Week 10 was statement Saturday in the SEC. Several of the league's top teams met with a chance to add to their resumes. For some, CFP hopes were on the line.
Alabama walked into Baton Rouge as a 6.5-point underdog and came away with an 18-point win over LSU. The victory essentially clinched a playoff bid for Kalen DeBoer's squad, who should coast with an easy remaining schedule.
On the other side, LSU's playoff hopes hang by a thread. At 6-3 with two more top-10 teams to play, LSU must win out to earn an at-large invite to the dance. And even then, LSU still needs some help.
In Oxford, Georgia laid it on Ole Miss. Georgia raced out to a 35-0 lead and left no doubt. That meant something for the Dawgs after Ole Miss ended their season in the CFP
last year.
Here's what we learned from an impactful Saturday across the SEC.
Alabama is a national title contender
Alabama looked like a juggernaut in September. The Crimson Tide were red hot to begin the year, steamrolling opponents. Then the injuries piled up as Bama lost key players like Ryan Coleman-Williams and Racin Delgatty.
Well, Alabama got Coleman-Williams and Delgatty back on the field on Saturday, and the Crimson Tide looked the part.
Alabama walked into Death Valley as a 6.5-point underdog and beat LSU by three scores. The Tide scored 21 unanswered points to throttle LSU in the second half. When this Crimson Tide team is at its best, it's a top-three team in college football. Keelon Russell makes plays, and the defense knows when to turn it on.
Alabama should coast into the playoff with a manageable remaining schedule.
Noise will build around Lane Kiffin and LSU
Lane Kiffin made a dramatic exit from Ole Miss last year, jumping to rival LSU with a vision of competing for a national title. LSU spent big to land Kiffin, and it spent big to give him a talented roster, signing the top-ranked transfer portal class in the nation.
On Saturday, LSU lost to Alabama at home, dropping to 6-3 as its College Football Playoff hopes took a significant hit. According to The Athletic, LSU's playoff odds are now 30%. It's not over, but meaningful postseason play is looking unlikely. The remaining schedule isn't easy: Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas.
The Tigers face two top-10 teams over the next two weeks. If they play as they did against Alabama in those contests, they risk a five-loss season. That's well short of preseason expectations. When LSU signed Sam Leavitt, the portal's top-ranked QB, along with a handful of impact players, the goal was to contend.
But so far, LSU hasn't beaten a good team. The Tigers were competitive with Alabama in the first half before Kalen DeBoer's Crimson Tide dropped the clutch, scoring 21 unanswered points to win 31-13. LSU's offensive line wasn't up to the task; Leavitt was inconsistent, and the defense allowed untimely big plays.
Don't count out the Longhorns yet
Monday Morning Highlights - Mizzou edition ☕🎥 pic.twitter.com/6oM9rbjeHy
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) November 9, 2026
Texas made a point on Saturday. A Longhorn team decimated by injuries to difference makers went on the road and beat a ranked Missouri team. The public has written off Texas at multiple points this season. And at times, for good reason. This offense isn't as consistent as it should be, and Texas' two losses, to Oklahoma and Florida, were bad ones.
But don't count the Longhorns out yet. At 7-2, Texas has several resume-building wins, including a Week 2 win over a healthy Ohio State team.
Texas' offense made just enough plays to get the job done in Week 10. Texas' first score of the day came on a well-timed screen to RB Derek Cooper, who followed his blockers 24 yards for a touchdown. In the second half, Arch Manning found Jermaine Bishop from 25 yards out and, not long after, Manning found Raleek Brown for a 23-yard score.
All three scores were Texas finding the right play when it had the chance to score. The Longhorns were good on third down, too. We haven't seen Texas play situational football consistently well this year. Seeing Manning and Co. take advantage of their opportunities is a positive sign for this group.
Texas should be viewed as a national title contender as we head down the stretch of the regular season.
Georgia is the best team in College Football
Georgia flexed its muscles on Saturday. Georgia's win at Ole Miss was the most complete performance we've seen in the SEC this year, on the road against a top-10-ranked team.
In a year of parity, Georgia is starting to separate from the pack. Georgia racked up 481 yards of total offense, averaged 12.4 yards per pass, and 6.1 yards per run in Oxford. Brutal efficiency. Georgia was up 28-0 before you could blink. This game wasn't competitive.
The Georgia defensive front was swarming, pressuring Trinidad Chambliss all night. This performance reminded me of Georgia's defense in 2021-22, when the Dawgs won back-to-back national titles. Perhaps Georgia is on that path again this year.
Georgia should be ranked No. 1 when the new CFP rankings come out on Tuesday night.
Kentucky is not a legitimate contender
Kentucky entered Week 10 with a 7-1 record in its first year under Will Stein. Over the first eight weeks, the Wildcats found ways to win close games as Stein built a case for coach of the year. That case is still pretty strong, and UK's progress is undeniable, but Saturday's blowout loss at Tennessee revealed a few major flaws.
Kentucky's offense isn't good enough to score points in adverse game states. When Kentucky has a lead or the game is close, the Cats can run the ball and stay on schedule. But when Kentucky falls behind and is forced to move the ball through the air, the offense isn't up to the task.
Kentucky has struggled in obvious passing situations all year, and the problem continued on Saturday night.
Kentucky is a good story and remains a playoff dark horse, but it doesn't look like a team capable of making noise once there.
College Football Playoff odds for SEC teams
Odds from FanDuel
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: SEC Week 10 Takeaways: LSU Playoff Hopes Fade as Alabama, Georgia Surge
