Alabama
Arkansas
Kentucky
LSU
Missouri
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Texas A&M
LEAD STORY: Missouri Looks to End Long Drought Against Texas A&M
Missouri comes into this weekend's home game against Texas A&M with momentum after last week's upset of Florida. The Tigers are 3.5-point favorites, according to a Mizzou-focused preview carried by the RSS Aggregator. Missouri has not beaten the Aggies since a 34-27 win in 2014, and the preview's staff made it clear they see this as the year that streak should end.
Quarterback Austin Simmons is the main reason for the optimism. He has opened the 2026 season with five straight games without an interception. The preview notes that only two other Missouri quarterbacks this century have done that: Brad Smith in 2003 and Brady Cook in 2023. If Simmons gets through Saturday without a pick, he will be the first Missouri quarterback this century to start a season with six straight interception-free games. Against Florida, Simmons hit Caleb Goodie for a wide-open 31-yard touchdown. Blake Craig then made a 50-yard field goal for a 20-10 halftime lead, and Jamal Roberts scored a touchdown to open the third quarter. The preview's writers called that roughly seven-minute stretch the turning point of the game.
Texas A&M arrives with losses to LSU and Kentucky, and the preview points to problems in the trenches. The Aggies allowed the fewest sacks in the SEC last season and ranked near the top in pressure. In 2026 they have the fewest sacks in the conference and are tied for eighth in sacks allowed. Quarterback Marcel Reed has not matched his 2025 form, and Mario Craver has not filled the No. 1 receiver role the way the preview's writers hoped. Missouri's defense is banged up, though, and containing Reed when he escapes the pocket will be key. All four staff picks went to Missouri, with scores ranging from 30-23 to 36-31.
QUICK HITS
- Harper on Bama and Georgia: Speaking to ESPN, Roman Harper praised No. 6 Alabama's defensive growth, pointing to its maturity across a young and diverse group of contributors. He also highlighted how smoothly No. 2 Georgia's offense is running heading into this weekend's game in Tuscaloosa.
- Ole Miss Rifle Hosts Top-10 Field: The No. 5 Ole Miss rifle team returns Saturday at 8 a.m. CT, hosting No. 4 Nebraska and No. 10 Memphis at the Ole Miss Rifle Center.
- Vols Baseball Opens Fall Slate: Tennessee baseball begins its fall exhibition schedule Sunday at 4 p.m. CT against Troy, a 2026 Men's College World Series team, at First Horizon Park in Nashville.
- Georgia Mourns Griff Moody: Former Georgia men's golf All-American Griff Moody, the 1979 SEC Golfer of the Year, died this week in Athens. He was 68.
- Softball's Olympic Road: D1Softball reports that the WBSC has announced the 2028 Olympic qualifying schedule. Three continental qualifiers in fall 2027 will decide half of the Olympic field.
PORTAL WATCH
The transfer portal was quiet over the last 12 hours, with no new activity involving SEC programs. The only portal-related news came from outside the conference: CBS Sports reports that USC receiver Terrell Anderson, a major offseason portal addition, will have season-ending surgery.
RECRUITING BUZZ
No SEC commitments were reported in this window. Elsewhere, ESPN reports that guard Avery Arije, a 6-foot left-hander and the No. 16 prospect in the 2027 SC Next 100, committed to Notre Dame Friday. He is the third pledge in the Irish's 2027 class.
GAMES TO WATCH
All seven games this weekend are conference matchups:
- Georgia at Alabama: The headliner. No. 2 Georgia's offense meets a No. 6 Alabama defense that is still developing.
- Texas A&M at Missouri: Missouri is favored by 3.5 points, while Texas A&M is trying to avoid its third loss.
- Texas at Oklahoma: The Red River rivalry.
- South Carolina at Florida: Florida tries to recover from last week's loss at Missouri.
- LSU at Kentucky: LSU visits Lexington to face a Kentucky team that already owns a win over Texas A&M.
- Tennessee at Arkansas
- Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
Check school and conference listings for kickoff times and TV networks, which had not been confirmed in the data available for this report.
