LEAD STORY: AP Preseason Poll Drops — SEC Places Nine Teams, Georgia Tops the League
The AP Preseason Top 25 arrived Monday, and the SEC's footprint is unmistakable: nine conference teams made the cut, with Georgia leading the league at No. 3 behind Ohio State and Oregon. Notre Dame, Texas, Indiana, and Miami round out the top seven, with Texas checking in at No. 5. Notably, Georgia and Texas are the only two of those top seven programs that did not receive a first-place vote.
The SEC's ranked contingent runs deep: Texas A&M at No. 8, Ole Miss at No. 9, Oklahoma at No. 10, and LSU at No. 11 give the conference five teams inside the top 11. Missouri claimed the No. 25 spot — just the 12th preseason AP ranking in program history, per Eli Hoff, joining a list that includes the 2008 team that started No. 6. The Tigers' schedule shows exactly why the poll matters in Columbia: Mizzou faces five of the AP's top 10 — No. 8 Texas A&M (Oct. 10), at No. 9 Ole Miss (Oct. 17), No. 5 Texas (Nov. 7), at No. 3 Georgia (Nov. 14), and No. 10 Oklahoma (Nov. 28).
The fan response in Columbia has matched the preseason buzz — Missouri announced season tickets are sold out for the third consecutive year ahead of the Sept. 3 opener.
QUICK HITS
Kobe Black shines at safety in first Texas scrimmage. The junior and former consensus five-star moved from cornerback to safety this offseason, and Texas's head coach said the 6'2, 202-pounder "had a heck of a scrimmage" Saturday — including an open-field stop on running back Raleek Brown, who forced 55 missed tackles and gained 607 yards after contact last season at Arizona State. Per Pro Football Focus, Black has missed just two tackles in two seasons at Texas (a 7.1 percent missed tackle rate), and his man-coverage background gives the Longhorns' back end real position flexibility.
Walter Camp watch list heavy on SEC talent. Texas placed four players on the Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list: quarterback Arch Manning, wide receiver Cam Coleman, edge rusher Colin Simmons, and linebacker Rasheem Biles. Georgia landed two of its own — sophomore defensive back Ellis Robinson IV and senior quarterback Gunner Stockton.
Kentucky basketball's summer chemistry is real. After a bonding retreat to Eastern Kentucky, new big men Franck Kepnang and Ousmane N'Diaye pointed to a team session sharing each player's "why" as the summer highlight. N'Diaye, a 22-year-old who has played professionally across Europe, called it "the best weekend I've ever had." Meanwhile, A Sea of Blue's surprise-player candidates for 2026-27 include freshman guard Mason Williams, Washington State transfer Jerone Morton — who won Kentucky's summer leaderboard — and redshirt freshman Braydon Hawthorne.
Georgia leans into the White Out. The Bulldogs are encouraging fans to wear white for the Western Kentucky game, a tune-up ahead of the Oklahoma matchup, and longtime radio voice Jeff Dantzler returns to the football broadcast this season. Reporting from DawgNation pegged Georgia's roster spend at just under $40 million — deliberately below the sport's top spending tier.
Mizzou's fall sports are rolling too. First-team All-SEC left tackle Cayden Green — who posted an 89.6 pass-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus in 2025 — anchors a retooled offensive line, and Missouri volleyball swept Drake in its exhibition opener.
PORTAL WATCH
No transfer portal activity to report over the last 12 hours. Worth noting from Austin: Texas junior Kobe Black, who once flirted with a portal entrance, instead stayed put, switched positions, and looks like one of camp's early winners.
RECRUITING BUZZ
A quiet cycle on the commitment front, though per Rocky Top Talk, Tennessee landed a commitment from 2028 four-star quarterback Kaden Craft. In Texas, 247Sports reports that Geraci Carson, Mississippi's top prospect in the 2028 class, has seven schools standing out as he plans game-day visits this fall.
GAMES TO WATCH
No games are scheduled today. Georgia soccer hosts a match at Sanford Stadium this week — gates open at 6 p.m. EDT, with entry through Gate 1 on Sanford Drive, Gate 2 at the northwest stair tower, and Gate 4 at Reed Plaza. Football season openers are on the horizon, with Missouri kicking off Sept. 3.
