SEC Morning Report: Ole Miss-Texas Headlines a Loaded Saturday as Bishop's Breakout Rolls On

LEAD STORY: No. 7 Ole Miss Visits No. 19 Texas With Playoff Stakes on Both Sidelines

The marquee game of Week 8 lands in Austin tonight, where No. 7 Ole Miss faces No. 19 Texas at 6:30 PM CT on ABC with the Longhorns favored by 3.5. The Rebels arrive riding high after a 31-3 dismantling of Missouri, and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is firmly in Heisman contention with Ole Miss sitting in the top 10. A road win would move the Rebels up the rankings while dealing a potentially fatal blow to the postseason hopes of Texas and quarterback Arch Manning, after the Longhorns dropped back-to-back heartbreakers.

The undercard features one of the sport's hottest players. Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop rushed for over 150 yards and two touchdowns in last Saturday's upset of Alabama, pushing his season totals past 800 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns through seven weeks. Today the No. 11 Volunteers travel to South Carolina — a Gamecocks team that upset Florida on the road two weeks ago and, notably, sits as a 2.5-point home favorite. If South Carolina can slow Bishop down, it can win this game; so far this season, nobody has consistently managed it. Kickoff is 2:30 PM CT on ESPN.

Alabama, meanwhile, gets a chance to steady itself. The No. 13 Crimson Tide host Texas A&M at 2:30 PM CT on ABC as 13.5-point favorites, coming off the loss in Knoxville and needing a response in Tuscaloosa.

QUICK HITS

• Florida's Skye Blakely makes gymnastics history. The junior won the world all-around title, becoming the first gymnast to compete collegiately and win a world all-around championship in the same calendar year.
• Alabama swimmers rewrite the record book. Cadence Vincent and Gaby Van Brunt both broke Crimson Tide program records at Friday's College Swimming League match in Athens, where Alabama finished second.
• Mississippi State volleyball stays perfect at home. The Bulldogs swept Oklahoma 3-0 to remain undefeated on their own floor.
• Alabama soccer edges Tennessee. The No. 7 Crimson Tide scored twice in the second half to beat the Volunteers 2-1 in Tuscaloosa on Friday night, spoiling Prime's first career goal for Tennessee.
• Alabama women's golf in the hunt at Landfall. Alvilda Wiberg led the Crimson Tide to second place at even-par 288 after day one of the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, N.C. — the program's final tournament of the fall. In other weekend action, Georgia tennis opened the RTC Collegiate Invite in Rome, Ga., with 10 combined wins (eight singles, two doubles).

PORTAL WATCH

Four SEC-bound moves hit the wire. Oklahoma added a pair of commitments in Braxton Fely and D'Yoni Hill. Georgia picked up JaCorey Thomas, and Alabama landed Joshua Underwood. Position details for the group were not yet listed.

RECRUITING BUZZ

No new high school commitments to report this morning. With a full SEC slate and official visitors on campuses across the league, that could change quickly — check back Sunday.

GAMES TO WATCH

• No. 18 LSU at Auburn — 11:00 AM CT, ABC (LSU -7). Auburn is fresh off its biggest win in years over No. 1 Georgia, while LSU fights to keep its playoff hopes alive. Classic letdown-spot test on The Plains.
• No. 11 Tennessee at South Carolina — 2:30 PM CT, ESPN (USC -2.5). Bishop and the Vols against a Gamecocks team with real momentum. The betting market making Tennessee an underdog is the story within the story.
• Texas A&M at No. 13 Alabama — 2:30 PM CT, ABC (Bama -13.5). The Tide look to get right at home after the Knoxville loss.
• Oklahoma at Mississippi State — 2:30 PM CT, SEC Network (OU -3). A winnable home spot for the Bulldogs against a ranked-adjacent Sooners squad.
• No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas — 6:30 PM CT, ABC (Texas -3.5). The night's main event and the SEC's only ranked-on-ranked matchup.
• Vanderbilt at No. 12 Kentucky — 6:30 PM CT, SEC Network (UK -10.5). The Commodores and freshman quarterback Jared Curtis visit a Kentucky team that has been one of the league's surprises.

Also on the radar: Texas men's basketball, ranked No. 7, faces No. 13/14 St. John's in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden Sunday at 11 AM CT on ESPN+, and Missouri basketball took down Kansas State 71-67 on the road Friday night.