The halfway mark of the college football season is approaching, which means teams are heading into the bulk of the conference play. The Southeastern Conference continues to make its impact, with nine teams ranked in the Top-25 AP Poll. Major switches have occurred throughout the season and will continue to shake projections made at the beginning of the 2025-26 season.
Top teams in the SEC
Out of the bye week, the No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels are undefeated and remain the highest-ranked team in the SEC. In their most recent win against No. 11 LSU on Sept. 27, the Rebels had 480 total offensive yards. Senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 314 passing yards and a touchdown.
Just behind the Rebels is No. 5 Texas A&M. The Aggies are 5-0 in the season, with conference wins against Auburn and Mississippi State. Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko spoke on the team's performance in the game against Mississippi State last Saturday.
"Proud of our guys, thought we came out tonight with the right energy and the right mentality to stay consistent and keep this (game) moving forward," Elko said.
The No. 6 Oklahoma is another top-10 SEC team, with a 5-0 record after a conference win against the Auburn Tigers. The Sooners are now 5-0 in the season with a conference win against the Auburn Tigers.
The Sooners currently have the No. 1-ranked defense in the SEC, with only 33 points allowed through the last five games played. The Sooners will face their “Red-River Rivals,” the Texas Longhorns, this Saturday for the second conference matchup of the season.
“It’s a big game like it always is, has been for 100 years,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said. “The emotion that goes into that game, the intensity and the environment, that's a great setting.”
Since its loss against Florida State, the No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide has won four straight games, most recently against No. 20 Vanderbilt last Saturday. In Alabama's win against the Commodores, redshirt junior quarterback Ty Simpson finished with 340 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. On the other side of the ball, redshirt senior linebacker Justin Jefferson had 14 total tackles along with a sack, a tackle-for-loss and a forced fumble to end the night.
No. 10 Georgia is 4-1 after its win last Saturday against Kentucky, 35-14. Redshirt junior quarterback Gunner Stockton threw for 15 completions, 196 yards and a touchdown, as well as two rushing touchdowns.
The No. 11 LSU Tigers are coming off a bye week and stand at 4-1 with a conference win against the Florida Gators. So far in the 2025-26 season, fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has thrown for 1,159 yards and seven touchdowns.
“As our offense was starting to get in sync, our defense now had been exposed too long,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said. “That’s the disappointing part, is that we just haven’t been able to play consistent football.”
The No. 12 Tennessee Volunteers are 1-1 in the conference after a win against Mississippi State and an overtime loss against Georgia. Ahead of week seven, Tennessee has the No. 1 offense in terms of scoring, with 225 points. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said the Volunteers are using the bye week to prepare for their matchup against Arkansas.
"There's a lot of things that we can do a lot better, and that's in every phase of the game, but certainly offensively and special teams," Heupel said. "Whether you win or lose, it's dealing with what the reality of it is and how do you get better."
The No. 14 Missouri Tigers, currently undefeated at 5-0, lead the SEC in total yards of offense with 2,738. Missouri will play Alabama this Saturday at home for its second conference game of the season.
The No. 20 Vanderbilt Commodores sit at 5-1 after their loss against the Crimson Tide. The Commodores are slated to play six straight conference matchups to the end the season. Vanderbilt will pick back up with a home game against LSU on Oct. 18.
Difference makers in the SEC
Oklahoma redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer continues to lead the conference in passing with an average of 303.75 passing yards per game. He has a total of 1,215 yards and six touchdowns so far this season.
Mateer broke his hand in the game against Auburn and underwent surgery, which was announced on Sept. 23. The date of his return in the season is not set.
Missouri sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy leads the conference in rushing with 730 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He averages 146 rushing yards per game. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said he did not expect the impact Hardy would have on the team's atmosphere.
"I think that's been a real attribute to bringing us all together, really in the locker room in general," Drinkwitz said.
Texas A&M sophomore wide receiver Mario Craver, a Mississippi State transfer, leads the conference in receiving with 557 yards and four touchdowns. Tennessee redshirt sophomore wide receiver Chris Brazzell ll is in second, with 531 yards receiving with seven touchdowns.
Tennessee junior linebacker Arion Carter leads the SEC in tackles with 49 total tackles, 17 solo and 32 assisted. Texas A&M redshirt senior defensive end Cashius Howell, a Bowling Green transfer, leads the conference in tackles for loss, with eight, and sacks, with seven.
What's Next?
The South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2), (1-3) will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to play the No. 11 LSU Tigers (4-1), (1-1) on Oct. 11. Kickoff is at 7:45 and will be streamed on SEC Network.