Alabama
Auburn
Florida
Kentucky
Miss State
Ole Miss
South Carolina
Texas A&M
Vanderbilt
LEAD STORY: A Loaded SEC Saturday Opens in Starkville
Week 5's biggest SEC game kicks off early. No. 7 Alabama visits No. 16 Mississippi State at 11:00 a.m. CT on ABC, and Davis Wade Stadium should be full for another top-25 game. FanDuel Sportsbook, as cited by Rock M Nation, has the Crimson Tide as 5.5-point road favorites. Mississippi State has been one of the surprise stories of the season, and Kamario Taylor is a big reason why. The Bulldogs held off Missouri last week, stopping the Tigers' final drive. Rock M Nation's panel noted that Missouri kept Taylor quiet for long stretches of that game. Alabama has passed every test so far, and if the Tide jump out early, Taylor will have to play from behind. Mississippi State has already posted its digital game day guide for the matchup.
Over in Columbia, No. 24 Kentucky at South Carolina (3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network) has bigger stakes than a midseason conference game usually does. The Gamecocks are 2-2 and 0-2 in SEC play after finishing 1-7 in the league in 2025. South Carolina is a 2.5-point favorite at Williams-Brice anyway. Kentucky arrives confident after beating Texas A&M at Kyle Field on September 19.
The matchup echoes October 4, 2014. That night Kentucky came back from 38-24 down in the fourth quarter to beat South Carolina 45-38. Jojo Kemp ran for three touchdowns out of the Wildcat formation, and Bud Dupree returned an interception 6 yards for the winning score. That win started a run of five straight Kentucky victories in the series. This time the roles are flipped: South Carolina badly needs a breakthrough win, and Kentucky wants to deny it one. All four Rock M Nation panelists who made a pick took the Wildcats.
QUICK HITS
- Florida Swimming & Diving beat Kentucky again and is now a combined 31-0 all-time against the Wildcats.
- Georgia women's tennis: Sophomore Patricija Paukstyte won twice Friday at the Battle in the Bay Classic in San Francisco. She reached the semifinals in both singles and doubles.
- Mississippi State lost to Texas on Friday night in its first match at Gregory Gymnasium.
- Kentucky's Clara Strack is coming off a strong junior season and says she is excited to lead a Wildcats roster she calls "a team full of shooters," with new faces adding energy.
- Tennessee Track & Field released its 2026-27 schedule: 14 indoor meets from December through March and nine outdoor meets from March through June. The only home meet is at Tom Black Track.
- Florida Softball: Gators softball's head coach was named an assistant for the USA Softball U-18 Women's National Team at the WBSC U-18 Women's Pan American Championship in El Salvador. Current Gator Shayla Bahr will also be with the team.
- Missouri Women's Golf heads to the OU Intercollegiate.
PORTAL WATCH
The transfer portal was quiet over the last 12 hours, with no new moves involving SEC programs.
RECRUITING BUZZ
No new commitments came in overnight. Recruiting attention shifts to official and game-day visits during this weekend's home schedules.
GAMES TO WATCH
No. 7 Alabama (-5.5) at No. 16 Mississippi State — 11:00 a.m. CT, ABC. The early window has a lot riding on it. If Mississippi State wins, it becomes a real contender in the SEC. Alabama wants to stay unbeaten in big games.
Vanderbilt at Georgia — It's Homecoming in Athens. The Commodores finish a two-game road trip, and their key question is true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis. ESPN's Pete Thamel reports Curtis was limited in practice all week but got through Friday's walk-through without issue. He will try to play, with a final call after a pregame evaluation. For Georgia, Nate Frazier and Isaiah Canion are listed as questionable, and outside linebacker Chase Linton has been upgraded to probable. The Bulldogs play in Tuscaloosa next week.
No. 8 Florida (-4.5) at No. 25 Missouri — 2:30 p.m. CT, ABC. Missouri hosts Homecoming after last week's narrow loss in Starkville. Florida is coming off a dominant win over Ole Miss, but it nearly lost at Auburn in its first road game. Jadan Baugh leads a Gators offense that worries Rock M Nation's panel, which split on the pick.
Auburn at No. 17 Tennessee (-7.5) — 2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN. Tennessee is back at Neyland Stadium after a home loss to Texas. This is only Auburn's second road game of the season.
No. 24 Kentucky at South Carolina (-2.5) — 3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network. Kentucky can win a second straight SEC road game. South Carolina needs a win to keep its season from slipping away.
