SEC Morning Report: Unbeaten Florida Heads to Columbia as Missouri Looks for Answers

LEAD STORY: Florida's Unbeaten Start Faces a Road Test at Missouri

The Florida Gators bring a 4-0 record into Columbia this weekend, and their trip to Missouri is the headline game on the SEC schedule. Florida's 52-28 win over Ole Miss was a statement, according to Rock M Nation's Race for the CFP piece, which names running back Jadan Baugh "a legitimate Heisman contender" and picks the Gators to make the College Football Playoff. GatorCountry.com's Andrew Spivey also likes Florida, though he expects a tight finish. He picked the Gators to win 31-24 and noted that "Florida has struggled in Columbia."

The road ahead is still hard for Florida. Georgia and Texas both remain on the schedule, along with South Carolina, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Florida State. The Gators host Oklahoma and South Carolina in Gainesville, but Rock M Nation calls the road trips to Kentucky and Missouri the biggest questions. It's still early enough that one result could swing either team's season. Rock M Nation describes Missouri as "on the outside looking in" on the playoff picture, and a Homecoming win on Saturday would change that.

Missouri has two problems to fix quickly. The first is tackling, which was supposed to be a strength. Per PFF numbers cited by Rock M Nation, linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez's tackling grade has fallen from 78.4 in 2025 to 46.9 this season. Robert Woodyard Jr., who transferred from Auburn, has dropped from 79 to 58.2. The second is the tight ends, who have combined for just seven catches for 55 yards and one touchdown through four games, all by Brett Norfleet. At this point last season, the group had 17 catches for 189 yards and four scores. Rock M Nation adds that quarterback Austin Simons looks best on deeper throws and that the offense has struggled on first and second down. That leaves room for Norfleet to get more targets against Florida.

QUICK HITS

• Auburn soccer upsets No. 13 Tennessee: Auburn beat the No. 13 Lady Vols 1-0 on Thursday night. It was Tennessee's second loss of the 2026 season.
• Georgia tennis opens in San Francisco: Georgia women's tennis finished the first day of the Battle in the Bay Classic at the California Tennis Club with two singles wins and two doubles victories.
• Artiles keeps collecting honors: Gigi Artiles has already been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice this season.
• Fall action across the league: Tennessee softball hosts Carson-Newman in a 10-inning exhibition at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Friday. Alabama women's golf continues its fall season at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in Fayetteville.
• Hoops preview season begins: Rock M Nation's non-conference previews for Missouri basketball looked at Pitt this week. Of the 16 players on Pitt's online roster, Macari Moore is the only one who played for the Panthers last season, appearing in 22 games at about six minutes per game. Vanderbilt baseball's Connor Fennell also met with the media on October 1.

PORTAL WATCH

The transfer portal was quiet over the last 12 hours, with no new SEC-related activity reported. With conference play underway, attention stays on the field for now.

RECRUITING BUZZ

No new commitments were reported in the last 12 hours. We'll keep tracking SEC recruiting boards ahead of a busy weekend of official and unofficial visits.

GAMES TO WATCH

Six SEC matchups are on the slate. Kickoff times and TV networks were not yet confirmed in our data:

• Florida at Missouri: This is the marquee game. Unbeaten Florida brings Jadan Baugh into Columbia for Missouri's Homecoming, and the Tigers need a statement win.
• Auburn at Tennessee: An SEC road test in Knoxville for Auburn.
• Alabama at Mississippi State: The Crimson Tide go on the road to Starkville.
• Vanderbilt at Georgia: The Commodores visit the Bulldogs in Athens.
• Kentucky at South Carolina: The Wildcats travel to Columbia, S.C.
• Arkansas at Texas A&M: An SEC West-flavored road trip to College Station for the Razorbacks.

Check back with SEC Scouts for previews, live updates and full recaps.