late fourth quarter drop by budding star Vernell Brown III on arguably Lagway’s best pass of the night didn’t help matters, but Florida’s inability to get consistent first downs, let alone points, speaks to Lagway’s growing pains.

Looking deeper under the hood, it feels like Lagway’s issues aren’t just about rust.

The book is out on the young quarterback, too.

After feasting on single high looks early in his Florida career, defenses have adjusted. Like Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl and FSU in the regular season finale a year ago, South Florida planted 2 high safeties deep, daring Lagway to make quick reads and drive the length of the field. The sophomore quarterback has his moments, but the consistency is lacking.

“Coaches watch film, too. They know my strengths. I have to go prove I can adapt,” Lagway, as self-aware as ever, said following the game.

Napier’s play-calling did little to help.

The Gators gashed the Bulls on single gap and off tackle runs in the first half, averaging 7.1 yards on those concepts. But Napier insisted on incorporating misdirection and east-west running concepts into the game plan in the first half, negating Florida’s size advantage on north-south runs and allowing South Florida’s small but fast defenders to chase horizontally. Florida’s east-west run game failed, putting the Gators behind the sticks at inopportune times and allowing the Bulls to build confidence.

The players around Lagway underperformed, too.

For all the talking season chatter about Florida having the most talented offensive in the SEC, multiple players on the unit struggled for a second consecutive week.

A Kam Waites hold negated a nifty Ja’Kobi Jackson touchdown run. A Bryce Lovett false start contributed to Florida settling for a field goal on a first half possession. All-American Jake Slaughter was called for a hold in the second half, negating a first down run by Lagway. All-SEC tackle Austin Barber committed a brutal false start penalty on 3rd and 2 late in the third quarter, spoiling another Florida possession. The Gators also surrendered a sack for the second consecutive game.

Even with the miscues and playcalling missteps, Florida averaged 6.4 yards per play in the opening half but failed to finish 3 drives deep in South Florida territory, settling for 3 Trey Smack field goals. As the third quarter dragged towards a gut-check fourth quarter, you could sense the collective confidence of a sold-out Swamp waning.

The reason? South Florida’s senior quarterback, Byrum Brown.

While Lagway and the Florida offense struggled, Brown was outstanding.

Dodging Florida pressure all evening, Brown kept a host of successful Bulls plays alive with his ability to both buy time and scrap for yardage with his legs. No play better embodied this than the penultimate play from scrimmage in the first half. As George Gumbs and Jayden Woods closed in for a sack, Brown pirouetted his way past both pursuing Gators and turned what would have been a drive-killing sack into a 20-yard run to set up a Nico Gramatica field goal to cut the Florida lead to 9-6 at the half.

Then, with the third quarter winding down, Brown found Keshaun Singleton for a 66-yard touchdown, zinging the throw perfectly between 2 converging Florida defenders for a touchdown and South Florida’s first lead.

A possession later, the Bulls added a safety when All-SEC long-snapper Rocco Underwood overshot punter Tommy Doman, who saved a potential touchdown by knocking the ball out of the endzone. Those 2 points proved vital, and by the time 89,909 strong sang “I Won’t Back Down,” the Bulls had the football and a 6-point lead.

That’s when The Swamp roared to life, and so did the Gators.

Feeding off a frenzied crowd, Florida forced a 3-and-out. A play later, Vernell Brown III, whose Dad captained Urban Meyer’s first Florida team, returned a punt 40 yards down the right sideline to set Gators up deep in South Florida territory. Five plays later, DJ Lagway found Tre Wilson on a slant to tie the game, and a Smack extra point put Florida back in the lead.

For a moment, it seemed as if Napier and the Gators would escape, learning a valuable lesson in victory instead of a harder lesson in a devastating defeat.

With USF driving, All-SEC defensive end Tyreak Sapp, back for his senior year despite being assured of a NFL Draft selection last spring, roared around right tackle and dragged Brown down for a huge sack, pushing the Bulls back to the 43-yard line. South Florida reclaimed the sack yardage a play later, but the damage was done, and Nico Gramatica’s 58-yard field goal fell 5 yards short.

But the Bulls, aptly named and game for a fight all evening, forced a 3-and-out of their own, earning one last chance.

On the final drive, Florida couldn’t get out of its own way.

On second and 10 from their own 11, Brown fired incomplete for Singleton, but Florida’s Dijon Johnson was called for pass interference, giving the Bulls breathing room and a first down at the 24. The Bett ejection came a play later. Brown then completed a screen to Alvon Issac that appeared doomed, but the Bulls running back broke 3 Florida tackles near the line of scrimmage before galloping 29 yards to the 32, well into the range of Gramatica, a preseason Lou Groza Award favorite.  This time, Gramatica didn’t miss.

The Gators, on the other hand, missed a vital opportunity.

A win over a good South Florida team was almost essential to any Playoff hopes Florida had, and a Playoff berth, which would be Florida’s first as a program, was a spoken goal for this group from the first day of spring practice.

It only gets harder from here.

Florida will play 4 ranked teams — and 3 ranked in the top 10 — over the next month. Two of those games will come on the road.

Late Saturday night, Napier and DJ Lagway talked about embracing what’s next.

“I’m heartbroken,” Lagway told the media following the game. “I’m excited to get back to work, though. Great teams peak in December, not September.”

That may be true.

But championship cultures beat USF on their home field in September.

Napier’s Florida?

They played like a team that expected to win. That played like a group that felt entitled to win.

But as they’ve done half the 40 games Napier has coached in Gainesville, Florida lost.

A championship mentality is nice to talk about.

Mediocrity is Florida’s reality.

The post Billy Napier spent a summer preaching championship culture and discipline. In stunning loss to USF, the Gators had neither appeared first on Saturday Down South.

“Man, I’m glad I called that guy.”

“That guy” was Beau Pribula. As in, the current Mizzou and former Penn State backup quarterback who was the subject of think pieces everywhere when he left the Playoff-bound Nittany Lions to join Drinkwitz’s program. Pribula was used in a unique, run-heavy role that asked him to attempt just 4 passes that traveled 20 yards past the line of scrimmage in 2024. Questions about Pribula’s passing game were, by all accounts, fair.

So, too, was Drinkwitz’s faith in his evaluation. We saw that play out on Saturday in an epic, long overdue chapter of the Border War.

Pribula and an elite Mizzou rushing attack fueled a 42-31 victory against Kansas. Yes, the latter put it away. Mizzou running back Jamal Roberts put the exclamation point on Mizzou’s comeback win after a first quarter that put the Tigers in their largest home deficit (15 points) since Oct. 16, 2021 vs. Texas A&M. And yes, part of Mizzou’s early deficit was the byproduct of Pribula not putting 2 hands on the ball on a scramble, which resulted in a Kansas scoop-and-score.

Outside of that, though? How could you not be impressed with Pribula?

That’s not the type of game that Mizzou was expected to be involved in. Like, a shootout with 39 pass attempts from Pribula, 30 of which were completed for 334 yards. That smashed his previous highs in all 3 categories. Before 2025, Pribula’s career-high in pass attempts was exactly 1/3 of that (13), which happened when Penn State starter Drew Allar got hurt at Wisconsin last year.

It’s silly to compare anything Pribula did at Penn State to what he’s being asked to do this year as Mizzou’s QB1. Converting on 4th down and moving the chains with his arm wasn’t exactly his role at Penn State. He came to Mizzou knowing that would be part of the gig. A big part of the gig.

On Saturday, he fueled a 4-for-5 4th-down conversion rate, which included darts to Kevin Coleman Jr. and patient throws in the flat to tight end Brett Norfleet, who hauled in a pair of go-ahead touchdowns.

That’s faith in scheme and trusting that even with a free rusher barreling down on him, he’d have his tight end set up with room to run.

Speaking of Norfleet, Pribula’s 3rd-and-goal throw to him from the 11-yard line might’ve been the most “glad I called that guy” throw of the day. Pribula threaded the needle that led to Mizzou taking the lead late in the 3rd quarter.

Pribula made plenty of throws like that. He layered throws to Coleman, he didn’t look reluctant attacking downfield and once again, he showed why he’s already one of the more effective running quarterbacks in the sport.

A 1-dimensional Pribula doesn’t lead Mizzou in a game like that. Not with how many crucial spots he faced. Pribula and the Tigers offense converted a combined 14-of-24 3rd/4th downs. That wasn’t an accident. Pribula might’ve had that “first start vs. a Power Conference team” moment on that early fumble, but he did a better job of protecting the ball — and himself — than his counterpart, Jalon Daniels, who has the unique distinction of being the only FBS quarterback who started at least 1 game in each of the last 6 seasons. But like Pribula, Daniels had a fumble when he was taken down with 1 hand on the ball.

It was clear, though. Pribula had more help than Daniels.

Mizzou’s defense might not have had a vintage game, but take away the scoop-and-score and it allowed 24 points and just 254 yards of offense. And Pribula didn’t need a heroic rushing performance because Roberts and Ahmad Hardy had a combined 243 yards on 35 carries. Could some of that be attributed to the threat of Pribula’s legs and the growing emergence of the Mizzou passing game? You bet.

That’s what Mizzou needed to establish in the first part of this season with a favorable schedule. That schedule won’t force Mizzou to play in a road game until Week 8, nor will the Tigers face a 2024 Playoff team. The runway is there. It would’ve looked much murkier with a loss at home to Kansas.

No worry. Pribula and Co. took care of that.

Nobody will crown Mizzou for beating a historic bottom feeder like Kansas, who has been a much tougher out under Lance Leipold. Pribula might not be considered a household name just yet. After all, multiple College GameDay analysts incorrectly said his last name when their making picks.

More performances like Saturday will take care of that problem.

The post A Border War comeback showed exactly why Eli Drinkwitz brought Beau Pribula to Mizzou appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Whether it be Michael Jordan’s return to the Bulls, George Foreman’s rise from grill pitchman back to the heavyweight championship or Tiger Woods’ recovery from personal woes and back issues to win the 2019 Masters, second chances are woven into our sports culture.

In the college football world. Lane Kiffin got a second chance after washing out at USC by way of becoming the inaugural recipient of the Nick Saban Redemption Scholarship. The Ole Miss coach spent a couple years soaking in wisdom in Tuscaloosa – along with receiving the occasional ass-chewing – before embarking back out into the head coaching wilderness.

Now, with Kalen DeBoer’s future as foggy as ever following a disastrous start to his second season with the Tide, is it time for Alabama to pull the trigger on the most karmic of second chances?

Is it time to bring back Lane Kiffin?

We know what you’re thinking. All of it. First, doesn’t Alabama already have a head coach? Yes, of course, DeBoer is only 1 game into his second season in Tuscaloosa – but the ice beneath his feet is thawing at a rapid pace after the Crimson Tide’s brutal road defeat at Florida State last weekend.

Not only has DeBoer spent this week actually doing his job trying to get his team better before this Saturday night’s home opener against UL-Monroe, he has also been trying to reassure boosters and really all of the Crimson Tide Nation that woe is not nearly as close as it appears.

But should Alabama go from bad to worse in the coming weeks, whether it be a cataclysmic loss to the Warhawks this week or merely an epic disaster by falling to Wisconsin the week after, DeBoer could very likely be called into AD Greg Byrne’s office for a very uncomfortable conversation.

Which brings us to the second chance question for Alabama. Is Kiffin the most logical alternative to replace DeBoer in Tuscaloosa – or did Alabama miss out on Kiffin for good when they tapped DeBoer to replace Saban in January 2024?

That could be even stickier. Outside of Byrne and Kiffin, few if any know for certain whether Kiffin was legitimately pursued as a Saban successor in the 48 hours between when Saban stunningly announced his retirement and Byrne popped the question on DeBoer.

The Ole Miss coach and Twitter (er… X) super-user might have been approached via back channels to gauge his interest, but that might also have been quietly rebuffed after Kiffin received a fair bit of feedback flack after a reported dalliance with Auburn before the Tigers went with Hugh Freeze in 2023.

Whether Kiffin’s temperature was taken or not by Byrne and Alabama 18 months ago, times and situations change at all time. Kiffin has won 45 of his 63 games in Oxford and has recruits flocking to The Sip with an uber-clever recruiting brand, but he also can’t help but to feel like he is bumping his head on the proverbial ceiling.

Can Ole Miss really expect to contend for an SEC championship and deep College Football Playoff run based on the less than $9 million it reportedly has for NIL in The Grove Collective? For all the 10-win seasons under Kiffin so far, the Rebels likely can’t squeeze twice as much out of NIL donors like Alabama reportedly has done for the 2025 team.

In other words, Kiffin has done a superb job raising Ole Miss to the penultimate step in the pantheon of the SEC. But the distance between that step and the summit that Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Alabama live on is massive – and likely no amount of pithy tweets and snarky Paul Finebaum Show appearances will make it any easier to climb.

Can Alabama navigate the mother of all second chances and lure Kiffin back to his adopted home (not to mention Joey Freshwater’s fabled stomping grounds)? Not only would it take the reported $70 million to buy out DeBoer, but drawing Kiffin from Ole Miss will also certainly take a pretty penny… Does that money exist in Alabama’s ecosphere?

And would Kiffin really want to try his hand at rebuilding Alabama from what it is starting to become to what it very recently has been? Is he up for that level of scrutiny – not to mention non-stop comparisons not only to Saban but to his own successes as Alabama’s former offensive coordinator?

Or did Alabama simply miss out on the coach that could have maintained Saban’s Process and added his own flair for the next 20 years – with no second chance to make it right ever materializing again?

The post Will Alabama ever get another chance to snag Lane Kiffin? appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Roughly an hour after South Carolina sealed a 24-11 win over Virginia Tech, the Gamecocks’ social feeds released footage of the team’s bench going crazy during Swain’s return. Players jaunted their way down toward the endzone and head coach Shane Beamer started waving for the crowd to stay loud as Swain celebrated.

LaNorris Sellers completed 63.2% of his passes (12/19) for 209 yards and 1 touchdown in the game. He didn’t light up the stat sheet with his legs — 13 carries (including 4 sacks and 3 kneel downs) for 25 yards — but did scamper for the game-winning first down with 2:12 remaining in the contest.

South Carolina wreaked havoc defensively, totaling 4 sacks and 7 tackles for loss on the day. Standout edge defender Dylan Stewart posted 1 of those sacks and 1.5 of the tackles for loss. The Gamecocks host the South Carolina State Bulldogs in Week 2 before beginning SEC play versus Vanderbilt in Week 3 (Sept. 13).

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Before the Longhorns’ game against Ohio State on Saturday, Finebaum even said Manning was the best player the sport has seen since Tim Tebow.

So, it was a particularly tough look for Finebaum when Manning ended up struggling mightily against the Buckeyes, finishing with just 170 yards and an interception in the 14-7 defeat.

On Sunday, Finebaum admitted that he was “guiltier than anyone” for the sky-high expectations placed on Manning’s shoulders ahead of the season.

“Listen, I will take whatever blame comes my way,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “What happens, is we buy into a narrative. We feed it and what is really interesting Matt, forget what I say or you or any other pundit, Vegas is also culpible here. They made him the favorite to win the Heisman. When you throw out a hot take and you look at Vegas and go ‘they’ve got to know something’, it just feeds into the frenzy.”

For Manning, it was his first career road start. To make your first road start in Columbus is a tall task for any quarterback. At times on Saturday, the third-year passer showed his potential. However, there were too many times where he had receivers running open and he couldn’t make the connection.

In today’s college football, a Week 1 loss at the defending national champion isn’t going to doom a team. The Longhorns are still considered one of the favorites to make it to the College Football Playoff. They even remained at No. 1 in ESPN’s recently-updated FPI ratings. Manning will have a chance to make his mark in several other big games this year.

The Longhorns are back in action next week against San Jose State, and will look to bounce back from a disappointing Week 1.

The post Paul Finebaum admits he’s ‘guiltier than anyone’ for Arch Manning hype machine appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Make your first $5 entry after signing up with the Underdog promo code. Win or lose, you’ll be awarded with a $50 bonus. Use this to make predictions on passing yards, touchdowns, rushing yards and other stats.

The highlight of Saturday is the matchup in Columbus, Ohio. Lee Corso will finish his time on the College Gameday crew at No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State. Below, we explain the different types of contests you can enter for this matchup and others, such as No. 9 LSU vs. No. 4 Clemson.

Sign up here to use the Underdog promo code SDS and secure a $50 bonus for NCAAF picks.

Higher/Lower CFB Totals for the Underdog Promo Code SDS

Combine several different picks to create an entry on Saturday. These are just some of the popular markets for Texas-Ohio State and LSU-Clemson:

• Arch Manning (TEX): 238.5 passing yards
• Julian Sayin (OSU): 1.5 passing TDs
• James Peoples (OSU): 51.5 rushing yards
• Jeremiah Smith (OSU): 32.5 longest reception
• Quintrevion Wisner (TEX): 0.5 rushing + receiving TDs
• Ryan Wingo (TEX): 54.5 receiving yards
• Cade Klubnik (CLEM): 34.5 passing attempts
• Garrett Nussmeier (LSU): 287.5 passing yards
• Adam Randall (CLEM): 0.5 first TD scorer
• Caden Durham (LSU): 62.5 rushing yards
• Bryant Wesco (CLEM): 3.5 receptions

Check out the “Champions Tips” on the app to learn about multipliers, flex entries, payout boosters and other special features. Try flexing an entry of 3+ picks to still receive some winnings if only one leg doesn’t hit.

Underdog Promo Code Guide to Claim $50 Bonus

Underdog has quickly become one of the most popular apps for fantasy contests. Complete the steps below to claim the best welcome offer for a full day of college football.

1. Follow the links on this page to apply the Underdog promo code SDS.
2. Fill in your email address, date of birth and other relevant info to verify your identity.
3. Use PayPal or another accepted payment method to make a deposit.
4. Create a $5 entry to receive a $50 bonus.

Draft Players Each Week to Compete for Prizes

Check out the different drafts every weekend to compete against other customers for large prize pools. For example, the “CFB Battle Royale – Week 1” tournament has a $5 entry and $45,000 worth of prizes, with first place getting $5,000.

There are rankings that display the top players each day. Running back Nicholad Singleton of Penn State has been the top choice in most drafts, followed by Smith of Ohio State. And there is a news feed that shows the latest updates, like which quarterbacks will start and who is injured.

Sign up here to use the Underdog promo code SDS and begin with a $5 entry. New customers will receive a $50 bonus for college football fantasy contests.

The post Underdog Promo Code SDS: Get $50 Bonus for Texas-Ohio State, CFB Picks appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Register with the Underdog promo code and create your opening $5 entry. The outcome doesn’t matter, so the $50 bonus is guaranteed.

We have over a dozen matchups on Thursday. Get in your first contest to receive the bonus in time for a busy Saturday slate. Most matchups have Higher/Lower totals for popular players. Make picks on touchdowns, passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards, receptions and more stats. The number of legs in your entry will determine your potential winnings.

Sign up here to use the Underdog promo code SDS and claim a $50 college football bonus.

Underdog Promo Code SDS for NCAAF on Thursday

There are markets for the following college football games. Try creating a standard entry with 2+ picks for a chance at the largest payout. However, all legs must hit. You can flex an entry instead that has 3+ legs to still receive winnings if only one pick is incorrect.

• No. 25 Boise State vs. South Florida | 5:30 pm ET
• Ohio vs. Rutgers | 6 pm ET
• East Carolina vs. NC State | 7 pm ET
• Buffalo vs. Minnesota | 8 pm ET
• Nebraska vs. Cincinnati | 9 pm ET
• Miami (OH) vs. Wisconsin | 9 pm ET

In the Nebraska-Cincinnati matchup. Find totals for Brendan Sorsby, Dylan Raiola, Emmett Johnson, Tawee Walker, Evan Pryor, Jacory Barney, Caleb Goodie, Dane Key and Cyrus Allen.

Claim $50 Bonus with the Underdog Promo Code

Start making picks on college football after unlocking this welcome offer. New customers can take these steps to secure a bonus.

1. Follow the links on this page to use the Underdog promo code SDS.
2. Fill in your date of birth, full name and email address.
3. Use an accepted payment method to make a deposit, such as a debit card or online banking.
4. Create a $5 entry.

The result of your first contest doesn’t matter. You’ll receive a $50 bonus to use toward picks over the weekend.

Draft Players in NCAAF, NFL Tournaments

Some of this bonus can be used for drafts. Select college football players to compete against other customers for a share of large prize pools. For example, “The Transfer Portal” is a season-long contest with $50,000 worth of prizes and a $25 entry fee. The news feed is a great way to keep up with injuries throughout the year.

Similar drafts can be found for the NFL season, which begins next Thursday. View the rankings to see which players are going early in other drafts. The top pick in most tournaments is Ja’Marr Chase, followed by Bijan Robinson, CeeDee Lamb, Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, Justin Jefferson and Christian McCaffrey.

Register here to apply the Underdog promo code WTOP. Claim a $50 bonus for college football and NFL picks with a $5 entry.

The post Underdog Promo Code SDS: Play $5 on College Football Week 1, Get $50 Bonus appeared first on Saturday Down South.

PREVIOUSLY: Nos. 100-76. | Nos. 75 through 51 | Nos. 50-26.

25. Makhi Hughes | RB, Oregon

If you’re drafting a fantasy team, there are few safer bets in any given season than RB1 at Oregon: Excluding the COVID year, the Ducks’ feature back has finished with 1,000+ scrimmage yards in 20 consecutive seasons, under 6 different head coaches, usually with plenty of room to spare. Enter Hughes, a transfer from Tulane who looks like a lock to extend the streak. Like most of his predecessors, Hughes isn’t the most imposing back, or the shiftiest. He just moves the chains — in 2 years at Tulane, he churned out 2,779 yards, 135 first downs and 22 touchdowns, earning first-team All-AAC in both seasons. An efficient, one-cut runner listed at 5-11, 210 pounds, he’s plenty sturdy enough for the transition to the Big Ten, with more than 70% of his career output coming after contact, per PFF. (Also per PFF, he’s yet to fumble on 520 carries.) Don’t expect to be blown away by a viral highlight reel. Just put him down for triple digits on a weekly basis, and watch him hit his marks.

24. Jordyn Tyson | WR, Arizona State

Tyson’s ascent in 2024 was as unexpected as his team’s. After missing virtually all of ’23 to a torn ACL, he was a revelation in Arizona State’s run to the Big 12 crown and Playoff spot, finishing with more targets (113), receptions (75), yards (1,101) and touchdowns (10) than the rest of ASU’s wideouts combined. Tyson was 1 of only 3 Power 4 conference receivers with 1,000 yards and 10 TDs in the regular season; the others, Colorado’s Heisman winner Travis Hunter and Miami’s Xavier Restrepo, were both consensus All-Americans. Tyson only missed out on adding to those totals due to a broken collarbone that sidelined him for the Big 12 Championship Game and a second-round CFP loss to Texas. The Devils will never know whether his presence would have made a difference in that defeat, a double-overtime heartbreaker they were literally 1 play away from winning. But in the absence of MVP running back Cam Skattebo in 2025, they can be sure that getting back will involve Tyson taking the next step toward fulfilling his first-round potential.

23. Spencer Fano | OT, Utah

Utah’s offense was a wreck in 2024, battling injuries and gradually bottoming out over the course of Big 12 play. Which only made Fano’s trajectory that much more remarkable: A blue-chip recruit from rival turf – his high school is literally in BYU’s backyard – he moved from the left side as a true freshman to the right in Year 2 and cemented his reputation as a bona fide road grader. Fano played every meaningful snap and finished with the top overall PFF grade (92.7) and run-blocking grade (93.6) of any Power 4 lineman.

This year, the o-line is the only part of the offense that will look familiar under new coordinator Jason Beck, returning all 5 regular starters. (In particular, Fano’s fellow bookend, LT Caleb Lomu, is another former blue-chip with “future pro” written all over him.) For Fano personally, he could stand to clean up the rough edges as a pass blocker to be NFL-ready in 2026, when he’s almost universally projected as an early entrant and first-rounder. In the meantime, if the Utes take off under Beck and dynamic QB transfer Devon Dampier, who followed his OC to Salt Lake City from New Mexico, it will only be because the big men have paved the way.

22. Matayo Uiagalelei | Edge, Oregon

Yes, you recognize the name: All his life, Matayo has been known as DJ’s little brother. Now, though, the shadow is about to fall in the opposite direction. For one thing, the younger Uiagelelei has simply physically outgrown his older bro, having beefed into a 6-5, 270-pound specimen entering his third year on campus. For another, while DJ is a long shot to make an NFL roster as a rookie, Matayo’s stock is poised to achieve liftoff, coming off a breakout sophomore campaign in which he accounted for 31 QB pressures, 10.5 sacks, and a game-clinching INT in one of the Ducks’ closest calls of the season.

Oregon will miss the pass-rushing juice of departed first-rounder Derrick Harmon on the interior, but between Uiagalelei, fellow edge rusher Teitum Tuioti, and incoming transfer Bear Alexander, the front four still boasts arguably the highest ceiling of any d-line in the Big Ten, if not the country. How close they come to fulfilling it will go a long way toward determining how far the Ducks go in their pursuit of the program’s first national title. For what it’s worth, BetMGM Sportsbook has listed the Ducks’ national championship odds at +600.

21. Rueben Bain Jr. | DL, Miami

One of the top recruits to come out of Miami since the pandemic, Bain was an instant hit at The U, sweeping the 2023 Freshman All-America teams and earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year after finishing among the conference leaders in QB pressures (45), TFLs (12.5) and sacks (7.5). Cue the minor chord for Year 2: Bain suffered a calf injury on the first series of the first game, costing him the entire month of September and curbing his effectiveness the rest of the year. His output was effectively cut in half, and the defense as a whole shouldered the blame for keeping the nation’s Po. 1 offense out of the Playoff.

This year, the ‘Canes are resetting on defense with an influx of new starters via the portal and a new coordinator, Corey Hetherman, who oversaw one of the nation’s best units in 2024 at Minnesota. But they’re still banking on a healthy, well-seasoned Bain to make good on his initial promise in what is likely to be – at least if it goes according to plan – his last year. A new scheme is no substitute for a difference-maker.

20. Antonio Williams | WR, Clemson

It has been a minute since Clemson had a wideout worth remembering, but the post-pandemic drought is officially over. We’ve already covered the Tigers’ rising sophomore stars, TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr., in Part 2 (Nos. 75-51). If there’s a first among equals, though, it’s Williams, former top-100 recruit who emerged in 2024 right on schedule. A smooth, elusive route runner, Williams rebounded from a nagging foot injury in ’23 to haul in 75 catches for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns, best among returning ACC receivers in each column. He also tacked on a couple TDs as a rusher and passer, just to show he could.

Now that Moore and Wesco are established on the outside, Williams will likely spend most of his time working out of the slot, where he thrived late last season as the freshmen settled into full-time roles. Wherever he lines up, getting the ball in his hands remains the offense’s top priority.

19. LaNorris Sellers | QB, South Carolina

There was a point last October when I openly wondered in my weekly SEC quarterback rankings whether Sellers was cut out to be a long-term SEC starter. The answer: An emphatic yes. Yes, he is. From that point on, he was arguably the best quarterback in America over the final month of the regular season.

Maybe it should have been obvious a lot sooner — Sellers’ upside was plain enough in the early going, even if his limitations were, too. At 6-3, 242 pounds, he instantly sets off the freak siren, boasting the kind of highlight-reel athleticism that at his size inspires lofty comparisons. A 75-yard touchdown run against LSU in Week 3 was an early, fleeting glimpse. Still, prior to an open date in in late October, he profiled as a typically raw, turnover-prone underclassman whose potential at that point far outstripped his production. After, the Gamecocks ended the regular season on a 6-game winning streak that vaulted them into late playoff contention.

Don’t just go by the record: For the month of November, Sellers ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense and pass efficiency, and first in total touchdowns, with 16 (12 passing, four rushing). In the same span, South Carolina averaged just shy of 500 yards per game, best in the SEC, with Sellers accounting for just shy of 70% of that total. And don’t just go by the stats, either. In a win over Missouri, he led not just one but two go-ahead touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Two weeks later, he looked like the second coming of Cam Newton — how’s that for a lofty comparison? — in another come-from-behind win over Clemson, repeatedly turning shoulda-been sacks by future pros into big, loping gains in the open field on his way to 166 rushing yards.

Per PFF, Sellers’ 18 missed tackles forced against the Tigers were the most in a single game all season by any player not named Ashton Jeanty. With 164 passing yards, he was also the only FBS quarterback on the year to rush and pass for 150+ yards in the same game, turning in a season high 92.5 Total QBR rating in the process.

Sure, 6 games (1 of them vs. Wofford) is not exactly a foolproof sample size, and Sellers was a mere mortal in a 21-17 Citrus Bowl loss to Illinois. Do you wanna bet on this guy turning back into a pumpkin? If his progress continues apace, he’s a bona fide Heisman candidate in 2025, and could be NFL-bound as soon as ’26, his first year of eligibility. And even if it doesn’t, the glimpses of his upside he’s flashed already are enough to buy a whole lot of patience.

18. Harold Perkins Jr. | LB, LSU

Perkins was supposed to be in the NFL by now, redefining the concept of the “positionless” defender in the spread era. Instead, he’s back at LSU to rehab a) A torn ACL that cost him nearly all of his junior season; and b) His reputation as an all-purpose playmaker from anywhere on the field. Even before his injury last September, LSU seemed to be struggling with precisely how to deploy Perkins’ dynamic skill set, which made him a breakout star as a freshman but also has its limits. 

One problem the Tigers faced in 2023 was reconciling Perkins’ dynamic presence as a pass rusher with the fact that, at 6-1, 222 pounds, he’s much too light to hold up as an every-down edge defender against the run. The only game they parked him on the edge full-time, a 55-49 loss at Ole Miss, was one of the worst defensive performances in school history. Instead – much to the fans base’s frustration – he spent the rest of that season primarily as a conventional box linebacker or in a nickel role, more “spacebacker” than edge terror. Sacks and pressures declined from ’22 despite a significant increase in Perkins’ overall snap count.

In 2025, coaches have explicitly designated Perkins for “Star,” the hybrid linebacker/nickel position, reportedly at his own request. That probably corresponds with how he’ll be deployed at the next level, as a search-and-destroy type whose coverage skills are more likely to translate than his ability to torch lumbering o-linemen off the snap. To neglect his capacity to harass opposing QBs would be criminal, but if they have to pick and choose the right moments to turn him loose, well, that’s why defensive coordinator Blake Bell makes the big bucks.

17. Suntarine Perkins | LB, Ole Miss

Suntarine is no relation to Harold, but the comparison is impossible to miss: 5-star hype, tweener size, elite closing speed in pursuit – he even wears the same jersey number, No. 4, that Harold wore as a freshman at LSU. And in many respects, Suntarine actually delivered the 2024 campaign his doppelganger was supposed to. While Harold’s season was derailed by injury, Suntarine broke through on cue, generating 43 QB pressures and 11 sacks for the most productive pass-rushing front in the country. Now a junior, he’s 1 of only 2 returning starters on the Ole Miss defense and the unquestioned captain of the unit.

The big difference between the respective Perkinses is that Suntarine has not moved around very much, lining up as a full-time edge each of the past 2 seasons. But that may be due to change. At 6-1, 210, Suntarine is even more undersized opposite colossal offensive tackles than Harold, and he’s benefited from playing on a stacked d-line that just had 3 outgoing starters drafted. Much of his success in ’24 came from hawking down quarterbacks who’d been flushed from the pocket; he was often more of a QB spy than a conventional rusher. His duties this fall reportedly will involve more standard linebacker stuff, including dropping into coverage, if only to allow pro scouts to check that box. When the rubber meets the road, though, the Rebels still want his ears pinned back.

16. Keldric Faulk | DL, Auburn

Enough with the tweeners. Faulk is a hoss: 6-6, 285, and still just a couple weeks shy of his 20th birthday entering his third year on campus. So far, so good. A rural product, Faulk was Hugh Freeze‘s first big recruiting win at Auburn, flipping his commitment from Florida State on signing day in December 2022. He made an immediate impression as a freshman, moving into the starting lineup midway through the season. As a sophomore, he established himself as one of the most disruptive forces in a league full of them, accounting for 45 QB pressures and 11 tackles for loss. 

Obviously, any blue-chip specimen who combines the explosiveness of an edge rusher in the body of a tackle has a bright future. Faulk’s size and skill set put him in the class of jumbo-sized mutants like Travon Walker, Mykel Williams and Shemar Stewart, who in recent years have made “Freakazoid SEC D-Lineman Dominates the Combine” an annual phenomenon. All of those guys went in the top half of the first round despite mediocre-at-best college production; Faulk has a chance to be the rare prospect who boasts create-a-player traits and the stats to back it up. Another step forward in Year 3 for a player still growing into his potential is a terrifying prospect.

15. Mikail Kamara | Edge, Indiana

In Part 3 (Nos. 50-26), we featured 3 of the 13 transfers who followed coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana in 2024 and formed the core of arguably the best team in IU history. Even among the JMU contingent, Kamara distinguished himself. A first-team All-Big Ten pick, he was as unblockable as any rusher in the conference this side of Penn State’s Abdul Carter. Per PFF, Kamara led the entire FBS with 68 QB pressures, including 10 sacks – the first Indiana player to record double-digit sacks since 2008. Including his JMU years, he’s also forced 7 career fumbles, tied for the most of any returning defender in a Power 4 conference.

Résumé notwithstanding, the lingering question about Kamara’s skill set is his length, or lack thereof at (officially) 6-1, 265 pounds. No number in the box score is going to stop scouts from wringing their hands over a sawed-off frame at a position where wingspan is at a premium. It doesn’t help, either, that the only game in which he was shut out as a pass rusher last year was the Hoosiers’ lone regular-season loss at Ohio State. (Although he did fare better in their CFP loss at Notre Dame, generating 7 pressures against the Irish.) The Buckeyes rotate off the schedule in ’25, but future NFL offensive tackles from Illinois, Iowa, Oregon and Penn State rotate on. If Kamara still has anything to prove as a sixth-year senior, he’s going to get his chance.

14. Drew Allar | QB, Penn State

Let’s dispense with the throat-clearing — 5-star recruit, exemplary traits, 23-6 record as a starter, tangible improvement from ’23 to ’24, so on and so forth. If you’ve made it this far, you know who Allar is, and you know his return is at the top of the list of reasons Penn State is facing its highest expectations in decades. BetMGM gives Penn State +700 odds to win the national championship.

As a senior, he’s going to be judged solely by the one thing we don’t know: Is this guy capable of being The Guy?

Fairly or not, the losses over the past 3 years — the past 2 with Allar entrenched as QB1 — loom much larger over the Nittany Lions’ championship-or-bust mission than the wins. All but 1 of Penn State’s 8 defeats since 2022 have come at the hands of opponents ranked in the AP top 5 at kickoff, a run of big-game futility that includes an 0-5 record vs. Ohio State and Michigan; a shootout loss to Oregon in last year’s Big Ten Championship Game; and a heartbreaker against Notre Dame in the CFP semifinal, a game the Lions led with 5 minutes to play.

Allar in particular has been mostly forgettable in those games, except for the moments he’d actually like to forget. Most memorably, he was the goat (not the good kind) of the loss to the Irish, failing to complete a pass to a wide receiver and finishing with a season-low 92.8 passer rating. With the season on the line in the 4th quarter, he was bailed out of 1 ghastly interception by a dubious pass interference call, and ended the night by throwing what might be the costliest pick in school history to set up Notre Dame’s walk-off field goal to win.

In Allar’s defense, both a rebuilt offensive line and a pedestrian bunch of wideouts were considered weak links in 2024. Those defenses aren’t going to fly in ’25: The OL is now well-seasoned, and Penn State made upgrading the options at receiver its top offseason priority, adding 3 likely starters via the portal. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have a chance to go down as a 1-2 backfield punch for the ages. (See: Part 3, Nos. 50-26.) The defense is a standard-issue Penn State defense, meaning it’s a safe bet to finish in the top 10 nationally in scoring D for the 5th year in a row. Everything is in place to get the Lions back to the threshold. Allar’s only mandate is a senior is to be the guy who finally carries them across.

13. Sonny Styles | LB, Ohio State

There was never much doubt that Styles, the son of a former Buckeye who grew up just outside Columbus, was going to wind up at OSU. Figuring out exactly what do with him once he got there was slightly more complicated. Initially listed as a safety, the 6-4 Styles arrived in 2022 already threatening to outgrow the position, and kept on beefing over the next 2 years even while lining up predominantly as either a free safety or nickel. Finally, he accepted his fate in 2024 as a full-fledged, 235-pound linebacker, and he looked like a natural. He started every game in the Buckeyes’ national title run, finished 2nd on the defense in snaps and tackles, and led the team in “stops,” PFF’s metric for tackles that represent a failure for the offense based on down and distance. 

As a senior, Styles is 1 of only 3 returning starters on defense following a mass exodus for the draft. (All 8 departing starters were picked in the first 5 rounds.) He’s still growing, too, now listed at an imposing 6-5, 243. Ohio State opens the season with odds as low as +525 at BetMGM. If a repeat is in the cards, he will be quite literally one of the biggest reasons.

12. Whit Weeks | LB, LSU

Harold Perkins’ torn ACL last September was a red-alert moment for a defense already short on proven playmakers. But his absence wasn’t nearly the disaster that it could have been, thanks largely to Weeks’ emergence as one of the SEC’s most relentless ball hawks. A model weakside ‘backer whose motor never stops, Weeks was inescapable, finishing as the conference leader in tackles (89) and stops (43) in SEC play. In addition to grading out as the Tigers’ top defender against the run, per PFF, he also made plays as a pass rusher (25 pressures, 4 sacks, including a pair of strip sacks) and in coverage (3 PBUs, 1 interception). He was the only underclassman on the first-team All-SEC defense as voted by league coaches, joining 11 other guys who are currently on NFL rosters.

Long-term, Weeks might be destined for the motor/grit curve, with questions about his size/speed/ceiling. Short-term, he’s still recovering from a serious ankle injury in the Texas Bowl that required surgery and has limited his preseason reps due to concerns over load management ahead of LSU’s season opener at Clemson. Once he and Perkins are finally on the field at the same time, the caveats aren’t going to count for much.

11. Ryan Williams | WR, Alabama

As teenage phenoms go, Williams wasn’t the most productive, or even the most likely to succeed as the rest of his career unfolds. (An impossible claim for anyone else in the same freshman class as Jeremiah Smith.) But few if any have passed the “Know It When You See It” test with as much style. A Day 1 starter for Alabama at 17 years old, Williams needed just a few weeks to burn his name in the national consciousness, flashing an uncanny knack for viral panache from the first time he touched the ball. By the first weekend in October, he’d accounted for 7 touchdowns in his first 5 college games, 6 of them on receptions of 40+ yards, and 1 of them entering directly into the pantheon of greatest plays in Bama history while it was still in progress.

What else do you need to see after that? In fact, there wasn’t much to see — Williams’ output slumped down the stretch, with his last touchdown vs. an FBS opponent coming in an Oct. 19 loss at Tennessee. By that point, though, he could have skipped the second half of the season altogether and the accolades still would have rolled in. He was a unanimous Freshman All-American and first-team All-SEC, making him the first true freshman receiver to earn that distinction from the coaches since at least the turn of the century. If those first 6 weeks were just the beginning, they’re also the bar he’ll be measured by for the rest of his tenure.

10. Arch Manning | QB, Texas

To cite headline writers’ favorite Arch-themed cliché, the advance hype for the Manning era is touched with a bit of madness. More than just a bit, actually: With a grand total of 260 snaps to his name, Manning is beginning his tenure as QB1 as the betting favorite for the Heisman, at the helm of the No. 1 team in both major polls, based mainly on — let’s be honest — some combination of the original recruiting buzz that followed him to Austin 2 years ago and his perennially clickable last name. Rarely, possibly never, has a player with a résumé this thin been sucked into a preseason hype cycle this powerful.

Now, does that mean we’re above it? Please. Not a chance. For one thing, Arch himself has never seemed the least bit affected by the din, to which he’s been acclimating since the 9th grade. For another, what little we have seen of him so far has advanced the plot. In 3 extended appearances in 2024 — September wins over UT-San Antonio, UL-Monroe and Mississippi State in relief of an injured Quinn Ewers — he looked the part and then some, averaging an eye-opening 11.2 yards per attempt with 8 touchdown passes vs. 2 interceptions. Even after Ewers returned to full-time duty, neither his performance nor Steve Sarkisian’s weekly insistence that Ewers’ job was safe were a match for the murmurs that flared up every time the offense failed to score 2 possessions in a row. In the meantime, while Manning barely put the ball in the air again as an understudy, he took advantage of his few appearances off the bench to flash better-than-advertised mobility, both as an open-field runner and as a short-yardage threat with a nose for the end zone.

Then again, it’s also worth remembering that on his only meaningful drop-backs against a real opponent, Georgia hounded Manning into 2 sacks and a fumble on just a handful of snaps in the Longhorns’ only loss of the regular season, a 30-15 decision in Austin in mid-October. That was the game when the broadcast caught both Texas QBs looking stunned on the sideline at the end of a miserable first half. So, you know, take his breakthrough against the likes of UTSA and UL-Monroe for what it’s worth.

At any rate, at least we won’t have to wait long to begin drawing some actual conclusions: Texas’ opening-day trip to Ohio State is the main event of Week 1 and one of the premiere nonconference collisions of the season. Both Manning and his counterpart, OSU’s Julian Sayin, have a chance to make a lasting first impression that puts one or both on the Heisman track. If Arch is who pretty much everybody seems to think he is, a win in Columbus could cement his status as the Face of the Sport overnight.

9. Cade Klubnik | QB, Clemson

Klubnik’s lofty recruiting ranking inspired visions of the next Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence. By the end of his first season as a starter in 2023, the verdict was in: In Klubnik’s own words, “everybody kind of told me I sucked.” Clemson finished 9-4, snapping a streak of a dozen consecutive seasons with 10+ wins, while Klubnik struggled to distinguish himself in any way from the guy he replaced, the much-maligned DJ Uiagalelei. 2024 started in the same vein, with the offense failing to move the needle in a 34-3 flop against Georgia.

Then a funny thing happened: Slowly but surely, Klubnik actually… improved? Is that still a thing young quarterbacks are allowed to do? Apparently, yeah. With the team flying well below the national radar for a change, the offense perked up, improving its output in ACC play by nearly 13 points per game compared to ’23. The turnaround began behind center, where Klubnik accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Tigers’ total offense and 43 total touchdowns on the year (up from 23 TDs as as sophomore) vs. only 6 interceptions (down from 9).

He made strides as a passer and a runner, recording healthy year-over-year gains in passer rating, Total QBR and rushing yards; excluding sacks, he finished as the team’s second-leading rusher, and his legs were responsible for arguably Clemson’s biggest play of the year — a game-winning, 50-yard touchdown scramble at Pitt in mid-November that ultimately punched the Tigers’ ticket to the ACC Championship Game, which they had to win (and did) to reach the Playoff.

From there, Klubnik’s postseason outings against SMU (a dramatic, 34-31 win in the ACCCG) and Texas (a 38-24 loss in the CFP) were two of his best, with the vast majority of the Tigers’ output and all 7 touchdowns in those games coming courtesy of his right arm.

So, OK, Trevor Lawrence he is not. If Klubnik had a Lawrence/Watson-caliber skill set, he’d be plying it as a newly-minted franchise QB at the next level. He is, however, the MVP of an offense that returns virtually intact, in a wide-open year for the national championship, the Heisman, and most everything else. This is an especially pivotal season for Dabo Swinney, whose homegrown, portal-averse approach to roster building is on the verge of being vindicated after several years on the rocks. (Although it’s worth noting that even Dabo’s zero-tolerance policy toward the portal has begun to thaw.) He’d love to prove it’s still possible to recruit-and-develop your way to the top of the sport, with Klubnik serving as poster boy for the virtues of patience. The Tigers are prohibitive betting favorites to win the ACC, and every step the Tigers take toward a national title, the closer he’ll be to leaving a legacy of his own.

8. Jeremiyah Love | RB, Notre Dame

Love was the opposite of a workhorse in 2024, averaging just 10.2 carries per game as part of Notre Dame’s backfield-by-committee. But the Irish got plenty of bang for their buck: Among Power 4 backs with 100+ carries, Love ranked No. 3 in yards per carry (6.9); No. 5 in touchdowns (17); No. 9 in missed tackles forced (62); and No. 1 in “elusiveness,” a PFF metric that combines missed tackles forced and yards after contact. Altogether, his 19 rushing/receiving touchdowns came in 1 shy of the single-season school record, 4 of which covered 60+ yards.

You wouldn’t know it from his breakaway TD against Indiana, but Love was limited throughout the postseason by a nagging knee injury, which severely curbed his explosiveness; his second-longest gain across 4 CFP games covered just 9 yards. He was notably a non-factor in the CFP Championship Game, managing 8 yards on 6 touches in Notre Dame’s loss to Ohio State.

Given the need to keep him healthy and available for the long haul, there’s not much urgency to increase Love’s workload throughout the 2025 season. His primary running mate, Jadarian Price, was plenty productive on his share of the carries, and there’s no shortage of depth. The biggest variable is how the Irish will divvy up the dozen or so carries per game reserved for departed QB Riley Leonard, who actually led the team in carries even after excluding sacks. Leonard’s replacement, redshirt freshman CJ Carr, projects more as a conventional pocket type than a dual-threat. As enticing as it is to get the ball in Love’s hands as often as possible, preventing a repeat of last year’s hobbled finish must be also be a priority.

7. Francis Mauigoa | OT, Miami

A native of American Samoa, Mauigoa’s route to big-time college football was a far-flung one – the distance between his hometown in the South Pacific and Coral Gables spans some 6,000 miles, with multiple stops in between. But one look at his industrial-strength frame is all you need to understand that, wherever he was born, he was born to be an offensive lineman. After following older brothers Frederick and Francisco to the mainland, Mauigoa entered the pipeline at IMG Academy, and emerged 2 years later as one of the most sought-after OL in the country.

At Miami, he reunited with his brother Francisco, a 2-time All-ACC pick at linebacker who was drafted in the 5th round this spring. Francis, a second-team all-conference pick in 2024, has his sights set higher. At 6-6, 315, he boasts ideal size to go with 26 consecutive starts at right tackle and is coming off a sophomore campaign in which he allowed a single sack on 576 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF. The Hurricanes led the nation in total and scoring offense, and sent QB Cam Ward (a former teammate of Francisco’s at Washington State) out as the No. 1 overall pick. That’s a tough act for Ward’s successor, Carson Beck, to follow. Mauigoa’s job is simply to give him a chance.

6. Kadyn Proctor | OT, Alabama

It’s been a long way to the top for Proctor, a mountain of a man whose potential has loomed larger than his performance. A 5-star prospect and Day 1 starter in 2023, he had all the makings of the next great plug-and-play Bama left tackle. Instead, he visibly struggled as a freshman, allowing an SEC-worst 36 pressures and 12 sacks, per PFF. Understandably frustrated, Proctor transferred home to Iowa that winter following Nick Saban’s retirement and went through spring drills with the Hawkeyes before reversing course and returning to Tuscaloosa last summer. Despite missing the first 2 games to injury, he was vastly improved in Year 2, cutting pressures (15) and sacks (3) en route to a second-team all-conference nod from SEC coaches. Still, a couple of rocky outings down the stretch in demoralizing losses to Oklahoma and Michigan were reminders that, for a full-grown colossus, he remained a work in progress.

In Year 3, the Tide are expecting a finished product. On top of his outrageous feats of weight-room strength and agility for a man listed at 6-7, 366 pounds, Proctor is the ranking vet in the trenches, with 25 career starts at a position that Alabama has produced 5 first-round picks over the past decade. If he’s going to fulfill his promise as the next name on that list, the time is now.

5. Anthony Hill Jr. | LB, Texas

By certain metrics, Texas’ defense was the best in the country in 2024, and by any metric Hill was the Longhorns’ most versatile defender. Smooth, instinctive and ferocious in pursuit, he did a little bit of everything, most of it at an elite level in just his second year on campus. He was omnipresent against the run, logging triple-digit tackles, 44 stops, including an SEC-best 17 tackles for loss. He hounded opposing QBs, generating 23 QB pressures and 8 sacks on just a handful of pass-rushing reps per game. He created takeaways, tying for the SEC lead with 4 forced fumbles. He made plays between the tackles, coming off the edge and in space. On a unit loaded with future pros, Hill was the one who consistently leapt off the screen.

The only red flag in Hill’s game is in coverage — PFF cited him for 453 yards allowed on 60 targets, more than three-quarters of that total coming after the catch. No other SEC linebacker allowed more yards, and only 1 linebacker in the entire FBS allowed more YAC. (Note for the record here that PFF singled out Hill as the responsible party on the random screen pass that Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson broke for a 75-yard touchdown against the Longhorns just before halftime in the Cotton Bowl, a play that caught the entire defense with its pants down; there wasn’t a white jersey within 20 yards of Henderson when he caught the ball. This stuff is useful in context, but it is not an exact science.) There’s no reason athletically that Hill should be a liability on this front, and he wasn’t in 2023 as a freshman. If that’s the only remaining hurdle he has to clear to becoming a complete package in his money year, show him the money.

4. Peter Woods | DL, Clemson
3. TJ Parker | Edge, Clemson

Clemson has been cranking out elite d-linemen for long enough at this point that they’re starting to run together, each new guy inevitably filling a mental space shaped by the old guys. Even at a position as decorated as this one, though, Parker and Woods – the highest-rated players in the Tigers’ 2023 recruiting class – have a chance to play their way to the top of the list. 

Parker’s impact is obvious at a glance. Over the past 2 seasons, he has accounted for 86 QB pressures, 33 TFLs and 16.5 sacks, ranking among the returning FBS leaders in each column; in 2024, he also tied for 2nd nationally with 6 forced fumbles, a school record. If you repeat the words “Clemson defensive end” three times in front of a mirror, Parker’s image will appear in the reflection. 

Woods’ impact is harder to quantify, mostly because he has logged significantly fewer snaps. (He was limited over the first half of last season by a knee injury.) But when he has been on the field, he’s earned a reputation as a freak and a half, splitting reps between the edge and the interior at 6-3, 315 pounds, and looking equally disruptive in both roles. A classic run stuffer, Woods has also generated 40 pressures on 396 career pass-rushing snaps.

The plan in ’25 is to limit Woods to his natural position on the inside, a move facilitated by the arrival of Purdue transfer Will Heldt to man the edge role opposite Parker. Notably, Heldt was the first defensive player ever to join Clemson via the portal, an indication of just how urgently they want to maximize Woods’ massive presence in what will likely be his final college season. A full season at full speed will set the standard future generations are measured against.

2. Jeremiah Smith | WR, Ohio State

Let’s turn back the calendar one year, to August 2024. Smith, the No. 1 overall recruit in the ’24 class, has already broken the hype meter before ever putting on a Buckeyes uniform. He enrolled early, showed up looking the part, and immediately starting going viral in a series of “My God, a Freshman” highlights in spring practice. The idea, at this point, that he might exceed the hype is absurd. To put it mildly. Like, it’s not even an idea because it’s not possible. Simply to be as good as advertised, Smith would have to deliver something like the best rookie campaign on record for a wide receiver at a program where even some of the most revered wideouts of the past decade have had to wait their turn. Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka, Marvin freakin’ Harrison Jr. — none of them made more than a ripple as freshmen. How good can this kid be, really?

Well … pretty dang good, as it turns out.

By the time the confetti fell on the Buckeyes’ national title, Smith’s debut had entered the realm of myth. The stats speak for themselves: Including his dominant turn in the Playoff, Smith’s debut ranked 6th in Ohio State history in receptions (76), 4th in receiving yards (1,315) and 2nd in receiving touchdowns (15). (That’s all of Ohio State history, not just freshmen, obviously.) He scored a TD in 12 of 16 games, and was charged by PFF with a single drop in the season opener. What the numbers don’t convey is the astonishing, man-among-boys ease of it all by an 18-year-old.

At 6-3, 215, Smith’s high-rise skills in traffic were predictable — no less incredible to watch in real time, but consistent with the scouting report. At the same time, though, he was an advanced route-runner, a home-run threat in the open field, and, on an offense loaded with skill talent, a focal point for opposing defenses. In the CFP alone, he dusted blue-chip corners in man coverage, put a 6th-year safety in the spin cycle, and ran through arm tackles like they were pool noodles.

Now, the question in Year 2 is how much better can this kid get? BetMGM lists Smith at +1000 to win the Heisman — the lowest odds to win the Heisman of any non-quarterback, and behind just 3 other quarterbacks overall.

Unless coaches are determined to force-feed him in blowouts, there’s not a lot of ceiling room left on paper. Athletically, the notion of a sophomore leap by a borderline extraterrestrial specimen who by the end of Year 1 was already being compared favorably to Julio Jones is frankly terrifying. What would that even look like? It hardly seems possible. But based on what we’ve seen already, notions of what is or isn’t possible in Smith’s immediate future have no bearing on what he’s actually capable of producing.

1. Caleb Downs | DB, Ohio State

It’s not easy to wax rhapsodic about safeties, a position that by definition tends to do its best work offscreen, out of sight and out of mind of the average viewer. The ideal safety is boring: A sound tackler who rarely whiffs; a reliable cover man who’s rarely challenged deep; a guy who’s entire job consists of taking responsible angles, never being caught out of place, and preventing disaster so efficiently that it looks routine, if it’s noticed at all. He’s the sensible suburban soccer dad of the defense.

Downs, as ideal a college safety as there has ever been, has the boring stuff down cold. Over 2 years, 30 starts and 1,807 snaps at Alabama and Ohio State, he has consistently been where he’s supposed to be, when he’s supposed to be there, doing what he’s supposed to be doing. He has allowed a grand total of 2 touchdowns in coverage, per PFF, both of them in his freshman season at Bama in 2023. He’s committed a grand total of 2 penalties, again, both of them as a freshman. Opposing QBs were so reluctant to test him downfield in 2024 that the average depth of target on passes with Downs in coverage was a meager 5.1 yards. In 11 of Ohio State’s 16 games, he didn’t allow a reception of 10+ yards; in 7 of those games, he didn’t allow a reception at all. He’s recorded 189 career tackles, including 61 stops and a dozen TFLs, with only 24 misses — a success rate of 89 percent. 

And he makes it all look effortless enough that, if you’re just tuning in on a given Saturday, it’s easy to take him for granted. In fact, it’s almost impossible not to.

With the great ones, though, seeing is believing, and the cumulative effect of watching Downs at his best is to appreciate just how much faster he’s moving than everyone else on the field, mentally and physically. A premium athlete with NFL bloodlines — his father, Gary Downs, and uncle played in the league, as does his brother Josh, a wideout with the Colts — Downs’ foot speed is arguably exceeded by his processing speed, which for a guy with easy sideline-to-sideline range is saying something. The next time he gets caught chasing might be the first. Instead, he doesn’t read and react so much as he attacks: By the time the ball gets where it’s going, Downs has usually absorbed the play, defeated any blockers in his path, closed on his target, and is poised to deliver a textbook strike with all 205 pounds flying downhill.

Oh, and if you allow him to field a punt, he will take it to the house.

Although he’s only a junior, Downs has nothing left to prove at this level, or even to add to his résumé, having started every game for a couple of Playoff teams and already claimed most of the accolades he’s eligible to claim — All-American, Freshman All-American, first-team all-conference in both of the sport’s premier conferences, national champion. There’s still, say, the Jim Thorpe Award, bestowed upon the best DB in the country, which Downs was a finalist for in 2024 but did not win (possibly because voters acknowledged that he’s a shoo-in to win it this year). But he doesn’t really need to chase any trophies, either. At this point, he has already established himself as the type of player for whom an awards snub says more about the award than it does about him. All that’s left is to put the finishing touches on a career that’s going to endure as the standard-bearer for his position.

The post SDS’ Top 100: Ranking the best college football players in 2025 (Nos. 25-1) appeared first on Saturday Down South.

* * * * *

The 2024 season marked the beginning of a new era in college football, and in the SEC, in particular: The Playoff expanded, the old East/West divisions ceased to exist, Nick Saban quipped from behind a desk rather than scowling on the sideline. But the real, defining theme of the new order turned out to be the absence of any order at all.

The real theme, from one Saturday to the next, was chaos.

For a while there, the work of putting together an “SEC preview” meant writing “Alabama” at the top, banging the gavel, and moving on to the race for second place. You did not have to justify Alabama. Since the pandemic, you could swap Bama for Georgia with just as little thought. Over the first decade of the CFP era (2014-23), Bama and UGA accounted for 9 of 10 SEC championships and 16 of the conference’s 17 bids to the Playoff. Most years, if there was an obstacle to the Tide or Dawgs’ supremacy, it was only the existence of the other.

That changed in 2024, a season when “any given Saturday” often felt literal – and disorienting.

Suddenly, here was a world where Alabama, at one point the owner of a 100-game winning streak vs. unranked teams spanning more than a decade, could be felled by a random stone to the forehead by Vanderbilt. Where Georgia, blue-chip overlord of the trenches, could be overrun and wiped out by an Ole Miss team consisting almost entirely of transfers. Where 4 different teams – LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss and Texas A&M – could spend multiple weeks ranked in the top 10, only to wind up afterthoughts in the final standings. Where, over the course of a single Saturday, 3 different teams on the Playoff track (including Alabama) could be abruptly eliminated by unranked opponents. Where 1 of the 2 hottest teams at the end of the regular season, South Carolina, didn’t appear in the polls until mid-November, and the other, Florida, never appeared at all after spending most of the year poised to fire its head coach. And where, in the Playoff itself, SEC teams lost more games (3) than they won (2, both by Texas) while failing to advance beyond the semifinals.

By the end, the fact that the conference championship ultimately fell to the runaway preseason favorite, Georgia, was less a testament to the Bulldogs’ inevitability than comic irony. Even the Dawgs were only a few weeks removed from being knocked from their pedestal and left for dead in Oxford, and only 1 week removed from surviving an 8-overtime upset bid from Georgia Tech by the skin of their teeth. If anything, they were the bloodiest and bruised SEC champions in 20 years. A few weeks later, they went one-and-done in the CFP, to the surprise of no one who’d been paying attention.

But at least Georgia was in the Playoff, which Alabama was not. (And plainly did not deserve to be.) Yes, the streak of Bama/UGA SEC titles was extended despite a strong push from Texas, but by the time the confetti came down on the Bulldogs, the aura of dominance had already evaporated. In its place, the conference race feels as wide open as it has in years, with at least 4 plausible contenders for the championship and at least half the league seriously gunning for the Playoff.

Any Given Saturday has yielded, finally, to Any Given Season. Embrace the chaos in 2025.

SEC Preseason Power Rankings

1. Texas

Patience in Austin is notoriously thin, and pressure notoriously high. But let’s take a breath here: The Texas Longhorns spent much too long in the wilderness just to start taking deep Playoff runs and lofty expectations for granted.

The reality is Steve Sarkisian has already done most of the job he was hired to do. Texas is certifiably back as a year-in, year-out contender, with back-to-back appearances in the Playoff semifinals to prove it. Year 1 in the SEC was a success. The ‘Horns are recruiting with the big dogs on an annual basis. They’re ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll for the first time in school history. They’re the betting favorites to win it all. They boast the the Heisman favorite, who is widely expected to be back on campus in 2026. His heir apparent is already in the pipeline either way. The championship window is wide open for the foreseeable future. Even the most famously entitled, trophy-hunting boosters in the sport can’t complain they’re not getting their money’s worth — at least, not yet.

Now, we’ll see how the vibes hold up as the mission shifts from the “sustained momentum” phase to the “championship or bust” phase. Texas’ Playoff losses in ’23 and ’24 stung, but not nearly as much as they might have if the base didn’t have 2025 to look forward to. This is the year they’ve really been waiting for: The program is established, Sarkisian’s staff is intact, the roster is stacked with Sarkisian’s recruits, Arch Manning is entrenched, the hype is maxed out. The ‘Horns’ time is now. And just because it’s not necessarily now or never won’t make another early exit any less of a disappointment.

– – –
Longhorns at a Glance …

2024 Recap: 13-3 (7-2 SEC | Lost CFP Semifinal | Final AP Rank: 4)
Best Player: Junior LB Anthony Hill Jr.
Best Pro Prospect: QB Arch Manning (eventually)
Best Addition: Junior TE Jack Endries (Cal)
Most Seasoned: Senior Edge Trey Moore (5th year; 42 starts at Texas and UTSA)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore WR Ryan Wingo
Wild Card: Sophomore RB CJ Baxter
Best Name: RB Quintrevion Wisner

Biggest Strength: A versatile array of pass rushers. Anthony Hill, Trey Moore and Freshman All-American Colin Simmons accounted for a combined 105 QB pressures, 23 sacks and 9 forced fumbles in 2024. Good luck finding a more disruptive trio in ’25.

Nagging Concern: A rebuilt offensive line. Four of last year’s starting 5 are gone, 3 of whom were multi-year starters. The vacancy left by All-American/first-round pick Kelvin Banks Jr. at left tackle is the most urgent on either side of the ball.

Looming Question: Who steps up at wideout? Let’s go ahead and assume Manning is who he’s supposed to be. His receivers are almost as green as the golden boy. No one in last year’s rotation moved the needle until the since-departed Matthew Golden finally emerged from the pack in the postseason. Between Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore Jr., and an infusion of blue-chip freshmen, there’s no shortage of options, but if there’s a WR1 in the room, they’d love to identify him ASAP.

The Schedule: The Week 1 opener at Ohio State is a Playoff rematch full of sound and fury, signifying … well, not nothing, but probably not all that much in the end. The winner in Columbus will have the inside track to a top seed, but barring a humiliation, the losers will survive with all their goals and most of their margin for error still intact. The first 2 SEC games, at Florida on Oct. 4 followed by the annual rivalry date against Oklahoma, are the real hurdles. Clear them both, and it’s a straight shot to meaningful November matchups against Georgia (in Athens) and Texas A&M (in Austin).

The Upshot: Texas was, if not the best team in the SEC in its debut season, then certainly the most consistent. That was a testament in part to departed QB Quinn Ewers, a perfectly cromulent college quarterback who left with a 21-5 record as a starter over his last 2 seasons. But Ewers never quite paid off his elite billing, and no matter how firmly Sarkisian stressed that there was no controversy between the incumbent and his even-more-hyped backup, by the end, it was an open secret that Ewers’ time was up. No one will ever know what would have happened on the alternate timeline where Manning permanently overtook Ewers at midseason, or any point thereafter, a long-running fantasy that never came to fruition. (Although, not for nothing, the entire NFL passed an unmistakable verdict in April by allowing Ewers to fall to the 7th round of the draft.) If Arch is a hit, the decision to delay his promotion will make even less sense. But then, if Arch is really a hit, nobody in burnt orange is going to be too hung up on wondering what might have been.

• • •

2. Georgia

Even at Georgia, you can’t fairly describe a season that culminates in an SEC title as a letdown. Instead, let’s go with … anticlimax. While the Dawgs ultimately survived the conference slog, it was just that — a slog, with virtually none of the aura or sense of inevitability they’d sustained across the previous 3 seasons. Every conference game was a competitive, 4-quarter affair, including a razor-thin escape against Kentucky in the early going, a chaotic classic at Alabama, and a wipeout loss at Ole Miss. They were tied in the 4th quarter against an overmatched Florida squad down to its third-string walk-on quarterback; needed a last-ditch comeback and 8 overtimes to fend off Georgia Tech; and had to go to OT again to put away Texas in the SEC Championship Game after losing QB Carson Beck to injury. Despite limping into the CFP as the no. 2 seed, their second-round loss to Notre Dame was only a surprise if you were somehow tuning in expecting to see the team that opened the season atop the preseason polls in August rather than the one that had actually taken the field in the meantime.

Of course, it speaks volumes that one of the most mortal outfits of Kirby Smart‘s tenure still had the chops to make it as far as that one did, notching wins over 3 other Playoff teams — Clemson, Texas (twice) and Tennessee — along the way. The ’25 Dawgs arrive with less star power and more questions marks than any UGA team since the pandemic, beginning with the big one behind center following Beck’s transfer to Miami. But since when is Georgia fazed by attrition? As they’ve already proved, just because they’re mortal doesn’t mean they can’t be the last team standing.

– – –
Bulldogs at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 11-3 (7-2 SEC • SEC Champs | Lost CFP 2nd Round | Final AP Rank: 6)
Best Player: Junior LB CJ Allen
Best Pro Prospect: Allen
Best Addition: Junior WR Zachariah Branch (USC)
Most Seasoned: Senior CB Daylen Everette (28 career starts)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore DB KJ Bolden
Wild Card: Freshman DL Elijah Griffin
Best Name: QB Hezekiah Millender

Biggest Strength: The middle of the defense. Interior DL Christen Miller and inside linebacker CJ Allen are entrenched starters with All-SEC and NFL aspirations, surrounded by the usual array of blue-chips vying to replace departed NFL Draft picks. Incoming freshmen Elijah Griffin and Isaiah Gibson were the 2 highest-rated d-line prospects in the 2025 class.

Nagging Concern: Quarterback, with an exclamation point. Presumptive starter Gunner Stockton is in his 4th year in the program but has never been considered an obvious heir apparent by Georgia standards and remains essentially a blank slate. He did just enough to get over against Texas in his first meaningful action after replacing Beck in the SEC Championship Game, but was forgettable in the CFP loss to Notre Dame, leading a single touchdown drive in his first career start. The best case for optimism at this point might be the fact that Smart declined to pursue a transfer to join the competition between Stockton and redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi. But even that arguably says as much about the timing of Beck’s decision to leave, well after the cream of the transfer crop had already been picked off in the December portal window, as it does about coaches’ faith in his understudies.

Looming Question: Who are the playmakers? The wideouts were plagued by an outbreak of the dropsies in 2024 and bid farewell to leading receivers Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett. In addition to some familiar faces among the holdovers, the Bulldogs also added a couple of big-ticket transfers, Zachariah Branch (USC) and Noah Thomas (Texas A&M), as well as 5-star freshman Talyn Taylor. They don’t necessarily need a headliner to separate himself from the pack, but they do need to identify targets Stockton can trust in a pinch.

The Schedule: About as favorable as they come in this conference: 3 of 5 ranked opponents (Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas) come to Athens, where Georgia has won 31 straight dating to 2019; a 4th, Florida, is at a neutral site as always, as is the season finale against Georgia Tech, slated for Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That leaves just 3 true road tests: at Tennessee, Auburn and Mississippi State.

The Upshot: This is what they used to call a rebuilding year: Uncertainty at quarterback, relatively little proven star power, new starters breaking in at every position group. Georgia doesn’t do “rebuilding,” but let’s just say that, recruiting rankings aside, this is not a roster likely to be drafted en masse by the Philadelphia Eagles anytime soon. The bet is on a gold-standard program continuing to churn raw talent into another 11- or 12-win season at a reliable clip. There are much worse bets. (Spoiler: BetMGM lists Georgia as +320 to win the SEC Championship and +700 odds to win the national championship.)

• • •

3. Alabama

At their best, the Saban-era Tide operated with such ruthless, week-in, week-out efficiency the effect was boring. Months passed without a single random variable threatening to disrupt the proceedings. You knew exactly how a Bama game was going to end, and usually when. (Sometime in the middle of the 2nd quarter, early 3rd at the latest, when the final gasp of air was squeezed out of the opposing sideline.) Well, that era officially qualifies as nostalgia. Of all the epithets hurled at the 2024 Tide, the one thing no one could ever call it was boring.

Instead, Year 1 of the post-Saban era was a roller coaster: Blowouts followed by upset scares; huge leads blown and salvaged in dramatic fashion; dominant performances against rivals offset by random flops against unranked opponents. In conference play alone, Alabama was on the right side of a historic win over Georgia, the wrong side of a historic upset at Vanderbilt — Vanderbilt! — narrowly dodged another bullet against South Carolina, blew a 4th-quarter lead at Tennessee, beat the pants off LSU and Missouri, puked up a Playoff bid against Oklahoma, and finally handled Auburn in more or less routine fashion. They went out with a no-show performance in a bowl game named for a company no one has ever heard of against a Michigan team with no offense to speak of, their 3rd loss in a game they were favored to win by double digits.

The effect was disorienting, and not just because of the contrast between Kalen DeBoer‘s Tide and Nick Saban’s. Even amid the undeniable stench of decline, in their better moments they were still clearly an outfit capable of beating anyone on any given Saturday, and potentially ripping off 3 or 4 wins in a Playoff scenario with the nation’s most talented roster was never out of the question. It still isn’t, especially when you’re reviewing a depth chart as densely populated by former 5-stars as ever. That hard part, apparently, is going to be keeping it together for long enough to give themselves a chance.

– – –
Crimson Tide at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 9-4 (5-3 SEC | Lost ReliaQuest Bowl | Final AP Rank: 17)
Best Player: Sophomore WR Ryan Williams
Best Pro Prospect: Junior OL Kadyn Proctor
Best Addition: Senior LB Nikhai Hill-Green (Colorado)
Most Seasoned: Junior OL Parker Brailsford (28 career starts at Bama and Washington)
Emerging Dude: Junior DB Bray Hubbard
Wild Card: Junior QB Ty Simpson
Best Name: OL Kam Dewberry

Biggest Strength: Abundance of next-level talent spread evenly across the roster. Nothing has changed here. Singling out a specific position is beside the point when virtually everyone on the two-deep is a former blue-chip with pro potential.

Nagging Concern: Replacing dual-threat QB Jalen Milroe’s share of the ground game. When it mattered, the running backs typically yielded last year to Milroe, who led the team in carries and yards and went into full workhorse mode in wins over Wisconsin (76 yards, 2 TDs), Georgia (113 yards, 2 TDs), South Carolina (72 yards, 2 TDs), LSU (185 yards, 4 TDs) and Auburn (96 yards, 3 TDs). Ty Simpson is not a statue, by any means, but he isn’t going to carry the load against the top half of the schedule, either. Who is?

Looming Question: Is Ty Simpson a steady hand? Milroe’s enormous upside was undermined by his volatility — one week he looked like God’s gift to the sport, the next like he was learning how to play quarterback from scratch. Simpson is a former 5-star, but in the wake of the Milroe Experience, the offense needs consistency behind center more than it needs a specimen.

The Schedule: The only thing last year’s losses had in common was they all came away from home. Go ahead and raise the red flag for trips to Georgia, South Carolina and — as always — Auburn. Tennessee and LSU are back in Tuscaloosa, as are Vandy and Oklahoma for their respective revenge dates. Alabama is 32-1 at home since the start of the 2020 season but is in no position right now to take anything for granted.

The Upshot: I always imagined whoever followed the GOAT would have the luxury of coasting to at least a couple of recognizably Saban-esque seasons on raw talent and inertia. Instead, whatever sense of continuity DeBoer inherited is already strained. At least the talent part is still true. The momentum can still go either way – but not for long. A return to the Playoff in Year 2 is the bare minimum to restore some semblance of stability. 

• • •

4. LSU

It’s getting to be about that time. LSU fans could content themselves in Brian Kelly‘s first season with a cathartic win over Alabama and an SEC West title. Simmering frustration in Year 2 was offset by the joy of rooting for a Heisman-winning quarterback at the helm of the nation’s most prolific offense. By Year 3, there was nothing to stop it from boiling over. The immediate catalyst for the meltdown was a progressively humiliating, three-game losing streak at the hands of Texas A&M, Bama, and Florida, each loss a little bit worse than the one before it in its own way. Amid the skid, the Tigers took another deflating L when prized QB recruit Bryce Underwood flipped his commitment to Michigan, eliminating one of the few remaining incentives to buy stock in Kelly’s future.

A couple token November wins over Vandy and Oklahoma kept Kelly from being fed to the mascot for Thanksgiving, but didn’t alter the larger trajectory. If it’s not literally playoff-or-bust in Year 4, it’s close enough in spirit for his contract buyout to become the topic of casual conversation across the state of Louisiana. LSU is now 6 years removed from its last nationally relevant season in 2019, a course Kelly was hired specifically to reverse after the rapid disintegration of the Ed Orgeron administration. Kelly is a better coach than Orgeron over the long haul, but unless he can give the locals some reason to believe he’s capable of winning big with a roster of his own making, he’s running out of time to prove it.

– – –
Tigers at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 9-4 (5-3 SEC | Won Texas Bowl | Unranked)
Best Player: Junior LB Whit Weeks
Best Pro Prospect: Senior QB Garrett Nussmeier
Best Addition: Senior DB AJ Haulcy (Houston)
Most Seasoned: Haulcy (33 starts at Houston and New Mexico)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore RB Caden Durham
Wild Card: Junior LB Harold Perkins Jr.
Best Name: DL Jacobian Guillory II

Biggest Strength: A deep, dynamic bunch of wideouts. Last year’s leading receiver, Aaron Anderson, is a rising star in the slot, and LSU made a point to pursue size (Oklahoma’s Nic Anderson) and speed (Kentucky’s Barion Brown) via the portal. The competition for targets on the outside between Nic Anderson, Brown, and holdovers Chris Hilton Jr. and Zavion Thomas is the kind of problem coaches dream of. Especially when the guy slinging it, Heisman hopeful Garrett Nussmeier, is coming off a 4,000-yard season and could become the first Tiger QB to throw for 3,000 yards twice.

Nagging Concern: An overhauled o-line. The only returning starter, center DJ Chester, was easily the lowest-graded of the regular starting 5 as a redshirt freshman, per PFF. Both starting tackles, Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr., were drafted in the top 100 picks with more than 5,000 combined snaps; their likely replacements, home-grown sophomore Tyree Adams and redshirt freshman Weston Davis, have combined for 162.

Looming Question: Will the new faces on defense pay off? The Tigers improved in ’24 under first-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker — it would have been almost impossible not to, compared to the flaming wreckage of the ’23 D — but still finished in the bottom half of the conference in most of the ways that matter. They invested heavily in the pass rush, adding 3 veteran edge rushers via the portal, and in the secondary, where big-ticket transfers AJ Haulcy (Houston) and Mansoor Delane (Virginia Tech) were joined by 5-star freshman DJ Pickett, a potential Day-1 starter. More importantly, they also welcomed back jack-of-all-trades linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., who missed nearly all of last season to a torn ACL. Read on for more on Perkins’ role in the individual awards section below.

The Schedule: The Week 1 opener at Clemson is meaningful on a couple of levels: 1), LSU is desperate to avoid starting 0-1 for the 6th year in a row, a streak that stands in for its broader failure to break through nationally during that span; and 2), the Tigers need all the margin for error they can get. Six of their 8 conference games are against ranked opponents, including road trips to Ole Miss, Alabama and Oklahoma.

The Upshot: Kelly came to Baton Rouge in 2022 talking the talk about being “in an environment where I have the resources” to win a national title. Since, LSU has drifted further from contention, while his former school, Notre Dame, advanced to the CFP Championship Game in 2024 under former Kelly assistant Marcus Freeman. Not that anyone at LSU is fixated on how their boys stack up against the Irish, specifically. But they do care about direction. If Kelly is going to last long enough to walk the walk, the pressure is on to prove the Tigers are getting closer, not further away.

5. Texas A&M

For a fleeting moment last fall, it looked like Mike Elko‘s debut in College Station was going somewhere. If you don’t remember, don’t worry, you probably just sneezed or something and missed it. But let the record show: As of Nov. 1, the Aggies were proud owners of a 7-game winning streak, perched at 10th in the AP poll coming off a pair of blowout wins over then-No. 9 Missouri and then-No. 8 LSU, and beginning to think big. Excluding the COVID year, that represented A&M’s best November ranking since 2016, when a 7-1 start under coach Kevin Sumlin … uh, collapsed in a 1-4 finish.

You might remember what happened next. Beginning with a blowout loss at South Carolina, the Aggies dropped their last 3 games in SEC play, plus a bowl game in Las Vegas, as a 7-1 start … collapsed in a 1-4 finish. They fell out of the polls altogether with a bogus standard 8-5 record, unranked at year’s end for the 4th year in a row.

That might or might not be relevant this season, when essentially the same team faces essentially the same schedule in a slightly different order. Just something to keep in mind around the time the weather turns.

– – –
Aggies at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 8-5 (5-3 SEC | Lost Las Vegas Bowl | Unranked)
Best Player: Junior LB Taurean York
Best Pro Prospect: Senior Edge Cashius Howell
Best Addition: Junior WR KC Concepcion (NC State)
Most Seasoned: Senior OL Trey Zuhn III (5th year; 37 starts at left tackle)
Emerging Dudes: Sophomore WRs Terry Bussey and Mario Craver
Wild Card: Sophomore CB Dezz Ricks
Best Name: OL Dametrious Crownover

Biggest Strength: A fully intact, long-in-the-tooth offensive line. Seven returning o-linemen have extensive starting experience, boasting a combined 154 career starts and an incredible 10,385 snaps between them, per PFF. Four of the 5 starting spots are set. The only real battle is at center, where 2024 starter Kolinu’u Faaiu is attempting to hold off the guy he replaced in the pivot, 2023 starter Mark Nabou Jr., who is returning from a torn ACL that cost him the entire season.

Nagging Concern: Uncertainty at the skill positions. The WR rotation underwent a complete overhaul, bidding sayonara to last year’s top 5 targets while importing a pair of Power 4 transfers, KC Concepcion (NC State) and Mario Craver (Mississippi State), to flank 5-star sophomore Terry Bussey. The top 2 running backs, Le’Veon Moss (knee) and Rueben Owens (foot), are coming off season-ending injuries.

Looming Question: Can QB Marcel Reed take the next step? Reed supplanted the much more highly touted Conner Weigman as QB1 in 2024 and held his own despite presiding over the November skid. A better athlete than passer, he was efficient enough to turn in respectable marks in passer rating and QBR while consigning Weigman to the portal. Expanding his downfield range could be the key to unlocking the offense.

The Schedule: An early trip to Notre Dame looms, but the conference slate sets up nicely again for A&M to be playing meaningful football in November. Unusually, the SEC office did its part to front-load the proceedings by assigning the Aggies 3 consecutive home games to open the conference schedule (vs. Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida), immediately followed by 3 consecutive road dates at Arkansas, LSU and Missouri. As a result, they’ll go almost a full month without leaving home from mid-September to mid-October, then wait another month for their next home game against South Carolina.

The Upshot: The Aggies are short on headliners compared to the conference’s upper crust. On paper, though, they’re a well-rounded outfit with no glaring weaknesses and solid fronts on both sides of the line of scrimmage. They’re going to be okay in the trenches, a reflection of Elko’s meat-and-potatoes ethos. If the revamped passing game pans out, they might just be in it for the long haul. Until further notice, though, that is a load-bearing if. 
• • •

6. Ole Miss

Everything aligned for Ole Miss in 2024, from the first-round quarterback to the 8-figure roster to a user-friendly schedule. The Rebels dispatched the 2 best teams on that schedule, Georgia and South Carolina, by a combined score of 55-13. They led the conference in scoring offense, scoring defense and turnover margin. And still — still! — they found a way to light their golden Playoff ticket on fire, dropping a random game in each month of the season to an underdog. In September, they flubbed the SEC opener against Kentucky, supplying the Wildcats with their only SEC win. In October, they blew a 4th-quarter lead at LSU by allowing touchdowns on consecutive plays at the end of regulation and in overtime. In November, they ran out of gas at Florida despite outgaining the Gators by 120 yards. At its best (see the Georgia game), it might have been the best team in Ole Miss history. It ended the season in the Gator Bowl.

When is an opportunity like that going to come along again? Probably not in 2025: A school-record 8 NFL Draft picks left town — none of whom began their careers in Oxford, including face-of-the-program QB Jaxson Dart — and the incoming portal haul (while large) is nowhere near as decorated as the one that elevated the roster last year. In fact, the new quarterback, Austin Simmons, will be the first starting QB at Ole Miss who actually signed with Ole Miss out of high school since Shea Patterson in 2017. Maybe that’s a sign of confidence in a home-grown talent; maybe it’s a sign that boosters are wary of going all-in on an annual basis after watching their last investment come up short. Either way, if the Rebels are still aiming high they’re going to have to get there on an economy fare.

– – –
Rebels at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 10-3 (5-3 SEC | Won Gator Bowl | Final AP Rank: 11)
Best Player: Junior LB/Edge Suntarine Perkins
Best Pro Prospect: Perkins
Best Addition: Junior Kicker Lucas Carneiro (Western Kentucky)
Most Seasoned: Senior WR De’Zhaun Stribling (5th year; 40 starts at Oklahoma State/Washington State)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore QB Austin Simmons
Wild Cards: Transfer DEs Princewill Umanmielen (Nebraska) and Da’Shawn Womack (LSU)
Best Names: QB Trinidad Chambliss … OL Diego Pounds

Biggest Strength: The pass rush. Yes, the d-line suffered enormous losses from the unit that led the nation in sacks in the regular season. But the Rebels return heat-seeking edge Suntarine Perkins, a former 5-star who led the conference in sacks in SEC play, as well as senior Zxavian Harris, heir apparent to first-rounder Walter Nolen on the interior. They portal haul included a pair of intriguing young edge rushers, Princewill Umanmielen (brother of third-rounder Princely Umanmielen) and Da’Shawn Womack, who will get every opportunity that they didn’t get at their previous stops.

Nagging Concern: A depleted secondary. The entire 2-deep moved on. Ole Miss shored up the back end with 7 new additions via the portal, 3 of them coming directly from SEC rivals. The likely starters at corner, Jaylon Braxton (Arkansas) and Ricky Fletcher (South Alabama), are coming off season-ending injuries.

Looming Question: Is Austin Simmons a long-term solution at quarterback? Simmons, a redshirt sophomore, was not a blockbuster recruit, arriving in 2023 as a low 4-star. But he did beat out a big-time recruit, LSU transfer Walker Howard, for the backup/heir apparent role last year. (Howard subsequently transferred to his hometown school, UL-Lafayette.) And Simmons’ only meaningful snaps were memorable: After Dart was sidelined by an early ankle injury against Georgia, he came off the bench to lead a 10-play touchdown drive on which he was 5-for-6 passing for 65 yards. Personally, watching it in real time, I thought Ole Miss should have let Dart simmer on his gimpy ankle for another drive or two and let the understudy cook; instead, Dart limped back in on the next series, presided over the win, and didn’t yield to Simmons again in a competitive situation the rest of the season. But as far as small sample sizes go, they don’t get much more encouraging than that.

The Schedule: Again, extremely favorable: The Rebels miss Texas, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas A&M for the second year in a row. A Week 5 toss-up against LSU, in Oxford, will set the tone for the rest of the year. Win it, and Ole Miss is a midseason dark horse with only 1 remaining game in which it’s likely to be a decisive underdog, at Georgia. Lose the LSU game, and the margin for error against Oklahoma, South Carolina and Florida over the second half of the season becomes extremely thin.

The Upshot: For a guy who’s flying well under the radar, Simmons is one the conference’s more compelling wild cards. There are too many established starters and rising stars across the league to get carried away about a neophyte based on a single impressive drive, regardless of the opponent. The advantage to being essentially unknown is that it’s still possible Simmons could turn out to be anything, from a star to a bust. Given his brief but brilliant cameo against UGA and Lane Kiffin‘s track record with quarterbacks, the odds favor the former. And after breaking the bank for a roster that turned out to be less than the sum of its parts, that sounds like exactly the kind of low-stakes bet this program is in the market for.

• • •

7. Tennessee

Life comes at you fast in the NIL era. In January, the Vols were perfectly content with their investment in Nico Iamaleava, a 5-star franchise type whose first season as a starter in 2024 yielded a 10-3 record, a come-from-behind win over Alabama, and the program’s first Playoff berth. By April, the Nico era in Knoxville had come to an abrupt end, the casualty of an apparent rift over a reported request by Iamaleava’s camp for a significant raise from the school’s NIL arm. (Reported is doing some heavy lifting in that sentence; Iamaleava has disputed that money was a motivating factor in his exit, claiming he transferred to UCLA to be closer to family. Take that for what it’s worth. But as a rule, it’s wise to take everything you read where NIL negotiations are concerned — especially specific figures accompanied by dollar signs — with a grain of salt.) Just like that, Tennessee’s most touted quarterback signee since Peyton Manning, the guy the Vols had pinned their hopes on for this season and beyond, was a ghost.

Vols fans, of course, will argue that their now-former favorite boy hadn’t earned a raise. They have a point. Record notwithstanding, Iamaleava finished in the bottom half of the SEC in yards per attempt, passer rating and Total QBR, and was routinely overshadowed by Tennessee’s defense and ground game. His performance in Tennessee’s losses was underwhelming, especially in a November loss at Georgia and a first-round Playoff beatdown at Ohio State. And that’s before you even consider the trickle-down effects of horse trading on the locker room and the program at large. If the rift really was as wide as portrayed in the reporting, to the extent that Iamaleava was incommunicado with UT coaches, a hard reset was probably for the best, before the situation devolved into some kind of full-blown NFL-style holdout.

Still, personal drama aside: Strictly from a football perspective, can they honestly argue they’re better off without him? That’s a tougher sell. Blue-chip sophomores who have overseen a 10-win season on the early stages of the growth curve don’t exactly grow on trees, do they? Especially ones with Iamaleava’s still tantalizing potential. His replacement, Joey Aguilar, has a lot more football under his belt as a multi-year starter at Appalachian State, but nowhere near Nico’s upside. Put it this way: Aguilar, ironically, spent the spring at UCLA, where he was the projected starter before the Bruins landed Iamaleava. Did anyone even attempt to make the case that Aguilar should stick around and compete for the job in L.A.? They did not. The Aguilars of the world might be perfectly respectable in the right context, which Josh Heupel‘s offense may very well turn out to be. But they’re not going to make anybody stop wondering about what might have been possible with the Nicos.

– – –
Vols at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 10-3 (6-2 SEC | Lost CFP 1st Round | Final AP Rank: 7th)
Best Player: Junior CB Jermod McCoy (health pending)
Best Pro Prospect: McCoy
Best Addition: Freshman OL David Sanders Jr.
Most Seasoned: Junior OL Wendell Moe Jr. (27 starts at Arizona)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore DB Boo Carter
Wild Card: Sophomore WR Mike Matthews
Best Name: DB Steele Katina

Biggest Strength: The cornerbacks. Outside starters Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III were pleasant surprises in ’24, holding down the starting jobs from start to finish and faring well against the vast majority of the schedule — 3 of the 5 touchdowns they allowed between them were to Alabama’s Ryan Williams and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, which, hey, it happens. (McCoy actually gave Williams all he could handle in the Vols’ win over Bama, holding him to 1 reception on 5 targets and earning a lot of money in the process.) True freshman Boo Carter settled in at nickel over the second half of the season, rounding out what should be one of the league’s most flame-resistant units once McCoy is back to full speed coming off a torn ACL.

Nagging Concern: Replacing Dylan Sampson’s production at running back. Sampson, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, was the real engine of the offense, accounting for more than 1,600 scrimmage yards and a school-record 22 touchdowns before suffering a hamstring injury that sidelined him for essentially all of the December trip to Columbus. (Not that his presence would have made the difference in a game Tennessee trailed 21-0 in the first quarter.) If there’s another workhorse in the pipeline worth feeding 20+ times per game, the most likely candidate is 210-pound sophomore Peyton Lewis. More likely, the job will fall to a committee featuring some combination of Lewis, DeSean Bishop and Duke transfer Star Thomas.

Looming Question: Is Joey Aguilar an SEC quarterback? Aguilar is a 5th-year, one-and-done transfer who had a couple good-not-great seasons at App. State following 2 years in the JUCO ranks. His production significantly declined from 2023 to ’24, when he served up an FBS-worst 14 interceptions en route to ASU’s first losing season in more than a decade. The hope is that the picks were largely a product of circumstances opposite a terrible defense — all 14 INTs came with the Mountaineers trailing. At the very least, Aguilar needs to be kept out of situations where he feels compelled to take risks, which should sound familiar in these parts.

The Schedule: Assuming they hold serve against unranked opponents (based on the preseason AP poll), Tennessee needs to beat some combination of Georgia/Oklahoma at home and/or Alabama/Florida on the road to make another Playoff push. It’s worth noting that the status of the Vols’ best retuning player, Jermod McCoy, is still in limbo for the early part of the season, which could affect his availability for the SEC opener against Georgia in Week 3. The other key dates all fall in the back half of the schedule, good news for a team that can use all the time it can get to figure out what it’s about.

The Upshot: Iamaleava was hardly the MVP of last year’s run, but had he remained in the fold, he almost certainly would have been in ’25, for better or worse. His sudden exit left the Vols without a clear identity, at least on offense. They’d love to recreate last year’s run-first template with a new back filling Sampson’s shoes behind a rebuilt offensive line.

• • •

8. Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s offense crashed and burned in 2024. In SEC play, the Sooners ranked dead last in total offense and next-to-last in scoring, narrowly avoiding the basement in the latter column only thanks to 4 touchdowns scored by the defense. By midseason, they’d benched their franchise quarterback, fired their offensive coordinator, and lost every wide receiver on the preseason 2-deep to injuries. Only a miracle November upset over Alabama salvaged what was otherwise a start-to-finish disaster.

Step 1 in the renovation project: A new offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, by way of Washington State. Step 2: A new quarterback, Mateer, who’s a proven fit in the system. Mateer backed up future No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward for 2 years at Wazzu before piloting Arbuckle’s offense to 36.6 points per game in ’24 in his first turn as a starter. A dual threat, he was the only FBS quarterback to eclipse 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing (excluding sacks), and his 44 total touchdowns led the nation. With numbers like that, dwelling on his marginal measurables – Washington State was 1 of only 2 FBS teams that offered Mateer a scholarship out of high school, along with New Mexico State – or the marginal competition he faced was a luxury a team as desperate as OU could not afford.

If nothing else, Mateer should represent an immediate upgrade over the underachieving Grayson Arnold. Beyond that, I’d advise holding off on the Heisman buzz until we see how he holds up opposite a couple of first-rate defenses from Michigan and Texas in the first half of the season. If he looks the part, well, the hits only keep on coming against a murderer’s row of a schedule in conference play. But if the Sooners stand a chance of running the gauntlet, it will be because their biggest offseason investment has paid off.

– – –
Sooners at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 6-7 (2-6 SEC | Lost Armed Forces Bowl)
Best Player: Junior QB John Mateer
Best Pro Prospect: Mateer
Best Additions: Mateer (Washington State) and senior RB Jaydn Ott (California)
Most Seasoned: Senior OL Febechi Nwaiwu (5th year; 33 starts at Oklahoma and North Texas)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore CB Eli Bowen
Wild Card: Senior WR Deion Burks
Best Name: DL Alex Shieldnight

Biggest Strength: The pass rush. Senior R Mason Thomas is an established presence off the edge, and expectations are high for incoming transfer Marvin Jones Jr., a former 5-star with previous stops at Florida State and Georgia. (If you don’t know who Marvin Jones Sr. is, geez, ask your dad.) The Sooners should also get some juice on the interior via senior DT Grace Halton, and from Oklahoma State transfer Kendal Daniels, a free-range, jack-of-all-trades type who’s moving into the free-range, jack-of-all-trades position in Brent Venables‘ defense, “Cheetah.”

Nagging Concern: Uncertainty at the skill positions. No one who will touch the ball on offense has made it through a full season as a Sooner. The top option in the backfield, Cal transfer Jaydn Ott, has a couple of highly productive seasons under his belt in Berkeley in 2022-23, but his production plummeted in ’24 as he played through a nagging ankle injury. Top wideout Deion Burks was never right last year due to assorted ailments that limited him to 5 games. The rest of the surrounding cast consists of transfers, neophytes, and still more injury casualties.

Looming Question: Does the Wazzu offense translate to the SEC? Venables is betting the farm on Arbuckle and Mateer recreating their production against vastly better defenses. If the experiment goes bust, it’s probably bringing down the entire administration with it.

The Schedule: The most unforgiving slate in the conference, possibly the nation. At least September is manageable, with a couple of non-conference gimmes and Michigan and Auburn coming to Norman. A 5-0 start is plausible. After that, there’s no coming up for air, with 7 straight conference games against Texas, South Carolina (in Columbia), Ole Miss, Tennessee (in Knoxville), Alabama (in Tuscaloosa), Missouri and LSU. I get that Oklahoma fans are not accustomed to counting moral victories, historically, but if the Sooners win more in that stretch than they lose, they get to chalk it up as a solid step forward.

The Upshot: Oklahoma’s fortunes have risen and fallen in lockstep with its starting quarterback for 25 years, with a lot more rising in that span than falling. So goes the QB, so go the Sooners. If Mateer holds up his end of the bargain, they’ve got a chance. Otherwise, they know now just how ugly it can get in this league, and how quickly.

• • •

9. Missouri

Mizzou is an impressive 21-5 over the past 2 seasons – that’s fewer losses in the same span than LSU (7), Tennessee (7) or Alabama (6), the same as Texas, and only 1 more than Georgia. Very nice. Now let’s look beyond the loss column, where the comparison to the conference’s upper crust quickly falls apart. 

To its credit, Missouri did finish strong in 2023, notching a couple of ranked wins over Tennessee and a shorthanded version of Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl – its only wins under Eli Drinkwitz over teams that appeared in the final AP poll. In 2024, Mizzou was thoroughly overmatched against any team even within spitting distance of the polls. After nearly a month ranked in the top 10, the Tigers were blown off the field in road losses to Texas A&M and Alabama by a combined score of 75-10; later, they dropped a November trip to South Carolina that officially ended whatever futile argument they might have mustered for Playoff contention if they’d gone to the clubhouse with 10 wins for the second year in a row. 

There’s a lot to be said for consistently taking care of business against lesser opponents. Unfortunately, the main thing that it said about Mizzou in 2024 is that the league office served up a schedule full of them – the Tigers feasted on the bottom half of the conference while somehow missing Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU. In the end, their only wins over opponents that finished above .500 overall came at the expense of Boston College, Vanderbilt and Iowa in the bowl game, by a combined margin of 12 points.

All of which is to say that, while there is a direct path to another 8 or 9 wins in 2025 just by winning the ones they’re supposed to, the real measuring stick is what happens in the few they’re not.

– – –
Tigers at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 10-3 (5-3 SEC | Won Music City Bowl | Final AP Rank: 22)
Best Player: Junior OL Cayden Green
Best Pro Prospect: Green
Best Additions: Senior WR Kevin Coleman Jr. (Miss. State), Sophomore RB Ahmad Hardy (UL-Monroe)
Most Seasoned: Senior DB Jalen Catalon (6th year; 34 starts at UNLV, Texas and Arkansas)
Emerging Dude: Junior Edge Damon Wilson II (transfer/Georgia)
Wild Card: Junior QB Beau Pribula (transfer/Penn State)
Best Name: DB Toriano Pride Jr.

Biggest Strength: The safeties. Mizzou returns 2 starters on the back end, senior fixture Daylan Carnell and rising junior Marvin Burks Jr., and added 3 veterans with starting experience via the portal. The headliner among the transfers, Jalen Catalon, is a former All-SEC pick at Arkansas who’s back in the league after 2 years at Texas and UNLV. Catalan has racked up a lot of miles and more than his fair share of injuries over his vagabond career, but at full speed he still looks like he did as a rising star in Fayetteville. At UNLV, he was a first-team All-Mountain West pick in 2024 under former Razorbacks defensive coordinator Barry Odom.

Nagging Concern: Regenerating the pass rush. The Tigers’ only reliable rusher in 2024, Johnny Walker Jr., graduated. His counterpart on the edge, Zion Turner, is back for his 3rd season as a starter, but hasn’t (yet) had nearly the same impact. Instead, the most likely to bring the heat is Georgia transfer Damon Wilson II, a former 5-star who spent 2 years as a backup in Athens. Had he stayed at UGA, Wilson would have been a candidate for heavy rotation. At Mizzou, he’s a candidate for a full-fledged break out.

Looming Question: Who is QB Beau Pribula? At Penn State, Pribula carved out a niche as top backup and occasional “change of pace” runner behind entrenched starter Drew Allar. He was valuable enough there that the Nittany Lions made a stink about it last December when Pribula decided he had no choice but to leave the team ahead of the Playoff to meet the deadline for entering the portal. (To be clear, they directed their stink at the NCAA’s transfer restrictions, not Pribula.) He put up decent stat lines in limited duty, and brings a dual-threat capacity in the vein of departed starter Brady Cook. Whether he represents an upgrade over Cook in any other capacity is TBD. He is by far the biggest unknown on either side of the ball.

The Schedule: Again, possibly the friendliest the SEC has to offer: Arkansas, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt from the league’s bottom tier, and only Alabama from the top. (And this time Mizzou gets the Tide in Columbia.) The make-or-break games are toss-ups against the middle class: South Carolina, Auburn, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, the first 2 coming at home. Win 2 of those 4, avoid an ambush, and you’ve got yourself another by-the-book 9-3 season.

The Upshot: There’s a decent chance that Pribula is a hit, Mizzou springs an upset or two, and we’re forced to take the Tigers seriously as CFP contenders. Just as likely, they’ll be safely dislodge from the discourse by midseason and you’ll rarely have to think about them unless they’re playing your team. The difference might come down to just a handful of plays.

• • •

10. Florida

Everything went wrong for Florida in 2024, until it suddenly went very right. At their lowest ebb, amid a buzz of injuries and negativity surrounding coach Billy Napier‘s future, the Gators hit their stride, ripping off 3 straight wins against LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State to close the regular season and punctuating the rally with a bowl win over Tulane.

Strictly speaking, the late surge did not save Napier’s job, which had already been preserved by his boss’ decision in early November to announce Napier would be back in 2025 regardless of what happened over the last few games. At that point, though, the point of taking Napier’s future off the table was to put a firewall between the coach and the inevitable, ongoing backlash while his lame-duck team played out the string on a lost season. Instead, over those last few weeks Florida found its quarterback, spoiled meaningful campaigns in Baton Rouge and Oxford, dominated its in-state rival, and generally turned a funereal atmosphere surrounding the program into a celebration of resilience.

Now comes the hard part, or the fun part, or the miserable part, depending on how the season unfolds. The schedule is no less forgiving. Neither is the grading curve for Napier, or for sophomore QB DJ Lagway, now fully entrenched after living up to the hype as a true freshman. Lagway’s highlight reel was more impressive than his consistency in 2024, as you’d expect from a rookie — especially one who was in and out of the lineup, battled injuries and didn’t really settle in as QB1 until the home stretch. Even then, the defense and ground game had as much to do with the Gators’ U-turn as their precocious quarterback. But going forward, this is clearly Lagway’s team, and its ceiling is only as high as his.

– – –
Gators at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 8-5 (4-4 SEC | Won Gasparilla Bowl)
Best Player: Senior DL Tyreak Sapp
Best Pro Prospect: Senior OL Jake Slaughter
Best Additions: Freshman WRs Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson
Most Seasoned: Senior OL Austin Barber (5th year; 27 career starts)
Emerging Dude: Junior LB Grayson “Pup” Howard
Wild Card: Sophomore WR Eugene Wilson III
Best Names: CB Jamroc Grimsley … OL Enoch Wangoy … Kicker Trey Smack

Biggest Strength: A veteran, nearly intact offensive line. Seniors Jake Slaughter, Austin Barber and Damieon George Jr. are all multi-year starters with a combined 72 starts and 4,800 snaps under their belts. Slaughter, in particular, emerged as an All-American in 2024 and has a long future ahead of him at the next level.

Nagging Concern: Stopping the run. Florida ranked next-to-last in rushing defense in SEC play each of the past 2 seasons, suffering through some ghastly performances in that span. They finished strong against the run in 2024 and return a couple of veteran anchors on the d-line in Tyreak Sapp and 330-pound interior DL Caleb Banks. Another finish in the bottom tier of the conference would be a letdown.

Looming Question: Is DJ Lagway in sync with his receivers? Talent is not in doubt on either side of this equation. They just haven’t played much together. The best of the holdovers from 2024, Eugene Wilson III, missed most of Lagway’s emergence due to a hip injury. The rest of the rotation is headlined by an incoming transfer, J Michael Sturdivant (UCLA), and a pair of touted freshmen, Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson. Blue-chips across the board, but how they will mesh as a unit remains TBD.

The Schedule: Brutal. Unlike last year, there’s a brief grace period before the competition gets steep in Week 3. From that point on, it’s a slog, with road trips to LSU, Miami and Texas A&M and a home date against Texas on the front half of the schedule alone. The back half includes Georgia, Ole Miss (in Oxford) and Tennessee — not to mention FSU, although sizing up the 2025 Seminoles is impossible, much less predicting what kind of state they’re going to be in by Thanksgiving. Frankly, whatever pretensions the Gators have of pulling off a Playoff run aren’t likely to survive September. But even they do, there’s still a long way to go.

The Upshot: The vibes are better than the forecast. Even if the elusive momentum from last year’s finish carries over, sustaining it across a slate with as many land mines as this one is expecting too much. Lagway is for real, and there’s a lot to like at both the skill positions and along both lines of scrimmage. If this team had, say, Missouri’s schedule, CFP buzz would be a lot easier to justify. Against the one it actually has, the Gators could be vastly improved over last year from start to finish and still wind up with the same record, or worse.

• • •

11. South Carolina

The only team that finished hotter than Florida, the Gamecocks broke out of the doldrums at midseason and never looked back, closing the regular season on a 6-game heater with wins over Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Missouri and Clemson. While the conference frontrunners (not to mention certain other contenders around the country) took turns embarrassing themselves down the stretch, Carolina accelerated across the finish line, forcing its way into the CFP conversation in the process. Had SMU held on to eliminate Clemson in the ACC Championship Game a week later, the Gamecocks would have been 1 of the teams vying for the final at-large slot that went to the Mustangs instead. As it was, they could be content with the mythical title of “Team Nobody Wants to Play.”

Then came the actual bowl game, a 21-17 loss to Illinois in the Citrus Bowl, which cast some doubt on the narrative: How was the momentum supposed to carry over to a new season when it fizzled before the new year? The answer to that falls overwhelmingly on one player: Sophomore QB LaNorris Sellers. For most of last season, the 6-3, 240-pound Sellers was a predictably inconsistent figure whose skill set had yet to catch up to his enormous potential. By year’s end, the gap was closing fast. The breakout star of the Gamecocks’ surge, Sellers’ over-the-top performance in November — especially against Clemson, more on which in the individual awards section below — made him a viral star and put him on the fast track to Heisman hype entering 2025.

Whether Sellers is up to that is one of the defining questions of the season, across the conference and possibly the country. But you can ask the same question for the rest of the team. Up-and-coming dudes are scattered across the roster, namely junior WR Nyck Harbor and sophomore edge Dylan Stewart, both former 5-stars on breakout watch alongside Sellers. Actually proven dudes, on the other hand, are few and far between. For now, that’s how the Gamecocks’ bid for sustained national relevance feels, too: On watch, pending confirmation.

– – –
Gamecocks at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 9-4 (5-3 SEC | Lost Citrus Bowl | Final AP Rank: 19)
Best Player: Sophomore QB LaNorris Sellers
Best Pro Prospect: Sellers
Best Addition: Senior RB Rahsul Faison (Utah State)
Most Seasoned: Senior WR Jared Brown (5th year; 23 starts at South Carolina and Coastal Carolina)
Emerging Dude: Junior WR Nyck Harbor
Wild Card: Transfer DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (Texas A&M)
Best Names: QB Air Noland … TE Jordan Dingle … OL Tree Babalade … Edge Demon Clowney (yes, Jadeveon’s cousin) … DL Monkell Goodwine … DB Vicari Swain

Biggest Strength: Edge rushers galore. All-American Kyle Kennard is gone, but Dylan Stewart was arguably the better pure pass rusher as a true freshman. In Year 2 he’s on the shortlist of the most unblockable players in America. Senior Bryan Thomas shifts from part-time starter to full-time in place of Kennard; 6th-year transfer Demon Clowney (formerly of Ole Miss) is back in the SEC off a couple of productive seasons at Charlotte; and former 4-star Desmond Umeozulu is due for an expanded role in his third year in the program.

Nagging Concern: The middle of the defense. The top 5 members of the interior d-line rotation have a single career start between them; the top 5 linebackers have none. There is talent at both positions, including a former 5-star (DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy); a couple of former blue-chips who signed with Alabama (DL Monkell Goodwine and LB Shawn Murphy); and the No. 1 incoming JUCO transfer at any position (DL Zavion Hardy). But as of now, recruiting rankings represent the majority if not the entirety of their résumés.

Looming Question: Is Nyck Harbor who they said he was? As a recruit, Harbor was touted as a comic-book combination of speed and strength, a high school track champion in the body of a defensive end, the freak of all freaks. Two years in, his NCAA Football ratings have far outstripped his IRL production. He cannot continue to be relegated to Just A Guy status if the offense has any chance of achieving liftoff. He’s clearly at the top of the wide receiver rotation in Year 3; it’s time for his output to reflect it.

The Schedule: The Gamecocks have a golden opportunity to sustain the hype into October with wins over Virginia Tech and the opening acts of the SEC East Reunion Tour (Vanderbilt, Missouri, Kentucky). They’d better, because it gets steep fast: After an open date, the conference schedule serves up a run of LSU (in Baton Rouge), Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss (in Oxford) and Texas A&M (in College Station) in consecutive weeks. Add in the finale against Clemson, and that’s 6 opponents ranked in the preseason AP poll in the final 7 games.

The Upshot: I believe in Sellers, whose November breakthrough as a redshirt freshman looked like the beginning of what figures to be a long and productive career, and in Dylan Stewart, a difference-maker off the edge from Day 1. The rest of the roster? Not so much — not yet, anyway. This is still a young team that might be a year away from running the kind of gauntlet they’ve been dealt over the second half of the season.

• • •

12. Auburn

After 2 years of frustration, this is widely considered a make-or-break campaign for Hugh Freeze, who can no longer point to the (many) failures of the Bryan Harsin administration to cover for his own. In Year 3, the roster overwhelmingly consists of Freeze’s recruits, including incoming quarterbacks Jackson Arnold (via the portal) and Deuce Knight, a 5-star freshman who flipped his commitment to Auburn from Notre Dame late in the process. Freeze could barely conceal his ambivalence toward his last quarterback, the pedestrian Payton Thorne, practically begging during press conferences “don’t blame me” without coming right out and saying it. Now that he has 2 options with blue-chip ratings and Freeze’s personal stamp of approval, he owns the results, for better or worse.

– – –
Tigers at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 5-7 (2-6 SEC)
Best Player: Junior DL Keldric Faulk
Best Pro Prospect: Faulk
Best Addition: Junior WR Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech)
Most Seasoned: Senior OL Dillon Wade (37 starts at Auburn and Tulsa)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore WR Cam Coleman
Wild Card: Sophomore QB Jackson Arnold
Best Name: Kicker Towns McGough

Biggest Strength: For possibly the first time ever at Auburn, the wide receivers. Auburn is not exactly known for churning out memorable wideouts — the leading receiver in school history graduated in 1971 and only 2 Tigers have had 1,000-yard receiving seasons — but Freeze had made the position a priority. The 2024 recruiting class included 4 receivers rated as 4- or 5-stars, 2 of whom, Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons, made an immediate impact as freshmen. Joining the mix in ’25: Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr., who accounted for 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns over 2 seasons at Tech. No area of the team has changed more rapidly for the better.

Nagging Concern: The kicking game. The Tigers’ regular kicker, Alex McPherson, only saw the field in 1 game in 2024 due to an intestinal injury. In his absence, field goals were an adventure, and rarely the fun kind. The next man up, true freshman Towns McGough, finished a dismal 5-for-12 with critical misses in close losses to Oklahoma, Missouri and Vanderbilt. McGough, bless his heart, finally yielded late in the year to Ian Vachon, who hit 6-of-8 attempts over the last 3 games… and subsequently portaled out in the spring. Just days before kickoff, the situation is unsettled: McPherson is still the nominal starter when available, but his status remains in doubt. If he’s ruled out, that leaves McGough and Southern Miss transfer Connor Gibbs, who was 10-for-13 with a long of 59 yards in 2024 at USM. Nobody thinks about the kicker until they have to, but for a team that’s 2-6 in 1-score games over the past 2 years, that’s often enough to know how much they matter.

Looming Question: Is Jackson Arnold reformed? Arnold was an outright bust at Oklahoma, finishing dead last among SEC starters in 2024 in pass efficiency and QBR. He didn’t play at all in OU’s midseason win at Auburn, the first game of a month-long benching before Arnold was reinstated to the starting lineup in late October. The lone glimmer of hope in his season of woe was the Sooners’ out-of-nowhere, 24-3 beatdown of Alabama the week before the Iron Bowl. Arnold’s contribution to the upset came mainly from his legs: He accounted for 131 of Oklahoma’s 257 rushing yards on the night — easily a season high — while completing just 9-of-11 attempts for 68 yards. Freeze knows how to put a mobile quarterback to good use. But he didn’t recruit all those wideouts just to call a bunch of QB runs, either. If Arnold can’t demonstrate growth in the pocket, Deuce Knight’s turn will come sooner rather than later.

The Schedule: It’s a front-loaded slate, dumping road trips to Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M as well as a home date against Georgia in the first 6 games. Auburn needs to win at least 1 of those to prevent a spiral of negativity before mid-October. After the Georgia game, it mellows considerably, setting up a series of winnable games against Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt ahead of the rivalry tilt with Alabama. This year’s Iron Bowl is at Auburn, where the Tigers consistently push the Tide to the brink regardless of the apparent gap between the teams in any given year. Keep it together through the initial gauntlet, and riding a winning streak into the Iron Bowl is on the table.

The Upshot: Barring disaster, the “hot seat” buzz surrounding Freeze’s job security is a better template for generating offseason takes than it is a prediction. An awful lot would have to go wrong to prevent Auburn from at least eking out a winning record, which after 4 straight losing seasons will almost certainly be enough to carry Freeze across the line to 2026. 

Now, how the base feels about that is another story – a story that, as always, depends mainly on how it ends against Alabama. Right now, the Tide seem more gettable at this point on the calendar than they have in a long time. If that’s still the case in late November, there is no reason a coach hired in large part due to his track record of beating Alabama shouldn’t be judged on whether he finally delivers.

• • •

13. Arkansas

It’s Year 6 of Sam Pittman‘s tenure and Hogs fans are checking their watches. Pittman is well liked locally, and has been handsomely rewarded for his initial success lifting Arkansas out of the depths of the Chad Morris era, which resulted in a lucrative contract extension in the summer of 2022. Since signing that deal, the Razorbacks are 7-17 in SEC play with only one win anybody outside of the state remembers, a 19-14 upset over Tennessee last October. If not for that game, Pittman might have already been shown the door following an otherwise forgettable campaign, the third in as many years. As it stands, the betting markets are just a month or two away from laying odds on the likelihood of “interim head coach Bobby Petrino.”

– – –
Hogs at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 7-6 (3-5 SEC | Won Liberty Bowl)
Best Player: Senior QB Taylen Green
Best Pro Prospect: Green?
Best Addition: Senior WR O’Mega Blake (Charlotte)
Most Seasoned: Senior OL Fernando Carmona (5th year; 37 starts at Arkansas and San José State)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore RB Braylen Russell
Wild Card: Sophomore Edge Charlie Collins
Best Names: WR O’Mega Blake … DB Quentavius Scandrett

Biggest Strength: Well-seasoned linebackers. Seniors Xavian Sorey Jr. and Stephen Dix Jr. moved directly into the starting lineup in 2024 after arriving from Georgia and Marshall, respectively, with Sorey coming in for a third-team All-SEC nod from league coaches. Both are candidates to record triple-digit tackles in their final college season.

Nagging Concern: Brand new receivers. The Hogs cleared out the depth chart at wideout, bringing in 7 transfer wide receivers and 2 tight ends. Among the portal haul, Charlotte transfer O’Mega Blake (originally at South Carolina) was a first-team All-AAC pick in 2024 after averaging an FBS-best 24.8 yards per catch with 9 touchdowns. But this ain’t the AAC.

Looming Question: Is there any more to Taylen Green? Green leaps off the screen, his lanky, 6-6 frame and loping athleticism combining to form a Kaepernick-esque spectacle. As for the actual quarterback stuff, it was a work in progress. In his first year as a Hog, Green ranked 11th among SEC starters in QBR (which takes rushing stats into account) and 13th in passer rating. As for progress? As a 5th-year senior, it’s now or never. Scouts could potentially fall in love with Green’s traits, but only if gives them fewer reasons to get hung up on his limitations in the pocket.

The Schedule: The Razorbacks only managed to qualify for a bowl game in 2024 by virtue of their upset win over Tennessee. Getting to 6-6 this year might take a couple of upsets: Beyond Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, Mississippi State and maybe Memphis — Arkansas is on the road for that one— they’re likely to be underdogs in every other game. It helps that Texas A&M, Auburn and Missouri all have to come to Fayetteville. (As does Notre Dame, but let’s keep it realistic.) But the SEC road dates — at Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU and Texas — are long shots. If they go 0-4 in those games, the Hogs would have to nearly run the table at home just to break even.

The Upshot: Green is an intriguing athlete, but he hasn’o’t done anything to date in Arkansas or his previous stop at Boise State to suggest he has it in him to singlehandedly reverse a mediocre team’s fortunes. And this is a thoroughly mediocre team, one that offers no reason in particular to believe it will look any different from the thoroughly mediocre teams of the previous 3 seasons. Pittman has sometimes come across after losses as a guy who isn’t all that concerned about whether he still has a job on Monday or not. Stranger things have happened – see the next entry – but all indications from the outside are that the situation in Fayetteville is already running on fumes.

• • •

14. Vanderbilt

This time last year, Vandy looked like a team on a death march, a hopeless, ragtag outfit whose head coach, Clark Lea, was doomed for the scrapheap where failed Vandy coaches have been piling up for generations. Instead, the ‘Dores got effin’ turnt. Sparked by irrepressible QB Diego Pavia, they won 4 games they were favored to lose by at least a touchdown, including the great white crimson whale – a mid-season stunner over then-No. 1 Alabama that might never be surpassed as the greatest upset in SEC history. They earned Vandy’s first bowl bid since 2018, and won it to finish with Vandy’s first winning record since 2013.

Lea is back, and going nowhere anytime soon. Pavia, recipient of an extra year of eligibility as a result of a successful lawsuit against the NCAA, is back. The leading rusher and receiver are back, along with most of the other players who touched the ball. The majority of the starting defense is back. Wait … Is this what optimism looks like? At Vandy? Is that legal? Is this a dream? Are we living inside a simulation? What is, like, reality?

– – –
Dores at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 7-6 (3-5 SEC | Won Birmingham Bowl)
Best Player: Senior QB Diego Pavia
Best Pro Prospect: Senior TE Eli Stowers
Best Addition: Senior OL Jordan White (Liberty)
Most Seasoned: Senior OL Sterling Porcher (6th year; 36 starts at Texas Tech and Middle Tennessee)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore DL Glenn Seabrooks III
Wild Card: Senior Edge Keanu Koht (transfer/Alabama)
Best Names: DL Linus Zunk … DB Randon Fontenette

Biggest Strength: The Pavia-to-Stowers connection. Over the past 2 years at Vandy and New Mexico State, Pavia and Stowers have hooked up 84 times for 1,004 yards and 7 touchdowns, easily outpacing any other active QB/receiver tandem in the SEC in all 3 columns. While pro scouts may have little interest in the sawed-off Pavia, they’re very interested in Stowers, a 6-4, 235-pound converted quarterback who projects as the first tight end off the board in 2026.

Nagging Concern: Defending the pass. The ‘Dores improved in most respects in 2024, but not in the secondary, where they ranked 119th nationally in pass efficiency defense vs. FBS opponents. That marked the 6th consecutive season they’ve finished in the bottom 20 nationally.

Looming Question: Is the new offensive line an upgrade? Vandy signed 6 transfer OL with starting experience, who collectively bring a 131 career starts and 8,801 snaps between them. The best of the incoming bunch, 6th-year senior Jordan White was a 2-time All-Conference USA pick at Liberty with experience at guard and center.

The Schedule: As usual, Vanderbilt is likely to be an underdog in every conference game, with the possible exception of a late date against Kentucky in Nashville. There’s no route to 6 wins that doesn’t require multiple upsets. What else is new?

The Upshot: Is matching matching last year’s win total realistic? Probably not. Does it really matter? Definitely not. The two guys Diego Pavia replaced behind center, Ken Seals and AJ Swann, were a combined 0-30 as starters in SEC play across their Vandy careers. That was Vandy football: Interchangeable losers. Pavia has already made his mark just by making the Commodores something other than laughingstocks – by forcing smartasses like me to write “that was Vandy football” instead of “that is Vandy football.” It won’t stay that way forever, probably not even for very long. But for 1 more year, the past tense speaks for itself.

• • •

15. Kentucky

By most lights Mark Stoops is the best coach Kentucky football has ever had, with more years on the job (13) and more wins (77) by some distance over anyone else who’s held it. It was out of respect for all that that the tenor of the locals’ discontent last year tended to take the form of respectful requests for Stoops to step aside rather than full-throated calls for his head. The Wildcats limped into the offseason with their worst record overall (4-8) and in conference play (1-7) since Stoops’ first season in 2013, when the program had the reputation of a backwater. The feeling, understandably, was that they’ve come too far just to find themselves back where they started.

But Stoops is still here, banking in Year 14 on a back-to-basics approach that emphasizes the line of scrimmage and ball control. After failing to see results from a series of high-profile transfers QBs, this year’s portal class prioritized the trenches, adding immediate starters on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, the new QB1, Zach Calzada, is a 6th-year retread whose most distinguishing trait is his longevity. (Yes, that Zach Calzada. Yes, he still has a final year of eligibility to burn.) The preseason buzz the past few years has typically been along the lines of “is this the year Kentucky finally figures out the passing game?” This year, the answer seems to be that they’re not even trying.

And, hey, OK. Stoops’ best teams have often been miserable at putting the ball in the air, but good enough at slugging it out and strangling the clock to death to compensate. They knew who they were, and who they were not. Anyway, the 21st Century approach has only yielded diminishing returns. If this is Stoops’ swan song, at least he’s going out on his own terms.

– – –
Wildcats at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 4-8 (1-7 SEC)
Best Players: Senior DBs Jonquis Hardaway and Jordan Lovett
Best Pro Prospect: n/a
Best Addition: Junior Edge Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace (South Dakota)
Most Seasoned: Senior OL Alex Wollschlaeger (6th year; 39 starts at Bowling Green)
Emerging Dude: Junior RB Dante Dowdell (transfer/Nebraska)
Wild Card: Senior WR Kendrick Law (transfer/Alabama)
Best Name: WR Montavin Quisenberry

Biggest Strength: A veteran secondary. Three starters are back from a unit that allowed just 9 touchdown passes, tied for fewest in the FBS. (If that number seems suspicious, well, kind of: Kentucky faced fewer passes than all but 1 other defense nationally, partly because opposing offenses were usually protecting a lead and running on the Wildcats more or less at will. But 9 TDs allowed on 279 attempts is still a respectable rate.) The 2 new starters, DJ Waller Jr and Jantzen Dunn, are former transfers from Michigan and Ohio State, respectively.

Nagging Concern: Lack of explosiveness on offense. The Wildcats struggled to get the ball to the resident big-play threats, Dane Key and Barion Brown, both of whom portaled out to offenses where they’d have a chance to be fed by future NFL quarterbacks. (Key landed at Nebraska, Brown at LSU.) To fill the void, they imported veteran receivers from Alabama (Kendrick Law), Oklahoma (JJ Hester) and Clemson (Troy Stellato), all former 4-star recruits — but none of whom have lived up to that billing to date.

Looming Question: Run the dang ball? The ‘Cats weren’t any better on the ground in 2024 than they were through the air, and even if they had been they spent too much time in comeback mode for it to bear out. That won’t do. In keeping with the “establish the run” theme of the offseason, Kentucky overhauled the o-line and the backfield, where well-traveled transfers Dante Dowdell (Nebraska, Oregon) and Seth McGowan (New Mexico State, Oklahoma) arrived with workhorse-ready size. Like the new receivers, Dowdell and McGowan are former 4-stars in prove-it seasons as the clock ticks on their college careers. They’re going to get their chance.

The Schedule: The SEC slate offers no breaks: The only conference game Kentucky doesn’t project as a double-digit underdog is a Nov. 22 trip to Vanderbilt, by which time who knows how sick the point spread could possibly get. All 4 conference games in Lexington (vs. Ole Miss, Texas, Tennessee and Florida) are against teams ranked in the preseason AP poll. At least there’s always Eastern Michigan, right. Right?

The Upshot: Another thing about Stoops’ best teams: They had dudes like Josh Allen, Benny Snell, Lynn Bowden Jr., Josh Paschal and Darian Kinnard. Does this one? If there’s an SEC-caliber difference-maker on the premises, he’s yet to be revealed.

• • •

16. Mississippi State

Mississippi State had zero expectations under first-year coach Jeff Lebby and never threatened to exceed them, finishing 0-8 in SEC play with a lopsided home loss to Toledo thrown in for good measure. (In a way, Bulldogs fans should have been grateful for that one, which let them know right out of the gate exactly what they were in store for.) Whatever value the season might have had as a “year zero” situation was mostly wiped out when the best player on the team, Kevin Coleman Jr., portaled out to a conference rival, as did the 2 most promising freshmen, QB Michael Van Buren and WR Mario Craver. As it stands, MSU has nothing in particular show for its misery except a 12-games-and-counting SEC losing streak with no end in sight.

– – –
Dogs at a Glance…

2024 Recap: 2-10 (0-8 SEC)
Best Player: Junior DB Isaac Smith
Best Pro Prospect: Smith
Best Addition: Sophomore RB Fluff Bothwell (South Alabama)
Most Seasoned: Senior OL Brennan Smith (5th year; 31 starts at UTEP and Austin Peay)
Emerging Dude: Sophomore LB Jalen Smith (transfer/Tennessee)
Wild Card: Senior QB Blake Shapen
Best Names: RB Fluff Bothwell … Edge Jy’Kevious “Red” Hibbler

Biggest Strength: Running back depth. The Bulldogs returned both of last year’s leading rushers, Davon Booth and Johnnie Daniels, who combined for 1,317 yards and 9 touchdowns. But they also made a play in the portal for South Alabama transfer Fluff Bothwell, a thickly-built, 230-pound thumper who averaged 7.4 yards per carry with 13 touchdowns for USA as a true freshman. Figuring how to keep all three happy and fed is a much better problem to have than most of the alternatives.

Nagging Concern: Literally every aspect of the defense. Mississippi State ranked last in the SEC in scoring defense, total defense, yards per play allowed, rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, first downs allowed, sacks, takeaways and 4th-down defense. (They were better on 3rd down, finishing next-to-last.) Defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler is back for Year 2, but nothing about the new or old personnel inspires confidence. I would say there’s nowhere to go but up, but that’s not strictly true.

Looming Question: How short is QB Blake Shapen’s leash? Shapen is a 6th-year vet with 27 career starts (most at Baylor from 2021-23), and it’s possible to imagine his presence would have made a difference last year if he hadn’t been sidelined in the early going by a season-ending shoulder injury. His replacement, Michael Van Buren, left for LSU after a respectable turn in terrible circumstances as a true freshman. But the depth chart actually improved over the offseason: In addition to getting Shapen back, Lebby landed one of the top developmental prospects in the portal, Florida State’s Luke Kromenhoek, as well as a blue-chip freshman, Kamario Taylor, from Mississippi State’s backyard. Shapen’s status as QB1 might not be in doubt, for now. As the season wears on and losses mount, though, so will interest in the understudies. The temptation to look ahead to the competition between Kromenhoek and Taylor for the title of heir apparent in 2026 might be more compelling than most of what happens on the field.

The Schedule: Is there a conference win in the offing? Barring an unforeseen developments, no — neither Kentucky nor Vandy, is on the schedule. The narrowest point spread in SEC play will probably be a Nov. 1 trip to Arkansas, for what it’s worth.

The Upshot: Another long, dark year. The prospect of enduring back-to-back seasons without a conference win is grim, but until further notice that’s where the Bulldogs are at.

• • •

The Players

Most Valuable Player: Arch Manning

To cite headline writers’ favorite Arch-themed cliché, the advance hype for the Manning era is touched with a bit of madness. More than just a bit, actually: With a grand total of 260 snaps, Manning is beginning his tenure as QB1 as the betting favorite for the Heisman, at the helm of the No. 1 team in both major polls, based mainly on — let’s be honest — some combination of the original recruiting buzz that followed him to Austin two years ago and his perennially clickable last name. Rarely, possibly never, has a player with a résumé this thin been sucked into a preseason hype cycle this powerful.

Now, does that mean we’re above it? Please. Not a chance. For one thing, Arch himself has never seemed the least bit affected by the din, to which he’s been acclimating since the 9th grade. For another, what little we have seen of him so far has advanced the plot. In 3 extended appearances in 2024 — September wins over UT-San Antonio, UL-Monroe and Mississippi State in relief of an injured Quinn Ewers — he looked the part and then some, averaging an eye-opening 11.2 yards per attempt with 8 touchdown passes vs. 2 interceptions. Even after Ewers returned to full-time duty, neither his performance nor Steve Sarkisian’s weekly insistence that Ewers’ job was safe were a match for the murmurs that flared up every time the offense failed to score 2 possessions in a row. In the meantime, while Manning barely put the ball in the air again as an understudy, he took advantage of his few appearances off the bench to flash better-than-advertised mobility, both as an open-field runner and as a short-yardage threat with a nose for the end zone.

Then again, it’s also worth remembering that on his only meaningful dropbacks against a real opponent, Georgia hounded Manning into 2 sacks and a fumble on just a handful of snaps in the Longhorns’ only loss of the regular season, a 30-15 decision in Austin in mid-October. That was the game when the broadcast caught both Texas QBs looking stunned on the sideline at the end of a miserable first half. So, you know, take his breakthrough against the likes of UTSA and UL-Monroe for what it’s worth.

At any rate, at least we won’t have to wait long to begin drawing some actual conclusions: Texas’ opening-day trip to Ohio State is the main event of Week 1 and one of the premier nonconference collisions of the season. Both Manning and his counterpart, OSU’s Julian Sayin, have a chance to make a lasting first impression that puts one or both on the Heisman track. If Arch is who pretty much everybody seems to think he is, a win in Columbus could cement his status as the Face of the Sport overnight.

Offensive Player of the Year: LaNorris Sellers

There was a point last October when I openly wondered in my weekly SEC quarterback rankings whether Sellers was cut out to be a long-term SEC starter. The answer: An emphatic yes. Yes, he is. From that point on, he was arguably the best quarterback in America over the final month of the regular season.

Maybe it should have been obvious a lot sooner — Sellers’ upside was plain enough in the early going, even if his limitations were, too. At 6-3, 242 pounds, he instantly sets off the freak siren, boasting the kind of highlight-reel athleticism that at his size inspires lofty comparisons. A 75-yard touchdown run against LSU in Week 3 was an early, fleeting glimpse. Still, prior to an open date in in late October, he profiled as a typically raw, turnover-prone underclassman whose potential at that point far outstripped his production. After, the Gamecocks ended the regular season on a 6-game winning streak that vaulted them into late Playoff contention.

Don’t just go by the record: For the month of November, Sellers ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense and pass efficiency, and No. 1 in total touchdowns, with 16 (12 passing, 4 rushing). In the same span, South Carolina averaged just shy of 500 yards per game, best in the SEC, with Sellers accounting for just shy of 70% of that total. And don’t just go by the stats, either. In a win over Missouri, he led 2 go-ahead touchdown drives in the 4thquarter. Two weeks later, he looked like the second coming of Cam Newton — how’s that for a lofty comparison? — in another come-from-behind win over Clemson, repeatedly turning shoulda-been sacks by future pros into big, loping gains in the open field on his way to 166 rushing yards.

Per PFF, Sellers’ 18 missed tackles forced against the Tigers were the most in a single game all season by any player not named Ashton Jeanty. With 164 passing yards, he was also the only FBS quarterback on the year to rush and pass for 150+ yards in the same game, turning in a season high 92.5 Total QBR rating in the process.

Sure, 6 games (1 vs. Wofford) is not exactly a foolproof sample size, and Sellers was a mere mortal in a 21-17 Citrus Bowl loss to Illinois. Do you wanna bet on this guy turning back into a pumpkin? If his progress continues apace, he’s a bona fide Heisman candidate in 2025, and could be NFL-bound as soon as ’26, his first year of eligibility. And even if it doesn’t, the glimpses of his upside he’s flashed already are enough to buy a whole lot of patience.

Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Hill Jr.

By certain metrics Texas’ defense was the best in the country in 2024, and by any metric Hill was the Longhorns’ most versatile defender. Smooth, instinctive and ferocious in pursuit, he did a little bit of everything, most of it at an elite level in just his second year on campus. He was omnipresent against the run, logging triple-digit tackles, 44 stops and an SEC-best 17 tackles for loss. He hounded opposing QBs, generating 23 QB pressures and 8 sacks on just a handful of pass-rushing reps per game. He created takeaways, tying for the SEC lead with 4 forced fumbles. He made plays between the tackles, coming off the edge and in space. On a unit loaded with future pros, Hill was the one who consistently leapt off the screen.

The only red flag in Hill’s game is in coverage — PFF cited him for 453 yards allowed on 60 targets, more than three-quarters of that total coming after the catch. No other SEC linebacker allowed more yards, and only 1 FBS linebacker allowed more YAC. (Note for the record here that PFF singled out Hill as the responsible party on the random screen pass that Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson broke for a 75-yard touchdown against the Longhorns just before halftime in the Cotton Bowl, a play that caught the entire defense with its pants down; there wasn’t a white jersey within 20 yards of Henderson when he caught the ball. This stuff is useful in context, but it is not an exact science.) There’s no reason athletically that Hill should be a liability on this front, and he wasn’t in 2023 as a freshman. If that’s the only remaining hurdle he has to clear to becoming a complete package in his money year, show him the money.

Fat Guy of the Year: Kadyn Proctor

It has been a long way to the top for Proctor, a mountain of a man whose potential has loomed larger than his performance. A 5-star prospect and Day 1 starter in 2023, he had all the makings of the next great plug-and-play Bama left tackle. Instead, he visibly struggled as a freshman, allowing an SEC-worst 36 pressures and 12 sacks, per PFF. Understandably frustrated, Proctor transferred home to Iowa that winter following Nick Saban’s retirement and went through spring drills with the Hawkeyes before reversing course and returning to Tuscaloosa last summer. Despite missing the first 2 games to injury, he was vastly improved in Year 2, cutting pressures (15) and sacks (3) en route to a second-team all-conference nod from SEC coaches. Still, a couple of rocky outings down the stretch in demoralizing losses to Oklahoma and Michigan were reminders that, for a full-grown colossus, he remained a work in progress.

In Year 3, the Tide are expecting a finished product. On top of his outrageous feats of weight-room strength and agility for a man listed at 6-7, 366 pounds, Proctor is the ranking vet in the trenches, with 25 career starts at a position that has produced 5 first-round picks over the past decade. If he’s going to fulfill his promise as the next name on that list, the time is now.

Most Exciting Player: Ryan Williams

As teenage phenoms go, Williams wasn’t the most productive, or even the most likely to succeed as the rest of his career unfolds. (An impossible claim for anyone else in the same freshman class as Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith.) But few if any have passed the “Know It When You See It” test with as much style. A Day 1 starter at 17 years old, Williams needed just a few weeks to burn his name in the national consciousness, flashing an uncanny knack for viral panache from the first time he touched the ball. By the first weekend in October, he’d accounted for 7 touchdowns in his first 5 college games, 6 of them on receptions of 40+ yards, and 1 of them entering directly into the pantheon of greatest plays in Bama history while it was still in progress.

What else do you need to see after that? In fact, there wasn’t much to see — Williams’ output slumped down the stretch, with his last touchdown vs. an FBS opponent coming in an Oct. 19 loss at Tennessee. By that point, though, he could have skipped the second half of the season altogether and the accolades still would have rolled in. He was a unanimous Freshman All-American and first-team All-SEC, making him the first true freshman receiver to earn that distinction from the coaches since at least the turn of the century. If those first 6 weeks were just the beginning, they’re also the bar he’ll be measured by for the rest of his tenure.

Most Valuable Transfer: John Mateer

We’ve already covered Mateer’s whole deal in the Oklahoma section of the proceedings: Prolific stats, high expectations, brutal schedule, his head coach’s job in his hands, no pressure, etc. You get it. Every team needs their quarterback to pan out, but the Sooners really need this guy to pan out.

Comeback Player of the Year: Harold Perkins Jr.

Perkins was supposed to be in the NFL by now, redefining the concept of the “positionless” defender in the spread era. Instead, he’s back in Baton Rouge to rehab a) A torn ACL that cost him nearly all of his junior season; and b) His reputation as a free-range playmaker from anywhere on the field. Even before his injury last September, LSU seemed to be struggling with precisely how to deploy Perkins’ dynamic skill set, which made him a breakout star as a freshman but also has its limits. 

One problem the Tigers faced in 2023 was reconciling Perkins’ dynamic presence as a pass rusher with the fact that, at 6-1, 222 pounds, he’s much too light to hold up as an every-down edge defender against the run. The only game they parked him on the edge full-time, a 55-49 loss at Ole Miss, was one of the worst defensive performances in school history. Instead – much to the fans base’s frustration – he spent the rest of that season primarily as a conventional box linebacker or in a nickel role, more “spacebacker” than edge terror. Sacks and pressures declined from ’22 despite a significant increase in Perkins’ overall snap count.

In 2025, coaches have explicitly designated Perkins for “Star,” the hybrid linebacker/nickel position, reportedly at his request. That probably corresponds with how he’ll be deployed at the next level, as a search-and-destroy type whose coverage skills are more likely to translate than his ability to torch lumbering o-linemen off the snap. To neglect his capacity to harass opposing QBs would be criminal, but if they have to pick and choose the right moments to turn him loose, well, that’s why defensive coordinator Blake Bell makes the big bucks.

Late Bloomer of the Year: LT Overton

Once upon a time, Overton was one of the headliners of the infamous 2022 recruiting class at Texas A&M – the one that was supposed to herald the Aggies’ arrival as serious national contenders, then rapidly disintegrated along with the rest of the Jimbo Fisher administration. That group didn’t go bust, exactly, having already produced a pair of first-rounders (5-star DL Walter Nolen and Shemar Stewart went with consecutive picks in April) and more than a dozen projected power-conference starters in 2025, a few of whom are still in College Station. They just scattered to the wind before they could make any impact as a class. 

For Overton, hitting reset has already paid dividends. After 2 years on reserve duty at A&M, he moved directly to the top of Alabama’s rotation in ’24, leading the d-line in snaps and recording nearly twice as many QB pressures (39) as any other Bama defender. Still, based on his potential he’s barely scratched the surface. At 6-5, 280, Overton is the kind of combine-friendly specimen capable of manning any station along the front without sacrificing size on the interior or explosiveness off the edge, which is why he features prominently in so many “way too early” mock drafts despite limp numbers to date in terms of sacks and TFLs. Converting a few more of those pressures into actual production is the next step toward becoming the full-service wrecker he’s meant to be.

Overachiever of the Year: Michael Taaffe

How does a walk-on become a star on one of the country’s most stacked rosters? One step a time. Taaffe has progressed each season in Austin, from anonymous redshirt (2021) to rank-and-file reserve (’22) to part-time starter (’23) to full-time fixture (’24) on a unit that ranked 3rd nationally in total and scoring defense. He enters Year 5 with 24 consecutive starts, 5 interceptions and a dozen PBUs over the past 2 seasons, coming off a stellar junior campaign in which he allowed a single touchdown in coverage and finished 2nd on the team in tackles. The next logical step is all-conference honors as a senior, the cherry on top of a résumé that pro scouts– whatever their lingering reservations about Taaffe’s combine traits – won’t be able to ignore.

Sleeper of the Year: Isaac Smith

As bad as Mississippi State’s defense was in 2024, it could have been worse: At least there was Smith, a touted local product who got all the action he could handle as the Bulldogs’ last line of defense. In his first year as a starter, Smith’s 127 tackles led all SEC defenders — as well as all defensive backs nationally — despite his missing a full game due to injury. Compare that to just 8 missed tackles, per PFF, a stellar success rate for a true sophomore usually tasked with keeping the lid on in the open field. He made enough of an impression on opposing coaches to earn a second-team All-SEC nod in a crowded year for the position, which doubled as a nod toward much bigger things to come as he matures into a leadership role.

Breakout Player of the Year: Cam Coleman

Even for a 5-star recruit, the advance hype for Coleman in 2024 was extreme – in addition to being touted as one of the highest-rated signees in school history, he wasted no time going viral in the spring, raising the bar before he’d even set foot on the field in an actual game. Instead, Auburn fans spent most of his freshman campaign wondering when the light was going to come on. Despite a couple of early flashes, in SEC play Coleman looked like, well, a freshman in SEC play. By the time the weather turned, he was just another face in the crowd with more drops (3, per PFF) than touchdowns (2) through the Tigers’ first 9 games. 

Then the light came on.

Following an open date in early November, Coleman accounted for more catches (22), yards (306) and touchdowns (6) in the last 3 games – vs. UL-Monroe, Texas A&M and Alabama – than he had over the first three-fourths of the season, resetting expectations for Year 2 to full tilt. Assuming incoming QB Jackson Arnold represents an upgrade over the pedestrian Payton Thorne (not necessarily a safe assumption, as Oklahoma fans will assure you), the breakthrough should arrive right on schedule.

Breakout Player, Defense: KJ Bolden

Georgia’s last 5-star safety, Malaki Starks, was a Day-1 starter, 2-time All-American, and, as of April, a first-round pick. Bolden, the No.1 safety recruit in the 2024 class, is off to a fine start in his bid to reenact Starks’ meteoric career arc. Although technically not a starter as a freshman, Bolden was a regular, finishing 6th on UGA’s defense in total snaps, 5th in tackles and 2nd in overall PFF grade. (His coverage grade, specifically, led the team, for what it’s worth.) With Starks and fellow starter Dan Jackson moving on, Bolden is already the ranking vet on the back end as a true sophomore. In Athens, that tends to be a very lucrative distinction.

Rookie of the Year: Elijah Griffin

He’s yet to take a snap at Georgia, but barring disaster, you can go ahead and pencil in Griffin for a first-round projection in 2028. One look at this kid — a 6-4, 310-pounder who started fielding scholarship offers in middle school — is all it takes to inspire visions of the next mutant Dawg lineman, continuing in the tradition of Travon Walker (No. 1 overall pick in 2022), Jalen Carter (No. 9 overall in 2023) and Mykel Williams (No. 11 overall earlier this year). Like those guys, Griffin was a unanimous 5-star prospect, arriving earlier this year touted as the No. 1 d-lineman in the 2025 class; also like them, he boasts enough athleticism on his enormous frame to play multiple roles along the front, including edge rusher. He made an immediate impression in the spring, quickly playing his way into the mix to fill the vacancy in the starting lineup alongside veteran DT Christen Miller.

As UGA fans know well, potential and production are not the same thing: For all their freakishness, Walker, Carter and Williams were all limited in their college careers by some combination of injuries and workmanlike roles that kept their individual impact in check. Time will tell if Griffin has the juice and the consistency to exceed the sum of his next-level traits. For now, just carving out a regular niche on the sport’s most perennially hellacious front is testament enough.

The post SDS’ Ultimate 2025 SEC Preview: Texas on top. Then? … Chaos and a mad dash for other Playoff hopefuls appeared first on Saturday Down South.

50. Blake Miller | OT, Clemson

Clemson is extremely well-represented in the top half of this Top 100 ranking, and Miller’s name certainly isn’t going to be the one in lights if the season lives up to the hype that the Tigers’ national title odds suggest. For an offensive linemen, though, being taken for granted is kinda the point. The Tigers have that luxury with Miller, who moved directly into the lineup as a freshman and never left. He’s manned the starting right tackle spot in all 41 games over the past 3 seasons, racking up more snaps in the process (2,887) than any other returning player in a Power 4 conference. As the reps have accumulated, so have the accolades: Freshman All-American in 2022, third-team All-ACC in ’23, first-team in ’24, when Miller allowed a single sack and was flagged just once in the Tigers’ run to the ACC title. As always, the easier it is to forget he’s there, the better.

49. Kyle Louis | LB, Pittsburgh

For a few years in the 2010s, there was a lot of buzz about the rise of the “spacebacker” – a hybrid defender who split the difference between a traditional off-ball linebacker and a strong safety in response to increasingly spread-oriented offenses. In the 2020s, most of the hybrid types have since yielded to full-time DBs as nickel defenses have become the default setting across the sport. A few “spacebackers” remain, though, and none was more productive in 2024 than Louis, a 6-0, 225-pound ball hawk whose versatility allowed Pitt to run most of its playbook through its standard 4-3 personnel. A jack of all trades, Louis was just as likely to line up in the slot or on the edge as he was in the box; in addition to recording triple-digit tackles, he was productive as a pass rusher (32 QB pressures, 7 sacks) and in coverage, where he recorded 4 interceptions, including a pick-6. 

Oh, and he capped his sophomore highlight reel by returning his own blocked PAT for a 2-point conversion in the bowl game, for good measure. Is Louis built for butting heads with 300-pounders, or running step-for-step with 180-pound slot receivers? No. But as long as he continues producing at an All-ACC level, the “tweener” debate is strictly one for the NFL scouts.

48. Taurean York | LB, Texas A&M

A former 3-star recruit, York isn’t moving the needle with his size, speed or SPARQ score. He’s just always around the ball. As a freshman, he was a Day 1 starter alongside All-American Edgerrin Cooper, finishing second on the team in tackles and stops. Following Cooper’s early exit for the NFL Draft, York led Texas A&M by a mile in 2024 in both categories, as well as racking up 10 tackles for loss by virtue of his instincts and instant diagnosis of blocking schemes. By year’s end, he often looked like he’d hacked the frequency to listen in on the opposing offense’s play calls.

That was Year 2. By the end of Year 3, his grasp of pursuit angles is going to be worth the equivalent of a Ph.D. in trigonometry. 

47. Tyreak Sapp | DL, Florida

The buzz around Florida‘s abrupt U-turn last November largely centered on freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, for obvious reasons. (See: Nos. 75-51.) But the surge really began up front, with a suddenly hellacious d-line anchored by Sapp. A former top-100 recruit, Sapp feasted down the stretch, racking up a dozen QB pressures and 8 TFLs in wins over LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State alone. For the season, he earned the top overall PFF grade (90.4) of any returning SEC defender. If there’s any position where the Gators can count on momentum carrying over into 2025, a front four featuring full-grown versions of Sapp and mammoth DT Caleb Banks is at the top of the list. 

46. Malik Muhammad | CB, Texas

Muhammad spent 2024 overshadowed by Texas’ other starting corner, Jahdae Barron, who claimed just about every honor there was to claim on his way to joining the list of Texas first-round draft picks. Quietly, though, Muhammad settled in for the long haul. He started every game in the Longhorns’ Playoff run as a true sophomore, allowing a single touchdown in coverage and matching Barron for forced incompletions (10, per PFF) on roughly the same number of targets. Now a junior, it’s his turn to take over as one of the ranking vets of a unit that lost both Barron and second-rounder Andrew Mukuba at safety. On that note, there is one thing Muhammad didn’t do last year: Intercept a pass. Any hope of replacing Barron and Mukuba’s combined 10 picks begins with his contribution.

45. Leonard Moore | CB, Notre Dame

Moore wasn’t an especially hyped recruit by Notre Dame standards, and didn’t crack the regular lineup in 2024 until a midseason injury to starter Benjamin Morrison. But once he was on the field, it was clear he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. Individually, Moore picked off 2 passes, broke up 11 more, forced 2 fumbles, posted one of the top PFF grades (88.4) of any freshman defender in the country, and was a unanimous Freshman All-American. As a team, the Irish ranked at or near the top of the FBS in every column against the pass, including No. 1 in pass efficiency. Morrison and 2-time All-American Xavier Watts are both on NFL rosters, but between Moore, fellow corner Christian Gray, and safety Adon Shuler, don’t bet on a drop-off. Vegas certainly isn’t; the Irish’s have the 7th-best odds to win the national championship.

44. Carnell Tate | WR, Ohio State

Almost anywhere else, Tate would already be an established star. At Ohio State, he’s had to wait his turn, toiling as “the other guy” the past 2 seasons behind Marvin Harrison Jr. (4th overall pick in 2024), Emeka Egbuka (19th overall in 2025) and Jeremiah Smith (presumptive No. 1 overall in 2027, barring catastrophe). Even as a third wheel, Tate was more than productive enough in ’24 to put himself on the radar, finishing with 52 catches for 733 yards and 4 touchdowns, and he notably rose to the occasion in the Buckeyes’ semifinal CFP win over Texas when the Longhorns pulled out the stops to blanket Smith. Tate is not going to threaten Smith’s status as WR1 and the focal point of opposing secondaries – no college wideout in America would – but he does stand to reap the benefits from his promotion to No. 2.

43. Dillon Thieneman | DB, Oregon

Oregon’s 2024 season ended with its secondary engulfed in flames courtesy of Ohio State. Even before the debacle in the Rose Bowl, though, an overhaul was already in motion: All 5 starters on the back end were outgoing seniors, set to be replaced in 2025 by a combination of big-ticket transfers, blue-chip freshmen and holdovers returning from injury. No piece of the rebuilding effort is more crucial than Thieneman, a winter arrival from Purdue who made his bones as the token Good Player On a Bad Team. In 2 years as a Boilermaker, he was a Freshman All-American, an All-Big Ten pick and a triple-digit tackle machine – all in service of outfits that went a combined 3-15 in B1G play. At Oregon, he’s joining a serious national championship contender on a mission to upgrade the talent level at safety ASAP. It might take awhile to find out if they’ve succeeded, if only because the Buckeyes don’t appear on the regular-season schedule. Rest assured, for the Ducks to get where they want to go, Thieneman and the rest of the newcomers will eventually be put to the test.

42. Sam Leavitt | QB, Arizona State

Leavitt took the vagabond route to ASU: 3 different high schools in 2 different states due to COVID, followed by a brief detour at Michigan State as a true freshman. Based on his breakout turn in 2024, he’s going to stick in Tempe. Although he didn’t hit the jackpot statistically, Leavitt was eerily steady for a 19-year-old, leading the Sun Devils to an 11-2 record as a starter and 30+ points in all but 2 of those wins. After a 2-week hiatus at midseason, he returned in November to throw 16 touchdowns vs. 1 INT over the course of a 6-game winning streak that vaulted the Devils from obscurity to the Big 12 title in their first year in the conference. From there, they were only 1 play away from advancing to the CFP semifinals over Texas before letting one of the biggest wins in school histories slip through their grasp in double OT.

The good news in ’25: Leavitt is another year further along the growth curve. The not-so-good news: The MVP of last year’s turnaround, indestructible RB Cam Skattebo, is currently vying for carries with the New York Giants. Skattebo accounted for more than 38% of Arizona State’s total offense in ’24, ranking No. 2 nationally behind only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. How much of that share now falls on Leavitt’s arm? For a guy with first-round ambitions, the answer has major implications for ASU’s season and his future at the next level.

41. Jonah Coleman | RB, Washington

Clichés like “chiseled” and “rocked up” imply a statuesque subject, which doesn’t quite do Coleman justice. Listed at a compact 5-9, 228 pounds, he’s more like somebody strapped a hunk of marble to a skateboard and shoved it down a hill. Per PFF, more than three-quarters of Coleman’s 1,923 rushing yards over the past 2 seasons came after contact, good for an average of 4.6 yards per carry as a result of broken tackles alone. And presumably that number only includes instances where the would-be tackler actually managed to, you know, make contact, which isn’t always a given, either. 

For a sturdy back with no notable injury history, no real competition for carries, and no career fumbles, Coleman could probably stand to touch the ball more often than the 16.6 touches per game he averaged in 2024 – especially with a relatively green quarterback, sophomore Demond Williams, easing into the starting role. Regardless, with his combination of balance, violence, and elusiveness, he remains a serious contender for the title of Least Fun to Tackle in the college game.

40. Elijah Sarratt | WR, Indiana
39. Aiden Fisher | LB, Indiana
38. D’Angelo Ponds | CB, Indiana

Indiana’s out-of-the-blue Playoff run in 2024 was the result of a novel premise: What if instead of merely hiring a head coach, we hired a whole team? The coach, Curt Cignetti, arrived fresh from a wildly successful 5-year tenure at James Madison. At Indiana, he immediately went to work reassembling as much of his former squad as possible via the portal, ultimately bringing along 13 players from the JMU team that went 11-1 in 2023 in just its second season as an FBS program. And not just any players – more than half of the JMU contingent were All-Sun Belt in ’23, including Fisher, Sarratt and Ponds, supplying an instant infusion of talent to one of the Big Ten’s most bereft rosters.

The experiment yielded the unlikeliest hit of the season, if not the decade. With the notable exception of quarterback, former Dukes manned starting roles in every position group on both sides of the ball for the best IU outfit anyone can remember. The postseason All-Big Ten team as voted by league coaches featured 8 JMU transfers – 3 on the first team (Fisher, Ponds and edge Mikail Kamara), Sarratt on the third team and 4 others as honorable mentions. Despite another busy offseason in the portal, the core of that group remains intact, along with both coordinators. Even taking unto account a new quarterback and a steeper schedule, dismiss the Hoosiers as one-hit wonders at your own peril.

37. Chandler Rivers | CB, Duke

At 5-10, 185, Rivers lacks ideal size for an elite cornerback prospect. In 3 years at Duke, that’s the only box he’s left unchecked. He’s experienced, with 32 consecutive starts. He’s sticky, boasting an ACC-best 89.8 PFF coverage grade in 2024. He’s decorated, earning first-team all-conference from ACC coaches and a smattering of All-America notices from the media. He’s adaptable, splitting snaps between outside corner, slot corner and occasionally the box. He’s productive, with 5 career interceptions, including a pair of pick-6s, and 21 passes broken up. He’s a willing tackler, and a potentially disruptive presence in opposing backfields, recording 8 TFLs, 10 QB pressures, and a strip sack in 2024 alone. He is, in other words, just a pretty dang good all-around football player. If Rivers was 2 1/2 inches taller, he’d be considered a no-brainer for the first round in 2026. As it is, he might wind up playing his way into the distinction anyway.

36. Desmond Reid | RB, Pittsburgh

The smallest player on any field he steps on, the (officially) 5-8, 175-pound Reid is like the kid who gets picked last at recess on the first day of school and first every day after that. Overlooked out of high school, he spent 2 productive seasons at Western Carolina in 2022-23 before following his WCU offensive coordinator, Kade Bell, to Pitt in ’24. As a Panther, Reid was an instant hit, defying his size to emerge as a versatile, every-down back who hogged carries while also tying for the team lead in receptions. He finished as 1 of only 3 players nationally with 500+ yards rushing and receiving, plus a punt return TD for good measure.

Durability is a concern – Reid missed 2 games to minor injuries, which based on his season average of 154.9 all-purpose yards per game was the only thing that prevented him from joining the exclusive 2,000-yard club for the year. But as long as he’s at full speed, he should have every opportunity to sustain that pace.

35. Carson Beck | QB, Miami

There are not many circumstances in which an 11-2 record paired with a perfectly cromulent stat line goes down as a disappointment. In Beck’s case, though, it was hard to read his 2024 campaign any other way. Coming off a fine debut as Georgia’s QB1 in 2023, Beck was hyped as a Heisman candidate at the helm of a championship-or-bust contender. Instead, he battled inconsistency, a midseason interception spree, a nondescript surrounding cast, and ultimately a season-ending shoulder injury in service of an outfit that never quite put it all together even in victory. Beck was sorely missed in the Bulldogs’ 23-10 Playoff loss to Notre Dame, but not so much that it changed his mind about his decision earlier the same week to show himself the door.

Beck initially declared for the NFL Draft, until Sebastian the Ibis swooped in with a giant novelty check and the keys to a Lamborghini. He is almost certainly being paid more in Miami than he would have been as a mid-round pick, with the dual goals of rehabbing his stock and getting the ‘Canes over the Playoff hump. The offense under 3rd-year OC Shannon Dawson is the same one that led the nation in scoring in 2024 and vaulted the guy Beck is replacing, Cam Ward, to No. 1 overall in a single bound. Beck doesn’t have Ward’s raw physical tools, or for that matter any of Ward’s regular targets, all of whom have also moved on. But if he returns to his 2023 form in a more QB-friendly system, his stock will follow the same trajectory. 

34. Garrett Nussmeier | QB, LSU

Nussmeier was born to be a big-time quarterback: Besides being blue-chip recruit in his own right, his dad, Doug, played in the NFL and has been a high-profile QB coach in the college and pro ranks for two decades. (The elder Nussmeier is currently in his first season as offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, just down the road from his son.) First, though, he had to wait. As a freshman at LSU, Nussmeier was limited to a redshirt role amid the collapse of the Ed Orgeron administration in 2021. Following Brian Kelly‘s arrival in ’22, he was demoted from heir apparent to understudy behind eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. To his credit, Nussmeier kept his head down, shrugged off transfer rumors, outlasted a couple of touted underclassmen who subsequently portaled out, and finally ascended to QB1 last year as a redshirt junior.

The results were … well, in the eye of the beholder. From the start, LSU’s offense revolved around his right arm – Nussmeier ranked second nationally at 40.4 attempts per game, accounting for 71.6% of the team’s total offense. He was 1 of 6 passers nationally to throw for 4,000 yards (the other 5 of whom were all drafted), joining Joe Burrow as the only LSU quarterbacks to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in a season — and just the 6th Tiger to throw for 3,000 yards. He took just 15 sacks on 553 drop-backs, per PFF, and posted the lowest pressure-to-sack ratio in the SEC. (That’s a measure of how many pressured drop-backs actually resulted in sacks – only 9.8% in Nussmeier’s case.) He led a dramatic comeback against Ole Miss, highlighted by clutch touchdown passes at the end of regulation and overtime. Certain scouts raved about his potential if he opted to declare early.

On the other hand, Nussmeier never really threatened to crack the top tier of SEC quarterbacks, and his stat line had the whiff of volume over value. He ranked a distant 44th nationally in yards per attempt (7.7) and 42nd in efficiency (142.7). A season-killing, 3-game losing streak in October/November was a series of lows: He threw 3 interceptions in a second-half collapse at Texas A&M; failed to lead a touchdown drive until the dying seconds of a 42-13 humiliation against Alabama, by which point Tiger Stadium was virtually empty; and endured 7 sacks in an upset loss against what was supposed to be a lame-duck version of Florida. It was around that time that murmurs began about Nussmeier’s job security with top-ranked 2026 commit Bryce Underwood in the pipeline – until Underwood punctuated the Tigers’ month of woe by flipping to Michigan.

All of which is to say, the idea of a 5th-year leap on the order of Burrow in 2019 or Daniels in 2023 works better at this point as a narrative hook than as a prediction. Is it out of the question? No, or Nussmeier wouldn’t have the 2nd-best Heisman odds or be ranked nearly as high as he is here in an extremely competitive year for SEC quarterbacks. Dude can sling it. Is it worth betting on? Caveat emptor.

33. Deontae Lawson | LB, Alabama

Bama has been rolling industry-standard linebackers off the assembly line for so long, at this point they represent their own subgenre of Remembering Some Guys. (Reggie Ragland! Shaun Dion Hamilton!) One of the last blue-chip ‘backers to sign on under Nick Saban, Lawson is cut from the same mold. In 3 years as a regular, he has accounted for more career tackles (194) and stops (102) than any other returning SEC defender, with increased production each season. A torn ACL last November ended his 2024 campaign early, but Lawson is back on the field in preseason camp, and all signs are that he expects to be his usual, heat-seeking self in pursuit of triple-digit tackles in his final turn on campus.

32. Jermod McCoy | CB, Tennessee

A small-town product from the same Texas high school that produced Patrick Mahomes, McCoy started as an obscure, 3-star recruit at Oregon State. He didn’t stay under the radar for long: Even in a part-time role, his freshman campaign was intriguing enough to secure him a ticket to Tennessee, where he promptly broke out in 2024 as a true sophomore. Among returning SEC corners, McCoy ranked No. 1 in interceptions (4), forced incompletions (13) and PFF coverage grade (89.6), as well as in viral highlights thanks to a pair of acrobatic picks against Alabama and Vanderbilt. 

If there’s a drawback to McCoy’s game, it’s that his strength – physicality in press man coverage – was also his Achilles’ heel, resulting in an SEC-high 8 penalties, per PFF. The bigger concern as the season looms is his availability following an offseason ACL tear in January. He returned to practice earlier this month and has “hit all the benchmarks to this point” in his recovery process, according to Tennessee DB coach Willie Martinez. Barring a setback, the question is only when McCoy will be back in the fold. As long as it’s in time for the Vols’ SEC opener against Georgia on Sept. 13, they should get their money’s worth.

31. Avieon Terrell | CB, Clemson

Avieon wasn’t nearly as touted out of high school as his older brother, former Clemson star/current Atlanta Falcon AJ Terrell, but it didn’t him long to begin closing the gap. Coming off a strong finish to his freshman campaign in 2023, Terrell emerged as a fixture in ’24, playing nearly every meaningful snap in the Tigers’ run to the ACC title and Playoff. In coverage, he tied for the conference lead with 14 forced incompletions, including 2 interceptions; against the run, he was arguably better, earning the top PFF run defense grade (90.7) of any ACC defender at any position. 

Now, take that for what it’s worth; at 5-11, 180, Terrell is hardly an enforcer. He’s the kind of undersized corner opposing offenses like to challenge to make tackles in space, and passing the test often meant he had to “hold on for the cavalry to come in” to get the ballcarrier on the ground. But as long as he’s in the right place at the right time, all that really matters is he gets the job done.

30. Dylan Stewart | Edge, South Carolina
29. Colin Simmons | Edge, Texas

As freshmen, Stewart and Simmons entered last season ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 edge rushers in the 2024 class. They ended the season still ranked No. 1 and No. 2, with no one else even within 100 miles of the conversation. The only caveat was which order to put them in.

Hosannas to Stewart’s potential as a pass rusher began the moment he stepped on the field. A sleek specimen with ideal length, a scorching first step, and slinky-like bend around the corner, he was an instant hit in Carolina, accounting for multiple sacks and a crucial forced fumble in his first college game. Even when not racking up gaudy sack totals, Stewart was a week-in, week-out presence throughout the year, generating 51 QB pressures, per PFF – 11 more than his All-American counterpart, Kyle Kennard, and more than any other returning SEC defender in 2025.

Simmons’ ascent was more of a slow burn. At 6-3, 240, he doesn’t quite boast Stewart’s first-off-the-bus frame, and technically he never cracked the starting lineup in Texas’ run to the CFP semifinals. Still, by year’s end he was the Longhorns’ best pass rusher, finishing with 46 pressures and 9 sacks in a rotational role; he was also a sturdy presence against the run, with 31 stops to Stewart’s 18. In December, Simmons won the Shaun Alexander Award as the nation’s top freshman at any position, beating out not just Stewart but also the likes of Alabama’s Ryan Williams and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. (Obviously, that was before Smith cemented his burgeoning legend in the postseason.) Texas’ opener at OSU will mark Simmons’ first career start, but in every other sense – including his new jersey number, No. 1 – he’s a proven commodity.

At any rate, outside of very important lists like this one settling the question of whose name comes first is academic until at least the 2027 NFL Draft, which is still too early to handicap. By then, their respective résumés should both run several pages. For now, let’s just say that if Stewart still represents the higher ceiling, Simmons is absolutely not going to make it an easy call.

28. Dani Dennis-Sutton | Edge, Penn State

If it seems like Penn State fans have been waiting forever for Dennis-Sutton to break out, there’s a good reason: They kinda have. In 3 years on campus, the former 5-star has been overshadowed on the depth chart by 4 top-100 draft picks, including first-rounders each of the past 2 years (Chop Robinson in 2023, Abdul Carter in ’24). Finally, it’s Dennis-Sutton at the top of the rotation as a senior. He took a significant step forward last year, his first as a starter, finishing in the top 10 in the Big Ten in QB pressures (45) and tackles for loss (13) opposite Carter. Notably, most of the latter column came in the bonus round, when he accounted for multiple TFLs in all 3 of the Nittany Lions’ Playoff games – not to mention the highlight of his career to date, a supremely athletic interception in the 4th quarter of their eventual semifinal loss to Notre Dame.

You know, no matter how freaky these guys get, I will never believe 265-pound defensive ends are supposed to be able to do that. Anyway, Dennis-Sutton’s pick set up a short-field, go-ahead touchdown drive by Penn State’s offense with roughly half a quarter to go, and yadda yadda yadda, the Lions lost, nullifying his heroics. This year, they’re counting on more where that came from.

27. Kaytron Allen | RB, Penn State
26. Nick Singleton | RB, Penn State

It wouldn’t be quite right to describe Allen and Singleton as interchangeable: Allen packs more of a wallop running downhill, while Singleton brings more versatility and explosiveness. But the old “thunder and lightning” clichè doesn’t really captured the dynamic, either. From Day 1 at Penn State, they’ve functioned essentially as a tandem: A couple of big, central-casting workhorses who enter their senior season ranked 10th (Singleton, 2,912) and 11th (Allen, 2,877) on Penn State’s career rushing list, separated by just 35 yards. (If they both equal their 2024 production in ’25, they’ll go out as No. 1 and No. 2.) Over 3 seasons, they’ve literally shared reps equally, with Allen at 1,404 career snaps and Singleton at 1,402.

Traditionally, this would be the “how do you feed them both?” graf. In the expanded Playoff era, where serious contenders like Penn State are planning for a 16- or 17-game gauntlet, the load-management approach to divvying up touches will quickly become the norm. In 2024, the fact that Allen and Singleton became the first teammates in school history run for 1,000 yards apiece in the same season was a testament mainly to their durability – the benchmark itself mattered less than the fact that they remained healthy and available for long enough to hit it. (See also: Ohio State’s statistically meh but ultimately successful platoon last year between TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.) Under different circumstances, either guy could be a bigger star in an offense that needed him to carry full freight. Where they’re at, the goal is to get them both to January in one piece.

TOMORROW: The countdown concludes with Part 4 (Nos. 25-1).

The post SDS’ Top 100: Ranking the best college football players in 2025 (Nos. 50-26) appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Not only was the star pass-rusher not playing in the Cowboys’ final preseason game on Thursday night, but he wasn’t even conscious for part of it. Parsons was spotted on a training table on the sideline at one point, appearing to catch up on some sleep.

Parsons is entering the final year of his rookie deal with the Cowboys. A dispute over his next contract — and differing approaches about how to negotiate that contract — has led both sides to an impasse. Parsons shared on social media at the beginning of August that he personally requested to be traded. Dallas has signaled no desire to satisfy that trade request.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he expects Parsons to play in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Parsons has scrubbed all mention of the Cowboys from his social media feeds.

When Parsons entered the stadium Friday night, he was spotted eating nachos as he walked to the Cowboys locker room. An Atlanta Falcons fan shouted to him,” Come to the Falcons,” and Parsons responded with a “call me” gesture.

After the game, Parsons spotlighted a social media post that said he was laying on a training table for only a short amount of time.

“I actually appreciate this,” Parsons wrote on social media. “The way media shapes perception and narratives is wild-and if he hadn’t said anything, everyone would’ve just run with it. I’d never disrespect the guys out there fighting for their lives.”

Parsons has not practiced with the team yet this summer. Earlier in camp, Parsons was said to be dealing with back tightness that required treatment. Jones has questioned the legitimacy of Parsons’ back issue.

According to ESPN, Cowboys corner Trevon Diggs said that Parsons recently had an MRI on his back and isn’t sure if Parsons will be healthy for the season-opener against the Eagles.

“It depends on how his back feels. I know he was real sore this morning,” Diggs said, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “He went and got it checked out. That’s the last thing I heard from him.”

The post Micah Parsons seen napping during Dallas Cowboys’ final preseason game appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Predicting upsets in the preseason is, by all accounts, a crapshoot. To go out on a limb in August is different than doing so in November. As in, when it feels like we actually have an idea what these teams are supposed to look like. By then, I could back off an upset pick that I had in the preseason.

Four years ago, I predicted in the preseason that Texas A&M would beat Alabama for the first time in the post-Johnny Manziel era. Then A&M’s season started in disastrous fashion, Alabama looked like a world-beater and by the time the game rolled around, I backed off the pick. We know how that played out. A&M handed Alabama its first loss to an unranked team since Louisiana-Monroe in 2007 and I deserved 0 credit for an upset that I predicted in August because I wasn’t willing to double down on it.

Consider that my way of saying that for starters, I can be a bit dumb at times. Also, predicting these upsets now doesn’t mean I’ll stay locked into it 3 months from now. Teams change. People change.

Until further notice, though, these upset picks won’t change. Just don’t get upset about them.

(I’m now on the record in multiple places with these picks because I have them in my Crystal Ball series, which you can read in its entirety on SDS.)

8. Mizzou beats Auburn in Auburn

Don’t think this is a big enough upset to make the cut after Mizzou won this game last year with a quarterback who spent part of the game in the hospital? OK, ask Auburn fans how upset they’d be if they lost to Mizzou at Jordan-Hare Stadium. This is another one of those games wherein possessions can be at a premium and coaching decisions will be magnified. I wonder about a dejected Auburn defense repeatedly being asked to get stops against what should be an impressive Mizzou ground attack. And by this point in the season, I’m not convinced that whatever version of the Auburn offense is out there will stack up well against a Mizzou defense that was No. 20 in scoring defense and is No. 5 in America in percentage of returning production. Hugh Freeze suffers another brutal loss in front of the Auburn faithful.

7. Ole Miss beats LSU in Oxford

This is a significant upset for my preseason prediction of LSU winning a national title. By this point in late-September, I wonder if the Tigers’ fast start will catch up to them a bit. I expect LSU to be a top-4 team with wins against Clemson and Florida already. How many times has Lane Kiffin beaten a top-4 team in his career, you ask? Twice, including last year in Oxford when his team knocked off Georgia. This game will have a similar feel against the eventual-SEC champs. Austin Simmons will put the improving, but still not a finished product, LSU defense in tough spots. Garrett Nussmeier will be harassed by Suntarine Perkins and an underrated group of Ole Miss pass-rushers. Unlike last year when he put on his cape and pulled off a comeback to stun Ole Miss, he’s bottled up in a signature victory for Kiffin.

6. Vanderbilt beats Auburn in Nashville

You had me at “Diego Pavia vs. Freeze.” Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Pavia has already fooled us 3 times against Freeze — don’t forget that he led New Mexico State to a win against Freeze’s Liberty squad in 2022 — so why would we assume that streak ends with Pavia finally getting a home game in this rivalry? And yes, Pavia does take it personally that Freeze had multiple chances to recruit him in the transfer portal, and he passed. Pavia is leading a Vanderbilt offense that ranks No. 8 in FBS in percentage of returning production, including 73% of a defense (No. 10 in FBS) that completely stymied Freeze’s offense at Jordan-Hare Stadium last year. Once again, Pavia and Co. get it done against the Auburn coach.

5. LSU beats Alabama in Tuscaloosa

After how lopsided last year’s game was, you’d better believe that this is an upset. Kalen DeBoer hasn’t lost a home game since 2021 when he was Fresno State’s coach. Shoot, Alabama hasn’t lost to an SEC team in Bryant-Denny Stadium since LSU in 2019. But just as it was for LSU in 2019, winning in Tuscaloosa proves to be the beginning of something special. How does it happen? LSU’s defensive improvement is notable against a much different Alabama offense, which becomes a bit too pass-heavy at times. Nussmeier looks as confident as ever on the road, and Alabama struggles to generate a pass-rush to slow down the air attack. Instead of Alabama keeping its SEC title path clear, it runs into an LSU buzzsaw.

4. Arkansas beats Texas A&M in Fayetteville

I know, I know. A&M owns Arkansas. It does. There’s no denying the 12-1 advantage that the Aggies have in this series since joining the SEC, while Arkansas fans have had an “if it can go wrong, it will go wrong” mindset vs. A&M. What changes that? A change of scenery. A&M is 3-12 in true road games the last 4 seasons. That’s a slightly better win percentage than Arkansas has against A&M, but more relevant for this matchup is an improved Taylen Green. His ball security isn’t the issue that it was against A&M a year earlier. Arkansas feeds off an electric home crowd. Instead of having a costly back-breaking play late, Green waltzes in for a dagger touchdown to fend off an Aggie comeback. Arkansas beats a top-10 team at home for the second time in as many seasons.

3. Kentucky beats Tennessee in Lexington

This isn’t quite as stunning as when Kentucky took down Ole Miss in Oxford for last year’s top upset, but it’s close. Scrambling for their first SEC win of the year and first victory against a Power Conference foe at Kroger Field since Sept. 2023 — it’s 8 consecutive losses in those games — UK finally shows up with the right mindset. A ground-heavy approach with Nebraska transfer Dante Dowdell and New Mexico State transfer Seth McGowan wears down a Tennessee squad that looks a bit flat coming off a loss at Alabama. Josh Heupel has owned Mark Stoops since his arrival in Knoxville, but he hasn’t owned road games. An 8-10 true road game mark resurfaces at the worst possible time for a Tennessee squad that suffers a Playoff-hope crushing loss.

2. Florida beats Georgia in Jacksonville

For the first time since 2020, Florida has the ability to go blow for blow with Georgia. Why? It finally has the talent in the trenches. Florida has multiple guys on both the offensive and defensive lines who are projected as first-round NFL Draft prospects. That, plus a healthy DJ Lagway, makes all the difference. It’s not that the Gators are the better team (I have Florida finishing 8-4 and UGA going 11-1). It’s that Georgia catches Florida on its best day of the season. An early 17-0 lead puts Georgia on its heels from the jump, and while Gunner Stockton and the Georgia ground game eventually get going, an inability to get stops leads to the Dawgs’ first loss of 2025. Billy Napier, who enters the season without a win away from The Swamp vs. a Power Conference bowl team, gets his biggest victory to date.

1. Mississippi State beats Ole Miss in Starkville

Just in case you don’t believe this is worthy of the No. 1 spot, let me paint a little Egg Bowl picture here. In the final regular season game, a 9-2 Ole Miss squad is 60 minutes away from its first Playoff berth. All it has to do is beat a Mississippi State squad that’s searching for its first SEC win in over 2 years. No big deal, right? But with the cowbells rocking, Jeff Lebby‘s squad treats this like its Super Bowl. Against his former boss, Lebby’s offense looks like it’s finally coming together. It turns into an unstoppable showing by the Mississippi State ground attack with Davon Booth and South Alabama transfer Fluff Bothwell, who averaged more yards after first contact (4.57) than any FBS running back with 100 carries not named “Ashton Jeanty” in 2024. In an all-too-familiar flashback to Jaxson Dart’s late-game struggles, Simmons is flustered by a suddenly resurgent Mississippi State pass rush and he makes too many mistakes late.

It takes until Rivalry Week, but the Egg Bowl delivers the biggest SEC upset of 2025.

The post My biggest SEC upsets for 2025 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The three amigos, a nickname coined by Jameis Winston after the game for the Giants quarterbacks, all had good games. Tommy DeVito completed 17 of his 20 passes for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns. Former Ole Miss standout Jaxson Dart went 6 of 12 for 81 yards and a touchdown. Winston even added 47 yards and a touchdown.

However, it wasn’t the performance on the field that got fans talking about the Giants after the game.

It was Dart feeding Winston a dub on the sideline that got everyone laughing.

In a viral 2017 clip, Winston, while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, famously tried to hype his teammates up using his “Eat a Dub” speech. Winston used his fingers to create a W-shape and then hilariously attempted to eat the W.

It seems Winston is rubbing off on the rookie Dart, as well as the other young quarterback in DeVito, as they were all seen eating a dub after the game.

Keep in mind, Russell Wilson is the presumed starter for the New York Giants. This means the Giants will have to keep 4 quarterbacks on their roster in order for us to see the Three Amigos eat another dub.

RELATED: With the new NFL season soon to get underway, DFS is the best way to play alongside the pros. Check out our guide on the best apps for daily fantasy sports to score a sign-up bonus and get ready for Week 1.

The post Jaxson Dart feeds Jameis Winston a dub in hilarious sideline moment appeared first on Saturday Down South.

“Any Given Saturday” executive producer Paul Martin joined the show to discuss the origins of the show, as well as the feedback he’s gotten from the SEC crowd about the new Netflix show.

The guys closed with Lad of the Week!

Watch the full episode here:

Subscribe to The Saturday Down South Podcast here, and subscribe to Saturday Down South on YouTube for all the latest video content!

The post SDS Podcast: 10 Chaos Scenarios for 2025, ‘Any Given Saturday’ executive producer Paul Martin talks origins & feedback appeared first on Saturday Down South.

That’s especially true with these 12 players you’ll read about below. Call it the All-Aura team — the most exciting, most intimidating, most entertaining players in college football. The offense is up first. The defense will be revealed at a later date. 

The 2025 All-Aura Team Offense

Quarterback: Taylen Green, Arkansas

The starting quarterback at Arkansas, Green is 6-6, he’s 235 pounds, he can peel the leather off the football when he rifles a pass down the field, and he’s blazing fast. If defenses didn’t go into games knowing they could trip him up and force a turnover or 2, he might be one of the most intimidating players in the country. Like, “first guy off the bus” intimidating. He produced 32 explosive runs last season to go along with 45 pass plays of at least 20 yards. He produced 453 rushing yards after first contact and forced 41 missed tackles, both of which were top-5 marks among power conference quarterbacks. He also had a 92.6 pass grade from PFF on throws of at least 20 air yards. He had 17 turnover-worthy plays and a sub-60% completion rate last season, so there are some warts in his game, but that’s also part of what makes him so entertaining. It’s chaotic excellence for 60 minutes. 

Running back: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

In lieu of droning on about what makes Notre Dame’s star running back so impressive, I will provide you with 2 clips that will perfectly capture what makes Love such a force.

The first:

The second: 

I’m 80% certain Love is going to try to recreate Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle during the upcoming season.

Running back: Jonah Coleman, Washington

When Coleman was a freshman at Arizona, he was often compared to Maurice Jones-Drew. He was over 200 pounds as a 5-9 back coming out of high school. He’s up to nearly 230 pounds now entering his fourth collegiate season. Coleman is a bowling ball who also happens to be blazing quick in a phone booth. His short-area burst is just insane given his size. He’ll lower a shoulder into defenders, but he’s also shown a penchant for jumping over people and sidestepping them as they crumple in an embarrassing heap on the turf. He has averaged 5.8 yards per carry for his career, he has forced 139 missed tackles in his career, and has gained nearly 3-quarters of his rushing yardage after first contact.

Wide receiver: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

What can be said about the Ohio State star that hasn’t already been said? Smith stepped onto a college campus loaded with the very best athletes in the country and was instantly one of the most physically imposing players on his team. As a true freshman player, Smith was simply unguardable in man coverage. He was targeted 32 times against man coverage last season and produced 20 first downs on 25 total catches. He completely dismantled Oregon in the Rose Bowl and dropped only 1 pass all season. Smith was a 6-3, 215-pound receiver when he arrived at Ohio State. Over his final 2 seasons in Columbus, he’ll get stronger and he’ll get faster. He told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman he could only bench 225 pounds for 5-ish reps as a freshman and he repped out 2 plates for 20 this offseason. That’s a terrifying development for defenses.

Wide receiver: Ryan Williams, Alabama

The most impressive part of Williams’ game is his body control. He’s long, he’s lanky, he’s unbelievably fast, and he shouldn’t be able to twist and contort his body the way he does. One of his most impressive catches of his freshman season didn’t even count. 

Williams was targeted 87 times last season. He only caught a little more than half those targets, and his deep-threat pedigree wasn’t exactly backed up by production. According to PFF, Williams only had 8 receptions on 25 targets on throws of at least 20 air yards. His first 5 games were outstanding, but he was less effective as the year went on. That may have had more to do with the overall pass game and less with Williams. Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb should have a better feel of how to use Williams; he should be a nightmare matchup in 2025. The tip-toeing hesi-spin move he pulled against Georgia last fall was one of the best plays we saw from anyone all year.

Wide receiver: Cam Coleman, Auburn

The sophomore receiver stands 6-3 and weighs 201 pounds. According to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, Coleman squatted 540 pounds this offseason. Receivers should not squat that much. Coleman is explosive and he’s going to be a contested catch machine next fall so long as Auburn’s quarterback is willing to throw it to him. Coleman’s closing 3-game stretch last fall was a marvel, and it included a 3-touchdown day against ULM where he made video game catch after video game catch.

Tight end: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

Stowers was a 4-star quarterback recruit coming out of high school. He began his career at Texas A&M, transferred to New Mexico State, then went to Vanderbilt last season and blossomed into one of the country’s most electric receivers. According to PFF, Stowers placed above the 99th percentile in the outlet’s Game Athleticism Score metric last season. Vandy can use him as a runner, like NMSU did. It can use him as a shuttle option for quarterback Diego Pavia in the option game. It can use him down the field as a jump ball target. It can use him in double-pass concepts. He’s really technically skilled as a route-runner and hard to bring down in the open field.

Offensive lineman: Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

Alabama’s starting left tackle was an elite recruit, then an immediate starter, and now a sure-fire first-rounder. Proctor is massive at 6-7, 360 pounds, but it’s his movement that feels unreal. According to Feldman, this summer, Proctor has squatted 815 pounds, benched 535, and power cleaned 405. A 6-7 tackle should not be able to squat 815 pounds. It defies the laws of men. Frankly, it’s a little insulting. We need to find something this dude isn’t elite in. Badminton, maybe?

Offensive lineman: Jaeden Roberts, Alabama

Alabama’s starting right guard is the first guy off the Crimson Tide bus. Or, at least, he should be if he isn’t already. According to Feldman, Roberts can bench press 525 pounds and clocked a top speed of 19.1 miles per hour. What are they feeding the offensive lineman in Tuscaloosa? 

Offensive lineman: Shadre Hurst, Tulane

Hurst is Tulane’s starting left guard — an interior offensive lineman who has played under 300 pounds for each of his 3 seasons with the program. And that size hasn’t mattered one iota. Pound for pound, he’s as strong as they come. A first-team All-AAC selection last year, Hurst saw nearly 400 snaps as a pass-blocker and didn’t allow a single sack.

Offensive lineman: Paolo Gennarelli, Army

In the FBS last season, there were 641 offensive linemen who played at least 500 snaps. All but 1 allowed multiple quarterback pressures. Army’s right guard, Gennarelli, allowed only 1 pressure.  Additionally, his 81.6 run-blocking grade from PFF was the sixth-best among qualified FBS guards. It was a breakout season for the 6-1, 310-pounder in his redshirt freshman year. But he has been an absolute beast from the moment he stepped on campus. As a true freshman in December 2023, Gennarelli pause benched 405 pounds for 3. In April of this year, he benched 505 to set an Army record. He makes 4 plates look like baby food. And he went ATG on a 605-pound squat in April 2023. He might actually be the Hulk.

Offensive lineman: Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

Imagine, for a moment, a 6-4, 330-pound man with a head of steam running at you. Former UCLA defensive lineman Luke Schuermann actually knows exactly how that scenario would play out.

First of all, putting an offensive lineman in motion to deliver a block is just cruel. But Ioane is also just a violent player. His hands are awesome, and he played nearly 500 snaps as a pass-blocker last season without allowing a sack.

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