The SEC spent September doing what it likes to brag about: winning the heavyweight fights.
With Saturday’s results, the league pushed its mark to 10-2 in non-conference games against Power-4 opponents, a surge that was sealed by Alabama’s 50-36 win over Florida State and Vanderbilt’s miracle against NC State. For a conference that took a hit late last season, this is the kind of early return that actually backs up the talk.
The Big Ten, meanwhile, has not backed up its own preseason noise.
The 18-team league is 4-9 against Power-4 teams when Notre Dame is included, a number that lands with a thud next to the SEC’s September haul. The Big Ten did manage one big win in the head-to-head race, but overall the league’s results have been thin enough to undercut the confidence it carried into the season.
The SEC went 2-1 against the Big Ten, with Texas’ win over then-No. 1 Ohio State standing as the headline result.
Mississippi State added another emphatic result by rolling Minnesota 38-13 in Minneapolis. Oklahoma’s loss to Michigan was the lone blemish in that stretch.
Utah’s 43-10 rout of Arkansas was the other setback for the SEC against peer competition.
That 10-2 record is also a sharp rebound from last year’s finish. The SEC ended up 12-13 against Power-4 teams after dropping eight of nine bowl games, so this September run already looks like a cleaner start.
There is a wrinkle in the Big Ten numbers, though. The league does not require every team to schedule a Power-4 opponent, while the SEC does, along with its nine-game conference slate. That helps explain why some Big Ten teams have avoided that kind of test altogether.
Defending champion Indiana, Penn State, Washington, USC, Nebraska and Wisconsin have not played a team from a peer conference. Indiana opened by beating North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky by a combined 145-16 over the first three weeks. Penn State’s early path ran through Marshall, Temple and Buffalo, with those games coming against the Sun Belt, American and MAC.
The non-conference stretch is basically over now, with only four more rivalry crossovers left on Thanksgiving weekend. The SEC still has Kentucky vs.
Louisville, South Carolina vs. Clemson, Florida vs.
Florida State and Georgia vs. Georgia Tech on the schedule, and those games will decide whether the league can keep this early edge intact.
In Other News...
Keelon Russell May Have Changed Alabamas Ceiling Faster Than Expected
For a quarterback still finding his footing, Keelon Russell made Alabama look awfully grown up against Florida State. He helped drag the Crimson Tide out of a 21-6 hole, finished 23 of 30 for 320 yards and three touchdowns, added 56 rushing yards and another score, and guided an offense that scored on seven straight possessions in a 50-36 win.
The bigger takeaway for Alabama is not just the comeback itself, but how quickly Russell appears to be raising the programs offensive ceiling. He was careful afterward to describe himself as still developing, which is probably the most intriguing part for the Tide: if this is the early version, the rest of the league has reason to pay attention. [Read more 🡒]
Danny Kanell Takes Another Shot At Alabama Over Weather Delay
The Alabama-Florida State season opener turned into a long night of stops and starts after lightning pushed the game through multiple weather delays, turning what should have been a clean first look at both teams into a test of patience. As the interruptions stacked up, CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell took to social media and questioned whether the second delay was really necessary, adding another layer of scrutiny to a game already shaped by the weather.
Kanells comments quickly drew pushback, with the response centering on the safety standards that guide lightning-related suspensions rather than the feel of the storm from a TV booth or social media feed. Weather professionals then stepped in to explain the rules behind those decisions, a reminder that these delays are not made on instinct, even when they frustrate fans and analysts alike. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Gets An Early SEC Reality Check In New AP Poll
The first real stretch of SEC play has already started to reshape the AP top 25, and Alabama fans can see how unforgiving that weekly grind can be. Ole Miss win over LSU gave the Rebels another boost in the league race, while Florida moved into the rankings after a road win at Auburn, a reminder that early conference games can swing the national conversation fast.
Texas A&M also took a hit after falling to Kentucky, a result that only added to the sense that the leagues middle tier is still sorting itself out. For Alabama, the early poll movement serves as a useful checkpoint on what the SEC demands week after week, with contenders, sleepers and disappointments all starting to separate a little more clearly. [Read more 🡒]