Every now and then, we get a weekend that reminds us that college football is special. We're reminded why so many people, in every corner of the country, hold this sport close. With all the hand-wringing about playoff expansion, reports of college football's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
For the second week in a row, we saw an SEC team ranked No. 1 in the nation fall to an unranked squad as Auburn upset Georgia in Athens.
It was No. 1 Texas falling to Oklahoma the prior week, and the Longhorns didn't do much to right the ship on Saturday, losing at home to Florida as a double-digit favorite. Suddenly, the heat is turned up in Austin as Texas is on the brink of missing the College Football Playoff.
In Knoxville, Tennessee's defense delivered,
downing Alabama. The Crimson Tide haven't won in Neyland since 2020, and now they've lost three in a row there.
A couple of ranked vs. ranked games ended in blowouts. LSU took care of Mississippi State, shutting out the Kamario Taylor-less Bulldogs 31-0. Ole Miss throttled Missouri, making a statement at home.
Tennessee's defense is dominant, but is it good enough to carry the Vols to the playoff?
Final: Tennessee 26, Alabama 10
Tennessee hired national championship-winning defensive coordinator Jim Knowles in the offseason, hoping Knowles' track record of building elite defenses would carry to Knoxville. But Alabama was coming to town, and the Vols hadn't faced an offense with Alabama's firepower. It didn't matter — Tennessee posted its best defensive performance of the year vs. the Tide.
Facing one of the best offenses in the SEC, Tennessee's defense turned in a work of art. Tennessee held Alabama to a 32.7% success rate and an EPA/play of -0.230. Both were among the best marks in SEC games this year. Tennessee's havoc rate of 32.7% was the best mark seen in an SEC game this year.
Tennessee defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam is making a case for SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Per PFF, Gilliam is the nation's top-graded defensive lineman. He leads all SEC defensive tackles with 24 pressures and all defensive tackles in the sport with 21 stops. There's not a player in the SEC who can block him right now.
Xavier Gilliam is a beat. Carroll is a pretty good RG, and Gilliam caves him in to collapse the OL and sheds the block to make a stop. pic.twitter.com/6iowYELylQ
— Will Rosenblatt (@rozenwill) October 19, 2026
Despite the elite defense, it's hard to label Tennessee a national title contender. The offense acquitted itself well on Saturday, doing what it needed to do vs. a good Alabama defense, but concerns remain. Tennessee can run the ball, and the OL gets push in the run game, but pass protection is a question mark. The quarterback position is a concern, too. George MacIntyre can manage the game, but he can't do much more, at least right now.
Tennessee's remaining schedule isn't easy. Next up, the Vols travel to South Carolina to face a Gamecock team coming off a bye. MacIntyre will have to prove that he can go on the road and win.
2. The Texas Longhorns have some problems
Final: Florida 27, Texas 24
If it wasn't evident after Texas lost to Oklahoma, it is now. The Longhorns have some problems. Texas was further exposed, losing to Florida at home. Once again, a lackluster offensive outing doomed the Longhorns.
Florida's front seven had its way with the Texas offensive line. Arch Manning was under constant pressure as Florida's blitzes and stunts found their way into the backfield. Texas allowed five sacks, which is especially concerning after the Longhorns allowed six at Tennessee a few weeks ago. The Gator defense had a beat on the Texas run game, too. Florida DC Brad White was dialed in, sending linebackers through gaps the Texas OL had no answer for. Florida was quicker than Texas, and Texas was slow to react.
Manning deserves some of the blame, too. A week after Manning was too aggressive, he played timidly, holding on to the ball and not taking big plays when they were there.
Texas ranks 106th in EPA/play and 72nd in success rate. That's well below what many expected when Manning returned, Ryan Wingo returned, Texas won the Cam Coleman sweepstakes, and the program invested heavily in the offensive line.
Texas' playoff chances are in question now. Yes, the Longhorns have a win over Ohio State, but Texas has two losses to teams that were unranked at the time. Texas hosts Ole Miss in Week 8, and if the Horns offense continues to sputter, the season will be over before the calendar flips to November.
3. Alex Golesh gets a signature win for Auburn, but Georgia will be fine
Final: Auburn 27, Georgia 24
Kirby Smart teams don't lose games like that often. Usually, when Georgia loses, it's to another title contender. The Dawgs have let teams of Auburn's caliber hang around, but they usually find a way to win late. On Saturday, Auburn found a way to win, knocking off No. 1 Georgia in Athens.
Fourteen of Auburn's 27 points came on key first-half touchdown drives. Auburn went down 14-0, but responded and took a 17-14 lead into the half.
Golesh proved he was ready to meet the moment. Down 14-0, after a couple of Byrum Brown runs put Auburn in scoring position, the Tigers went for it on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive alive. A few plays later, Auburn dialed up a trick play for its first touchdown of the day.
Auburn's offensive line showed up. The Tigers earned a handful of chunk runs to keep drives on schedule and avoid obvious passing situations. Auburn played to its identity — run the ball, lean on the QB run game, and have a checkdown-or-touchdown mentality in the passing game.
As for Georgia, I'm not worried about the Dawgs. Georgia turned the ball over three times and committed costly penalties. As Kirby Smart said after the game, Georgia beat Georgia. The underlying stats suggest Georgia played well — Georgia finished with a success rate over 50% and an explosive play rate over 25%. Both are elite numbers. Georgia remains a national title contender, despite the Week 7 loss.
4. Sam Leavitt finally plays a clean game
Final: LSU 31, Mississippi State 0
LSU took care of business. Facing a shorthanded Mississippi State team, the Tigers made quick work of the Bulldogs. LSU QB Sam Leavitt finally played a clean game, turning the ball over zero times. Leavitt was 31 of 38 for 289 yards and four touchdowns.
Yes, Leavitt has had turnover issues this year, but he looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. Leavitt is the top-graded QB in the SEC, per PFF, and LSU leads the SEC in passing-down success rate. That's significant because quarterbacks can't hide in obvious passing situations. When an offense finds success on passing downs, it's usually because the QB is good enough to carry the offense.
Leavitt continues to look more comfortable every week, and the LSU quarterback is poised for a massive second half.
5. Is Ole Miss back on track?
Final: Ole Miss 31, Missouri 3
Ole Miss earned a massive win over LSU in Week 3, but looked like a completely different team at Florida in Week 4. Ole Miss went into the bye week with questions, but came out with answers. Ole Miss throttled Vanderbilt in Week 6 before blowing out a ranked Missouri team in Week 7.
Ole Miss dominated in the trenches. Ole Miss had its best rushing performance of the season while holding Missouri to its worst rushing performance of the season. If the Ole Miss defense can keep this up, given what the Rebels have on the offensive side, Pete Golding's squad is a national title contender.
6. Kentucky finds a way to win again
Final: Kentucky 21, Oklahoma 13
Well, Oklahoma just felt the wrath of John Mateer
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) October 18, 2026
Kentucky takes the interception to the house for an 8-point lead, with 1:15 remaining. Woof pic.twitter.com/RqaKtqb7Zv
Kentucky keeps being underestimated, and Will Stein's group keeps proving people wrong. The Wildcats were nearly a touchdown underdog at Oklahoma, but Kentucky got the job done again.
Of course, it helps when Oklahoma throws four interceptions. Kentucky's defense keeps finding ways to force turnovers while the offense protects the ball. I don't know if it's sustainable, but in the meantime, that's a good way to win football games.
At 6-1, Kentucky has to be considered a playoff contender in Stein's first year. The remaining schedule gives Kentucky an opportunity to make some noise.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: SEC Week 7 Takeaways: Tennessee dominates as Texas tumbles
