1. Opening Tip

This is why Tom Izzo is a Hall of Famer, y’all.

Seconds before tipoff against Kentucky on Tuesday night at the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden, Izzo and Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope were interviewed by ESPN’s Kris Budden. Coaches rarely say anything detailed or combative during these pregame hits, and this was no different.

Izzo’s note? He wanted to see his team make some shots.

Boy, did the Spartans ever listen to their coach.

By the 7:11 mark in the first half, Michigan State had knocked down 6 3-pointers, more than it had made in any entire game so far this season. Triple No. 7 came 20 seconds later at the 6:51 mark as the Spartans took a 31-19 lead at the under-8 timeout.

Michigan State finished an impressive 11-of-22 from long range. Kentucky shot an abysmal 7-for-30 from deep. There’s always going to be some variance in 3-point percentage on a night-to-night basis, but this game can be explained by something deeper.

It was shot selection that doomed the Wildcats. While Michigan State was playing “inside-out” basketball, getting the ball to the paint before kicking it back out for 3s, Kentucky was settling for contested 3s all too often. Just look at these 2 plays below:

That’s just bad offense. Even more so when you’re already down by 10+ points and trying to stage a comeback.

Pope said after the game that Kentucky’s problem is bad coaching. That’s something every coach will say after a couple of bad outings, but in this case, I’m inclined to agree with him. Kentucky needs to play more cohesive offense or it is going to struggle in SEC play.

Here’s where I mention that the Wildcats didn’t have Jaland Lowe (and are still without Jayden Quaintance) due to injury, but it shouldn’t have resulted in the lackluster effort I saw on Tuesday night. Rebounds are an effort stat more often than not and the Wildcats got out-rebounded by the Spartans 42-28 in this game. That should be absolutely unacceptable to Pope and his staff.

If you can’t get up for a game at Madison Square Garden, it’s time to press the panic button.

2. SEC Notes

My former college roommate and good friend Robert will text me his random basketball/football thoughts from time to time. I always welcome these texts, but especially when they concern Illinois basketball, as no one in my life is more thoughtful/insightful about our home-state basketball squad than Robert.

Still, my jaw dropped when I saw what he said the Monday before the Illini scored a big-time win over a ranked Texas Tech squad. He said:

“In my opinion, this is their best team since ’04-’05,” his text read.

Mind you, this is an Illinois team that has made it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 twice since that magical 2004-05 season that saw the Illini lose to North Carolina in the national title game.

I say all that to say this…

That was a hell of a win for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

To go to Chicago, walk into the United Center — where Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and company dominated the 1990s — and do that to a great Illini team? Incredible.

This was a Final Four-caliber matchup and it’s only mid-November. These teams like Illinois, like Alabama, like Arizona, like UConn, like Florida, like Gonzaga and dozens of others that use nonconference play to actually challenge themselves? This is what college basketball is all about.

Shoutout to Labaron Philon, who returned to school despite having the ability to potentially be a late first-round pick or early second-round pick in last year’s NBA Draft. He scored a team-high 24 points and also led the Tide with 5 assists in the 90-86 win over the Illini. The NIL era works, y’all!

He made himself a lot of future NBA money with tonight’s win, scoring 10 of the Tide’s final 15 points. Look at this highlight reel:

The 3-point shooting? NBA caliber. The finishing at the rim? NBA caliber. The passing? Getting there, but almost NBA caliber. We’ll talk more about Philon in the final section of this column.

Also, credit to the Alabama defense. The Crimson Tide shut down everyone but Kylan Boswell (who my best friend Michael’s wife, Hanna (shoutout, Hanna!), taught back when he was in 5th grade) from the start of the second half until the 10:51 mark of the second half.

It’s odd to give credit to a defense that allowed 86 points, but the Tide forced the Illini to rely on Boswell and Andrej “Baby Peja” Stojakovic almost exclusively in the second half.

The Illini are still trying to work Tomislav Ivisic and Mihailo Petrovic back to full health, so they’ll be even more dangerous in March assuming everyone is healthy by then. But don’t take anything away from this Alabama squad that has challenged itself to the max early this season. The Tide still have Gonzaga and Arizona on their schedule before SEC play starts.

College basketball is the best.

And here are a few other notes from around the SEC:

• First of all, it’s always great to have Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas back on the broadcast for big games on ESPN. Those 2 are pro’s pros and really add to the atmosphere of a high-quality matchup. My favorite broadcast team in the men’s hoops game today. Honorable mention goes to Jason Benetti and the legendary Bill Raftery on FOX.
• Let’s check in on the reigning champion Florida Gators, shall we? After a season-opening loss to Arizona, the Gators have reeled off 3-straight wins against in-state foes, including winning the “state championship” by beating Florida State and Miami. One problem is beginning to present itself, though — Florida is really struggling to shoot the 3. It all starts with the new-look backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee. In a 78-76 win over FSU (too close for comfort), the Gators shot 19% as a team from 3-point range and Lee and Fland combined to shoot 3-for-17 from deep (17.6%). In the Miami game? Lee and Fland were a combined 0-for-10 from beyond the arc. That won’t fly in SEC play.
• I’m officially worried about the Arkansas Razorbacks. (Interestingly, another SEC team that lost to Michigan State than I’m pressing the panic button on.) The Hogs have won their last 2 games, beating Samford and Winthrop. But they only beat Samford by 4 and needed a heroic shot by Nick Pringle with 11 seconds left to beat Winthrop 84-83. I don’t need to tell you this, reader, but a ranked SEC team shouldn’t need heroics to beat Winthrop. Color me concerned.

Now let’s move on to the rest of the country.

3. Non-SEC Notes

If, for some reason, you are trapped under a rock and haven’t watched Duke play yet this year… first, you clearly have internet access if you’re reading this article, so call for help. Second, make sure to watch Duke freshman Cameron Boozer play basketball ASAP, maybe from your hospital bed as you recover from your injuries/dehydration.

One of 2 sons of former Duke/NBA star Carlos Boozer on this year’s Duke team, Cameron is doing it all for the Blue Devils. In fact, he’s already making history:

In case that tweet doesn’t load for you, Boozer is the first ACC player since March of 2006 with 100 points, 50 rebounds and 20 assists in a 5-game span. That player was Boston College’s Craig Smith.

Smith was a senior in 2006. Boozer is a true freshman.

Oh, and Boozer has done this in his first 5 games. Like his first 5 college games ever. I cannot stress to you how insane it is that a college freshman is already this good. Look at the full-court pass he makes in the highlight video below. That’s on par with Nikola Jokic and Kevin Love, 2 of the best outlet passers the NBA has ever seen:

Now, before you think I’m comparing him to Jokic and Love already, he still has a lot of work to do. If there’s one flaw to his game at this point, it’s that you can throw size at him defensively to rattle him a bit. He’s not making a high enough percentage of his shots at the rim:

Is this something he can fix? Sure. Is he still a near-lock to be a top-5 2026 NBA Draft pick? Absolutely.

Duke has an incredible nonconference run coming up when it plays Arkansas (Nov. 27), Florida (Dec. 2) and Michigan State (Dec. 6) in 3-straight games. Mark your calendars now, as those games will all be appointment viewing.

Now for some other storylines around the country:

• Koa Peat. (I had this in here as a reminder to talk about him, but it really says it all.) Koa Peat. The guy who is the son of former NFL OL Todd Peat and current NFL OL Andrus Peat plays basketball, well… like an offensive lineman. He’s not afraid to mix it up with opposing players:

• He is a beast in the paint:

• The guy can do it all on the court. Also, shoutout to former Alabama guard Jaden Bradley, who has become a steady veteran presence for the Wildcats this year. They don’t win that game at UConn (71-67) without Bradley’s leadership.
• I’d be remiss not to mention the No. 1 team in the country — the Purdue Boilermakers — in this section. I wouldn’t want to be remiss, so let’s talk about Matt Painter’s squad for a second. Purdue’s offense, led by Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Oscar Cluff, is one of the most-efficient groups you’ll ever see on a court. Per KenPom’s offensive efficiency ratings, Purdue (128.3) is 2.4 points better than No. 2 Louisville (125.9). That gap is as big as the gap between Louisville and the No. 6 offense in the country (Vanderbilt). The Boilermakers aren’t just beating up on nobodies, either — they have a true road win at Alabama on their résumé already and face Memphis in the Bahamas on Thursday night. Expect this team to continue its strong run all year long.

Now let’s take a look at the week ahead.

4. Games to Watch This Week

Here’s a ranking of the top 5 games I can’t wait to watch over the next week of college hoops action, which takes us into Feast Week:

1. No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 13 Gonzaga (Monday, November 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT) — Alabama continues to schedule like absolute maniacs during nonconference play, and I love it. How are you supposed to prepare yourself for SEC play if you beat up on a bunch of nobodies before January comes around? Nate Oats and the Tide have the NCAA Tournament résumé to back up this strategy. This will be a must-see game in Las Vegas. Also, Gonzaga might be No. 13 in the AP Poll, but the Bulldogs are the No. 2 team in the nation according to KenPom.com.
2. No. 2 Houston vs. No. 20 Tennessee (Tuesday, November 25 at 6 p.m. ET on TNT) — Two teams that have been incredible defensively in recent years and are once again the top 5 of the defensive efficiency ratings on KenPom.com? Sign me up to watch that. This game will teach us a lot about the new-look Vols, who had to replace defensive maestro Zakai Zeigler this offseason.
3. No. 9 BYU vs. No. 23 Wisconsin (Friday, November 21 at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock) — I admittedly haven’t watched much of AJ Dybantsa yet this year. It appears he’s been as advertised. I can’t wait to watch him in this Friday afternoon matinee. The guy who could end up being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft should be ready for the national spotlight.
4. No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 22 Auburn (Tuesday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT) — Auburn is coming off a 1-point loss to an elite Houston squad. That loss changed my opinion on the Tigers. I think they’re ready to take a step forward. The Wolverines will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday night if they’re going to remain unbeaten.
5. No. 14 St. John’s vs. No. 16 Iowa State (Monday, November 24 at 4:30 p.m. ET on truTV) — Zuby Ejiofor wasn’t quite able to get St. John’s over the hump against Alabama, but he was amazing in that game. In addition to having one of the best names, he’s also one of the best players. This should be another fun Feast Week afternoon showcase.

This Feast Week isn’t as meaty as ones in the recent past, but that’s not a huge surprise as more teams move away from preseason tournament (thanks a lot, Dan Hurley). Thankfully the Players Era Festival has some great matchups to keep us entertained all week long.

5. Buzzer Beater

In this spot this week, I just want to do a quick ranking of my 5 favorite 2026 NBA Draft prospects from the SEC. There’s a nice mix of guys who came back to school to go with some talented freshmen. Let’s dive in:

1. Nate Ament, Tennessee freshman — Any NBA Draft conversation involving the SEC has to start with the talented Tennessee freshman. Being 6-10 and moving the way he does shouldn’t be legal. He has the chance to lead the Tennessee basketball program to new heights this season, and I’d be shocked if he’s not a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
2. Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas freshman — As long as Acuff stays healthy this year, he can be what the Hogs thought they were getting in Boogie Fland last year, and could be even better. He’s an elite shooter. His passing is beyond his years. His defense needs to improve, but what freshman’s defense doesn’t? The Razorbacks have something special in Acuff.
3. Labaron Philon, Alabama sophomore — I was surprised Philon didn’t enter the 2025 NBA Draft, but he returned to school and will be looking to make himself some first-round money this coming summer. So far, it looks like a good decision. Prior to Wednesday night’s game against Illinois, Philon had improved his shooting percentage (45.2 to 54.5), his 3-point percentage (31.5 to 33.3), points per game (10.6 to 19.3) and a bunch of his other numbers from last year to this year. If he keeps playing like this, he’ll be a Round 1 pick.
4. Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky sophomore — I’m a bit lower on Quaintance than many. I just want to see how he looks in his return from an ACL injury suffered last year at Arizona State. Is that too much to ask? He has a chance to make me look like an idiot if he comes back and is able to build on the impact he was having with the Sun Devils last year. He’s the biggest X-factor in the SEC this year.
5. Thomas Haugh, Florida junior — Haugh is a Swiss Army Knife who is well-positioned to be drafted in the middle of Round 1 of the upcoming draft. That’s going to be perfect for him, as he could end up being the missing piece for a team that’s on the edge of playoff or title contention. ESPN’s Jeremy Woo currently has Haugh going No. 15 overall to the Boston Celtics. Imagine him stepping into a situation where he’s coming off the bench for a team with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. That would be ideal for the Florida wing.

Honorable mention goes to Tahaad Pettiford of Auburn, who I absolutely love watching every time he’s on the basketball court. However, I think his lack of size (6-1, 170 pounds) will hurt him in NBA circles. I expect him to push to be a late first-round pick, but current consensus seems to have him going early in Round 2.

Enjoy the Starting 5? Have a question? Want to yell at me about something? Follow me on X @AdamSpencer4 or email me at a.spencer@sportradar.com.

The post Starting 5: Kentucky panic time, Cam Boozer makes history and a huge Bama win 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.

Interestingly, no spots in the SEC Championship Game will be decided until Rivalry Week, which adds to the drama. Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia and Texas A&M are all still vying for 2 spots in Atlanta.

With regards to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), the SEC is still outside the top 3. Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon, in that order, lock down the top 3 spots. Georgia leads the SEC at No. 4.

Alabama fell out of that No. 4 spot down to No. 6 after the loss to the Sooners.

Here’s a look at the full FPI top 25 this week:

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Oregon
4. Georgia
5. Notre Dame
6. Alabama
7. Utah
8. Texas Tech
9. Texas A&M
10. USC
11. Miami
12. Texas
13. Ole Miss
14. BYU
15. Oklahoma
16. Tennessee
17. Vanderbilt
18. Michigan
19. Mizzou
20. Penn State
21. Iowa
22. LSU
23. Washington
24. Auburn
25. SMU

For those keeping track at home, that’s 11 SEC teams in the top 25. The 5 SEC squads not in the top 25 were: South Carolina (No. 29), Kentucky (No. 33), Florida (No. 34), Arkansas (No. 41) and Mississippi State (No. 48).

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How will the FPI picture change next week? Check back here next Sunday to find out!

The post ESPN FPI rankings after Week 12: Alabama drops multiple spots after loss appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Both of those teams still have Playoff hopes alive, although another loss for either will likely end those dreams. Talk about pressure!

The GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Stanford Steve, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit was joined by former Pitt star and legendary Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald to pick some winners for the major Week 12 matchups, including a few in the SEC.

The headline games in the SEC feature Oklahoma visiting Alabama and the Texas Longhorns heading to Athens to face the Georgia Bulldogs.

Stanford Steve picked Tennessee Tech (+22.5) at Kentucky as his superdog pick. None of the other guys had superdog picks involving SEC teams.

Here’s a look at who everyone thinks will win key Week 12 SEC battles:

No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 4 Alabama

• Desmond: Alabama
• Saban: Alabama
• McAfee: Oklahoma
• Donald: Alabama
• Herbstreit: Oklahoma

No. 10 Texas at No. 5 Georgia

• Desmond: Georgia
• Saban: Georgia
• McAfee: Georgia
• Donald: Georgia
• Herbstreit: No pick (he’s calling the game)

Will the crew be proven right? Where will Donald rank among all the guest pickers this season? We’ll find out as we embark on an exciting Week 12 slate of college football!

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The post College GameDay crew, Pitt legend Aaron Donald pick winners for key Week 12 SEC games 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.

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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.

We have a new No. 1 team in the conference based on Saturday’s results. We have Kentucky vaulting up the rankings after a dominant win over Florida on Saturday night. We have 4 teams vying for spots in the SEC title game.

What’s at stake as we enter Week 12? Who can still make the Playoff?

Let’s dive into this week’s SEC power rankings:

16. Arkansas (2-7 overall, 0-5 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at LSU

Arkansas has played in some truly chaotic games this season, and has found increasingly bizarre ways to lose those games. I expect nothing different this coming weekend in Baton Rouge. LSU has QB uncertainty and an interim coaching staff, but playing in Death Valley is never easy. This game should be just the latest loss in Arkansas’s season to forget.

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

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: 45-38 (OT) L at No. 16 Vanderbilt
• This week: OFF

I will give credit where credit is due. This Auburn staff under interim coach DJ Durkin deserves credit for actually throwing the ball to Cam Coleman. That guy is a special talent. Why Hugh Freeze couldn’t see that is beyond me. “Throw the ball to the best player on the field” is the sort of offensive strategy I and every reader of this column could come up with. Freeze couldn’t. And now he’s somewhere enjoying his buyout money.

14. South Carolina (3-6, 1-6)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at Texas A&M

The Gamecocks move down not because of anything they did during their bye week, but rather, because a red-hot Kentucky team (a phrase I didn’t think I’d write this season) jumped them. South Carolina has to win out to get bowl eligibility, but that’s not looking likely with a trip to face undefeated Texas A&M this weekend. It doesn’t seem that the postseason is in the cards for Shane Beamer and company this year.

13. Florida (3-6, 2-4)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 38-7 L at Kentucky
• This week: at Ole Miss

Can an interim coach be fired? That was a truly abysmal showing by Florida in Lexington. The Gators hadn’t lost like that to Kentucky since the 1950s. QB DJ Lagway was benched after throwing 3 more interceptions. After showing some fight against Georgia last week, the Gators completely rolled over and let Kentucky do whatever it wanted. Things are going to get ugly in Oxford this weekend.

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

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: 41-21 L vs. No. 5 Georgia
• This week: at Mizzou

Mississippi State came out hot, scoring on the opening drive. That’s about the only positive thing I can say about the Bulldogs’ performance. Well, I guess there’s one more positive — freshman QB Kamario Taylor looked good, running for 3 touchdowns. He’ll be tough for Mizzou to stop if he gets the start next weekend.

11. Kentucky (4-5, 2-5)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 38-7 W vs. Florida
• This week: vs. Tennessee Tech

At the very least, Kentucky has proven to be a killer for teams with coaching turmoil. A week after handing Auburn a loss that cost Hugh Freeze his job, Kentucky absolutely embarrassed Florida in Lexington. The Wildcats, against all odds, should have a 3-game winning streak heading into Week 13 after facing FCS Tennessee Tech this coming weekend. The Wildcats haven’t given up on Mark Stoops yet.

10. LSU (5-4, 2-4)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: 20-9 L at No. 4 Alabama
• This week: vs. Arkansas

LSU finally benched QB Garrett Nussmeier. Something’s not right with him this year. It’s sad that this is how his final college year is ending, but it’s time to make a change. Interim coach Frank Wilson will have a decision to make ahead of a home game against Arkansas this coming week, but this is a lost season for the Tigers, plain and simple.

9. Mizzou (6-3, 2-3)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: 38-17 L vs. No. 3 Texas A&M
• This week: vs. Mississippi State

Facing an undefeated Texas A&M team was an impossible task for true freshman QB Matt Zollers. But the Mizzou backup did well in the second half, showing he could at least put up points against an elite defense. Playing Mississippi State won’t be easy, but the Tigers have a real chance to win this game and keep the season from getting out of hand.

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8. Tennessee (6-3, 3-3)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. New Mexico State

Is it likely that Tennessee makes it to the Playoff with 3 losses? No. But is it possible? Yes. The ACC isn’t really doing much to make its case to get multiple teams into the 12-squad field. If Tennessee wins its last 3 games, starting with an easy one against New Mexico State, crazier things have happened. Josh Heupel just needs to keep his team focused.

7. Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at Alabama

No 2-loss team has a tougher path to the Playoff than Oklahoma. The Sooners have to visit Alabama this coming weekend and then finish with home games against Mizzou and LSU. Are the Mizzou and LSU games winnable? Absolutely. Are they easy? Absolutely not. We’ll learn a lot about the Sooners this weekend in Tuscaloosa.

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

• Previous ranking: 6
• Last week: 45-38 (OT) W vs. Auburn
• This week: OFF

Vanderbilt has struggled recently against teams that a Playoff-caliber squad should beat handily. I still think the Commodores are firmly in the Playoff mix, as evidenced by them being No. 6 in my power rankings, but they need to clean some stuff up in a hurry. Needing overtime to beat Auburn isn’t a good sign (just ask Mizzou).

5. Texas (7-2, 4-1)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at Georgia

The Texas Longhorns had the week off to prepare for a game at Georgia. That’s a plus, especially since Georgia had to visit Mississippi State this past weekend. Will that be enough of an advantage for Steve Sarkisian and company to finally get over the Georgia hump? We’ll see, but the Bulldogs are playing some of their best football these days. More on that later…

4. Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 49-0 W vs. The Citadel
• This week: vs. Florida

Ole Miss did what it needed to do against The Citadel. Not a lot to say about that game. And frankly, the Rebels are in a prime position to pounce should any of the teams above them in these rankings lose. Ole Miss has Florida this weekend, then a bye week, then the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State. You never want to say a rivalry game as intense as the Egg Bowl is a gimme, and I won’t say that, but anything less than a 3-0 finish to the regular season would be disappointing for Lane Kiffin and company. Now it’s up to the 3 teams next on this list to continue taking care of business, otherwise Ole Miss could punch a ticket to Atlanta.

3. Georgia (8-1, 6-1)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 41-21 W at Mississippi State
• This week: vs. Texas

Finally, Georgia put together a complete, dominant game. The Bulldogs controlled the other Bulldogs, Mississippi State, for most of the game following the opening-drive score by the home team. Kirby Smart and company emphatically proved they weren’t looking ahead to Texas, though that showdown in Athens against the Longhorns is a huge one on the Week 12 slate.

2. Alabama (8-1, 6-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: 20-9 W vs. LSU
• This week: vs. Oklahoma

The Alabama Crimson Tide still control their SEC destiny. It wasn’t pretty, but the Tide picked up another convincing win on Saturday night at home against an LSU squad with nothing to lose. Alabama is a perfect 6-0 in SEC action. Hosting Oklahoma won’t be easy, but this year’s Alabama team has proven that it can grind out tough victories against quality opponents.

1. Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: 38-17 W at No. 22 Mizzou
• This week: vs. South Carolina

It’s time. After seeing the way the Aggies controlled the game against a tough Mizzou defense, running for over 200 yards in the second half alone, I’m moving Texas A&M into the No. 1 spot. Alabama hasn’t looked special lately. The Aggies definitely do. A home game against South Carolina this weekend shouldn’t provide too much trouble for Mike Elko and company, who have a real chance at an unbeaten regular season and a spot in the SEC title game.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 11 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Texas A&M remained undefeated with a convincing win at Mizzou. The Alabama Crimson Tide won an ugly rock fight against rival LSU. The Georgia Bulldogs dominated the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville.

The SEC has some elite teams that are still vying for spots in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta this year. But where do those teams stand on a national scale?

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) was updated after all the dust had settled on Week 11. Alabama was the top SEC team in the rankings, checking in at No. 4, still sitting behind a trio of Big Ten teams at the top.

The SEC had 11 teams represented in the top 25. Check out the full FPI top 25 below:

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Oregon
4. Alabama
5. Notre Dame
6. Georgia
7. Texas A&M
8. Texas
9. Utah
10. USC
11. Texas Tech
12. Ole Miss
13. Miami
14. Tennessee
15. Oklahoma
16. Vanderbilt
17. BYU
18. Michigan
19. Iowa
20. Mizzou
21. Penn State
22. LSU
23. SMU
24. Auburn
25. USF

The only SEC teams that didn’t crack the top 25 were: Florida (No. 35), Kentucky (No. 39), South Carolina (No. 40), Arkansas (No. 41) and Mississippi State (No. 44).

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Will an SEC team slide into the top 3 next week? Check back here next Sunday to find out!

The post ESPN FPI rankings after Week 11: Alabama, Georgia remains outside top 3 despite wins appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Cougars are ranked No. 7 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the year, while Texas Tech is a spot behind at No. 8. This will be a very impactful game, but over in the SEC, there are plenty of impactful games, as well.

The GameDay crew of Stanford Steve, Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit were joined by Texas Tech legend and current Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes to make picks for Saturday’s big games.

None of the guys had superdog picks involving SEC teams. Here’s who the crew thinks will win Saturday’s Week 11 SEC action:

No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 22 Mizzou

• Desmond: Texas A&M
• Saban: Texas A&M
• McAfee: Texas A&M
• Mahomes: Texas A&M
• Herbstreit: Texas A&M

No. 5 Georgia at Mississippi State

• Desmond: Georgia
• Saban: Georgia
• McAfee: Georgia
• Mahomes: Georgia
• Herbstreit: Georgia

LSU at No. 4 Alabama

• Desmond: Alabama
• Saban: Alabama
• McAfee: Alabama
• Mahomes: Alabama
• Herbstreit: Alabama

Will the crew be proven right? We’ll find out over the course of an exciting Week 11 slate of games around the SEC.

The post College GameDay crew, Patrick Mahomes pick winners for major SEC Week 11 games appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Even though there aren’t a ton of ranked-on-ranked games in the college game this Saturday, there’s still plenty of intrigue. And, of course, there’s still plenty of money to be made by daily fantasy sports players.

Our DFS experts, Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer, have pored over the picks on the Underdog app. Below, they’ll share their top 3 CFB picks and their 2 favorite NFL plays. But first…

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Week 11 CFB Picks

Here’s who the guys like for Saturday’s college slate:

Andrew Olson

Gunner Stockton, Georgia QB: Higher than 237.5 pass yards

Mississippi State’s passing defense is in the bottom half of the SEC when facing conference opponents as well as ranked opponents. Georgia, of course, fits both categories. Gunner Stockton has shown to be plenty capable of hitting this number.

Cade Klubnik, Clemson QB: Lower than 36.5 pass attempts

Klubnik is averaging 35.2 passing attempts per game against ACC opponents, and that includes his 60 attempts against Syracuse. Florida State, meanwhile, is seeing ACC opponents pass 29.2 times per game, the lowest mark in the conference. FSU’s rushing defense, on the other hand, is seeing ACC opponents rush 40 times per game, most in the conference.

Jadan Baugh, Florida RB: Higher than 0.5 rush+receiving TDs

Kentucky’s defense has given up a lot of rushing touchdowns. Tennessee made it 17 rushing scores in 7 games, and the total stayed there because Auburn was the first team UK has shut out of the end zone this season. Baugh has a rushing score in 4 of his last 5 outings.

Adam Spencer

Nico Radicic, Indiana K: Higher than 3.5 extra points made

That’s right, y’all, I’m getting my picks started with a kicker! Kickers are people, too! I don’t think Penn State will be the team to slow down this Indiana offense. Look for the Hoosiers to score early and often, leading to 4+ extra points made by Nico Radicic.

Behren Morton, Texas Tech QB: Higher than 260.5 pass yards

The Red Raiders are at their best when they have their starting QB healthy. That’s the most obvious analysis you’ll read today. But BYU is a team that has relied a little too much on smoke and mirrors so far this year. I think the Red Raiders win a thriller in Lubbock on Saturday, and Morton leads the way with 261+ yards through the air.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU QB: Higher than 226.5 pass yards

I don’t think LSU will go into Bryant-Denny Stadium and pull off an upset win over Alabama. But I do think the offense will show signs of life under a new play caller. Alabama’s defense is dealing with some injuries, particularly at linebacker, so perhaps Nussmeier and TE Trey’Dez Green can connect for a few big plays.

Week 10 NFL Picks

And here are the top plays for NFL Sunday:

Andrew Olson

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans TE: Higher than 34.5 receiving yards

Three of Schultz’s last 4 outings have been for 60 yards, 98 and 77. He gets a favorable matchup this week against a Jacksonville defense that is giving up yards galore to tight ends.

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills QB: Higher than 232.5 pass yards

An already favorable matchup just got better for Allen. The Dolphins give up a lot of points without snagging many takeaways, and they recently traded standout pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips. Allen has been a bit up and down on the stat sheet, but he’s coming off a strong showing against Kansas City, a much more challenging foe than Miami.

Adam Spencer

Nico Collins, Houston Texans WR: Higher than 58.5 receiving yards

I think Andy and I can both win our picks here. I expect Houston to sling the ball around early and often, even with Davis Mills replacing the injured CJ Stroud at QB. What do you do when you’re a backup QB? You look for your tight end and your top receiver. While everyone else’s production dips on the Texans’ offense, I expect Schultz and Collins to get their catches.

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions QB: Higher than 255.5 pass yards

Goff and the Lions are still looking up at the Packers in the NFC North standings. Washington is having the year from hell when it comes to injuries. This should be a spot for the Detroit offense to get right after struggling against Minnesota last week.

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The post DFS Picks of the Week: Our top Underdog plays for college and NFL, Nov. 8-9 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

We have reigning-champion Florida taking on Arizona in a battle of the No. 3 and No. 13 squads in the nation, respectively. That’s the marquee game, to be sure, but ranked Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn squads all start their seasons on Monday night, too.

With tipoff only a few short hours away, let’s take a look at the preseason SEC basketball power rankings, starting at the bottom with team No. 16 and working our way up to No. 1:

16. South Carolina

If you’re keeping track of Meechie Johnson and whether he’s at South Carolina or Ohio State for any given here, he’s at South Carolina this season. Johnson, Myles Stute and transfer Mike Sharavjamts form an interesting back court, but there’s not a very high ceiling for this year’s Gamecocks.

15. LSU

I have Matt McMahon firmly on the hot seat heading into this season. It’s time to start delivering more wins for LSU. However, I don’t think this is the team to get that job done. There are a lot of new faces on this year’s LSU squad and not much time to jell before SEC play starts. It could be a long year in Baton Rouge.

14. Oklahoma

Nijel Pack was a nice addition for Oklahoma now that Jeremiah Fears is off to the NBA, but I just don’t think this team has the depth necessary to make another run to the NCAA Tournament.

13. Georgia

Blue Cain will need to take a big step forward for this team to have any chance at making the NCAA Tournament again. Asa Newell, Silas Demary Jr. and Tyrin Lawrence are all gone from last year’s squad and Smurf Millender and Jeremiah Wilkinson, who should be key figures in the back court, are undersized. Don’t expect a ton of defense from Mike White’s Georgia team.

12. Texas A&M

We’re going to see some Bucky Ball at Texas A&M this year, which should be a refreshing change from last year’s Buzz Williams offense. I like the additions of Pop Isaacs and Rylan Griffen through the portal, but I think it’ll take a year or 2 for Bucky McMillan to fully get his system up and running in College Station.

11. Mississippi State

As long as this team has Josh Hubbard, I’ll give Mississippi State a chance to beat anyone on any given night. The problem is that losing key guys like KeShawn Murphy, Cam Matthews and Riley Kugel will be tough to overcome. This has the makings of a team that will be sweating out Selection Sunday.

10. Vanderbilt

I’m sneakily impressed by the depth Vanderbilt has. I’m a big Devin McGlockton fan. Duke Miles coming over from Oklahoma and Frankie Collins heading to Nashville from TCU should provide a valuable back-court tandem to pair with sharpshooters Tyler Nickel and Tyler Harris. I’ll be surprised if this Commodores squad doesn’t make the NCAA Tournament again under coach Mark Byington.

9. Ole Miss

Malik Dia is a legitimate star in this league, but I’m not sure I’d hop on the AJ Storr train if I was Ole Miss. He has the talent, but just hasn’t really put it together on a consistent basis. Losing guys like Sean Pedulla and Matthew Murrell will hurt. I see this solidly as a middle-of-the-road team in the SEC this year.

8. Texas

The Sean Miller era at Texas begins with plenty of intrigue. Dailyn Swain is the biggest name Miller brought with him to Austin. This team has some talent with Jordan Pope and the veteran Tramon Mark returning in the back court. But can the Longhorns replace a guy as dynamic as Tre Johnson? We’ll find out soon enough.

7. Auburn

Yes, the Auburn Tigers have a measure of consistency with Steven Pearl taking over after his dad, Bruce, retired a few weeks ago. Tahaad Pettiford is also back on The Plains and he has NBA lottery pick potential. Losing Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell in the front court obviously hurts (you don’t need me to tell you that), but getting Keyshawn Hall from UCF and KeShawn Murphy from Mississippi State should help the Tigers remain competitive in a deep SEC.

6. Mizzou

The key to this Mizzou team is big man Shawn Phillips, who transfers in from Arizona State. All he has to do is not be an absolute zero offensively in the post like past Mizzou big men and it’ll be a major upgrade. Returning Anthony Robinson II, Trent Pierce and, of course, Mark Mitchell gives this team a strong starting point. Robinson could be poised for a big step forward. Getting Sebastian Mack out of the portal to provide a veteran presence at guard was key, too.

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5. Arkansas

This Arkansas squad has more returning talent than we’re used to seeing from a John Calipari team, with DJ Wagner, Karter Knox and Trevon Brazile providing a solid foundation. They’ll insure that the floor is an NCAA Tournament berth for the Hogs, but the ceiling will be determined by 5-star freshmen in Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas. If Acuff can step into the starting lineup and Thomas can be a valuable 6th man from Day 1, this Arkansas team could be top 3 in the SEC standings before all is said and done.

4. Alabama

Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. might be the best back court in the SEC. We know the style Alabama wants to play under Nate Oats, which won’t be easy without Mark Sears running the show. Philon needs to take a big step forward this year if Alabama is going to be in the mix for an SEC title, but he’s certainly capable of it. That’s why he’s a potential 2026 NBA Draft lottery pick.

3. Kentucky

I’m a big Otega Oweh guy. I think he’ll be in the mix for SEC Player of the Year when all is said and done. Getting Denzel Aberdeen from Florida and Jaland Lowe from Pitt out of the portal was huge for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. If Lowe can become more consistently great and if Brandon Garrison can hold down the fort in the post until Jayden Quaintance returns from injury, Kentucky should be a 3-seed or better in March Madness.

2. Tennessee

Get ready to be big fans of Nate Ament. The Tennessee Volunteers will go as far as the 5-star freshman can take them, which could be pretty far. I’m also a big fan of bringing in Ja’Kobi Gillespie from Maryland. Losing a guy like Zakai Zeigler is never easy, but Rick Barnes got about the best fit possible out of the transfer portal. This is a team with enough talent to be competing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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1. Florida

The Florida Gators are coming off a national championship and still have some key players from that squad, particularly in the front court. The post depth for Todd Golden and company is incredible, with Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu all expected to start. Then the Gators have Micah Handlogten coming off the bench.

The back court is the question mark, but there is undeniably a glut of talent. Boogie Fland comes over from Arkansas to try to help Florida win another title. Xaivian Lee is one of the most-intriguing transfers among all SEC newcomers, heading to Gainesville from the Ivy League realm. The Gators have depth, elite talent and a championship pedigree.

Even without Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard, who are all plying their trades in the NBA this year, the Gators are the team to beat.

The post SEC Basketball Power Rankings ahead of 2025-26 season appeared first on Saturday Down South.

If a coach like Eli Drinkwitz or Lane Kiffin moves to one of the other openings, more chaos would ensue. I wrote about the possibility of half of the SEC potentially having new coaches in 2026 last week. It’s still in play.

But for now, we need to dive into the post-Week 10 power rankings. The top half of the rankings mostly stayed the same, but there were some major changes in the bottom half.

Without further ado, here are our updated SEC football power rankings:

16. Arkansas (2-7 overall, 0-5 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: 38-35 L vs. Mississippi State
• This week: OFF

This Arkansas team simply cannot figure out how to hold onto a lead. Week after week, the Razorbacks watch as opponents come from behind to beat them. Spoiler alert, but Bobby Petrino isn’t going to land this full-time job. Whoever the new guy ends up being, he’ll have his hands full in 2026 and beyond to get this program back to where it was during the early years of Sam Pittman’s tenure.

15. Auburn (4-5, 1-5)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 10-3 L vs. Kentucky
• This week: at Vanderbilt

Losing to Kentucky at home is brutal, but in a way, it was a fitting end to the Hugh Freeze era at Auburn. Now the Tigers will hire their 4th head coach of the 2020s. They have to get this one right if they want to return to SEC relevance.

14. Kentucky (3-5, 1-5)

• Previous ranking:16
• Last week: 10-3 W at Auburn
• This week: vs. Florida

Did this win save Mark Stoops‘ job? Was he ever in any real danger of being fired with that hefty buyout? We won’t know the answers to those questions for at least another week, it seems, as Kentucky showed a lot of fight in a road win at Auburn. Tougher tests await, though, with Florida heading to Lexington for a rivalry game in Week 11.

13. South Carolina (3-6, 1-6)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 30-14 L at No. 7 Ole Miss
• This week: OFF

Keep an eye on South Carolina. The Gamecocks’ season has not gone according to plan at all. This was supposed to be a borderline Playoff contender. Now South Carolina might not make a bowl game. Could Shane Beamer have his eye on Virginia Tech if things get even worse in Columbia?

12. Mississippi State (5-4, 1-4)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 38-35 W at Arkansas
• This week: vs. Georgia

Mississippi State finally found a team even worse at protecting leads than it, going on the road and scoring Jeff Lebby‘s first SEC victory at Arkansas. The Bulldogs continue to play every single opponent on their schedule tough, and I expect that to continue this Saturday in Starkville in a Battle of the Bulldogs.

11. Florida (3-5, 2-3)

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: 24-20 L to No. 5 Georgia (in Jacksonville)
• This week: at Kentucky

The new-coach bump couldn’t quite get Florida over the hump against Georgia at the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville. Now a rivalry game looms against Kentucky this weekend. The Wildcats have momentum after beating Auburn. Can the Gators get an all-important win this weekend and keep their slim bowl hopes alive?

10. LSU (5-3, 2-3)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at Alabama

LSU has had a tumultuous couple of weeks after firing Brian Kelly. Governor Jeff Landry keeps making big statements about the job. AD Scott Woodward is out. Everything’s a mess. And now the Tigers have to return to the field this weekend against No. 4 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. This could get worse before it gets better for LSU.

9. Tennessee (6-3, 3-3)

• Previous ranking: 6
• Last week: 33-27 L vs. No. 18 Oklahoma
• This week: OFF

This defense is not good. After getting torched by Kentucky last week, the Vols gave up 33 points to John Mateer and the Sooners. If cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson still can’t come back after the bye, Tennessee is in a world of trouble. Win out and a Playoff spot is still a possibility, albeit an unlikely one. We’ll see what this Vol team is made of down the stretch.

8. Mizzou (6-2, 2-2)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Texas A&M

Matt Zollers is the QB1 now that Beau Pribula is injured, and the bye week came at a good time to get him plenty of reps. However, facing Texas A&M in your first game as a starter is a tough task. The Mizzou freshman will be thrown into the fire this weekend in front of the Faurot Field faithful. We’ll see if the defense can make some big plays to keep this game competitive.

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7. Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: 33-27 W at No. 14 Tennessee
• This week: OFF

The most impressive win of the week came from the Oklahoma Sooners, who went to Rocky Top and avoided a devastating third loss by giving loss No. 3 to the Vols, instead. John Mateer did enough to lead the Sooners’ offense to a win and he continues to look better with each passing week following hand surgery. Oklahoma’s Playoff hopes are still alive heading into the second bye of the year, which is a good spot for Brent Venables and his team to be.

6. Vanderbilt (7-2, 3-2)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 34-31 L at No. 20 Texas
• This week: vs. Auburn

Two things are true at the same time with Vanderbilt’s loss at Texas. First, the game wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. Second, Vanderbilt deserves all the credit in the world for not giving up on this game and making it close at the end. In fact, if the Commodores had managed to pounce on an onside kick late, they could have potentially pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in recent college football history. This team still has a Playoff path.

5. Texas (7-2, 4-1)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: 34-31 W vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt
• This week: OFF

For 50 minutes on Saturday afternoon in Austin, the Texas Longhorns looked like the preseason No. 1 team we were promised. Of course, Vanderbilt nearly managed to come all the way back to pull off an insane victory, but it wasn’t meant to be. There are plenty of things for Steve Sarkisian and his squad to clean up during the bye week, but things are trending up in Austin.

4. Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 30-14 W vs. South Carolina
• This week: vs. The Citadel

Ole Miss finally managed not to play with its food. Although South Carolina took an early lead, the Rebels controlled the game from then on out. A comfortable 2-score victory is exactly what this team needed amid all the speculation about its head coach. Now the Rebels get a cupcake game against The Citadel before a manageable end to the SEC season against Florida and Mississippi State.

3. Georgia (7-1, 5-1)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 24-20 W vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)
• This week: at Mississippi State

It’s not pretty, and it’s already hurt Georgia once (against Alabama), but you have to admire the resiliency and the ability to continue finding ways to win tight games. A team with the national title-level ambitions that Georgia has should not be playing this many close games against lesser SEC foes, but Kirby Smart and company keep winning. Expect another tight battle this weekend in Starkville.

2. Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at Mizzou

Texas A&M has to hit the road coming out of its second bye week, heading to Columbia to take on a former Big 12 foe in Mizzou. The Tigers limp into this game without their top 2 QBs, as Sam Horn was injured in Week 1 and Beau Pribula went down against Vanderbilt. This should be a good spot for the Aggies to pick up win No. 9 and continue their march to Atlanta.

1. Alabama (7-1, 5-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. LSU

Alabama holds down the top spot during its second open date of the season. Now the Crimson Tide host an LSU squad that’s in turmoil after firing head coach Brian Kelly. This shouldn’t be too difficult of a game for Kalen DeBoer and company, but then again, these are exactly the kinds of games his Alabama teams have struggled with. We’ll see if the Tide can make a statement in front of their home crowd.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 10 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Tennessee, Miami and Vanderbilt all took losses that may prove fatal come Playoff time. Georgia did what it does and avoided a devastating loss of its own at the Cocktail Party against Florida.

The Big Ten still dominates the updated ESPN Football Power Index, scoring all 3 of the top spots with Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon. Alabama is the top SEC squad, checking in at No. 4.

However, the SEC does control the top 25, placing 11 teams in the top 25. Check out the updated FPI rankings below:

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Oregon
4. Alabama
5. Notre Dame
6. Georgia
7. Utah
8. Texas
9. Texas A&M
10. USC
11. Texas Tech
12. Miami
13. Ole Miss
14. BYU
15. Tennessee
16. Oklahoma
17. Vanderbilt
18. Mizzou
19. Michigan
20. Iowa
21. LSU
22. Penn State
23. Washington
24. Florida State
25. Florida

Yes, you’re reading that correctly. Those are 3-5 Penn State and 3-5 Florida teams in the top 25 of the FPI this week.

The 5 SEC teams that didn’t make the cut for the top 25 were: Auburn (No. 27), South Carolina (No. 39), Mississippi State (No. 40), Arkansas (No. 41) and Kentucky (No. 50).

How will these rankings change after Week 11? Check back here next week to find out!

The post ESPN FPI rankings after Week 10: Georgia remains outside top 5 despite win appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Stanford Steve, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit was joined by former Utah and NFL QB Alex Smith to pick the biggest games around the SEC in Week 10.

It’s a big week, and there are plenty of College Football Playoff implications around the SEC this weekend, including on Rocky Top, where the Tennessee Volunteers and Oklahoma Sooners play in what is essentially a CFP elimination game between a pair of 2-loss teams.

None of the analysts had superdog picks involving SEC teams.

Here’s a look at who the guys think will win the most-impactful Week 10 SEC games on Saturday:

No. 9 Vanderbilt at No. 20 Texas

• Desmond: Vanderbilt
• Saban: Texas
• McAfee: Vanderbilt
• Smith: Texas
• Herbstreit: Vanderbilt

No. 5 Georgia vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)

• Desmond: Georgia
• Saban: Georgia
• McAfee: Georgia
• Smith: Georgia
• Herbstreit: Georgia

No. 18 Oklahoma at No. 14 Tennessee

• Desmond: Tennessee
• Saban: Tennessee
• Smith: Oklahoma
• McAfee: Oklahoma
• Herbstreit: No pick (he’s calling the game)

Will Smith and the guys be proven right this weekend? We’ll see what happens around the SEC during an impactful first Saturday of November!

RELATED: Claim $210 in bonuses for today’s Week 10 college football action with Betr promo code SOUTH. Click here to get started now.

The post College GameDay crew, Alex Smith pick winners for biggest Week 10 SEC games appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The regular season may be entering its final few weeks, but there’s still plenty of money to be earned as we hit Week 10 of college football and Week 9 of NFL action. This weekend includes some incredible games, including Florida-Georgia and Texas-Vanderbilt in the college ranks and Bills-Chiefs at the pro level.

Every week, our DFS experts — Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer — scour the Underdog app for their favorite plays from college and the NFL. We’ll share their best picks below, but first…

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Week 10 CFB Picks

Here’s who the guys like for Saturday’s Week 10 slate:

Andrew Olson

Conner Weigman, Houston QB: Higher than 205.5 pass yards

Weigman is averaging 8.2 yards per attempt on the season, and the number ticks up to 8.7 in conference play. Next up for Houston is West Virginia, one of the worst passing defenses in the Big 12. In conference play, Big 12 squads are averaging 32 attempts for 271.4 yard per game on the Mountaineers.

DJ Lagway, Florida QB: Higher than 32.5 pass attempts

Nobody needs the inside scoop to know the scouting report on the Georgia defense shows a surprising lack of sacks and questions in the secondary. The Gators should throw early and often on Saturday.

Taylen Green, Arkansas QB: Higher than 256.5 pass yards

This looks like a very favorable matchup for Green and the Arkansas passing attack. Green is No. 3 in the SEC, averaging 271.3 passing yards per game against conference opponents. Three of MSU’s last 4 opponents have thrown for 335, 280 and 356 yards.

Adam Spencer

Carson Beck, Miami QB: Higher than 249.5 pass yards

Miami hits the road to take on SMU this weekend. Carson Beck’s Heisman hype has died down since the start of the season, but he’s still more than capable of putting up big numbers. I think he gets to 250 pass yards on Saturday in the early window.

Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State WR: Higher than 64.5 receiving yards

The Arkansas defense is atrocious. Blake Shapen and company shouldn’t have too much trouble throwing the ball on Saturday. When Mississippi State makes big plays through the air, it’s usually to Brenen Thompson. I predict he’ll have at least 65 yards against Arkansas.

Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss RB: Higher than 95.5 rush yards

I expect Ole Miss to make a statement at home against South Carolina. The Rebels had some bad losses that kept them out of the Playoff last year. This year, they’ve played around with their food a bit too much (like the narrow Washington State win), but no more. I think Lane Kiffin will dial up Lacy’s number early and often and the Rebs will literally run away with a win.

Week 9 NFL Picks

Here are the best plays from Week 9 action around the NFL:

Andrew Olson

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers QB: Higher than 244.5 pass yards

Herbert did not hit this number last week, but he has shown he’s plenty capable in recent outings. This week, the matchup is favorable. The Titans have issues in the secondary and there are numerous capable pass catchers in Herbert’s supporting cast.

Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs RB: Higher than 44.5 rush yards

Hunt is in line for a bigger role in the Kansas City backfield and the Chiefs are facing a Buffalo Bills squad that is allowing 5.26 yards per carry on the year so far. It could be a good fantasy day for Hunt.

Adam Spencer

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers TE: Higher than 59.5 receiving yards

Kraft has been incredible for the Packers this season. Green Bay is 5-1-1 on the season and 3-0 at home. The No. 1 seed in the NFC is very much in play for Kraft and the Packers, so they can’t afford to mess around vs. the Panthers at Lambeau this Sunday.

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers RB: Higher than 68.5 rush yards

For all the investment the Giants have made in their defensive line, they can’t stop the run. Like, at all. That doesn’t bode well for them with Christian McCaffrey coming to town. I think McCaffrey has a stellar outing to remind us all of what he’s capable of doing.

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The post DFS Picks of the Week: Our top Underdog plays for college and NFL, Nov. 1-2 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

It seems likely that the SEC isn’t done making coaching changes, and those changes might happen in a number of ways. We could have a couple more firings (looking at you, Auburn and Kentucky).

Could we see a record number of fresh faces in new places when SEC Media Days 2026 kicks off in Tampa on July 20?

First, some background.

Based on some great research put together by my colleague, Spenser Davis, it appears the most new coaches we’ve had in the SEC coming into a season since 1987 is 5. That happened back in 2018, when Dan Mullen made his Florida debut, Joe Moorhead was a first-year head coach at Mississippi State and Arkansas (Chad Morris), Tennessee (Jeremy Pruitt) and Texas A&M (Jimbo Fisher) all had new head coaches, as well.

Having 6 new head coaches this cycle wouldn’t be that difficult to reach. But could we get to 8 (or more) new head coaches in the SEC for 2026?

Let’s take a look at how this unlikely, but not totally impossible, chaos scenario could take place.

At risk of getting fired

Candidates: Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Mark Stoops (Kentucky)

I don’t think we’re quite done with the firings this year in the SEC. I’m aware that Mark Stoops has a massive buyout at Kentucky that might not be palatable, but this could end up being a situation where both parties feel the need to move on and something is negotiated that allows Stoops to leave for another job. Things aren’t going well at Kentucky and it seems like a change is needed.

I do expect Auburn to eventually fire Hugh Freeze. At this point, though, there’s not really a rush to do it until after the regular season. If both of these jobs open up, that gets us to 5 openings.

Change of scenery

Candidates: Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), Eli Drinkwitz (Mizzou), Shane Beamer (South Carolina), Mike Elko (Texas A&M)

Here’s where I need to make myself clear — I’m not predicting that any of these guys will actually leave their current schools. I do believe Lane Kiffin is happy at Ole Miss. It would take a lot for Shane Beamer to move on from South Carolina (though I would be nervous the longer the Virginia Tech job stays open and the longer South Carolina continues to flounder). (I’d also be nervous about Beamer wearing out his welcome the longer he stands by Mike Shula as the OC, but that’s s different conversation.) I personally think Mike Elko would be insane to leave what he has at Texas A&M for a job at Penn State, but crazier things have happened.

The guy that worries me the most is the head coach at my alma mater, Eli Drinkwitz. The odds keep trending toward the Mizzou head coach taking the Florida job, which has me worried. The fine folks in Las Vegas aren’t setting out to lose money. If even 2 of these 4 guys end up heading to new schools, that gets us to 7 openings.

NFL possibility?

Candidate: Steve Sarkisian (Texas)

I’m a firm believer in the “where’s there’s smoke, there’s fire” theory. The report that came out that Steve Sarkisian was open to NFL offers had to come from somewhere. There haven’t been any reports published about Lane Kiffin being interested in an NFL gig. There haven’t been any reports about Dan Lanning, Kirby Smart, Ryan Day or any other top-tier college football coaches being interested in the NFL.

Sarkisian has blasted the original reporting, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Texas down the stretch this season and what Sark decides to do in 2026 and beyond.

Wildcard Scenario

Candidate: Clark Lea (Vanderbilt)

Again, I’ll start this section with a disclaimer so y’all don’t yell at me online: I don’t think Clark Lea is going anywhere. The only scenario that would worry me is the (very unlikely) situation where Marcus Freeman leaves Notre Dame for LSU, Penn State or Florida. Again, I don’t think that’s happening.

But if Notre Dame were to open up, Clark Lea would have to be on the shortlist there, right? What he’s done at Vanderbilt the past couple of years is nothing short of amazing. Vanderbilt is a school with high academic standards. So is Notre Dame. On the 0.1% chance Freeman leaves Notre Dame, keep an eye on Lea.

Prediction

I do think we’ll set a record with 6 new SEC head coaches heading into 2026. If I had to guess right now, I’ll take Arkansas, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Kentucky and Mizzou to all have new faces leading their programs at 2026 SEC Media Days.

Hopefully I’m at least wrong about Mizzou, but we’ll see what happens. We still have 5 weeks left in the 2025 regular season and in the SEC, things change quickly. There’s still a non-zero chance that the chaos scenario I’ve laid out above takes place.

The post Could half of the SEC have new head coaches in 2026? This chaos scenario is possible appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Brian Kelly is in Year 4 at LSU, and… OK, well, correction… Brian Kelly was in Year 4 at LSU, but a third loss in a year with Playoff and national title expectations was too much for the administration to stomach.

LSU, as you might expect, dropped in our power rankings after a blowout loss at home against Texas A&M. The Aggies, understandably, moved up.

Who took the No. 1 spot this week? Let’s dive into our SEC power rankings, shall we?

16. Kentucky (2-5 overall, 0-5 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: 56-34 L vs. No. 17 Tennessee
• This week: at Auburn

Things are dire at Kentucky. The offense had some positives against a struggling Tennessee defense, but it didn’t matter, as the Kentucky defense fell apart. This could be the end of the line for Mark Stoops in Lexington.

15. Arkansas (2-6, 0-4)

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: 33-25 L vs. Auburn
• This week: vs. Mississippi State

In a battle of teams that find creative ways to lose games, Arkansas proved it is in a class of its own, falling to Auburn thanks to 4 turnovers in the fourth quarter. Ouch. It doesn’t look like Bobby Petrino will be getting the full-time coaching gig in Fayetteville again.

14. South Carolina (3-5, 1-5)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 29-22 L vs. No. 4 Alabama
• This week: at Ole Miss

This game represented both teams’ 2025 seasons perfectly. Alabama narrowly avoided disaster, while South Carolina couldn’t get out of its own way. I’ve said it before in this space and I’ll say it again — Shane Beamer not moving on from Mike Shula ASAP is killing all the goodwill he has in Columbia.

13. Mississippi State (4-4, 0-4)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 45-38 L (OT) vs. No. 22 Texas
• This week: at Arkansas

Let’s call it what it is — that was an unacceptable loss for Jeff Lebby and the Bulldogs. Mississippi State has been a feel-good story this year, being much more competitive in Year 2 under Lebby. But now’s the time to start converting these strong efforts and close games into actual conference wins. Losing to Texas in that fashion should be embarrassing. No more moral victories in Starkville.

12. Auburn (4-4, 1-4)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 33-25 W at Arkansas
• This week: vs. Kentucky

The stoppable force met the movable object on Saturday in Fayetteville. Auburn ultimately came away victorious and since the Tigers host Kentucky this week, Hugh Freeze might get a temporary reprieve from being fired. With Arkansas, Florida and LSU now having vacancies across the SEC, though, if Auburn is going to move on before 2026, it’ll likely have to do so quickly. We’ll see what happens on the Plains in the coming weeks.

11. Florida (3-4, 2-2)

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville)

Florida had the week off to prepare for the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville. Who will replace Billy Napier? Check out what our Neil Blackmon wrote about the latest chatter surrounding the Florida coaching search.

10. LSU (5-3, 2-3)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: 49-25 L vs. No. 3 Texas A&M
• This week: OFF

LSU reportedly made the decision to fire Brian Kelly. His tenure ends with good, but not elite, results. It’s tough for an athletic director to see a stadium emptying out and opposing fans taking over the way Texas A&M fans did at LSU on Saturday night. Who will the Tigers hire next? We’ll see, but the Brian Kelly era was an expensive swing and a miss.

9. Oklahoma (6-2, 2-2)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: 34-26 L vs. No. 8 Ole Miss
• This week: at Tennessee

If John Mateer isn’t 100% healthy, this is going to be what Oklahoma is… a team that can compete with, but can’t beat, elite teams. Oklahoma’s defense will keep it in every game. But against a high-powered offense like Ole Miss (or at Tennessee in Week 10), it’ll be tough for the offense to keep pace.

8. Texas (6-2, 3-1)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: 45-38 W (OT) at Mississippi State
• This week: vs. Vanderbilt

It’s tough to know what to do with the Texas Longhorns. On the one hand, they’re 6-2 overall and have a 3-1 mark in SEC play. On the other hand, I know what my eyes are seeing, and that’s not a good football team. Texas continues to find ways to win, though, most recently in come-from-behind fashion at Mississippi State. Vanderbilt has a chance to come into Austin this weekend and end the Longhorns’ slim Playoff hopes.

7. Mizzou (6-2, 2-2)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 17-10 L at No. 10 Vanderbilt
• This week: OFF

The Tigers get a much-needed bye week after losing Beau Pribula to what appears to be a significant injury. The early diagnosis on the Mizzou QB from coach Eli Drinkwitz was as positive as it could be after Pribula was taken off the field with an air cast on his leg. Freshman QB Matt Zollers will run the show moving forward, and he looked decent after being thrust into action against a tough Vanderbilt squad. Not all hope is lost for the Tigers.

RELATED: We’re less than 2 months away from the launch of online sports betting in the Show-Me State. Keep up-to-date on all the upcoming betting promos in Missouri, including the Caesars Missouri promo.

6. Tennessee (6-2, 3-2)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 56-34 W at Kentucky
• This week: vs. Oklahoma

Offense good. Defense bad. It really is that simple for Tennessee this year. Will the defense come around when Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson are back in the secondary? Possibly. But until then, giving up 34 points to Kentucky has to be considered a worrying sign, right?

5. Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1)

• Previous ranking: 6
• Last week: 17-10 W vs. No. 15 Mizzou
• This week: at Texas

Vanderbilt is going to the Playoff. Are we all ready for that? I am. I’m slowly growing weary of the jokes about how weird it is to think about Vanderbilt being a top 25, a top 15, a top 10 team (and I’m guilty of thinking that way, too). No longer. I’m all-in. Diego Pavia might not have the numbers to be a legitimate Heisman contender at this point, but Heismans are won in November, not September or October. Finish strong and he’ll get his invite to New York.

4. Ole Miss (7-1, 4-1)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 34-26 W at No. 13 Oklahoma
• This week: vs. South Carolina

Lane Kiffin is going to continue to be mentioned in coaching carousel rumors… Florida, LSU, potentially Auburn… maybe Florida State. It’s not unreasonable to say Kiffin’s name being mentioned in rumors has derailed past Ole Miss squads. Can he handle the talk this time around and guide his team to the Playoff? We’ll find out over the next 5 weeks.

3. Georgia (6-1, 4-1)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)

I have nothing against Georgia. I just have to move the Bulldogs down a spot when they were idle and the team in the No. 2 spot just picked up a massive road win. Georgia can likely bounce back to the No. 2 spot by taking care of Florida in Jacksonville this coming weekend. Can the Dawgs avoid falling behind by multiple scores? We’ll see!

2. Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 49-25 W at No. 20 LSU
• This week: OFF

Texas A&M continues to roll along. One more win and y’all (and, if I’m being honest, myself included) will have to retire your “Texas 8&4” jokes. The Aggies won’t have a chance to pick up win No. 9 this weekend, though, as they’re off. They’ve earned it. Mike Elko can use this week to tell Penn State he’s not interested and then we can move on to a Playoff berth in College Station.

1. Alabama (7-1, 5-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: 29-22 W at South Carolina
• This week: OFF

Alabama would have lost this game last year. This is exactly the game the Tide would have lost last year — on the road against an unranked foe. Coming off a 4-game stretch where the Tide took down 4-straight ranked opponents, it was almost letdown city for Kalen DeBoer and company. But credit to Alabama for fighting its way to a comeback win. They aren’t always pretty in SEC play, folks.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 9 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The SEC, on the other hand, seems to be the more-balanced conference. It might not have an elite team on the Buckeyes’ level (depending on how you feel about Alabama), but 1-15 (sorry Kentucky), there are no easy wins to be had.

In the updated ESPN Football Power Index (FPI), that sentiment is echoed. Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon hold down the top 3 spots, respectively, but the SEC leads the way with 11 teams in the top 25, led by Alabama at No. 4.

The Crimson Tide fell a spot despite a narrow road win at South Carolina in Week 9. Notre Dame rounds out the top 5.

Here’s a look at the full FPI top 25 rankings after Week 9:

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Oregon
4. Alabama
5. Notre Dame
6. Georgia
7. Texas
8. Texas A&M
9. USC
10. Miami
11. Utah
12. Ole Miss
13. Tennessee
14. Texas Tech
15. Michigan
16. BYU
17. Vanderbilt
18. Oklahoma
19. Mizzou
20. Iowa
21. Penn State
22. LSU
23. Washington
24. Auburn
25. Georgia Tech

That means 5 SEC teams didn’t make the top 25 — Florida (No. 27), Arkansas (No. 39), South Carolina (No. 40), Mississippi State (No. 44) and Kentucky (No. 53).

How will Week 10 affect the Football Power Index? Check back next Sunday for the latest update.

The post ESPN FPI rankings after Week 9: Alabama falls from top 3 despite win appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The game is perhaps the most impactful on the Week 9 SEC slate, as the winner will take a major step toward a Playoff berth, while the loser will have no more room for error heading into the final month of the regular season.

The GameDay crew of Stanford Steve, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and Pat McAfee was joined by comedian Nate Bargatze, a Nashville native and Vanderbilt fan, to pick winners from Saturday’s Week 9 SEC slate.

Stanford Steve picked Ole Miss (+5.5) at Oklahoma as his super dog. Howard picked Mississippi State (+7.5) vs. Texas as his super dog.

Here’s a look at who the guys think will win Saturday’s biggest Week 9 matchups.

No. 22 Texas at Mississippi State

• Desmond: Mississippi State
• Saban: Texas
• McAfee: Mississippi State
• Bargatze: Texas
• Herbstreit: Texas

No. 8 Ole Miss at No. 13 Oklahoma

• Desmond: Ole Miss
• Saban: Oklahoma
• Bargatze: Ole Miss
• McAfee: Oklahoma
• Herbstreit: Oklahoma

No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 20 LSU

• Desmond: Texas A&M
• Saban: Texas A&M
• Bargatze: LSU
• McAfee: Texas A&M
• Herbstreit: No pick (he’s calling the game)

No. 15 Mizzou at No. 10 Vanderbilt

• Desmond: Mizzou
• Saban: Vanderbilt
• Bargatze: Vanderbilt
• McAfee: Vanderbilt
• Herbstreit: Vanderbilt

Will Bargatze and the guys be proven right? We’ll find out over the course of an exciting Saturday of SEC football.

The post College GameDay, comedian Nate Bargatze pick winners for major Week 9 SEC games 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.

We had some epic games between top teams. We had sloppy showings from mid-tier teams. We had Florida fire Billy Napier despite a victory over Mississippi State.

SEC football never disappoints. It never lets you down. It always goes down smooth.

But, as always, this weekend’s results had significant impacts on our power rankings. Here’s how we rank all 16 SEC squads following Week 8 action:

16. Kentucky (2-4 overall, 0-4 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: 16-13 (OT) L vs. No. 21 Texas
• This week: vs. Tennessee

Saturday’s game against Texas said more about the Longhorns than it did about Kentucky. Texas played down to its opponent. Kentucky deserves some credit for playing tough, but without a win, there’s not much to say here. Mark Stoops is running out of opportunities to win an SEC game in 2025.

15. Arkansas (2-5, 0-3)

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: 45-42 L vs. No. 4 Texas A&M
• This week: vs. Auburn

The Arkansas offense is highly entertaining to watch. For good reasons. The Arkansas defense is highly entertaining to watch. For bad reasons. The Hogs can score on anyone. However, you, dear reader, and 10 of your closest friends could also probably drop 20+ points on this Arkansas defense. My advice? Continue to take the overs on Arkansas games this season.

14. South Carolina (3-4, 1-4)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 26-7 L vs. No. 14 Oklahoma
• This week: vs. Alabama

Shane Beamer got a little defensive when he was asked about potential staff changes after the Oklahoma loss. Why? What does Mike Shula have on him? It’s clear the South Carolina offense is going nowhere. That was a terrible hire by Beamer. If Beamer doesn’t figure out how to take advantage of having a future NFL QB in LaNorris Sellers soon, maybe South Carolina fans will drive him to Blacksburg themselves.

13. Mississippi State (4-3, 0-3)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 23-21 L at Florida
• This week: vs. Texas

Is it weird to say I think Mississippi State can beat Texas this weekend? Because I do think that. Texas looks inept offensively. Mississippi State continues to play hard each week. The Bulldogs haven’t gotten over the hump in SEC play yet, but I think Arizona State is a better team this year than the Longhorns. I’ll firmly be looking at the Bulldogs as a potential upset pick this week.

12. Auburn (3-4, 0-4)

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: 23-17 (2OT) L vs. No. 16 Mizzou
• This week: at Arkansas

Am I surprised that Hugh Freeze didn’t get fired on Sunday? Yes, I am. Auburn continues to snag defeat from the jaws of victory. Even with Alex McPherson’s struggles on Saturday at home against Mizzou (why would you send him out there for a 50-yard field-goal try in his current state, Hugh?), Auburn should have won this game. The fact that Auburn continues to shoot itself in the foot is an indictment of the coaching staff.

11. Florida (3-4, 2-2)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 23-21 W vs. Mississippi State
• This week: OFF

Florida made the decision on Sunday to fire Billy Napier. Now, the Gators are on the hunt for a new head coach. (Our Connor O’Gara shares his top 5 options here.) How will that impact the rest of this season? Can the Gators still reach a bowl game? Do they even want to? We’ll find out a lot about the future of the Florida program over the next few weeks.

10. Texas (5-2, 2-1)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: 16-13 (OT) W at Kentucky
• This week: at Mississippi State

Is this Texas team OK? Seriously, what is going on with Steve Sarkisian‘s offense? As I discussed earlier, I think Mississippi State is a live underdog this week. If the Longhorns need overtime to win at Kentucky, they’re going to struggle even more with the cowbells in Starkville. The Texas offense is broken. The defense can only do so much. That’s a recipe for struggles moving forward.

9. LSU (5-2, 2-2)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 31-24 L at No. 17 Vanderbilt
• This week: vs. Texas A&M

Here’s where we’re at in the year of our Lord 2025: I’m not punishing a team too heavily for a loss at Vanderbilt. LSU ran into a Commodore buzzsaw on Saturday afternoon in Nashville. Diego Pavia should be getting way more Heisman love than he’s currently getting. But… on the flip side… this is a terrible coaching job from Brian Kelly. The offense is unreliable. The defense had its aggressiveness used against it beautifully by Vanderbilt’s offense. There are problems aplenty in Baton Rouge, with undefeated Texas A&M coming to town this weekend.

8. Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: 26-7 W at South Carolina
• This week: vs. Ole Miss

John Mateer doesn’t look like his pre-injury self just yet, but he’s doing enough to help the Sooners win again, which is a good sign for Oklahoma. Of course, as I mentioned in the South Carolina section, Shane Beamer should be embarrassed with his Mike Shula hire this offseason. But most offensive coordinators look bad facing that Oklahoma defense. The Sooners will face their toughest test of the season this weekend, though, when Ole Miss rolls into town.

7. Tennessee (5-2, 2-2)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 37-20 L at No. 6 Alabama
• This week: at Kentucky

The 2 losses the Vols have suffered this year have been in overtime against Georgia and on the road at Alabama. That’s not bad. The Vols still have legitimate Playoff aspirations. Tennessee has this as its remaining schedule:

• at Kentucky
• vs. Oklahoma
• OFF
• vs. New Mexico State
• at Florida
• vs. Vanderbilt

Oklahoma and Vanderbilt are the 2 toughest games there, and both are at Neyland Stadium. All of Josh Heupel and company’s goals are right there for the taking, still. The Vols just need to get healthy in the secondary.

6. Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: 31-24 W vs. No. 10 LSU
• This week: vs. Mizzou

The Commodores are on the hunt for a Playoff berth. As Nick Saban said on College GameDay on Saturday, it’s hard to think of Vanderbilt as this caliber of program. But Clark Lea has built Vandy into exactly that. Diego Pavia is the real deal. The Commodores are up to No. 10 in the AP Poll. Going to Nashville is no longer a comfortable road trip.

5. Mizzou (6-1, 2-1)

• Previous ranking: 6
• Last week: 23-17 (2OT) W at Auburn
• This week: at Vanderbilt

Mizzou needed to catch approximately 30 breaks to win this game in double-overtime. Fortunately for Eli Drinkwitz and company, they did indeed get those 30 breaks, as Auburn has no idea how to win football games. The problem? Vanderbilt does know how to win SEC contests. Mizzou will need to be so much sharper this weekend if it wants to win another SEC road game.

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

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: 43-35 L at No. 9 Georgia
• This week: at Oklahoma

I’m still high on this Ole Miss squad. Trinidad Chambliss is still an incredible quarterback. But going into Athens and winning is something only certain elite squads (more on one of those squads in a minute) can do. Ole Miss is fine. Do the Rebels need to win this weekend at Oklahoma? Absolutely. But that’s certainly an attainable goal for Lane Kiffin and his squad.

3. Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 45-42 W at Arkansas
• This week: at LSU

Texas A&M is undefeated. It deserves credit for that. It went on the road and won at Notre Dame. It deserves credit for that. Is it OK if I have a bit of skepticism about the 4-0 SEC record at this point, though? The Aggies have beaten Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida and Arkansas in league play thus far. Those are the No. 12, No. 13, No. 11 and No. 15 teams in my current power rankings, respectively. This is a great Aggies squad. But I want to see a marquee SEC victory before I vault Texas A&M into the top 2 of my rankings.

2. Georgia (6-1, 4-1)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 43-35 W vs. No. 5 Ole Miss
• This week: OFF

Georgia continues its season as the comeback kids. Gunner Stockton keeps doing what needs to be done to guide his squad back from multi-score deficits. It would be nice for fans’ blood pressure if the Dawgs could simply avoid falling into early holes, but wins are wins in this crazy sport we all love. Now Georgia has a chance to regroup before facing a Florida squad that will have the “new coach boost” in full effect in Jacksonville in Week 10.

1. Alabama (6-1, 4-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: 37-20 W vs. No. 11 Tennessee
• This week: at South Carolina

Alabama’s Week 1 loss at Florida State is trending toward being the most-embarrassing loss for any non-Penn State team this year. The good news? Alabama‘s wins have all been incredible. After handling Tennessee comfortably on Saturday night, the Tide have now won 4-straight games against ranked squads. The bad news? Winning top-tier games has never been an issue for Kalen DeBoer. The problem for him has been taking care of business on the road against teams like unranked South Carolina that he should beat. Can DeBoer flip the script in Week 9?

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 8 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Now, heading into Week 9, the popular ESPN pregame show will once again make its way to an SEC campus for a big-time matchup.

Yes, the show is heading to Nashville (yes, Nashville) to preview the Vanderbilt Commodores‘ Week 9 showdown against the Missouri Tigers. Both Vanderbilt and Mizzou have 1 loss this season, and both of those losses have come against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Here’s the official announcement from College GameDay:

This has been a banner year for the Commodores. They were featured by College GameDay in Tuscaloosa ahead of their loss to Alabama. Now they get a chance to host the pregame show on their own campus.

Diego Pavia and company are coming off a hard-fought home victory over the LSU Tigers, while Mizzou just escaped the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium in double-overtime.

College GameDay airs starting at 9 a.m. ET every Saturday during the college football season on ESPN.

RELATED: Missouri residents will soon be able to bet on the Tigers via their favorite Missouri online sports betting app. Meanwhile, fans living in Tennessee should check out this bet365 TN bonus code.

The post College GameDay reveals SEC location for Week 9 show appeared first on Saturday Down South.

We had Auburn self-destructing yet again in a home loss to Mizzou. We had Florida fans booing Billy Napier despite a narrow win over Mississippi State.

All told, it was an impactful weekend in the SEC and we’ll see what sort of fallout comes in terms of coaching carousel moves.

But for now, we’ll take a look at the ESPN Football Power Index. Ohio State maintained its No. 1 overall spot. At No. 2 is Oregon. The Ducks jumped 3 spots after a dominant win at Rutgers. Despite the win over Tennessee, though, Alabama remains rooted in the No. 3 spot.

Here’s a look at the current FPI top 25:

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Alabama
4. Indiana
5. Notre Dame
6. Georgia
7. Texas
8. USC
9. Miami
10. Texas A&M
11. Ole Miss
12. Texas Tech
13. Tennessee
14. Oklahoma
15. Utah
16. Michigan
17. Mizzou
18. Vanderbilt
19. BYU
20. LSU
21. Penn State
22. Washington
23. Auburn
24. Iowa
25. Louisville

For those keeping track at home, that’s a total of 11 SEC teams in the top 25. The 5 SEC schools outside the top 25 are: Florida (No. 29), Arkansas (No. 36), South Carolina (No. 39), Mississippi State (No. 47) and Kentucky (No. 51).

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How will the FPI rankings change after an exciting Week 9? Check back here next week to find out.

The post ESPN FPI rankings after Week 8: Alabama leapfrogged despite dominant win over Tennessee appeared first on Saturday Down South.

That game is sandwiched in the middle of an amazing day of SEC football, which also features ranked matchups between LSU-Vanderbilt and Alabama-Tennessee.

The GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Stanford Steve, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit was joined by musician Jelly Roll to pick winners for some of the biggest games of the day, including the top-tier SEC action.

Stanford Steve picked South Carolina (+4.5) against Oklahoma as his super dog. No one else had a super dog pick involving an SEC team.

Here’s a look at how the crew and Jelly Roll picked the biggest SEC games of Saturday’s Week 8 slate:

No. 10 LSU at No. 17 Vanderbilt

• Desmond: Vanderbilt
• Saban: LSU
• McAfee: Vanderbilt
• Jelly Roll: Vanderbilt
• Herbstreit: Vanderbilt

No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama

• Desmond: Alabama
• Saban: Alabama
• McAfee: Alabama
• Jelly Roll: Tennessee
• Herbstreit: Alabama

No. 5 Ole Miss at No. 9 Georgia

• Desmond: Georgia
• Saban: Georgia
• McAfee: Georgia
• Jelly Roll: Georgia
• Herbstreit: No pick (he’s calling the game)

Will Jelly Roll and the GameDay crew be proven right with these picks? We’ll find out over the course of an incredible Week 8 Saturday across the SEC!

The post College GameDay crew, Jelly Roll pick winners for major Week 8 SEC showdowns appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will indeed host the Tennessee Volunteers tonight in a matchup between the No. 6 and No. 11 teams in the country, respectively. You, the passionate college football fan, can stream all the action on Saturday night through our friends at Sling TV.

Why stream tonight’s game? Well, for starters, Tennessee hasn’t won in Tuscaloosa since 2003, and the Vols needed 5 overtimes to pull off that epic win 22 years ago. This time around, Josh Heupel has his offense firing on all cylinders, but the defense is banged up. Most notably, starting cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson are out.

Can Ty Simpson and the high-powered Alabama offense take advantage?

Here’s a look at the broadcast and streaming info for tonight’s big game:

• When: Saturday, October 18, 2025
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ABC
• Live stream: Sling TV (starting at $4.99)

Let’s get back to the Tide. WR Germie Bernard has taken a step forward, but expected superstar Ryan Williams is struggling through the midway point of the season due to a concussion suffered in Week 1 and a couple of other nagging ailments.

Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide have won 3-straight games against top-25 opponents, something the legendary Nick Saban only did once in his amazing career. He never got the chance to attempt 4-straight wins over ranked foes. Can DeBoer get the job done?

Make sure to tune in to ABC (via Sling TV) on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET to see if Simpson and DeBoer can guide the Tide to victory, or if Joey Aguilar, Chris Brazzell II and the Vols’ dynamic offense can pull off yet another stunner in this epic rivalry game.

What is Sling TV?

Sling TV is a one-stop shop for sports fans looking to watch their favorite games. In addition to watching ESPN, ABC and the SEC Network, which carry every SEC football game, you’ll find NFL action (Monday Night Football), MLB postseason play on TBS and much, much more.

You can purchase monthly or weekly passes to watch Sling TV. But, more interestingly, if you’re only looking for a specific game to watch (like Alabama-Tennessee), you can buy a weekend pass or a day pass. Options start at only $4.99.

Sign up now and you’ll be able to stream all the Week 8 SEC action leading up to Alabama vs. Tennessee.

The post Stream Alabama vs. Tennessee Week 8 rivalry game free with Sling TV appeared first on Saturday Down South.

But there’s still plenty of DFS action for fans as we enter another incredible weekend of football. Our DFS experts — Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer — have combed through the picks on Underdog to find their favorites for Saturday and Sunday.

They’ll share their favorite plays of the week below, but first…

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Our Week 8 CFB picks

Here’s who we like from an exciting Week 8 college football slate:

Andrew Olson

Jadan Baugh, Florida RB: Higher than 17.5 rush attempts

Mississippi State heads to Gainesville with terrible run defense numbers. Opponents are averaging 37.6 rushes per game against the Bulldogs. Every MSU foe has rushed at least 27 times, with Arizona State (51 rushes) and Texas A&M (54 rushes) pulling the average up. When it doubt, run the Baugh.

Ty Simpson, Alabama QB: Higher than 290.5 pass yards

This number is right at Ty Simpson’s average passing yards against Power 4 opponents this season. Fortunately for Simpson backers, the shorthanded Tennessee passing defense has been below average. Simpson has put up monster numbers in his last 2 home games, throwing for 382 yards against Wisconsin and 340 against Vanderbilt.

Tommy Castellanos, Florida State QB: Higher than 236.5 pass yards

Castellanos has cleared this total in each of FSU’s past 3 games against Virginia, Miami and Pittsburgh. This week, Castellanos and the Noles are facing the Stanford defense. The Cardinal spoiled my pick last week, but Stanford still rates as one of the ACC’s worst passing defenses.

Adam Spencer

Jonah Coleman, Washington RB: Higher than 70.5 rush yards

The Michigan defense just gave up 224 rushing yards to a USC team using backup running backs and starting a few backup offensive linemen. Not great! Meanwhile, Jonah Coleman and the Huskies may have a chip on their shoulders from being unranked in the AP Poll this week. I like Coleman to go for 71+ yards.

Sawyer Robertson, Baylor QB: Higher than 310.5 pass yards

Robertson has thrown for 311+ yards 4 times in 6 games this season, including in each of his past 2 outings. In fact, in those 4 games, the lowest passing yards total he’s had is 345 yards. I’m going to keep hammering this “higher” pick as Baylor prepares for a game against TCU this weekend.

Ryan Williams, Alabama WR: Higher than 48.5 receiving yards

I’ll piggyback off of Andrew’s Ty Simpson pick here. It’s shocking to see Alabama star WR Ryan Williams’ number so low, but it’s definitely fair, as he’s gotten off to a slow start this year. However, the Tennessee defense is without starting CBs Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson. This could be the week Williams gets going.

Our Week 7 NFL Picks

These are the players we’re backing for Week 7 in the NFL:

Andrew Olson

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers QB: Higher than 250.5 pass yards

A quick glance at Herbert’s game log and his passing numbers are all over the place this season. This pick is all about the matchup. Wide receivers feast against the Colts. Herbert’s got a solid corps of pass-catchers, with Quentin Johnston trending toward a return from injury, Ladd McConkey getting his groove back and old reliable Keenan Allen.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs QB: Higher than 260.5 pass yards

Look for the return of Rashee Rice to provide a big boost to the Kansas City offense, as matchups should get better for all other wideouts. The Las Vegas pass defense has not done well containing receivers this season. It could be a big day for Mahomes.

Adam Spencer

Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams WR: Higher than 83.5 receiving yards

Puka Nacua has been ruled out for this game in London, so that means more work for Davante Adams. While Matthew Stafford might not look Adams’ way as often as Joe Flacco threw to Ja’Marr Chase on Thursday night, Adams should still get plenty of work.

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys QB: Higher than 265.5 pass yards

Even without CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys’ offense has been firing on all cylinders. Dak Prescott is at the heart of that. He’s spreading the ball around to George Pickens, Jake Ferguson and all the other Dallas pass catchers. I think he’s good for 266+ yards through the air this weekend against Washington.

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The post DFS Picks of the Week: Our top Underdog plays for college and NFL, Oct. 18-19 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

It wasn’t as tumultuous as it was in the Big Ten, where Penn State lost in embarrassing fashion yet again, this time against Northwestern. That cost coach James Franklin his job. Indiana also went on the road and scored a big win at Oregon.

In the SEC, though, we saw Alabama hold off a feisty Mizzou team. We saw Georgia get some help to beat Auburn in a rivalry game. And we saw Texas perhaps save its season with a Red River Rivalry win over Oklahoma. Oh, and Texas A&M quietly continues to chug along under the radar.

So how did Week 7 upset the balance of power in the SEC? Here’s a look at our updated power rankings following Saturday’s action:

16. Kentucky (2-3 overall, 0-3 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Texas

Kentucky mercifully had the week off. The Wildcats’ reward? Getting to host a Texas squad that suddenly figured out some things offensively during the Red River Rivalry in Dallas. This isn’t when you want to catch the Longhorns. We’ll see if Mark Stoops and company can keep this one competitive.

15. Arkansas (2-4, 0-2)

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: 34-31 L at No. 12 Tennessee
• This week: vs. Texas A&M

Credit to the Hogs — they were competitive against Tennessee on Rocky Top. That was a way more competitive game than I ever imagined Arkansas was capable of. But as my colleague Connor O’Gara pointed out on Sunday, Bobby Petrino isn’t going to earn the full-time job with competitive losses. We’ll see if the Hogs can stun Texas A&M in Fayetteville in Week 8.

14. Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at Florida

The Bulldogs got to sit at home during Week 7 and watch Florida get beaten up in College Station. Yes, this upcoming game is in The Swamp, but Mississippi State will be a live upset pick in this one. This is no longer a pushover squad under Jeff Lebby. Expect some fireworks on Saturday in Gainesville.

13. South Carolina (3-3, 1-3)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 20-10 L at No. 11 LSU
• This week: vs. Oklahoma

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — whatever the question was that faced the South Carolina offense this offseason, Mike Shula wasn’t the answer. South Carolina making a bowl game this year depends on switching play callers sooner rather than later. I have nothing against Shula; it’s just darn-near impossible to be an effective college coordinator when you haven’t done it since 2019 (and that came in the NFL).

12. Florida (2-4, 1-2)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: 34-17 L at No. 5 Texas A&M
• This week: vs. Mississippi State

Billy Napier simply doesn’t win against ranked teams on the road. That’s fine when you’re the head coach at Louisiana. It’s not fine when you’re an SEC head coach. Florida played hard in the first half, but ultimately got steamrolled by Texas A&M in College Station. Saturday is a must-win game against Mississippi State if the Gators want to have any hope of making a bowl game.

11. Auburn (3-3, 0-3)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 20-10 L to No. 10 Georgia
• This week: vs. Mizzou

Auburn got screwed this week. There’s no doubt about that. The Tigers should’ve had a 17-0 lead late in the first half after Jackson Arnold broke the plane of the end zone on a sneak. That was an unacceptable lapse by SEC officials, and it was the second brutal one for Hugh Freeze and company this year (following the Oklahoma game). But this offense needs to find ways to put more than 10 (or 17) points on the board in SEC games if it wants to win. There’s too much talent on that side of the ball not to be scoring 20+ points per game.

10. Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: 23-6 L to Texas
• This week: at South Carolina

John Mateer was probably a better option for Oklahoma than the backups, but the Sooners need their QB1 back at full health sooner (sorry) rather than later if they’re going to salvage their Playoff hopes. The defense also showed a few concerning signs in allowing 23 points (17 if you don’t include a punt return) to a Texas offense that has looked awful all year.

9. Texas (4-2, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: 23-6 W over No. 6 Oklahoma
• This week: at Kentucky

Steve Sarkisian is right — the Texas Longhorns only have 1 loss in SEC play and still have all of their goals in front of them. We’ll see if the Red River Rivalry win over Oklahoma was a turning point in the season or not, but after a loss at Florida in Week 6, this is exactly what the doctor ordered for Arch Manning and company.

8. Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. LSU

Vanderbilt had the week off after a loss to Alabama. Now we’ll see if the Commodores can get back on track this weekend at home against an LSU squad that has an offense that is in turmoil, to put it lightly. If Diego Pavia and company can score 30 points on LSU, there’s a real possibility of an upset in Nashville on Saturday.

7. LSU (5-1, 2-1)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 20-10 W over South Carolina
• This week: at Vanderbilt

Brian Kelly didn’t look very happy with QB Garrett Nussmeier on multiple occasions during Saturday’s win over South Carolina. The Tigers are lucky they figured out their defensive woes this year, because the offense is horrible. We’ll see if LSU can gain some confidence on that side of the ball in Nashville this weekend against a Vanderbilt defense that has shown troubling signs in recent weeks.

6. Mizzou (5-1, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 27-24 L to No. 8 Alabama
• This week: at Auburn

The Tigers hung tough with Alabama, but Mizzou has done that with the SEC elites before. (Think Georgia in its title-winning season in 2022.) But Eli Drinkwitz and company don’t get any credit for moral victories anymore. This team needs to prove it can win big games. More opportunities will come this year, but first, Mizzou needs to make sure 1 loss doesn’t turn into 2 when it makes a difficult road trip to Auburn this weekend.

RELATED: Stay tuned to Saturday Down South as the official launch of Missouri online sports betting approaches on Dec. 1. We’ll keep you up-to-date with all the latest info regarding the upcoming bet365 Missouri bonus.

5. Tennessee (5-1, 2-1)

• Previous ranking: 6
• Last week: 34-31 W over Arkansas
• This week: at Alabama

The Vols struggled a bit on both sides of the ball against Arkansas. Yes, Tennessee won, but this defense desperately needs Rickey Gibson and Jermod McCoy back. The Vols are still on track for a Playoff berth as things stand now, though, so it’s tough to be too down on Josh Heupel and company. A really difficult road trip to Tuscaloosa awaits this weekend, however.

4. Georgia (5-1, 3-1)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 20-10 W at Auburn
• This week: vs. Ole Miss

Georgia needs to get going sooner in some of these games. The Bulldogs were absolutely dominated in the first half by Auburn. The Tigers should’ve had a 17-0 lead before Georgia’s field goal right before halftime. Now, Kirby Smart and company absolutely deserve credit for being able to come back from these double-digit deficits. But elite teams don’t fall behind by multiple scores this often.

3. Texas A&M (6-0, 3-0)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 34-17 W over Florida
• This week: at Arkansas

You’re going to hear Mike Elko‘s name mentioned in Penn State rumors over the coming months after the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin. What you’re not going to hear is a plausible reason why Elko would leave what he’s building at Texas A&M to jump into a mess at Penn State. Elko has the Aggies absolutely rolling right now. This team is a legitimate Playoff contender.

2. Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: 24-21 W over Washington State
• This week: at Georgia

Obviously, it’s always better to win an ugly game than it is to lose an ugly game. This would have been an even worse loss for Ole Miss and coach Lane Kiffin than last year’s Kentucky debacle. At the very least, the Rebels avoided a terrible loss and kept their wiggle room when it comes to making the Playoff. That’s no small matter as Ole Miss heads to Sanford Stadium to face Georgia in this weekend’s marquee game.

1. Alabama (5-1, 3-0)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: 27-24 W at No. 14 Mizzou
• This week: vs. Tennessee

I’m moving Alabama back to the No. 1 spot. Winning on the road at Mizzou and at Georgia in recent weeks is an incredible feat. Kalen DeBoer‘s 3-straight wins over ranked teams is something Nick Saban only accomplished once in his legendary career. That’s impressive. I think it’s safe to say Ty Simpson and company have put the Week 1 loss at Florida State behind them.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 7 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

This weekend saw Penn State lose (again). It saw Indiana go into Oregon and beat the Ducks. It saw the Alabama Crimson Tide win a thriller in Columbia against the Mizzou Tigers.

We also saw big-time bouts between Georgia and Auburn, Ohio State and Illinois, LSU and South Carolina, and more.

The Buckeyes retain the top spot in ESPN’s Football Power Index, with Indiana sliding into the No. 2 spot. Alabama checks in at No. 3 to lead an impressive 11 SEC squads in the top 25. Here’s a look at the new FPI top 25 as we prepare for Week 8:

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Alabama
4. Notre Dame
5. Oregon
6. Georgia
7. Texas
8. Miami
9. USC
10. Texas Tech
11. Texas A&M
12. Ole Miss
13. Tennessee
14. Utah
15. Mizzou
16. Vanderbilt
17. Michigan
18. LSU
19. BYU
20. Oklahoma
21. Penn State
22. Washington
23. Nebraska
24. Auburn
25. Florida State

The 5 SEC teams that didn’t crack the FPI top 25 were: Florida (No. 27), South Carolina (No. 30), Arkansas (No. 36), Mississippi State (No. 47) and Kentucky (No. 50).

Week 8 is another impactful one around the college football world. Check back here next week to see where every SEC school stands in the new ESPN FPI rankings!

The post ESPN FPI Rankings after Week 7: Alabama leapfrogged despite road win at Mizzou appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The crew of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit was joined by former Oregon basketball star Sabrina Ionescu, now a member of the New York Liberty, to make picks for some of the best games around the country for Week 7.

Stanford Steve picked South Carolina (+9.5) at LSU as his super dog.

Elsewhere around the conference, Alabama travels to Mizzou, Texas and Oklahoma do battle in the Red River Rivalry, and Georgia visits Auburn. Here’s a look at who the GameDay crew and Sabrina Ionescu think will win today’s biggest SEC games:

No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Mizzou

• Des: Alabama
• Saban: Alabama
• McAfee: Alabama
• Sabrina: Alabama
• Herbstreit: Mizzou

Florida at No. 5 Texas A&M

• Des: Florida
• Saban: Texas A&M
• McAfee: Texas A&M
• Sabrina: Texas A&M
• Herbstreit: Texas A&M

No. 6 Oklahoma vs. Texas (in Dallas)

• Des: Texas
• Saban: Oklahoma
• McAfee: Oklahoma
• Sabrina: Texas
• Herbstreit: No pick (he’s calling the game)

Will the GameDay crew and the WNBA star be proven correct? We’ll find out over the course of an exciting Week 7 slate of games around the SEC.

The post College GameDay crew, Sabrina Ionescu pick winners for major SEC Week 7 matchups appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The college schedule is loaded for Saturday, with Alabama visiting Mizzou, Indiana heading out to Oregon, Illinois hosting Ohio State, Texas and Oklahoma meeting in Dallas, and much more.

Every week, our DFS experts — Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer — make their top-3 picks for college football and their 2 favorite picks for NFL action over at Underdog.

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Our Week 7 CFB Picks

Here’s who we like for a loaded CFB slate on Saturday:

Andrew Olson

DeSean Bishop, Tennessee RB: Higher than 66.5 rush yards

This line is right at Bishop’s average of 67 rushing yards per game. Bishop should be able to pull his average up this week, because he’s facing a rushing defense that’s well below average. Arkansas is allowing 168 rushing yards per game, which is most in the SEC. It’s hard to see Bobby Petrino fixing the Razorback run defense in less than 2 weeks as interim head coach.

Dallas Wilson, Florida WR: Lower than 74.5 receiving yards

Wilson had a Gator debut for the ages in Week 6 with 6 catches on 8 targets for 111 yards. As impressive as those numbers are, it’s asking a lot of a true freshman to go for 75 yards in his second game. Florida has had 2 poor road performances this year and it’s safe to say Texas A&M is well aware of Wilson’s standout game against Texas.

Kevin Jennings, SMU QB: Higher than 290.5 pass yards

Jennings comes into this game averaging 282.5 passing yards per game and it’s likely to go up. In its last 3 games, Stanford has allowed passing yardage totals of 473 (San Jose State), 384 (Virginia) and 333 (Boston College).

Adam Spencer

Germie Bernard, Alabama WR: Higher than 64.5 receiving yards

Bernard has really developed a rapport with Alabama QB Ty Simpson. He had 82 yards against Vanderbilt last week. Mizzou has a slightly better secondary, but it’s still not elite. Bernard should be able to put up 65+ receiving yards on Saturday with relative ease.

Beau Pribula, Mizzou QB: Higher than 212.5 pass+rush yards

On the other side of the Mizzou-Alabama matchup, give me Tigers QB Beau Pribula to have a great day. I think he’ll make several plays with his legs, which to me means he likely only needs to throw for 180 or so yards for this pick to hit. I think he can do it, especially if he’s able to get the ball to Kevin Coleman Jr. early.

Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee WR: Higher than 81.5 receiving yards

Brazzell has put up 82+ receiving yards in 3 of his 5 games this season, including both of his SEC contests. Against a reshuffled Arkansas defense, Brazzell should be in for another monster game.

Our Week 6 NFL Picks

Here’s who we’re backing during the Week 6 NFL Sunday slate:

Andrew Olson

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams QB: Higher than 258.5 pass yards

It’s time to pick on the Ravens again. Out of the NFL’s 32 teams, Baltimore is 30th in passing yards allowed at 270 per game. Stafford currently leads the league with 1,503 passing yards through 5 games.

Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers RB: Lower than 46.5 rush yards

Warren averaged 44 yards per game in 3 appearances before missing Week 4 action due to injury. With Kenneth Gainwell impressing in Warren’s absence, there will be usage questions for Warren. In Week 6, the Steelers are facing a Cleveland rushing defense that has been stingy.

Adam Spencer

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts RB: Higher than 86.5 rush yards

The Cardinals suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in recent NFL history last weekend. It truly was a comedy of errors that led to the Titans coming from behind to win. That sort of stink stays with a team for at least another week. Jonathan Taylor is going to run wild against this Arizona defense.

Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panther WR: Higher than 70.5 receiving yards

The Cowboys haven’t been able to stop anyone this year outside of the Jets. Even against the lowly Jets, top WR Garrett Wilson had 71 yards. Bryce Young is more competent as a passer than Justin Fields, so he’ll get the ball to McMillan early and often as the Panthers look for an upset.

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The post DFS Picks of the Week: Our top Underdog plays for college and NFL, Oct. 11-12 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Just when it looked like Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt were going to pull off another win against Alabama, Ty Simpson and company came roaring back and won in blowout fashion.

The only constant? Kentucky still looks lost. We’ll start with the Wildcats in our weekly SEC power rankings and then work our way up to the No. 1 spot.

Here’s a look at where each team stands in our updated SEC power rankings after Week 6:

16. Kentucky (2-3 overall, 0-3 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: 35-14 L at No. 12 Georgia
• This week: OFF

Mark Stoops says he isn’t going anywhere and I believe him. Once rumored to be in the mix for the LSU and Texas A&M jobs back when they were open, Stoops chose to stay at Kentucky. Now, I don’t think the Wildcats are willing to pay his massive buyout this year, so they’ll probably run it back in 2026. Will he be able to save his job next year? Not at this rate.

15. Arkansas (2-3, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at Tennessee

The Arkansas Razorbacks made the decision they needed to make by firing coach Sam Pittman ahead of the bye week. That gave Bobby Petrino a chance to really implement his systems ahead of a trip to Rocky Top this weekend. The Hogs beat the Vols last year in Fayetteville. It would be a monumental upset to win in Knoxville this year.

14. Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 31-9 L at No. 6 Texas A&M
• This week: OFF

I still think Mississippi State will win an SEC game this year. The Bulldogs are competing. The A&M game was close for a while until the Aggies broke it open late. You don’t get any credit for moral victories in the SEC, but at least Mississippi State isn’t a pushover anymore. That makes the league that much more fun.

13. South Carolina (3-2, 1-2)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at LSU

South Carolina has had a big win over Kentucky and then a week off to try to get ready for LSU. But playing at Death Valley is no easy task. The Tigers are coming out of a bye as well, and their last time out, they lost to Ole Miss. Which team will take the first step to salvage its season on Saturday night in Baton Rouge?

12. Auburn (3-2, 0-2)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Georgia

Florida just showed it’s possible to welcome a top-10 team to your place and send them home with a loss. Well, No. 10 Georgia heads to Jordan-Hare on Saturday night. Will Auburn make a QB change? We’ll see, but it seems like that’s at least in play for this weekend. Why else bring in Ashton Daniels alongside Jackson Arnold this offseason?

11. Texas (3-2, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: 29-21 L at Florida
• This week: vs. Oklahoma (in Dallas)

Brutal loss for the Texas Longhorns. This team isn’t a Playoff-caliber squad as currently constructed. The biggest problem isn’t Arch Manning — it’s the offensive line. My colleague, Neil Blackmon, broke down what’s plaguing the Longhorns. Oklahoma will (likely) have a backup QB playing in the Red River Rivalry. Can Texas take advantage and get back on track?

10. Florida (2-3, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 29-21 W over No. 9 Texas
• This week: at Texas A&M

Billy Napier is apparently the master of winning big games once it’s too late to actually matter. This Florida team isn’t getting to the Playoff barring a miraculous SEC title run. So naturally, now DJ Lagway looks like he did last year, the receivers come alive and Napier remembers he has a pretty darn good running back. Good win, but what’s the point?

9. Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 30-14 L at No. 10 Alabama
• This week: OFF

Vanderbilt gets a week off to regroup after falling at Alabama. It wasn’t the Commodores’ best effort, but the defense had shown some cracks the past couple of outings before facing the Tide. Now they get a week off to regroup before back-to-back games against LSU and Mizzou. We’ll see if they can come back strong at home against a pair of SEC Tigers.

8. Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: 44-0 W over Kent State
• This week: vs. Texas (in Dallas)

The Oklahoma defense did what it needed to do against a truly atrocious Kent State squad. I’m still not sure if Michael Hawkins Jr. is the answer at QB while John Mateer is out, but he did well on Saturday. Now he has to face a Texas defense that maybe isn’t as good as it looked a couple of weeks ago. There’s a ton of intrigue in Dallas this weekend.

7. LSU (4-1, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. South Carolina

Will a week off help Garrett Nussmeier get back to 100%? Let’s hope so, because this LSU team isn’t winning many more games without its quarterback looking like he did in 2024 when he was slinging the ball all over the place. LSU’s defense should be able to dominate this matchup, so Nussmeier and the offense won’t have to do too much.

6. Tennessee (4-1, 1-1)

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

Tennessee had the week off. Did that help Rickey Gibson and Jermod McCoy get any closer to returning? The Vols should be good against Arkansas on Rocky Top this weekend, but tougher tests await and the defense needs to be better moving forward.

5. Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 31-9 W over Mississippi State
• This week: vs. Florida

It wasn’t pretty early, but the Aggies turned Saturday night’s game into a comfortable win when all was said and done. Now Texas A&M prepares to host Florida. The Gators just showed they haven’t given up on the season yet, so the Aggies will need to be careful with this one.

4. Mizzou (5-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Alabama

Mizzou has a big-time opportunity to prove it is a top-tier SEC program this weekend. College GameDay was never going to feature Alabama twice in a row, but it’s still hard not to feel like the Tigers should be hosting the popular ESPN pregame show this weekend. The atmosphere at Faurot Field will be intense.

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3. Georgia (4-1, 2-1)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 35-14 W over Kentucky
• This week: at Auburn

Georgia had a get-right game against a hapless Kentucky squad. Now though, a trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium looms large. Winning on the road in the SEC is never easy, and weird things happen on The Plains, but this is a game the Bulldogs can’t afford to lose if they want to make it back to Atlanta.

2. Alabama (4-1, 2-0)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: 30-14 W over No. 16 Vanderbilt
• This week: at Mizzou

This Alabama team proved it can handle success better than last year’s squad. Vanderbilt came out and punched the Tide in the mouth early, but Ty Simpson and company stayed calm and battled back to earn a major victory. A road trip to Columbia won’t be easy this weekend, but the Tide can take a huge step toward the SEC title game with a win over Mizzou.

1. Ole Miss (5-0, 3-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Washington State

After the win over LSU, Ole Miss gets a bit of a chance to regroup. Coming out of the bye week, the Rebels now host a Washington State squad that no longer has OC Ben Arbuckle or QB John Mateer. Look for Trinidad Chambliss and company to continue to roll as they prepare for a trip to Georgia on Oct. 18 that will have major SEC title implications.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 6 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

However, the quality of games was as high as ever. Florida took down the Texas Longhorns in The Swamp. Alabama got some revenge against Vanderbilt. Miami and Florida State played a high-quality, entertaining game in the late window.

On Sunday morning, ESPN’s Football Power Index was updated, and there was a change at the top. Ohio State is the new No. 1 team in the nation, jumping Oregon despite the Ducks being off this weekend. The shift was likely due to Penn State losing at UCLA, which caused Oregon’s win in Happy Valley last weekend to lose some of its luster.

Alabama at No. 3 leads the way for the SEC, but a grand total of 11 SEC squads find their way into the FPI top 25 this week. Here’s a look at the updated FPI rankings:

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Alabama
4. Indiana
5. Notre Dame
6. Georgia
7. Ole Miss
8. Texas
9. Miami
10. USC
11. Tennessee
12. Michigan
13. Texas A&M
14. Texas Tech
15. Oklahoma
16. Vanderbilt
17. LSU
18. Mizzou
19. Penn State
20. BYU
21. Utah
22. Nebraska
23. Auburn
24. Florida State
25. TCU

The 5 SEC teams that didn’t crack the top 25 are: Florida (No. 26), South Carolina (No. 29), Arkansas (No. 41), Mississippi State (No. 45) and Kentucky (No. 50).

The post ESPN FPI Rankings after Week 6: A new No. 1 team emerges, Texas drops multiple spots appeared first on Saturday Down South.

There are only 5 SEC games on the slate in Week 6, but that doesn’t mean those games aren’t impactful. Texas pays a visit to Florida, Mississippi State heads to Texas A&M, Kentucky takes on an angry Georgia squad and more.

The College GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit was joined by guest picker Theo Vonn, a famous podcaster and comedian, to pick winners for Saturday’s top SEC games.

Who will win the best games of the weekend? Here’s who the crew is picking for Week 6 SEC contests:

Mississippi State at No. 6 Texas A&M

(Picks made against the spread of Texas A&M -15.5)

• Des: Texas A&M
• Saban: Mississippi State
• McAfee: Texas A&M
• Von: Texas A&M
• Herbie: Texas A&M

No. 9 Texas at Florida

• Des: Florida
• Saban: Texas
• McAfee: Texas
• Von: Florida
• Herbie: Texas

No. 16 Vanderbilt at No. 10 Alabama

• Des: Alabama
• Saban: Alabama
• McAfee: Alabama
• Von: Vanderbilt
• Herbie: Alabama

Will the crew and Von be proven right? Will we see any massive upsets in Week 6? We’ll find out over the course of an exciting Week 6 college football slate!

The post College GameDay crew, Theo Von pick biggest SEC Week 6 matchups appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Our DFS experts — Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer — are back this week with their 3 favorite college football picks and their top 2 NFL plays of the week after they combed through the Underdog app.

Keep reading below to see who they like this weekend. But first…

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Our Week 6 CFB Picks

Here’s who we like for Saturday’s college football slate:

Andrew Olson

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt QB: Higher than 60.5 rush yards

Just because Georgia didn’t run Gunner Stockton all that much last week doesn’t mean the Alabama defense has solved its running QB issue. Pavia is Vandy’s leading rusher and has been good for around 10 rushes per game so far this season.

Robby Ashford, Wake Forest QB: Higher than 205.5 pass yards

Even while only completing 46.4% of his passes, Ashford proved me wrong last week by throwing for 219 yards against Georgia Tech. Now he faces a Virginia Tech pass defense that has allowed a 68.9% completion percentage at 9 yards per attempt.

Tommy Castellanos, Florida State QB: Higher than 147.5 pass yards

Miami has a stingy run defense. Opponents are rushing for only 76.25 yards per game at 2.61 yards per carry on the Hurricanes. FSU will need to get the passing game going to hang with UM. Castellanos was good for 7.9 yards per attempt against Virginia. Saturday figures to be a high-attempt game.

Adam Spencer

Zachariah Branch, Georgia WR: Higher than 41.5 receiving yards

Kentucky is giving up nearly 250 yards per game through the air. If Gunner Stockton and the Georgia Bulldogs are going to take advantage of that Kentucky weakness, Zach Branch will need to be involved. I think he’ll be good for 42+ receiving yards.

Cade Klubnik, Clemson QB: Higher 257.5 pass yards

Clemson vs. North Carolina in a battle of dumpster-fire ACC programs? Sign me up! North Carolina hasn’t seen a QB like Klubnik since Week 1 against Josh Hoover and TCU. Hoover threw for 284 yards. I think Klubnik can manage 258+.

Germie Bernard, Alabama WR: Higher than 61.5 receiving yards

It’s clear Ty Simpson trusts Germie Bernard a lot. I also trust the Alabama offense to put up yards and points against a Vanderbilt defense that just allowed 35 points against Utah State. Look for a big afternoon from Bernard.

Our Week 5 NFL Picks

Here’s who we’re backing in Week 5 NFL action on Sunday:

Andrew Olson

James Cook, Buffalo Bills RB: Lower than 80.5 rush yards

Cook has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his last 3 games. I’m normally all for riding a hot streak, but I think it ends here. Running backs are getting just 3.18 yards per carry against the Patriots, with no individual back recording 50 yards yet. Cook will likely be the first to crack 50, but that’s a long way to 81.

CJ Stroud, Houston Texans QB: Higher than 212.5 pass yards

As many NFL fans are aware, Stroud got off to a bit of a rough start this season. He threw for 233 yards last week against Tennessee, a sign that he might be turning things around. The Ravens have been one of the more generous defenses, averaging 271 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks this season.

Adam Spencer

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys QB: Higher than 240.5 pass yards

CeeDee Lamb or no CeeDee Lamb, no one (other than Philadelphia) has been able to stop Dak Prescott from putting up numbers through the air. Sure, Sauce Gardner will make life tough for George Pickens, but the Cowboys have plenty of other weapons.

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB: Higher than 231.5 pass yards

Baker Mayfield has improved his passing yards total every week so far this season. He’s become one of the more reliable passers in the entire league. Plus, Emeka Egbuka will have some motivation going against fellow former Buckeye Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I expect plenty of passing yards to go around on Sunday in Seattle.

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Alabama went into Athens and gave us a thriller against Georgia. In Oxford, Ole Miss firmly announced itself as a Playoff contender with a win over LSU. In Starkville, Tennessee needed overtime to beat a suddenly feisty Mississippi State squad.

It was an impactful week for our SEC power rankings, too. There was plenty of shuffling following Saturday’s results around the league.

Let’s start at the bottom and work our way to the top with our post-Week 5 SEC power rankings:

16. Kentucky (2-2 overall, 0-2 in SEC play)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: 35-13 L at South Carolina
• This week: at Georgia

The SEC is relentless. Get blown out at South Carolina? Well now you have to head to Athens to face an angry Georgia team. Then, after its second bye of the season (very early to have both byes over), Kentucky hosts Texas and Tennessee. This has the chance to spiral into one of the worst seasons for the Wildcats in recent memory.

15. Arkansas (2-3, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 56-13 L to No. 22 Notre Dame
• This week: OFF

Well, the inevitable finally happened. The Arkansas Razorbacks have officially announced the firing of head coach Sam Pittman. Now interim head coach Bobby Petrino has a week off to try to regroup. Can the Hogs get back to .500 and above? If they do, Petrino probably deserves some serious consideration for the full-time job.

14. Florida (1-3, 0-1)

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

The Gators and Longhorns both had the week off to prepare for a battle in The Swamp between 2 teams that have disappointed thus far. The difference? Texas has disappointed its way to a 3-1 record. Florida has disappointed its way to a 1-3 mark. Will Billy Napier be the next SEC head coach fired?

13. Mississippi State (4-1, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 41-34 (OT) L to No. 15 Tennessee
• This week: at Texas A&M

The Mississippi State Bulldogs are a team to be reckoned with. That’s the step they needed to take in Year 2 under Jeff Lebby. Losing at home in overtime against a ranked Tennessee squad hurts, but it isn’t the end of the world. Playing at Texas A&M next weekend is a tough spot, but this is still a team that could have multiple SEC wins before all is said and done.

12. South Carolina (3-2, 1-2)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 35-13 W over Kentucky
• This week: OFF

This was exactly the kind of showing South Carolina desperately needed. After allowing Kentucky to score first, the Gamecocks absolutely dominated this game. Now Shane Beamer and company get a week off before paying a visit to LSU in Death Valley on Oct. 11.

11. Auburn (3-2, 0-2)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: 16-10 L at No. 9 Texas A&M
• This week: OFF

To quote Andy Dwyer from Parks & Rec, “Close only counts in horse grenades.” Auburn has fought hard the past couple of weeks and has almost pulled off big-time road upsets, but the Tigers have come up short each time. A loss is a loss in college football, and there are no moral victories to be had on The Plains. The Tigers now get a week to regroup before Georgia comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium.

10. Texas (3-1, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at Florida

The Longhorns rise a spot despite an off week simply because Auburn did not look impressive suffering its second-straight loss. Texas now starts an SEC gauntlet in Week 6 at Florida. The Gators are down, sure, but this won’t be easy for the Longhorns with the way Arch Manning and the offense are playing right now.

9. Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Kent State

The Sooners have kind of caught a break with when John Mateer’s hand injury happened. They were off in Week 5 and now host a hapless Kent State squad in Week 6. Oklahoma is down in the No. 9 spot purely out of caution on my part. If Mateer can return for the Week 7 Red River Rivalry and lead the Sooners to a win over Texas? They’ll be right back in the top 5 of these rankings. I just need to see it first.

8. LSU (4-1, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: 24-19 L at No. 13 Ole Miss
• This week: OFF

The offense is a problem. No wonder Brian Kelly got so… defensive… when asked about the offense a couple of weeks ago in a postgame press conference. LSU has enough talent that it should be able to put up more than 19 points against anyone. Ole Miss’s defense is good, but not as good as it was last year. Will a week off help Garrett Nussmeier heal up from whatever ailment he doesn’t want to discuss? Will it help the offensive line learn how to block? We’ll find out soon enough!

7. Vanderbilt (5-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 55-35 W over Utah State
• This week: at Alabama

Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt offense are elite. But if you’re an SEC team that allows 35 points against Utah State, you’re just not going to move up in my power rankings. That’s just how it is. The defense needs to get its act together before a trip to Tuscaloosa this coming weekend.

6. Tennessee (4-1, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 41-34 (OT) W at Mississippi State
• This week: OFF

Credit to Tennessee for ending up on the right side of the scoreboard in Starkville, but this defense just isn’t where we thought it would be. Until Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson are able to return to the lineup, I’m going to play it cautiously with the Vols. The good news is that they have a week off now to recover and regroup before playing Arkansas and Alabama in their next 2 games.

5. Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 16-10 W over Auburn
• This week: vs. Mississippi State

If the Texas A&M Aggies can’t get things going offensively, they’re at risk of getting upset at home this weekend by an upstart Mississippi State squad. The good news is that the defense is firing on all cylinders. And if Le’Veon Moss can continue to run like he did against Auburn, the Aggies will at least be able to compete against anyone in the SEC.

4. Mizzou (5-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 42-6 W over UMass
• This week: OFF

I know the Mizzou Tigers don’t have the most impressive résumé thus far, but there are 2 quality wins over Kansas and South Carolina. But this offense has figured out its identity behind a trio of transfers in QB Beau Pribula, RB Ahmad Hardy and WR Kevin Coleman Jr. Hardy is a legitimate Heisman candidate at this point. Mizzou gets a week off and then Alabama comes to town for a massive matchup for the Tigers’ Playoff hopes.

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3. Georgia (3-1, 1-1)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: 24-21 L to No. 17 Alabama
• This week: vs. Kentucky

No, losing at home to Alabama to snap a 33-game win streak at Sanford Stadium wasn’t great. The offense looked lost at times. The defense was on its heels for most of the first half. But this Georgia team is still one of the best in the SEC. A win at Tennessee is still a great one for the Bulldogs’ résumé. The Dawgs are still going to be heard from the the Playoff race and the SEC title race.

2. Alabama (3-1, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: 24-21 W at No. 5 Georgia
• This week: vs. Vanderbilt

The second half wasn’t pretty offensively, but no one goes into Sanford Stadium and wins at night. That was a statement win by Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide. But there’s no more room for missteps. The Tide absolutely cannot follow up this massive win with a home loss against Vanderbilt. This weekend’s marquee game is the biggest of the DeBoer era so far.

1. Ole Miss (5-0, 3-0)

• Previous ranking: 6
• Last week: 24-19 W over No. 4 LSU
• This week: OFF

I said Austin Simmons was the best value bet to win the Heisman Trophy before the season began. Do I get credit for picking the position correctly? An Ole Miss QB is firmly in the Heisman conversation, but its former DII champion Trinidad Chambliss, not Simmons. I’ll have to save my Simmons bet for next season, but for now, this is Chambliss’s show. He’s earned the right to continue to start for an Ole Miss squad that is mowing down SEC opponents at an impressive rate. If any team has earned a week off, it’s the Rebels.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 5 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The Razorbacks made Bobby Petrino their interim coach for the rest of the season, and he’ll be included among the candidates for the full-time position moving forward as the Hogs embark on a national coaching search.

After news of the firing broke, social media lit up with reactions to the decision from Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek. Pittman is a popular guy in football circles, but the results on the field simply haven’t been there this year.

Here’s a look at some of the reaction from X (formerly Twitter) to the news out of Fayetteville:

Will Pittman indeed take an OL coaching job moving forward? Or is this the last we’ve seen of him on a college football sideline? Only time will tell.

For now, Arkansas will try to bounce back from a 2-3 start to the season. Petrino will have his hands full as the Hogs visit Tennessee on Oct. 11 following a bye next weekend. After that are 3-straight home matchups against Texas A&M, Auburn and Mississippi State.

The post Social media reacts to news of Sam Pittman firing at Arkansas appeared first on Saturday Down South.

We saw Oregon win at Penn State in double-overtime. We saw Alabama go into Georgia and hand the Bulldogs their first night home loss since 2009. We saw Illinois pull off a last-second win over USC. We saw Ole Miss hold off LSU in Oxford. And, of course, there were plenty of other notable results in the college football world this weekend.

On Sunday morning, ESPN’s FPI rankings were updated, and 2 Big Ten teams hold the top spots. Oregon checks in at No. 1, with Ohio State slotting in at No. 2.

Alabama is the No. 3 team in the country, 1 of 11 SEC teams in the top 25. Check out the updated top 25 FPI teams below:

1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Texas
5. Indiana
6. Notre Dame
7. Georgia
8. Ole Miss
9. Miami
10. USC
11. Penn State
12. Michigan
13. Tennessee
14. Vanderbilt
15. Oklahoma
16. Texas A&M
17. Mizzou
18. BYU
19. LSU
20. Texas Tech
21. Nebraska
22. Utah
23. Auburn
24. Florida State
25. TCU

The 5 SEC teams that didn’t make the top 25 were: South Carolina (No. 27), Florida (No. 33), Mississippi State (No. 37), Arkansas (No. 38) and Kentucky (No. 48).

Next week is another big one. We’ll see how the FPI rankings change this time next week.

The post ESPN FPI rankings after Week 5: Georgia falls after loss, Ole Miss dips despite win appeared first on Saturday Down South.

New users can click here to register for an Underdog account now. Using Underdog promo code SDS will unlock $100 in bonus funds when you enter your first contest of $5 or more.

Keep reading below to find out how to use this great promo code and at the end of this post, I’ll share 3 picks I like from this Week 4 slate of games:

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Now let’s move on to some actual NFL DFS picks, shall we?

My favorite Week 4 NFL picks

Here are my 3 favorite picks for Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season:

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings WR: Higher than 74.5 receiving yards

Justin Jefferson hasn’t had his breakout performance yet this year, but I am fading the Pittsburgh defense. This game is in Ireland, so you’ll need to get up early to watch it, but I like the former LSU star to have at least 75 receiving yards.

Drake Maye, New England Patriots QB: Higher than 215.5 pass yards

Call me crazy, but I don’t think the Panthers are going to shut out their opponent for the second-straight week. After the Falcons got blanked by Carolina last week, I like Drake Maye to have a big game for the Pats in this spot, throwing for at least 216 yards.

Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers WR: Higher than 47.5 receiving yards

The Cowboys’ defense has been absolute garbage this season. Even Russell Wilson, who is washed up at this point and just got replaced, looked like an MVP against Dallas. Jordan Love should go wild in this Sunday night game. I like Golden to bust a couple of big plays and finish with 48+ receiving yards.

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The post Underdog Promo Code SDS: Claim $100 Bonus for NFL Week 4 Slate appeared first on Saturday Down South.

That might be the highest-ranked game of the day, but in the SEC, we have a loaded slate as well. Alabama heads to Georgia on Saturday night, with Ole Miss hosting LSU as the mid-afternoon appetizer.

The GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit was joined by Penn State alum and longtime NFL linebacker LaVar Arrington to pick winners for the day’s biggest games.

Stanford Steve picked Auburn (+7.5) at Texas A&M as his super dog. Howard picked Mississippi State (+7.5) against Tennessee as his super dog.

No. 22 Notre Dame at Arkansas

• Desmond: Notre Dame
• Saban: Notre Dame
• McAfee: Notre Dame
• Arrington: Notre Dame
• Herbstreit: Notre Dame

No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State

• Desmond: Mississippi State
• Saban: Tennessee
• McAfee: Tennessee
• Arrington: Tennessee
• Herbstreit: Tennessee

No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss

• Desmond: Ole Miss
• Saban: LSU
• McAfee: Ole Miss
• Arrington: Ole Miss
• Herbstreit: LSU

Auburn at No. 9 Texas A&M

• Desmond: Texas A&M
• Saban: Texas A&M
• McAfee: Texas A&M
• Arrington: Texas A&M
• Herbstreit: Texas A&M

No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia

• Desmond: Georgia
• Saban: Alabama
• McAfee: Georgia
• Arrington: Georgia
• Herbstreit: No pick (he’s calling the game)

Who will be proven right? We’ll find out as we embark on a loaded Week 5 slate of games!

The post College GameDay, LaVar Arrington make picks for key SEC Week 5 games appeared first on Saturday Down South.

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You’re not going to want to miss out on this Saturday’s slate, which features No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State and No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia as the nightcaps. As appetizers, we get No. 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois, No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss and much, much more.

Click the box below or click here to get started with Underdog today. Remember to use Underdog promo code SDS when you sign up. And keep reading below to find out more about this great offer, as well as some of my favorite plays for the weekend:

Underdog promo code SDS: How to claim $100 in bonus credit for Week 5

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Now, let’s dive into some picks I like for this incredible Week 5 slate of college football.

My favorite Underdog picks for Week 5 CFB

Here are 3 Underdog plays I like from college football Week 5 action:

Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State: Higher than 87.5 receiving yards

The Washington secondary hasn’t seen a receiver like Smith so far this season. Heck, unless a team has played Ohio State this year, it hasn’t seen anyone like Smith. He’s 1 of 1 and I think he’ll go for 100+ yards this weekend in Seattle. Therefore, give me the 12 yards in savings that Underdog is offering. I’ll take Smith to go for 88+ receiving yards on Saturday.

Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas: Higher than 268.5 pass yards

The Notre Dame defense hasn’t been nearly as good as it was last year. Meanwhile, Taylen Green and the Arkansas offense has been dynamic through 4 weeks. Sure, the Hogs have cost themselves chances to win with brutal fumbles the last 2 weeks, but that shouldn’t affect Green’s passing numbers. He should be good for 269+ yards through the air against the Irish.

Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss: Higher than 67.5 rush yards

The LSU defense has been one of the best in the country, yes, but it also hasn’t faced an offense with a rushing attack like the Rebels have. Clemson’s RB room was banged up in Week 1. And in Week 3, Florida inexplicably only gave the ball to top RB Jadan Baugh 10 times. The Rebels will let Lacy carry it a lot more than that, and he’ll respond with 68+ yards on the ground.

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The post Underdog Promo Code SDS: Get $100 Bonus for CFB Week 5 Games appeared first on Saturday Down South.

We get LSU visiting Ole Miss. We have USC traveling for an early game at Illinois. Auburn heads to College Station to take on Texas A&M.

Yeah, this weekend’s slate is absolutely loaded. In the NFL, the Eagles face the Buccaneers in a battle of 3-0 teams. Baltimore and Kansas City do battle in the afternoon window.

As they do every week, our DFS experts — Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer — share their 3 favorite college football picks and their top 2 NFL plays of the week from Underdog.

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Our Week 5 CFB Picks

Here’s who we like in this weekend’s loaded college slate:

Andrew Olson

Gunner Stockton, Georgia QB: Higher than 36.5 rush yards

Running quarterbacks have given Kane Wommack’s Alabama defenses fits. We saw it last year with Diego Pavia and Jackson Arnold and in Week 1 with Tommy Castellanos. Stockton is a capable runner, and he doesn’t have to do nearly as much as other running QBs to go over this mark.

Robby Ashford, Wake Forest QB: Lower than 209.5 pass yards

As many SEC fans remember, Ashford’s strength has always been his running capability. In 2025, Ashford has posted solid passing numbers, but he has only faced Kennesaw State, Western Carolina and an NC State squad that is struggling to defend the pass. Georgia Tech  should be a much more challenging matchup.

Jayden Maiava, USC QB: Higher than 269.5 pass yards

Maiava is coming off his season-low of 234 passing yards against MSU, but that’s not a major concern. The Illini secondary is not in great shape right now. It should be bombs away for the Trojans.

Adam Spencer

Taylen Green, Arkansas QB: Higher than 268.5 pass yards

The Notre Dame pass defense has been atrocious this year, allowing nearly 300 yards per game through the air. Taylen Green has been electric. If the Razorbacks could stop shooting themselves in the foot in the 4th quarters of these games, Green would be a Heisman contender. I think he’ll throw for for more than 269 yards against the Irish.

Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss RB: Higher 67.5 rush yards

It won’t be easy for Lacy to get to 68 yards on the ground against an elite LSU defense, but the volume of carries should be there. I expect Ole Miss to score more points than anyone else has on the Tiger defense, and Lacy will be a big part of that.

Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State WR: Higher than 87.5 receiving yards

Washington has been a sneaky good team so far this year, but the Huskies haven’t faced a receiver like Jeremiah Smith yet. Yes, this is Ohio State QB Julian Sayin’s first road start, but the Buckeyes will draw up some ways for him to get the ball in Smith’s hands early to settle into a rhythm.

Our Week 4 NFL Picks

And here’s who we’re rolling with on Sunday:

Andrew Olson

Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers WR: Lower than 63.5 receiving yards

McConkey fantasy owners have had it rough through the first 3 weeks. For instance, the Chargers passed 47 times in the Week 3 win against Denver and McConkey’s 7 targets trailed Keenan Allen (11) and Quentin Johnston (10). McConkey’s stock appears to be down right now.

Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys TE: Higher than 54.5 receiving yards

It’s safe to say Ferguson has carved out a role in the Dallas offense. Over the last 2 games, he has 22 catches on 26 targets for 160 receiving yards. The Packers have given up 21 catches on 29 targets for 215 yards to opposing tight ends this season so far.

Adam Spencer

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings WR: Higher than 74.5 receiving yards

We’re getting an early start with this one, as the Vikings play the Steelers in Dublin. I expect Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson to go off against a suspect Pittsburgh defense, posting 75+ yards, and potentially going over the 100-yard mark.

Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers WR: Higher than 44.5 receiving yards

The Packers take on the Cowboys in the Sunday nightcap. The Cowboys haven’t been able to stop anyone this year. Heck, even Russell Wilson had a massive performance against Dallas. Matthew Golden should have the best game of his young career, going for 45+ receiving yards.

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The post DFS Picks of the Week: Our top Underdog plays for college and NFL, Sept. 27-28 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

The teams that were toward the top of the rankings all looked good (or had the week off). The teams at the bottom of the rankings all lost in excruciating fashion (or were off this week).

So what did we learn? A bit, but we’ll learn a heck of a lot more in Week 5.

For now though, let’s take a look at where every SEC team stands in this week’s power rankings ahead of a Week 5 slate chock full of marquee matchups.

16. Kentucky (2-1 overall, 0-1 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at South Carolina

The Wildcats are making a QB change ahead of this weekend’s game in South Carolina. Zach Calzada is out. Cutter Boley is in. Will it make a huge difference? Probably not. But Kentucky has a chance to pick up a big win on the road. The Wildcats desperately need some positive momentum heading into the meat of their SEC schedule.

15. Florida (1-3, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: 26-7 L at No. 4 Miami
• This week: OFF

It’s just a little bit surprising that Billy Napier didn’t get the ax this week after the loss at Miami. With a bye this weekend, the timing would have made a bit of sense, especially since the coaching carousel has already started spinning with the Virginia Tech, UCLA and Oklahoma State firings. We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks, but for now, the Gators will try to regroup with some time off.

14. South Carolina (2-2, 0-2)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 29-20 L at No. 23 Mizzou
• This week: vs. Kentucky

The offense continues to be a disaster, even with LaNorris Sellers. There’s just not enough talent around him. There were some good things from the offense against Mizzou, but it wasn’t enough to help South Carolina get a big road win. Kentucky is the worst team in my power rankings, though, so we’ll see if the Gamecocks can have a bounce-back showing.

13. Arkansas (2-2, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 32-31 L at Memphis
• This week: vs. Notre Dame

The Hogs can’t stay out of their own way, losing 2 costly fumbles in back-to-back weeks to fall to 2-2 on the year. That’ll probably do it for the Sam Pittman era, but we’ll see how his team responds to adversity this week against a tough Notre Dame squad. The Irish’s defense has been suspect (to put it mildly) so far this year. Can Arkansas take advantage?

12. Mississippi State (4-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 38-10 W over Northern Illinois
• This week: vs. Tennessee

Even if the Bulldogs don’t win a single SEC game, this year was already a success for doubling their win total from 2024. Of course, it’ll be hard to sell it that way to fans if the team follows up a 4-0 stretch with an 0-8 stretch. But Mississippi State is certainly a team on the rise and is no longer a pushover.

11. Texas (3-1, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: 55-0 W over Sam Houston
• This week: OFF

Did Texas (and Arch Manning specifically) gain some of its swag back? Sure. Should we take much away from that since it was against Sam Houston? No. The Longhorns get a week off to regroup and try to fix some things offensively before SEC play starts with a trip to The Swamp in Week 6.

10. Alabama (2-1, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: OFF
• This week: at Georgia

Alabama did what it needed to do against Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin. But after the embarrassing Week 1 loss at Florida State, this road trip to Georgia was always going to be the next real measuring stick. We’ll see if the Tide are up for the challenge when they make their way to Athens for the first time since 2015.

9. Auburn (3-1, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: 24-17 L at No. 11 Auburn
• This week: at Texas A&M

It’s evident that Jackson Arnold isn’t the same QB he was last year at Oklahoma. It’s also evident this isn’t the same Auburn team we saw constantly shoot itself in the foot last year. Can the Tigers pull off an upset in College Station this weekend? I don’t know. But I do know that Hugh Freeze and company will be competitive in this one.

8. Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 24-17 W over No. 22 Auburn
• This week: OFF

Dropping Oklahoma 4 spots despite a win over a ranked team? Am I crazy? Well, maybe… but not for this. Oklahoma has been a different team offensively (mainly… competent) with John Mateer at the helm. Now he’s injured. All due respect to Michael Hawkins Jr., but we saw what he was capable of last year. Even if he has slightly improved, this Oklahoma team is in trouble for the next month without Mateer.

7. Vanderbilt (4-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: 70-21 W over Georgia State
• This week: vs. Utah State

Vanderbilt continues to impress. This was a “revenge” game of sorts since the Commodores actually lost to Georgia State last year. This year, no. Those 70 points are something Vanderbilt hasn’t accomplished in over a century. Very impressive. Now the ‘Dores get one last tune-up before diving back into SEC play.

6. Ole Miss (4-0, 2-0)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 45-10 W over Tulane
• This week: vs. LSU

I think we can all agree this is Trinidad Chambliss’s job to lose now, right. Unfortunately for Austin Simmons, his injury may have cost him the chance to start for the rest of the year. Chambliss has been amazing. He threw for 300+ yards and ran for 100+ more in the thorough domination of a tough Tulane squad. If he is able to lead the Rebels to a win over No. 4 LSU this weekend, he’ll quickly become a hero in Oxford.

5. Mizzou (4-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 6
• Last week: 29-20 W over South Carolina
• This week: vs. UMass

Ahmad Hardy belongs in the Heisman Trophy race. Will he remain there? We’ll see, but there’s no denying what he’s done thus far. He is 4-for-4 when it comes to running for 100+ yards in a Mizzou uniform. He ran for 250 yards in just over a half against Louisiana in Week 3. It’s Homecoming (which Mizzou invented) this week against a bad UMass squad. Hopefully Hardy can get his 100 yards in the first half and then watch a blowout win from the sidelines in the second half.

RELATED: Want to bet on Ahmad Hardy to win the Heisman? Find the latest odds on the best sports betting app.

4. Tennessee (3-1, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 56-24 W over UAB
• This week: at Mississippi State

The offense continues to be impressive. The defense has shown some flaws. How much of that is the absence of Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson? I’m willing to withhold judgement on the Vols’ defense until it’s healthier. But with Josh Heupel‘s struggles in true road games at Tennessee, this week’s trip to Starkville is far from a gimme.

3. Texas A&M (3-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Auburn

The Aggies have been impressive in the early season, but now SEC play begins. This isn’t the same Auburn squad of years past, so Texas A&M will have to be careful. As long as the offense continues to put up big numbers, though, the Aggies will keep racking up the wins.

2. Georgia (3-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: OFF
• This week: vs. Alabama

Georgia got a well-deserved break between the Tennessee and Alabama games. We all know how dominant the Bulldogs have been at home under Kirby Smart. It won’t be easy to pick up a win against this Alabama offense (especially with how the Georgia secondary looked vs. Tennessee), but it’s never wise to count the Dawgs out. Sanford Stadium will be electric, and this game could end up being just as exciting as last year’s thriller in Tuscaloosa.

1. LSU (4-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: 56-10 W over SE Louisiana
• This week: at Ole Miss

Am I concerned that LSU was only leading SELA 7-0 at the end of the 1st quarter? Of course I am. This offense has not been good this year. But the defense has been great. I’m going to stubbornly keep LSU in the top spot for another week. But if Georgia beats Alabama in Athens on Saturday night and LSU struggles in Oxford, well… some adjustments might need to be made.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 4 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk was the guest picker, representing the team that has won back-to-back Stanley Cups. He joined the crew of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit to pick the most important SEC matchups of Week 4.

Saban picked Tulane (+11.5) against Ole Miss as his super dog. Davis picked Memphis (+7.5) against Arkansas as his super dog.

Here’s a look at who the GameDay crew and Matthew Tkachuk think will win the biggest SEC games of Week 4:

No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma

• Desmond: Auburn
• Saban: Oklahoma
• McAfee: Oklahoma
• Tkachuk: Oklahoma
• Herbstreit: Oklahoma

South Carolina at No. 23 Mizzou (picks made against the -10.5 spread in favor of the Tigers)

• Desmond: South Carolina
• Saban: Mizzou
• McAfee: South Carolina
• Tkachuk: Mizzou
• Herbstreit: South Carolina

Florida at No. 4 Miami

• Desmond: Miami
• Saban: Miami
• McAfee: Miami
• Tkachuk: Miami
• Herbstreit: No pick (he’s calling the game)

Will Tkachuk and the crew be proven right with their picks? Let’s find out over an exciting Week 4 SEC Saturday, shall we?

The post College GameDay crew, Matthew Tkachuk pick winners for SEC Week 4 action appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Auburn-Oklahoma, Mizzou-South Carolina, Florida-Miami and other big-time games headline the CFB slate, while Rams-Eagles and Lions-Ravens are the top-tier NFL matchups.

Each week, our DFS experts — Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer — share their 3 top college football picks and their 2 favorite NFL plays. Keep reading below to find out who they like this weekend.

But first…

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Our Week 4 CFB Picks

Here’s who we like for college football action this weekend:

Andrew Olson

Jackson Arnold, Auburn QB: Lower than 175.5 pass yards

The Auburn passing attack is bound to get better, but probably not this week. Brent Venables knows his former QB’s flaws as well as anyone, and now he’s in charge of scheming to make Arnold’s night miserable. I expect the Oklahoma defense to make it a rough return to Norman.

Jake Retzlaff, Tulane QB: Higher than 177.5 pass yards

Retzlaff got off to a bit of a slow start, which was understandable with his summer transfer. In Week 3, we saw signs he’s settling in with the Green Wave. Will the Ole Miss defense get up for a Group of 5 opponent after back-to-back 1-score SEC games? I have my doubts.

Jadan Baugh, Florida RB: Higher than 14.5 receiving yards

Baugh had his coming out party as a receiver against LSU with 7 catches for 59 yards. The broadcast mentioned Florida had been wanting to get him more involved in the passing game this season. Baugh’s pass-catching ability is surely on Miami’s radar after the LSU game, but the Hurricanes aren’t going to be too focused on covering a running back. Considering DJ Lagway’s struggles, he may turn to Baugh as a high-percentage option out of the backfield.

Adam Spencer

Taylen Green, Arkansas QB: Higher than 317.5 pass+rush yards

Look for lots of points to be scored when Arkansas visits Memphis this weekend. And when the Razorbacks score points, Taylen Green usually has something to do with it. I think he could reach 318 yards through the air alone, so I’ll take the combo pass+rush yards with a smile on my face.

Ahmad Hardy, Mizzou RB: Higher than 90.5 rush yards

Hardy has been everything Mizzou could have hoped for after Eli Drinkwitz got him from Louisiana-Monroe out of the portal this offseason. The Tigers are going to try to make things miserable for South Carolina this weekend. If Mizzou can get a lead against the Gamecocks and their pitiful offense, look for Kirby Moore to dial up Hardy’s number often.

Sawyer Robertson, Baylor QB: Higher than 308.5 pass yards

Baylor throws the ball a ton against Power 4 competition. This is just a blind “higher” pick for me until a defense shows it can stop him. He threw for 440 yards against SMU and 419 yards against Auburn. This number seems too low for Robertson’s game against Arizona State this weekend.

Our Week 3 NFL Picks

And here’s who we’re riding with on Sunday in the NFL:

Andrew Olson

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs QB: Higher than 240.5 pass yards

Last week we faded Mahomes, this week we back him. They’re off to a rough start, but this is still the Kansas City Chiefs we’re talking about. This Giants defense just got destroyed by the Dallas Cowboys. This has get-right game written all over it.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons TE: Higher than 3.5 receptions

Many of us have been hurt by Pitts in fantasy over the years, but usage and the matchup both suggest back him in Week 3. In 2 games, Michael Penix Jr. has targeted Pitts 13 times for 96 yards on 11 catches. The Panthers have given up 11 catches to tight ends in their first 2 games.

Adam Spencer

Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons RB: Higher than 81.5 rush yards

That’s right, folks. Two Atlanta Falcons picks this week! (What could possibly go wrong?) The Panthers have been atrocious defensively this year. Look for the Falcons to get a big lead early and then send a steady diet of Bijan Robinson at the Carolina defense in the second half.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks WR: Higher 74.5 receiving yards

JSN is an elite wide receiver. It’s not too early to say that. The Saints have shown some fight this year, but they are not a good team. JSN should be able to go for 75+ yards in front of a raucous home crowd.

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The post DFS Picks of the Week: Our top Underdog plays for college and NFL, Sept. 20-21 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

To quote Arkansas/Kentucky coach John Calipari: “They threw us in the coffin. They just forgot the nails.”

Remember when it was all doom and gloom about the SEC following the Texas loss at Ohio State and Alabama’s loss at Florida State in Week 1? Well, now the SEC is on a heater. The league has still only lost 3 nonconference games this year — those 2 mentioned in the previous sentence and Florida’s loss to USF in Week 2.

Nine of the 16 SEC schools are 3-0. That makes it really tough to do a weekly power rankings column, y’all.

But it has to be done, so without further ado, here’s how all 16 SEC squads stack up this week:

16. Kentucky (2-1 overall, 0-1 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• Last week: 48-23 W over Eastern Michigan
• This week: OFF

Allowing 23 points to Eastern Michigan is egregious. The defense was supposed to be the strength of the team. The score was 28-16 at halftime against a team that entered Lexington with an 0-2 record. This is a terrible Kentucky squad. Can Mark Stoops right the ship during the first bye week? I have my doubts.

15. Florida (1-2, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 14
• Last week: 20-10 L at No. 3 LSU
• This week: at Miami

We’re entering the “Good Guy” phase with Billy Napier. As in: “Billy Napier is a good guy, but he’s in over his head as Florida‘s head coach.” This thing is over. It’s done. He’s going to be gone at some point and will not be the Florida head coach in 2026. How long will it take the administration to make the move? Will the team show some more fight for him or will it continue to quit on him and skip the alma mater after games? Things could get ugly in Miami this weekend.

14. South Carolina (2-1, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 10
• Last week: 31-7 L to Vanderbilt
• This week: at Mizzou

Mike Shula needs to be gone. Not tomorrow, not today. Yesterday. He shouldn’t have been hired at all. I don’t take it lightly saying someone shouldn’t have a job, but even when LaNorris Sellers was out there on Saturday against Vanderbilt, this offense did nothing. How many more struggles do we need to see? This Gamecocks season is going to be decided by how quickly Shane Beamer realizes his mistake and makes a change with his offensive play callers.

13. Arkansas (2-1, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 15
• Last week: 41-35 L to No. 17 Ole Miss
• This week: at Memphis

I’m bumping up the Hogs 2 spots here despite a loss. I don’t usually do that, but Arkansas offense looked good in Oxford. The defense? Not so much. Ole Miss was dealing with 2 banged-up QBs for most of the evening and still won. Not a good look. A road trip to Memphis doesn’t look easy, either. As long as Taylen Green is healthy, the Hogs are going to put up points. Can the defense be serviceable? We’ll see.

12. Mississippi State (3-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 13
• Last week: 63-0 W over Alcorn State
• This week: vs. Northern Illinois

The Bulldogs did what they were supposed to do this week against an FCS opponent. They’ve already surpassed their win total for last year, which is nothing to turn your nose up at. Northern Illinois should be another fairly easy victory this weekend to let Mississippi State double its 2024 win total before Week 5.

11. Texas (2-1, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 3
• Last week: 27-10 W over UTEP
• This week: vs. Sam Houston

Look, something isn’t right with Arch Manning. Either he isn’t a very good quarterback or he’s injured. That’s where we’re at. Steve Sarkisian can make all the weird comments he wants about not watching Texas media members go to the bathroom, but it’s clear that we aren’t getting what was promised with Arch. If the Longhorns can’t beat Sam Houston 63-10 this coming week, the questions are going to persist.

10. Alabama (2-1, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 12
• Last week: 38-14 W over Wisconsin
• This week: OFF

Tim Keenan and Jam Miller should be back after the bye week for the road trip to Georgia. Will that be enough for Alabama to pull off a stunning victory? I don’t know. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Kalen DeBoer‘s squad over the last couple of weeks, but Georgia is a different animal. We’ll see if the Tide can continue building momentum during their first bye of the season.

9. Auburn (3-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 11
• Last week: 31-15 W over South Alabama
• This week: at Oklahoma

We’ll learn a lot about Auburn in the next 5 weeks, as the Tigers play at Oklahoma and at Texas A&M before their first bye. Then they host Georgia and Mizzou in back-to-back weeks. Jackson Arnold is an upgrade over what Auburn had at QB last year, but is he ready to win an SEC road game? We’ll find out Saturday in Norman.

8. Vanderbilt (3-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 9
• Last week: 31-7 W at No. 11 South Carolina
• This week: vs. Georgia State

Vanderbilt lost in Atlanta to Georgia State after starting 2-0 last year, so this is a revenge game, as odd as that sounds. The Commodores appear to be even better this year, though, so a 4-0 start is very much in the mix this weekend.

7. Ole Miss (3-0, 2-0)

• Previous ranking: 5
• Last week: 41-35 W over Arkansas
• This week: vs. Tulane

Don’t sleep on this Tulane matchup. The Green Wave are also 3-0. The Green Wave aren’t dealing with multiple banged-up QBs. Credit to the Rebels for finding a way to win on Saturday night against Arkansas, but they’re not going to keep winning if they can’t keep a quarterback upright.

6. Mizzou (3-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 7
• Last week: 52-10 W over Louisiana
• This week: vs. South Carolina

Beau Pribula deserves to be in Heisman Trophy conversations at the moment, as does Ahmad Hardy. Will that last? I don’t know. The Tigers catch South Carolina at a good time, though. The Gamecocks are reeling right as the Tigers seem to be hitting their stride. Look for an exciting game at Faurot Field this Saturday. It might have been the College GameDay location for this week if South Carolina hadn’t lost to Vanderbilt.

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5. Tennessee (2-1, 0-1)

• Previous ranking: 4
• Last week: 44-41 (OT) L to No. 6 Georgia
• This week: vs. UAB

This is still a very good Tennessee team. The Vols have a QB in Joey Aguilar. Josh Heupel and company are going to compete for a spot in the Playoff. What a game against Georgia. If a kick and a couple of bounces went the Vols’ way, they’d be much higher on this list. Such is football.

4. Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 6
• Last week: 42-3 W at Temple
• This week: vs. Auburn

It was always about having a competent offense for Oklahoma. Well, the Sooners have it. No, the running game hasn’t been great, but it’s gotten the job done. All you can do is win the games you play, and the Sooners have done that. Now they need to win the breakup with Jackson Arnold. The crowd is going to be fierce this weekend in Norman when Auburn comes to town.

3. Texas A&M (3-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 8
• Last week: 41-40 W at No. 8 Notre Dame
• This week: OFF

This was exactly the win Mike Elko needed to set the tone at Texas A&M. Going on the road and earning a top-10 win (especially in nonconference play) is absolutely huge for the Aggies. I’m calling it now — I’m going to have to retire my 8-4 jokes at the end of this season. The Aggies are a Playoff-caliber team and I think 9 wins is the floor right now. The ceiling? We’ll see.

2. Georgia (3-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 2
• Last week: 44-41 (OT) W at No. 15 Tennessee
• This week: OFF

I have some concerns about the Georgia defense now, but my goodness, did Gunner Stockton ever make a statement this weekend on Rocky Top. I’m going to withhold my full judgment of this team until after the bye week when the Dawgs host Alabama, but all you can do is go 1-0 each week. Kirby Smart and company did just that on Saturday and now get a week off to regroup. Well done.

1. LSU (3-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• Last week: 20-10 W over Florida
• This week: vs. SE Louisiana

Should Brian Kelly have gone off on that reporter for asking about LSU‘s offensive struggles? No. But do I understand his point? Yes. He should’ve just said “We have some things to work on and we know that.” Instead, he went on yet another meme-worthy rant. But who cares if the offense struggles when the Tigers have been on the right side of the final score 3 weeks in a row? Keep winning games and nothing else matters.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 3 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

One of those traditions is the playing of the school’s alma mater. Home or away, win or lose, the alma mater is almost always played following the game. And in most cases, players are expected to join with the fans in the tradition.

On Saturday night in Death Valley, though, many Florida players were seen skipping the alma mater and heading straight to the locker room after a disappointing 20-10 loss to rival LSU:

As you can see, there was a chunk of players who stayed for the alma mater, but many headed to the locker rooms early.

The frustration from Florida players was understandable. This was the Gators’ second loss in a row. Billy Napier is on the hot seat. DJ Lagway threw a whopping 5 interceptions in the loss. The offense couldn’t put points on the board despite having a better day statistically than LSU. The Gators had 23 first downs to 10 for the Tigers.

A couple of years ago, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian had to apologize to fans after his team left the field before “The Eyes of Texas” was played following a loss to Oklahoma State, so this sort of thing isn’t nothing.

We’ll see if Napier addresses it this week.

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The post Many Florida players skip alma mater, heading to locker room after loss at LSU appeared first on Saturday Down South.

In the latest FPI rankings, a pair of Big Ten squads — Oregon and Ohio State — take the top 2 spots. From there, though, the top 25 is SEC-heavy, featuring 12 teams from the conference.

Alabama is the leader for the SEC, checking in at No. 3 this week. Georgia is 1 spot behind, coming in at No. 4 after a thrilling road victory at Tennessee. Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee are also included in the top 10 of the latest FPI update.

Here’s a look at the full FPI top 25:

1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. USC
6. Texas
7. Penn State
8. Ole Miss
9. Tennessee
10. Michigan
11. Miami
12. Mizzou
13. Oklahoma
14. Notre Dame
15. Texas A&M
16. Indiana
17. Nebraska
18. Utah
19. LSU
20. Auburn
21. Vanderbilt
22. BYU
23. Illinois
24. Arkansas
25. TCU

That means there are only 4 SEC teams that aren’t in the top 25 of the latest FPI rankings. Those teams are Florida (No. 28), South Carolina (No. 37), Kentucky (No. 41) and Mississippi State (No. 42).

We’ll see how a fun Week 4 slate changes the FPI rankings this time next week.

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The post ESPN FPI Rankings after Week 3: Big Ten teams claim top 2 spots, Alabama rises appeared first on Saturday Down South.

It was never really a contest.

The only time Louisiana really put a scare into the Mizzou Tigers on Saturday at Faurot Field was in the first quarter when it appeared for a second that the Ragin’ Cajuns had a fumble return for a touchdown.

Upon review, though, the Missouri receiver had broken the plane of the end zone. Mizzou 14, Louisiana 0.

Things just got worse for Louisiana from there. By the time the final whistles blew, the Tigers had a dominant 52-10 victory.

It was another incredible outing for QB Beau Pribula, who amassed 174 yards and 2 touchdowns as a passer and ran for 5 yards and another score. But RB Ahmad Hardy stole the show, running for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Backup RB Jamal Roberts added 46 yards, while third-stringer Marquise Davis ran 20 times for 113 yards and a score while playing most of the second half.

The Tigers improved to 3-0 with the win and will likely rise a couple of spots in the AP Poll on Sunday. Next week, Mizzou welcomes South Carolina to town.

Mizzou 52, Louisiana 10

Here’s the Mizzou-Louisiana box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:

Beau Pribula vs. Daniel Beale

A statistical breakdown of how Mizzou QB Beau Pribula outperformed Louisiana counterpart Daniel Beale:

The post Rapid Reaction: Mizzou runs wild behind Ahmad Hardy, dominates Louisiana appeared first on Saturday Down South.

It’s a big day in the SEC, with the Florida Gators visiting the LSU Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies visiting Notre Dame. The Alabama Crimson Tide host Wisconsin to get the day started.

The College GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit were joined by Tennessee legend Candace Parker to pick winners for the biggest Week 3 games.

Stanford Steve picked South Alabama (+24.5) as his super dog against Auburn. Desmond and Kirk both picked Arkansas (+6.5) at Ole Miss as their super dogs. McAfee picked Texas A&M (+6.5) at Notre Dame as his super dog.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The crew picked the Alabama-Wisconsin against the spread this week. So when Desmond picks Wisconsin, for example, he’s picking the Badgers to cover the 20.5-point spread.

Here’s who the crew picked to win some key SEC battles in Week 3:

Wisconsin at No. 19 Alabama (-20.5)

• Desmond: Wisconsin
• Saban: Alabama
• McAfee: Alabama
• Parker: Alabama
• Herbstreit: Alabama

Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss

• Desmond: Arkansas
• Saban: Ole Miss
• McAfee: Ole Miss
• Parker: Arkansas
• Herbstreit: Arkansas

Vanderbilt at No. 11 South Carolina

• Desmond: South Carolina
• Saban: South Carolina
• McAfee: South Carolina
• Parker: South Carolina
• Herbstreit: Vanderbilt

No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame

• Desmond: Notre Dame
• Saban: Notre Dame
• McAfee: Texas A&M
• Parker: Notre Dame
• Herbstreit: Notre Dame

Florida at No. 3 LSU

• Desmond: LSU
• Saban: LSU
• McAfee: LSU
• Parker: LSU
• Herbstreit: LSU

No. 6 Georgia at No. 15 Tennessee

• Desmond: Georgia
• Saban: Georgia
• McAfee: Tennessee
• Parker: Tennessee
• Herbstreit: No pick (he’s calling the game)

Will the crew be proven right? We’ll see what happens during an exciting Week 3 slate of SEC football!

The post College GameDay crew, Candace Parker make picks for major Week 3 SEC games appeared first on Saturday Down South.

It’s also a great time to win some money playing DFS contests! Each week, our DFS experts — Andrew Olson and Adam Spencer — will provide their top-3 college football picks on Underdog, as well as their 2 best NFL plays.

This week’s picks feature a heavy dose of both current and former SEC stars. Keep reading below to find out who the guys like in Week 3 for college football and Week 2 of the NFL.

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Our Week 3 CFB Picks

Here’s who we like for this intriguing slate of CFB matchups:

Andrew Olson

Germie Bernard, Alabama WR: Higher than 64.5 receiving yards

Last time Bernard went below 65 yards was 60 in the Oklahoma game. In the 4 games since then, he’s gone for 111, 80, 146 and 67. Some might expect Bernard’s production to go down with the return of Ryan Williams, but Week 1 showed that Ty Simpson has established chemistry with the seasoned veteran.

Eugene Wilson, Florida WR: Higher than 4.5 receptions

I’m drawn to this, expecting a few quick passes to go Wilson’s way. With questions about Florida’s pass protection, I expect a few plays where DJ Lagway gets the ball out quickly before the Tigers get to him. Wilson is the ideal target in those situations.

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt QB: Higher than 196.5 pass yards

Pavia is off to quite the start in his extra year of eligibility. In his first 2 games of 2025, Pavia is averaging 10.9 yards per attempt after averaging 7.7 last season. Last year, Vanderbilt had Pavia throw 31 times against the Gamecocks. I’m not expecting 31 passes at 10.9 per attempt, but 200 passing yards feels reachable.

Adam Spencer

Beau Pribula, Mizzou QB: Higher than 0.5 rush+receiving TDs

I don’t expect the Mizzou QB to use his legs a ton in this game, letting RBs Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts handle most of that work. But his ability to run is a major advantage around the goal line. I think he’ll scamper his way to pay dirt at least once against Louisiana.

Gunner Stockton, Georgia QB: Lower than 227.5 pass yards

Tennessee is without its top-2 corners in this matchup, but I just don’t think Stockton has shown the ability to take advantage of that fact yet in his young career. This is his first true road start, too, so we’ll see how he handles Rocky Top. I think Stockton finishes with around 200 yards through the air, coming up comfortably short of this number.

Aaron Anderson, LSU WR: Higher than 72.5 receiving yards

Anderson went for 99 yards against Clemson and 73 yards in LSU’s struggle win against Louisiana Tech last week. I expect the Tigers’ offense to be firing on all cylinders this weekend in a rivalry game against Florida. Anderson has been the LSU WR1 this year and I think that continues with 73+ yards against the Gators.

Our Week 2 NFL Picks

Here’s who we’re backing in the NFL this Sunday:

Andrew Olson

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs QB: Lower than 240.5 pass yards

I feel a bit uncomfortable doubting Mahomes, but this is more about the receiving corps while Xavier Worthy deals with his shoulder injury. The Chiefs are about to face an Eagles defense that limited Dallas to 188 passing yards at 5.5 yards per attempt. I think Philadelphia gets the better of a makeshift receiving corps.

DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers WR: Higher than 64.5 receiving yards

Former team matchups are fun to play since everyone knows the player in question will give something a little extra (even if they won’t admit it). Metcalf got off to a good start with Pittsburgh, logging 83 yards. Even if Seattle keeps that from happening again, there’s plenty of room for Metcalf to still clear 65.

Adam Spencer

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals WR: Higher than 86.5 receiving yards

I’m making both of my picks from the same game, going with a pair of former LSU receivers to shine in the Jacksonville-Cincinnati matchup. Ja’Marr Chase got off to a slow start in Week 1 at Cleveland. In the Bengals’ home opener, I like him to go for more than 100 yards.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars WR: Higher than 67.5 receiving yards

Similarly, Thomas wasn’t much of a factor in the Jaguars’ Week 1 win over the Panthers, as Jaycee Horn shut him down. The Bengals don’t have any corners on Horn’s level, so I’ll take BTJ to post 68+ receiving yards.

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The post DFS Picks of the Week: Our top plays for college and NFL, Sept. 13-14 appeared first on Saturday Down South.

Billy Napier is back on the hot seat at Florida. Mississippi State stunned Arizona State in Starkville. The Border War was everything Mizzou fans could’ve dreamed of. Ole Miss shook off its Kentucky problem.

There was plenty to react to from a busy weekend of SEC football, and there were some massive shakeups in my weekly power rankings.

Let’s dive right in, shall we?

16. Kentucky (1-1 overall, 0-1 in SEC)

• Previous ranking: 16
• This week: 30-23 L to No. 20 Ole Miss
• Next week: vs. Eastern Michigan

Again, Kentucky managed to hang tough against Ole Miss. The Wildcats even took a double-digit lead in this one, managing to force Rebel QB Austin Simmons into a pair of interceptions. However, they couldn’t hold onto the lead in the second half. The Wildcats will get a bounce-back win against Eastern Michigan (most likely), but there’s not a ton to like about Mark Stoops‘ squad this year.

15. Arkansas (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 14
• This week: 56-14 W over Arkansas State
• Next week: at Ole Miss

The Razorbacks fall back a spot here because I needed to move Mississippi State up a couple of spots following the win over Arizona State (more on that later). Taylen Green continues to impress for Arkansas, but the Hogs haven’t really faced a major test yet. That changes this weekend when they head to Oxford to take on the Rebels to kick off SEC play.

14. Florida (1-1, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 5
• This week: 18-16 L to USF
• Next week: at LSU

Yeah… that was a disaster for Billy Napier. The defense played fine. When you hold a team to 18 points on your home turf, you should win. This offense is a mess. What happened to the offensive line and rushing attack that were supposed to be strengths even if DJ Lagway took some time to get his feet under him? The Gators are lost right now and it comes at a terrible time, as Florida is about to go from an easy mode schedule to Heisman mode in the coming weeks.

13. Mississippi State (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 15
• This week: 24-20 W over No. 12 Arizona State
• Next week: vs. Alcorn State

With a win over Alcorn State this weekend, Mississippi State will eclipse its win total from 2025. The win over Arizona State was electric. The Sun Devils weren’t ready for Starkville. Credit to Jeff Lebby for making this Bulldogs squad a tough one to play in Year 2.

12. Alabama (1-1, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 12
• This week: 73-0 W over Louisiana-Monroe
• Next week: vs. Wisconsin

It was good to see Alabama show some fight in this one and take care of business, but really, how impressed are we supposed to be with a win over Louisiana-Monroe? Beating Wisconsin at home this weekend will be a little bit more impressive, but I’m not willing to make any overarching statements about the Crimson Tide until SEC play begins.

11. Auburn (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 11
• This week: 42-3 W over Ball State
• Next week: vs. South Alabama

It was a nice home win for Auburn, but Ball State might be the worst team at the FBS level this year. Seriously, the Cardinals are terrible. However, at this point in the year, it’s all about building confidence for the Tigers, and they did just that on Saturday.

10. South Carolina (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 7
• This week: 38-10 W over South Carolina State
• Next week: vs. Vanderbilt

If Vicari Swain wasn’t the best punt returner to ever live, we might be having a very different conversation about the South Carolina Gamecocks this week. Mike Shula was a questionable hire this offseason and he hasn’t done anything to ease fans’ discomfort. This offense is putrid, even with a Heisman candidate at QB in LaNorris Sellers. The Gamecocks are at real risk of losing to Vanderbilt to start SEC play this weekend.

9. Vanderbilt (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 13
• This week: 44-20 W at Virginia Tech
• Next week: at South Carolina

What a dominant second-half showing for Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores. I’m bumping them up a bit here for going on the road and beating a Power 4 foe. Now they catch South Carolina at a very interesting time, as the Gamecocks’ offense has been atrocious to start the season. Things could get very interesting in Columbia, South Carolina, this weekend.

8. Texas A&M (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 6
• This week: 44-22 W over Utah State
• Next week: at Notre Dame

The Texas A&M Aggies keep taking care of business, but they’ve gotten off to slow starts in both games thus far. Letting teams like UTSA and Utah State hang around for a while isn’t a good sign. If the Aggies can’t get off to a strong start this week in South Bend, things could get ugly against Notre Dame.

7. Mizzou (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 10
• This week: 42-31 W over Kansas
• Next week: vs. Louisiana

Mizzou should have been ranked last week. Mizzou should be higher than No. 25 in this week’s AP Poll. I don’t know what Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers have done to poll voters, but the disrespect has to stop. The Tigers scored a huge rivalry victory over Kansas in the return of the Border War this week. It was a masterful performance from transfer QB Beau Pribula, transfer RB Ahmad Hardy and transfer WR Kevin Coleman Jr. Drinkwitz knows how to use the portal, y’all.

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6. Oklahoma (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 9
• This week: 24-13 W over No. 15 Michigan
• Next week: at Temple

Yes, you read that right — at Temple. The Oklahoma Sooners, fresh off an exciting home win over No. 15 Michigan in front of a College GameDay crowd, now head to Philadelphia for some reason to take on a horrible Owls squad. Chalk this one up as one of the weirdest SEC games of the year. At least Temple fans will get to see Heisman Trophy contender John Mateer in action.

5. Ole Miss (2-0, 1-0)

• Previous ranking: 4
• This week: 30-23 W at Kentucky
• Next week: vs. Arkansas

The Rebels officially sit atop the SEC standings as we enter Week 3, due to the fact that Ole Miss has the only SEC victory thus far. It wasn’t pretty in Lexington, but games in Lexington rarely are, especially for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss. The good news? Kewan Lacy is the real deal at running back. The bad news? Austin Simmons still has a long way to go to be the quarterback most folks think he can be.

4. Tennessee (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 8
• This week: 72-12 W over ETSU
• Next week: vs. Georgia

I apologize to Tennessee fans. I was a bit slow to come around on the Vols. Josh Heupel has another elite rushing attack and defense. Joey Aguilar looks like he can at least be a play maker for this offense and do things that Nico Iamaleava couldn’t. This will be a tough weekend for the Vols, as rival Georgia comes to town. But don’t be surprised if this game is one that can go either way in the 4th quarter.

3. Texas (1-1, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 3
• This week: 38-7 W over San Jose State
• Next week: vs. UTEP

We can debate all we want about how good Arch Manning is, but the fact of the matter is that Texas has a great defense and a strong rushing attack. Manning at least showed that he can make plays wit his arm this week against an overmatched SJSU squad. He needs to develop some more consistency, sure, but he has a couple more easier tests he can ace before SEC play starts.

2. Georgia (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 2
• This week: 28-6 W over Austin Peay
• Next week: at Tennessee

With the kickoff time moved and the game being delayed at halftime due to weather, it’s tough to take too much away from this performance. Georgia survived and advanced, which is all you can do when circumstances like that present themselves. Now, though, the real tests begin. Kirby Smart and company head to Rocky Top for a major rivalry game against Tennessee. We’ll learn a lot about where the Bulldogs stand this year in that one.

1. LSU (2-0, 0-0)

• Previous ranking: 1
• This week: 23-7 W over Louisiana Tech
• Next week: vs. Florida

This was a rather pedestrian effort from the LSU Tigers. It seems as if they maybe weren’t taking this game as seriously as they should have after a big-time road win over Clemson. Still, the result was never in doubt. Now Brian Kelly and company are 2-0 and catch a reeling Florida squad at a good time. Going 3-0 would be huge for LSU in its push for the Playoff.

The post SEC Power Rankings after Week 2 appeared first on Saturday Down South.